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!

Read with MLC: 2024 Reading Challenge

Elisabeth Scott

Reference Librarian

I don't know if you've noticed, but the angels are heralding, the treetops are glistening, and 2024 is nigh upon us. If you're anything like me, you're already cheating on your 2023 reads (Sorry! I promise I'll finish you next week!) by poring over all of the "best of 2023" book lists and checking out the 2024 reading challenges. I think I like planning what I'm going to read almost as much as snuggling down with a good book. (Of course, I always reserve the option toss all my planning and lists away to snag a book from a library shelf.) Like last year, the Mississippi Library Commission partnered again with the Mississippi Center for the Book (MS CFB) to create another reading challenge for you, our beloved readers.

Walking In A Creative Wonderland

Alex Brower

Information Services Director

The holidays are here! It is a time for eating, spending time with family, and more eating. MLC's patrons have access to the CreativeBug database from home any time they want, and it is one of my favorite places to go to find fun art, craft, and food ideas. I was inspired by a program at the Carthage-Leake County Library where the Mississippi State Extension Service showed library patrons how to make charcuterie boards, so I wanted to share some Creativebug classes that have delicious recipes and holiday ideas to make you the host with the most! 

Read with MLC: A Book With Less Than 100 Pages

Elisabeth Scott

Reference Librarian

When we chose 100 pages as our reading cap for December's part in our Read with MLC Challenge, we did so with the knowledge of just how busy this time of year can be. The hustle and bustle of the holiday season melded with the gloom of suddenly shortened days can be a very real reading inhibitor. Once we hit the front door, binging a series on TV sounds mighty attractive. It turns out, though, that reading can clear the mind and free the spirit: winging your way to another world for half an hour or so might be all you need to change your mood for the better. Here are a few lists of very short books (though perhaps not all exactly under 100 pages) that you can use to fulfill December's goal.

 

• Book Riot's beginner's guide to SFF novelettes
• Esquire's list of books to read in one sitting 
• The Guardian's list of 50 great short stories
• LitHub's list of novellas for our current age of distraction
• Modern Mrs. Darcy's list of nonfiction books that you can finish in a day
  
• The Nebula Awards list of nominees and winners for best novelette
  
• Powell's essential list of novellas

We'll be announcing the categories for our 2024 Reading Challenge later this month, so be sure to check back to get your reading engines primed!