10 Best Reads of 2023 (with short reviews)

2023 was an incredible year for my reading. I read 40 books, a total of 11506 pages (average book length: 288 pages). Out of those, here are the 10 which I enjoyed the most, in no particular order:

Non-Fiction

• Reasons to Stay Alive, by Matt Haig: A memoir in which Matt describes his experiences with depression, anxiety and panic attacks. It has a multi-genre nature: memoir, self-help, science, philosophy, etc. The writing is extremely engaging and beautiful. A very important book to read for anyone who has been even remotely in touch with mental illness or wants to learn about it.
• The Heart of the Buddha's Teachings, by Thich Nhat Hanh: This book contains the core concepts of Zen Buddhism, explained by one of its most popular contemporary proponents: Vietnamese monk and peace activist Thich Nhat Hanh (fondly called Thay). I had come across references to Buddhist ideas in various other books, but this one consolidates most of its crucial ideas in a very simple language. Thay's words are like an ointment to reduce the suffering of life. No matter what you are suffering from in life, these timeless lessons will help you promote compassion and foster peace. 
• The Paradox of Choice, by Barry Schwarz: A book about how the abundance of choices in the modern world is paradoxically making us less satisfied and mentally unwell. Ranging from psychological experiments to practical advice, the book throws light on the challenges of modern existence in the face of unlimited choice and how one can make peace of mind possible in a world which lacks it. 
• The Happiness Trap, by Russ Harris: This book is about Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). The author explains how modern myths about happiness get us into this trap where wanting to become happy itself becomes the reason for our unhappiness. The book explains techniques using which we can deal with our emotions by accepting them rather than fighting against them, and how a commitment to one's values makes life good, even if positive feelings are absent. It is based on sound research and has a touch of Buddhist philosophy, bringing in concepts of mindfulness and compassion.
• The Body, by Bill Bryson: An excellent book about human anatomy for the general reader. Bill Bryson has done an excellent job describing the body, history of medical research, diseases, treatments with an occasional touch of humour. Each chapter is based on a part of the body such as the brain, heart or the immune system. An interesting takeaway is that a lot of facts about the human body such as why we yawn or why we sleep 7-8 hours or why one gets asthma are simply not known to science. Great read for pop science enthusiasts. Filled me with awe towards the workings of the body many times, and also made me laugh with some funny anecdotes. An incredibly well researched book.
• Self-Compassion, by Kristin Neff: In this book, Kristin Neff explains how her research is showing that being kind to ourselves is essential and conducive for improving our life. Breaking through the ideal of constantly seeking perfection and improvement, Neff explains that being hard on ourselves for self-improvement is often not sustainable and harms us. A better way to deal with adversity is to be compassionate to ourselves, treating ourselves like we would treat a friend. Here also, there is a touch of Buddhism. The central premise of the book is that life is difficult and to face it, we must be kind to ourselves as much as to others, acknowledging our common humanity.

Fiction

• The Hound of the Baskervilles, by Arthur Conan Doyle: A Sherlock Holmes classic in which a family named Baskerville has been plagued by a supernatural hound that has killed several of their lineage. Read the book to get engrossed in a beautifully written story of how Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson track the origins of the mysterious deaths. It is a page-turner full of twists and intelligent breakthroughs. 
• Nightshade (#12, Alex Rider Series), by Anthony Horowitz: Alex Rider has been a faithful friend to me during my teenage years. I loved the series. Horowitz recently started continuing the series and two new books came out; Never Say Die, and Nightshade. And Nightshade turned out to be so enthralling that it was better than all the previous ones. However, if you have not read any of the Alex Rider novels, this might not be the best book to start with (read Stormbreaker, Point Blanc, Scorpia, Scorpia Rising at least, before Nightshade)
• Project Hail Mary, by Andy Weir: This is the first science-fiction novel I read and it made me fall in love with the genre. Andy Weir's writing is spot-on, filled with intelligence, humour, brainy stuff and strong characters. It is the story of a science school-teacher, Ryland Grace, who by a chain of events ends up travelling interstellar. He wakes up from a coma to find himself travelling in a spaceship in another galaxy, and as his memory returns along with the subsequent events, he must do his job to save Planet Earth. But he is not really alone...
• The Three-Body Problem (Trilogy), by Liu Cixin: This trilogy by Liu Cixin is the story of Chinese scientists and interstellar travel. That's the best way to put it if I want to avoid spoilers. The imaginative power behind it is incredible. It discusses how humanity would behave in the case of an alien invasion, how our future might be if that happens, and other such things that blow your mind. The third book, Death's End, was the best of the three. The plot, character development and writing style are extremely engaging.