2023 was a huge year for books. From exciting anthologies by local authors to long-awaited releases by some of the biggest names in the literary world, the year 2023 saw a refreshing and energetic rejuvenation for books everywhere.
At Da Shop: Books + Curiosities, we love recommending our favorite books—of which there are many! As we reflected on the numerous books we fell in love with in 2023, we realized how incredibly hard it would be to declare “favorites.” (Dare we say it similar to choosing a favorite child?) Instead, we’re rounding up a few of the books that left the biggest impressions on our staff, from dazzling poetry collections to profound fiction reads and everything in between.
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by Andrea Gibson
Selected by Kristen
Have you ever thought to yourself: I’m so thankful this book exists in the world and that I’m lucky enough to participate in this narrative journey? That’s how I felt reading lauded poet and performer Andrea Gibson’s collection You Better Be Lightning. I read one poem, one single poem, and I was utterly ensnared.
And so I kept reading, poem by poem, in the mornings when I came to work, awash in sunlight and the warmth of exquisite verse. This collection is an intimate, evocative, and tender uplifting of queer identities, political action, the journey through illness and grief, and the profound importance of self-love. Their charge to us, to be lightning in this world, is shared forth as a profuse invitation that gently but intentionally incises the kind of cracks in us that let the light in.
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by Britney Spears
Selected by Jen
I arrived at The Woman in Me a fan of Britney’s music and with some curiosity of her public persona and what her now terminated conservatorship was all about. I left it seeking out the three sides to every story: yours, mine and the truth. In her memoir, Britney gives us a peek into her childhood and family dynamics and provides context of the before and after of the snapshots and soundbites for which she became infamous.
If at the mere mention of her name you don’t think you can relate, consider a time your character was judged based on a photo, a five-second video when there was ten or not being asked directly what your point of view of a situation was. At some point in the book, I stopped reading about Britney Spears the pop star and everything else good and bad we projected on her and started to read about Britney Spears the person. A person who wants to be heard and understood (agreeing is optional): that is the human in me and the human in all of us.
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by Jamel Brinkley
Selected by Megan
I will read anything Jamel Brinkley writes, and the ten stories in Witness are no exception. In his phenomenal sophomore collection, Brinkley has assembled a cast of Black families, friends and partners reaching for connection, compassion and understanding amidst the simmering tension of contemporary American life. Brinkley is also one of the foremost prose writers of our generation, crafting sentences that delight, frustrate and ultimately surprise readers at every turn.
This spectacular collection questions how we choose to bear witness to both another person’s deep suffering and incredible joy. I haven’t stopped thinking about these stories since first picking up this book and suspect they will continue to haunt me for years to come.
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Edited by Lee A. Tonouchi
Selected by Dave
A book that really impacted me this year was Chiburu: Anthology of Hawai‘i Okinawan Literature. Truth is, I am not Okinawan, and you do not need to be to appreciate this book. Lee A. Tonouchi has become an expert at recognizing good, quality storytelling in any form. As an editor, he has matured equally as well. In this collection, he vibrantly put to prose the inner-self-communications of other people’s works about life, in humorous, amusing and vulnerable writings.
The contemplations and discussions surrounding Okinawan identity gathered in the book celebrate ethnicity and serve as a lifeline connecting the past to the present to envision a future of self and communal recognition in a world of growing diversity. You do not need to be Okinawan to appreciate that—just human.
SEE ALSO: 6 Reasons Why I Loved Chiburu, Lee A. Tonouchi’s New Book About the Hawai‘i-Okinawan Experience
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by Elizabeth Partridge and Lauren Tamaki
Selected by Mariko
Lauren Tamaki is one of my favorite illustrators, so when this book came out, I was simply eager to see more of her work, especially in nonfiction. I was not prepared for the emotional impact this book had on me. The genius of this book lies in the integration of photographs, illustration and text. From a book maker’s perspective, it is seamless and worth studying.
You will recognize many of these photographs and may already know the stories behind them, but what’s most fascinating are the unseen parts. Tamaki’s illustrations depict what was not captured on film, creating a fuller picture, but also clearly pointing out what was omitted from the historical record. Learning the reasons why was revelatory. I was also deeply affected by the personal stories of the author and illustrator who have family connections to this episode. It feels like this book could have only been made by these two individuals, which makes it a very special read.
SEE ALSO: 6 Books to Champion Maui Authors and Stories
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by Hua Hsu
Selected by Alyssa
This is writing that hurts the heart (in a very, very, very good way) with a look into the author’s intimate journey through zine-making, mixtapes, poli-sci theory, loving someone, then mourning them. Hua Hsu has honed the art of what it means to honor people through writing, just as he does with Ken in Stay True. A piece of my heart lies in between the pages of this book (along with many haphazard annotations and nights worth of crying) with Hua and his best friend Ken.
Da Shop: Books + Curiosities, 3565 Harding Ave., open Wednesday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. (808) 421-9460, dashophnl.com, @dashophnl