Top Books I Read in 2023

Elon Musk, Nepo Babies, Harry and Meghan, and Serial Killers are just a few of the subjects of my favorite reads

“This Town” by Mark Leibovich

This was not only my favorite book of 2023; it may be my favorite book of all time. As chief national correspondent for The New York Times Magazine, Mark Leibovich gives an inside look at the glamorous, ridiculous, petty and cringe-worthy world of Washington D.C.’s elite. The book mostly takes place during President Obama’s first term in the Oval Office, beginning with the must-attend social event of the decade—Tim Russert’s funeral—and closes with the government shutdown of 2012. Simpler times.

“Generations” by Jean M. Twenge, Ph.D.

This book is not only fascinating, it may help you understand your family members and members of other generations. The book covers the six living generations (Silents: born 1925-1945, Boomers: born 1946-1964, Generation X: born 1965-1979, Millenials: born 1980-1994, Generation Z: born 1995-2012, Polars: 2013-2029) with a multitude of data sources, including original resources. Even though the book is filled with charts and graphs, it is a very accessible read. Twenge is able to provide numerous insights about the various generations in an engaging, information and sometimes humorous way. I enjoyed this book so much I might write a review for each section on the generations.

“Speech-Less” by Matt Latimer

I’ve read my share of memoirs written by presidential speechwriters and Matt Latimer’s account of his time during George W. Bush’s presidency is engrossing, if a bit self-aggrandizing. Unlike George Stephanopolous’ memoir, “All Too Human,” which explores not only the foibles of Bill Clinton, but his own shortcomings, or David Litt’s “Thanks, Obama,” which is positive and upbeat, Latimer just whines a lot. In Latimer’s retelling, after Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld resigned from his post, Latimer joined him in his office one last time (Latimer wrote speeches for Rumsfeld before finding his way to Bush’s White House). It is then that the gruff, curmudgeonly Rumsfeld looks at Latimer teary-eyed and says, “You were a star…you were my star.” Sure, Matt.

“The Devil in the White City” by Erik Larson

Erik Larson is one of my favorite authors and I’ve read nearly every book he’s written. This book is really two books: one about the 1893 World’s Fair in Chicago and one about a sadistic serial killer taking advantage of the surge of visitors coming to the World’s Fair. I thoroughly enjoyed the details of all that transpired to make the Chicago World’s Fair a reality and was so horrified by the details of the serial killings that I honestly skimmed over about half of those sections.

“Romney, A Reckoning” by McKay Coppins

This book is equal parts fascinating and sad. I have great admiration for Mitt Romney and the unvarnished look at the dark turn the GOP has taken in the last several years, and Romney’s limited success in combatting those dark impulses, is a sobering read. But the impressions of his fellow politicians are worth the cover price alone: Rick Perry is “a dimwit,” Chris Christie had “prima donna tendencies,” Newt Gingrich is “a megalomaniac,” and Ted Cruz is “scary” and “a demagogue.” Perhaps the entertaining anecdotes are enough to counteract the hopelessness you might feel when you finish the book.

“The Palace Papers” by Tina Brown

Tina Brown spills all the tea on the Royal Family. The book covers the Windsors from the doomed courtship of Charles and Diana up to the infamous “Megxit” of Harry and Meghan. If you’re a fan of The Crown, especially the fifth and sixth seasons, this book should pique your interest and is likely more accurate than the largely speculative accounts that appear in the Netflix series. I fully confess I was most interested in reading about the Harry and Meghan drama and was not disappointed. I also highly recommend Brown’s book on Princess Diana, “The Diana Diaries.”

“The Summer I Turned Pretty” by Jenny Han

I rarely read fiction for a number of reasons but saw this book on multiple lists (along with an Amazon Prime series that came out last year) and thought it would be a good book to read before bed. The book covers a group of teenage friends caught in a love triangle while spending a summer at a beach house. There’s nothing super deep about it, it’s just mostly a fun read (although a revelation in the last few chapters does make for a somber left turn).

“Taste” by Stanley Tucci

Actor Stanley Tucci has written a delightful memoir about his upbringing just outside New York City with his large Italian American family. He’s had a fascinating life (including his marriage to Felicity Blunt, sister of Emily Blunt; John Krasinski is his brother-in-law) that has taken him from New York to Florence to now London, but his roots have always been in Italy. Throughout the book are anecdotes about his love of food and recipes of these beloved dishes. I would also recommend the (HBO) Max series, “Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy.”

“Elon Musk” by Walter Isaacson

Having disrupted the electric vehicle industry (Tesla), space exploration (SpaceX), artificial intelligence (OpenAI), social media (Twitter) and the lives of numerous people (four wives/partners and 11 children), Elon Musk makes for a thought-provoking subject for renowned biographer Walter Isaacson. The portrait that emerges from this book is of a man constantly looking for grandiose projects to tackle in order to escape his personal demons (an abusive father and terrible childhood). This is a book I might write a longer review for given how complicated and controversial the subject is.

“Look for Me There” by Luke Russert

I thought this book would be a peek behind the curtain of the goings on of Washington and the Media, with beloved nepo baby Luke Russert, son of Tim Russert, as my guide. But that’s only the first three chapters. Chapters 4-28 cover Russert’s travels across the world in search of…himself? Purpose? Good Instagram moments? Abilene, Texas—where I went to college—is one of the stops in Russert’s global tour, which was fun to read. But after several chapters, one can’t help but wonder, many years after leaving a job at NBC and he’s just globetrotting and taking Instagram photos everywhere? That’s his life? Recently, Russert was named host of his own MSNBC show, so after a seven-year hiatus, glad he’s been able to find work again.