Perry and David celebrate the 100th episode of the podcast by discussing the best books they read during 2023. And bid you all a fond farewell.
- Introduction (00:12)
- Our 100th Episode! (04:14)
- Let’s talk about Books (02:10)
- 2023: Highlights of our reading (01:11:53)
- Best Science Fiction read in 2023 (David) (04:24)
- Best Science Fiction read in 2023 (Perry) (03:41)
- Best Fantasy read in 2023 (David) (03:40)
- Best Fantasy read in 2023 (Perry) (03:34)
- Best Crime read in 2023 (David) (05:28)
- Best Crime read in 2023 (Perry) (05:59)
- Best Spy/Thriller read in 2023 (David) (02:01)
- Best Spy/Thriller read in 2023 (Perry) (02:57)
- Best Historical Fiction read in 2023 (David) (05:50)
- Best Novellas read in 2023 (Perry) (05:26)
- Best Literary read in 2023 (David) (02:13)
- Best Literary read in 2023 (Perry) (04:32)
- Best Children’s Literature read in 2023 (David) (02:27)
- Best Collection/Anthology read in 2023 (Perry) (02:19)
- Best Nonfiction read in 2023 (David) (03:16)
- Best Nonfiction read in 2023 (Perry) (02:36)
- Best Overall read for the first time in 2023 (David) (01:22)
- Best Overall read for the first time in 2023 (Perry) (01:11)
- Best Overall re-read in 2023 (David) (01:10)
- Best Overall re-read in 2023 (Perry) (02:39)
- Windup and Farewell (06:02)
Click here for David’s book review newsletter/blogThrough the Biblioscope.
Click here for Perry’s fanzines on efanzines.com.
Image generated by Wombo AI.
David’s List
Science Fiction
- Embassytown by China Miéville
- The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin
- Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky
- The Mountain in the Sea by Ray Nayler
- Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut Jr.
Honourable Mention:
- Red Team Blues by Cory Doctorow
Fantasy
- House of Odysseus by Claire North
- Civilisations by Laurent Binet
- Among Others by Jo Walton
- Conjure Wife by Fritz Leiber
Crime
- Once There Were Wolves by Charlotte McConaghy
- Down Cemetery Road by Mick Herron
- In the Morning I’ll be Gone by Adrian McKinty
- All That’s Left Unsaid by Tracey Lien
- Fire with Fire by Candice Fox
Honourable Mentions:
- Unforgiven by Sarah Barrie
- Everyone Here is Lying by Shari Lapena
- Exiles by Jane Harper
Spy Thriller
- The Russia House by John le Carré
- Real Tigers by Mick Herron
- Spook Street by Mick Herron
- Dead Lions by Mick Herron
Historical Fiction
- Loot by Tania James
- Joan by Katherine J. Chen
- Shrines of Gaiety by Kate Atkinson
- Act of Oblivion by Robert Harris
- The Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams
Literary
- The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt
- Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro
- Limberlost by Robbie Arnott
- Bodies of Light by Jennifer Down
- Life After Life by Kate Atkinson
Honourable Mentions
- The Conversion by Amanda Lohrey
- Blindness by José Saramago
- Her by Garry Disher
Childrens
- The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
- A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin
- Utterly Dark and the Heart of the Wild by Philip Reeve
Honourable Mentions
- Impossible Creatures by Katherine Rundell
Nonfiction
- The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder by David Grann
- Red Notice: A True Story of High Finance, Murder, and One Man’s Fight for Justice by Bill Browder
- Anaximander: And the Nature of Science by Carlo Rovelli
- The Devil & Sherlock Holmes: Tales of Murder, Madness & Obsession by David Grann
- The Voyage of the Beagle by Charles Darwin
Honourable Mentions
- Unknown Shore: The Lost History of England’s Arctic Colony by Robert Ruby
- The Internet Con: How to Seize the Means of Computation by Cory Doctorow
- Alien Oceans: The Search for Life in the Depths of Space by Kevin Peter Hand
Best Overall Read for the First Time
- The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt
- Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro
- Embassytown by China Miéville
- Loot by Tania James
- Joan by Katherine J. Chen
Honourable Mentions
- Once There Were Wolves by Charlotte McConaghy
- Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky
- Bodies of Light by Jennifer Down
- The Wager by David Grann
- The Russia House by John le Carré
Best Overall Re-Read
- Limberlost by Robbie Arnott
- The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin
- Life After Life by Kate Atkinson
- A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin
- Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut Jr.
Honourable Mentions
- The Unpleasantness at the Bellona Club by Dorothy L. Sayers
- Lord Peter Views the Body by Dorothy L. Sayers
Perry’s List
Best Science Fiction
- Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel
- The Mountain in the Sea by Ray Nayler
- Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut Jr.
- Every Version of You by Grace Chan
- The Migration by Helen Marshall
Best Fantasy
- Spear by Nicola Griffith
- The Grey King by Susan Cooper
- Treacle Walker by Alan Garner
Best Crime
- All the Sinners Bleed by S.A. Cosby
- Devil in a Blue Dress by Walter Moseley
- Exiles by Jane Harper
- In the Woods by Tana French
- The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler
Spy Thriller
- The Day of the Jackal by Fredric Forsyth
- Real Tigers by Mick Herron
Best Novella
- Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad
- The Drop by Mick Herron
- The Lesson of the Master by Henry James
- A Mirror Mended by Alex E. Harrow
- The Paper House by Carlos Maria Domínguez
Best Literary/Non-Genre
- Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons
- The True Story of Spit MacPhee by James Aldrich
- An Artist of the Floating World by Kazuo Ishiguro
- Fly Away Peter by David Malouf
- Sunday in Ville d’Avre by Dominique Barberus
Honourable Mention
- The Odd Angry Shot by William Nagel
Best Collection/Anthology
- Pavane by Keith Roberts
- New Writings in SF 8 edited by John Carnell
Best Non-Fiction
- Monash’s Masterpiece by Peter Fitzsimons
Best Overall Read for the First Time
- Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel
- Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons
- Spear by Nicola Griffith
- All the Sinners Bleed by S.A. Cosby
- The Mountain in the Sea by Ray Nayler
Honourable Mentions
- Monash’s Masterpiece by Peter Fitzsimons
- In the Woods by Tana French
Best Overall Re-Read
- Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad
- The Grey King by Susan Cooper
- Devil in a Blue Dress by Walter Mosley
- The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler
- Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut Jr.
Honourable Mentions
- The Day of the Jackal by Frederick Forsyth
And finally: the title image for every episode:
