A Few of My Favorite Things: 2023 Edition

what I loved this year.

As a self-proclaimed pop culture aficionado, I’ve loved this year for its abundance of great content. Here is a non-exhaustive list of my favorite books, movies, TV shows, and movies of 2023. (And a few experience highlights!)

Books

My Top Reads:

WE COULD BE SO GOOD by Cat Sebastian

GEORGIE, ALL ALONG by Kate Clayborn

MRS. NASH’S ASHES by Sarah Adler

SAME TIME NEXT SUMMER by Annabel Monaghan

Other 5-Star Reads I Recommend:

DIVINE RIVALS by Rebecca Ross

(I read this at the end of 2022, but am so glad it’s getting the hype it deserves this year!)

WHAT THE RIVER KNOWS by Isabel Ibañez

THE SEVEN YEAR SLIP by Ashley Poston

NOTHING ELSE BUT MIRACLES by Kate Albus

THE UNMAKING OF JUNE FARROW by Adrienne Young

WITH LOVE, FROM COLD WORLD by Alicia Thompson

YOU, WITH A VIEW by Jessica Joyce

DOLLS OF OUR LIVES by Mary Mahoney and Allison Horrocks

CABOT NOVELLAS by Cat Sebastian

MEET ME AT THE LAKE by Carley Fortune

THE PUPPETS OF SPELHORST by Kate DiCamillo

HELLO STRANGER by Katherine Center

FORGET ME NOT by Julie Soto

THE SECRET LIVES OF COUNTRY GENTLEMEN & A NOBLEMAN’S GUIDE TO SEDUCING A SCOUNDREL by KJ Charles

TEACH THE TORCHES TO BURN by Caleb Roehrig

IN THE LIVES OF PUPPETS by TJ Klune

NEW ADULT by Timothy Janovsky

UNLIKEABLE FEMALE CHARACTER by Anna Bogutskaya

HAPPY PLACE by Emily Henry

THE DOOR OF NO RETURN by Kwame Alexander

5-Star Reads I Read This Year that Release in 2024

ONE IN A MILLENNIAL by Kate Kennedy

THE PROSPECTS by KT Hoffman

SUMMER ROMANCE by Annabel Monaghan

HAPPY MEDIUM by Sarah Adler

THE OTHER SIDE OF DISAPPEARING by Kate Clayborn

Movies

Barbie

Year of the Girl, ftw.

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe

The Eras Tour Concert Movie

Red, White, and Royal Blue

VICKY. *fists*

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes

The Little Mermaid

Happiness For Beginners

TV

The Artful Dodger

Heartstopper

Shadow and Bone

Ted Lasso

Abbott Elementary

The Last of Us

The Summer I Turned Pretty

Lessons in Chemistry

Jury Duty

The Bear

All the Light We Cannot See

Music

The Good Witch — Maisie Peters

(I have a few of these pencil sets available, if you’d like to snag one!)

Got to give my pencils to the Good Witch herself!

1989 (Taylor’s Version) — Taylor Swift

Rolling Up the Welcome Mat — Kelsea Ballerini

GUTS — Olivia Rodrigo

Stick Season — Noah Kahan

Y’all. It happened. I became a Noah Kahan girlie at the end of this year. Is there a NK pencil set in the works? ….👀

The Album — Jonas Brothers

Other Happenings:

Kickstarter

Successfully ran and funded a Kickstarter at the beginning of the year to help grow Longhand Pencils. Blown away by all the kindness, generosity and support offered by loving friends and communities.

Steamy Lit Con & Book Events

Got the chance to attend a number of book events and conventions this year and meet some of my author heroes and friends!

First in-Person Market

Eras Tour

Was firmly in my Eras Era this year. NO REGRETS

What were the pop culture and personal highlights of your year?

—Kasee