Books We Loved in 2023

Elisabeth Scott

Reference Librarian

"You must love working at the library. You get to sit there and read whatever you want all day." While that is my dream gig, life at the Mississippi Library Commission is much more involved with getting books and library services out to people in the state than whiling away the hours flipping pages. When we're not hard at work at MLC, some of us like to read and some of us don't, just like the regular population. For those of us who are book lovers and have the time in our lives to savor books, we do a lot of reading.

We weren't able to share our "Books We Loved" list for 2022; life got in the way. Our favorite reads have been fun to share with you over the years, though, so we're pleased to take the tradition back up this year. You can look back at previous "Books We Loved" entries here: 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017 juvenile and adult, 2016 parts one and two, and 2015. Remember: these aren't books that were necessarily published in the year of the list, just ones that staff read and enjoyed that year. Also, these are staff reads, not MLC recommendations, so please research each book before reading to make sure the content is something you personally will enjoy. Without further ado, here are the books we loved in 2023!

The Absolute Best Books MLC Staff Read in 2018

The staff of the Mississippi Library Commission has read their fair share of books the past year. We like picture books and comics, fiction, and nonfiction, and old and new. These were our favorites.

Crown: An Ode to the Fresh Cut
Derrick Barnes and Gordon C. James, 2017
Recommended by Andrea' R.

The Crayon Box that Talked
Shane Derolf and Michael Letzig, 1997
Recommended by Lawrence S.

Green Eggs and Ham
Dr. Seuss, 1960
Recommended by Sandra T.

"My grandbabies love it when I read this to them."

Harriet Gets Carried Away
Jessie Sima, 2018
Recommended by Elisabeth S.

"This is hands down the cutest, sweetest, most adorable picture book I read this year."

A Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo
Jill Twiss and E.G. Keller, 2018
Recommended by Amanda R.

Sneezy the Snowman
Maureen Wright and Stephen Gilpin, 2010
Recommended by Bonita S.

A Sky Full of Stars
Linda Williams Jackson, 2018
Recommended by Elisabeth S.

"Life in rural Mississippi during the 1950s is explored through the eyes of a spunky and loving African-American girl named Rose."

The Time quintet
A Wrinkle in Time, A Wind in the Door, A Swiftly Tilting Planet, Many Waters
Madeleine L'Engle, 1962-1986
Recommended by Margaret S.

The Witch Boy
Molly Ostertag, 2017
Recommended by Elisabeth S.

"This is all about witches, shapeshifters, and who ought to be able to be which; I loved it so much!"

The Harry Potter series
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
J.K. Rowling, 1997-2007
Recommended by Mary Rodgers B.

Wizard for Hire
Obert Skye, 2018
Recommended by Amanda R.

The Good Demon
Jimmy Cajoleas, 2018
Recommended by Louisa W.

The All the Boys series
To All the Boys I've Loved Before, P.S. I Still Love You, and Always and Forever, Lara Jean
Jenny Han, 2014-2017
Recommended by Mary Rodgers B.

Beneath the Sugar Sky
Seanan McGuire, 2018
Recommended by Elisabeth S.

"What happens when your mother is murdered years before you're supposed to be born? I think this is my favorite so far in the macabre Wayward Children series."

Dumplin'
Julie Murphy, 2015
Recommended by Mary Rodgers B.

An Enchantment of Ravens
Margaret Rogerson, 2017
Recommended by Katie G.

The Princess and the Dressmaker
Jen Wang, 2018
Recommended by Katie G.

Damsel
Elana K. Arnold, 2018
Recommended by Amanda R.

The Immortalists
Chloe Benjamin, 2018
Recommended by Shellie Z.

Brief Cases: More Stories from the Dresden Files
Jim Butcher, 2018
Recommended by Margaret S.

The President is Missing
Bill Clinton, James Patterson, and David Ellis, 2018
Recommended by Hulen B. and Margaret S.

All the Light We Cannot See
Anthony Doerr, 2014
Recommended by Natalie D.

Bingo Love
Dee Franklin and Jenn St. Onge, 2017
Recommended by Annie W. and Louisa W.

Cold Mountain
Charles Frazier, 1997
Recommended by Tracy C.

"There is not one word that is not perfect… and I am not exaggerating."

I Hear the Sunspot
Yuki Fumino, 2017 (translation edition)
Recommended by Amanda R.

The Reckoning
John Grisham, 2018
Recommended by Hulen B.

"Told in three parts, this Grisham novel is the story of a man and his wife who are united in death. It is a unity of permanence that they did not achieve in life. Side stories include the children of the coupe and how they lose ownership of their parents' estate and the tale of a local preacher who got in the way of the couple's relationship."

The Nightingale
Kristin Hannah, 2015
Recommended by Susan L.

How to Find Love in a Bookshop
Veronica Henry, 2017
Recommended by Mary Rodgers B.

The Boats of the Glen Carrig
William Hope Hodgson, 1907
Recommended by Daniel W.

The Drawing of Three
Stephen King, 1987
Recommended by Josh S.

Gone with the Wind
Margaret Mitchell, 1936
Recommended by Will B.

The Binti trilogy
Binti, Home, and The Night Masquerade
Nnedi Okorafor, 2015-2018
Recommended by Elisabeth S.

 "Utterly beautiful. Science fiction at its finest."

The English Patient
Michael Ondaatje, 1992
Recommended by Tracy C.

The Lonely Hearts Hotel
Heather O'Neill, 2017
Recommended by Shellie Z.

Rise and Shine, Benedict Stone
Phaedra Patrick, 2017
Recommended by Louisa W.

Kiss the Girls
James Patterson, 1995
Recommended by Lacy E.

"Kiss the Girls was one of my favorite reads of 2018. It is the second book in the James Patterson Alex Cross series and was originally published in 1995. Those who are fans of murder and serial killer podcasts should re-visit this easily devoured novel. I read it over the span of a conference weekend with two long layovers. It’s the best $.25 I spent at a library book sale. Make sure you check out the 1997 film starring Morgan Freeman!"

Witchmark
C.L. Polk, 2018
Recommended by Amanda R.

The Bedlam Stacks
Natasha Pulley, 2017
Recommended by Ally M. 

The Alice Network
Kate Quinn, 2017
Recommended by Shellie Z.

A History of God: The 4,000 Year Quest of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam
Karen Armstrong, 1975
Recommended by Derrion A.

The Bible
King James version
Recommended by Sandra T.

"I read this over and over. It's my favorite thing to read."

Stay the Course: The Story of Vanguard and the Index Revolution
Jack Bogle, 2018
Recommended by Hulen B.

"The author, who was one of the original creators of the concept of index funds, discusses the pracitcality of such funds (ETF style or financial house created) in today's economy, along with notation as to probable 2019 predictors. The author suggests that these insights are important, as index funds hold such a large percentage of the US stock/equity market."

Origin Story: A Big History of Everything
David Christian, 2018
Recommended by Derrion A.

Guns, Germs, and Steel
Jared Diamond, 1997
Recommended by Derrion A.

Grit
Angela Duckworth, 2016
Recommended by Hulen B.

"Written by a psychologist who believes that the "grit" of a person is a better predictor of an individual's success than one's IQ or one's talent. (Grit, in this writing, is expressed as an individual's passion combined with perseverance.)"

This Republic of Suffering: Death and the American Civil War
Drew Gilpin Faust, 2008
Recommended by Derrion A.

My Girls: A Lifetime with Carrie and Debbie
Todd Fisher, 2018
Recommended by Will B.

The Prophet
Kahlil Gibran, 1923
Recommended by Andrea' R.

Negro Thought in America, 1880-1915: Racial Ideologies in the Age of Booker T. Washington
August Meier, 1963
Recommended by Derrion A.

The One Device: The Secret History of the iPhone
Brian Merchant, 2017
Recommended by Margaret S.

Becoming
Michelle Obama, 2018
Recommended by Margaret S.

Dear Fahrenheit 451
Annie Spence, 2017
Recommended by Mary Rodgers B.

Rowdy: The Roddy Piper Story
Ariel Teal Toombs, Colt Baird Toombs, and Craig Pyette, 2016
Recommended by Will B.

Educated
Tara Westover, 2018
Recommended by Natalie D. and Andrea' R.

The Desegregation of Public Libraries in the Jim Crow South
Wayne A. Wiegand and Shirley A. Wiegand, 2018
Recommended by Tracy C.

"Completely enlightening, especially in the fact that what we consider a core tenet of the modern public library, the library as community, was created by black librarians/libraries because there WAS no place for the black community to gather."

So? Which were your favorites?

Among the Pages

A certain imbalance reached into March with volatile weather, like a lion, of course, which led me to two very different books for grounding. Having been a fan of his work for decades, I checked out William Eggleston’s impressive book of portraits. Then, coincidentally, a co-worker highly recommended a book she was returning. The book’s cover illustration and title were intriguing enough.

My Father the Pornographer: A Memoir by Chris Offutt
William Eggleston Portraits by Phillip Prodger & an appreciation by Sophia Coppola

While studying Eggleston’s composition and use of color and reading Offutt’s snappy chapters alternately, a common thread emerged—an exploration of how we know and don’t know people, no matter their proximity. Appearance is just that; it rarely yields a reliable knowing, but it offers a strong character of suggestion and nuance. A good-read pairing, I say. 

Among the Pages

How one greets a new year can be a toss-up. For some it’s a time to rejuvenate, make new resolutions, get back on the happy horse and move forward; for others it’s a time to look backward and let the introvert take the lead. For me, it’s the latter—a time to take internal inventory.

In keeping with this, I’ve chosen two books out of the MLC collection to read with a studious eye: Parchman by R. Kim Rushing and An American Insurrection: The Battle of Oxford, Mississippi, 1962 by William Doyle. I highly recommend both books and what they call for—equitable change for all.

Among the Pages

Choosing a book to read. It’s not about only what’s newly published, hotly reviewed, or otherwise hitting the bestseller lists; it’s also about your mind wandering, a memory revisited, hearing something of interest through whatever medium, or simply a title and what it evokes. Like this, I read multiple books in shifts some months, bookmarked and ready to resume in whatever order I choose, some months just one book. Other months I look up, get on the road, and take photographs. Here’s what I’m reading now in no particular order:

• Compass & Clock (poems) by David Sanders (Swallow Press/ Ohio University Press)
• Beyond the Crossroads: The Devil and the Blues Tradition by Adam Gussow (The University of North Carolina Press)
• Lonesome Lies Before Us (novel) by Don Lee (W.W. Norton & Company)
• ShallCross (poems) by C.D. Wright (Copper Canyon Press)
• Available Surfaces: Essays on Poesis by T. R. Hummer (The University of Michigan Press)
• She (novel) by Michelle Latiolais (W.W. Norton & Company)
• Ever (poems) by Ralph Adamo (Lavender Ink)
• Hold Still: A Memoir with Photographs by Sally Mann (Little, Brown and Company)
• Reckless Daughter: A Portrait of Joni Mitchell by David Yaffe (Sarah Crichton Books, Farrar, Straus and Giroux)
• Crazy Moon (poems) by Bet Wooten (Mila Ink)

Be adventurous. Be random. Enjoy!

Staff Reads: Picture Book Bios

I've been reading a lot of children's books lately. Middle grade and YA books can be a lot of fun, but picture books might just be my favorites. The illustrations pull me in and the simple stories keep me coming back for more. I'm especially fond of picture book biographies. I've always been a bit of a history nerd and I learn great little tidbits about people I've never heard of (or don't know enough about.)

Poet: The Remarkable Story of George Moses Horton was written and illustrated by Don Tate. (He illustrated another of my recent favorites, a wonderful picture book biography about Mississippian John Roy Lynch.) Poet follows the true story of the first African-American to be published in the South. Horton taught himself to read as a child; as an adult, he began writing beautiful, heartbreaking poems that spoke against the institution of slavery. He was in his 80s when he finally became a free man because of the Civil War. It's a powerful tale and the illustrations are just as powerful. It won the 2016 Ezra Jack Keats author award. Grades 2-5.

One civil rights activist that I truly admire is Mississippi native Fannie Lou Hamer. I was very pleased to see her story told in Voice of Freedom: Fannie Lou Hamer. The author, Carole Boston Weatherford, is actually slated to be at this summer's Mississippi Book Festival. The illustrator, Ekua Holmes, created amazing mixed-media collages which perfectly capture the rhythm and themes of Weatherford's poetic tribute to Hamer. I was particularly taken by this quote:

I was so hungry to learn. My mother drilled this into me. When you read, she said, you know--and you can help yourself and others."

The book was named a 2016 Caldecott Honor Book. Grades 6 and up.

Emmanuel's Dream: The True Story of Emmanuel Ofosu Yeboah was particularly satisfying. I'd never heard the story of this Ghanaian who, though born with a deformed foot, mastered bicycling at a young age and went on to bike across his country. He raised awareness for those with disabilities in Ghana and is invested in furthering the education of the children of his country, abled and disabled.

He knew her last words had been a gift. He would honor them by showing everyone that being disabled does not mean unable.

The text by Laurie Ann Thompson paints evocative pictures of Ghana, while the illustrations by Sean Qualls are exceptional. The book won the 2016 Schneider Family Book Award for children. Kindergarten-2nd grade.

The children's book market has exploded since I was a child. The plethora of picture books available now is a little daunting. Sometimes I feel like I'll never be able to read all the great new books out there, but I'll certainly give it my best shot. Until next time, happy reading!