Martha and Shirley: 2023 saw book coverage return to community sites and for a list of what was posted see THIRD's "Books." Book coverage also continued to appear in community newsletters. As usual, our ballots were ranked choice voting -- something we hope the US government will implement for elections.
These are the ten books of the year per your votes. It's an eclectic list but no fiction made it onto our list this year. You could vote for any book you read this year, it didn't have to be published this year. It also didn't have to be a book reviewed at community sites or in community newsletters.
In the end, here was your top ten.
1) Susan Williams' WHITE MALICE.
C.I. covered the book at the start of the year in "Mafia Wives (Susan Williams' WHITE MALICE)" -and Beth roundtabled it in May for the gina & krista round-robin. Susan Williams traces the US plan to assassinate Patrice Lumumba -- and carried it out -- in 1961. The US government has never been a friend to anyone but dictators and murderers.
2) Ryan Grim's THE SQUAD: AOC AND THE HOPE OF A POLITICAL REVOLUTION.
"A peak behind the curtain by someone sporting rose colored glasses," was how Ava and C.I. opened their review for the gina & krista round-robin. This is a 2023 released book that actually made the list.
3) Elizabeth Kolbert's THE SIXTH EXTINCTION AN UNNATURAL HISTORY.
"THE SIXTH EXTINCTION: AN UNNATURAL HISTORY" was Mike's review. In 2015, the book won a Pulitzer and read it and you'll understand why. You'll also wonder why we don't learn and why we ignore warning signals. Yazz said it was his favorite book of the year and Gloria wants more science books covered.
4) Anne Heche's CALL ME ANNE.
"Call Her Heroic (Ava and C.I.)" was the title of Ava and C.I.'s review. An incredible actress who lived a fascinating (but brief) life.
5) Anais Nin's A JOYOUS TRANSFORMATION: THE UNEXPURGATED DIARY OF ANAIS NIN 1966 - 1967.
The novelist, diarist, critic, short story and erotica writer Anais Nin lived quite the life. Beginning in the sixties, her infamous diary began to be published. Following her 1977 death, HENRY & JUNE kicked off the unexpurgated versions of her diary. With this volume, we presumably now have reached the end. Ruth reviewed the book in "A JOYOUS TRANSFORMATION: THE UNEXPURZGATED DIARY OF ANAIS NIN, 1966 -1977."
6) AUSTIN BREAKFAST TACOS: THE STORY OF THE MOST IMPORTANT TACO OF THE DAY.
As Trina noted in "Austin Breakfast Tacos: The Story of the Most Important Taco of the Day," this is both history and a cookbook. Joe noted this is an enjoyable book that he would have missed without Trina's review and it being available on KINDLE UNLIMITED.
7) Yuval Noah Harari's SAPIENS: A BRIEF HISTORY OF HUMANKIND.
This book looks at the impact of human beings upon the planet and there are some pretty unsettling conclusions. Mike covered the book in "SAPIENS: A BRIEF HISTORY OF HUMANKIND."
8) Barbra Streisand's MY NAME IS BARBRA.
Reviews in Ava and C.I.'s "Media: MY NAME IS BARBRA, my game is pity party" and Trina's "Avocado Salad With Ginger-Tamari Dressing in the Kitchen (and I review Bab's book)." A book many of you picked up, Barbra Streisand's look back at sixty years of overeating and penny pinching. Those looking for anything deeper than a cue card were frustrated to find how little -- beyond food -- Streisand remembered. FOR PETE'S SAKE may not be the greatest ever movie, for example, but it was written for her, she chose to make it and her longtime manager produced it so forgive us for being unimpressed with her inability to remember it. And forgive us but A STAR IS BORN is a piece of unwatchable trash. Yes, it made money but no one today gives a damn about it. Poorly acted, badly edited, woefully out of touch even in real time and she sports the worst hairdo of her career. At least THE MAIN EVENT -- same bad hair -- had some laughs in it. Many of you felt Trina nailed it best about how cheap Barbra is to go on and on about ten dollars she gave Jon Peters for gas in the 70s that he never paid back. Equally true, most of you noted you believed he beat her up and found it cowardly on her part not to write about that.
9) Scott G. Shea's ALL THE LEAVES ARE BROWN.
The Mamas and the Papas are one of the great groups of the rock era. So why is it so hard for them to get a good and honest book? Thus far, they have one good book -- (Mama) Michelle Phillips' CALIFORNIA DREAMIN' and the transcript book GO WHERE YOU WANNA GO is interesting. This one makes John Phillips' ghost written PAPA JOHN look interesting. And that's a pretty impossible feat. We all have high hopes for Owen Elliot-Kugell's upcoming MY MAMA, CASS due out in May. In the meantime, we've got "ALL THE LEAVES ARE BROWN" which Kat nailed in July.
10) Charles Winecoff's SPLIT IMAGE: THE LIFE OF ANTHONY PERKINS.
Read it and cry. A life destroyed. Like Ann (see her "Split Image: The Life of Anthony Perkins") we see Mildred Newman as the villain of the story. That quack 'cured' many men -- including Paul Newman -- of same-sex involvement and destroyed their lives in the process. Wherever in hell she is, let's hope she's saving a spot for Ron DeSantis, Mike Johnson, Naomi Wolf and the Moms For Bigotry.
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Martha and Shirley have also done the year in books for 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009, 2008, 2007, 2006 and 2005.
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2023 end of the year pieces: Rebecca's "sexiest men of 2023," "2023 in film (Ann and Stan)" and Stan's "2023 in film (Ann and Stan)," Mike's "Idiot of 2023," Ruth's "Ruth's Streaming Report." Martha & Shirley's "2023 in books (Martha & Shirley)." Kat's "2023 in music" and our "2023: The Year of Touch Grass."
