Hi friends, happy Monday! I hope you’re all doing well. Today I’m going to be posting my, now annually, post of my rankings of the Canada Reads longlist for 2023.

In 2021 I started this challenge for myself to read more Canadian authors and books and I decided to continue it into this year. Now after 3 years of reading the longlisted Canada Reads books, it’s definitely a tradition.

If you want you can read my ranking of the books for 2021 and 2022

Now, I’m going to be ranking them in order from least to best*, in my opinion.

*if a book has the same rating I went with what I read first.

All the Seas of the World by: Guy Gavriel Kay. 3⭐️ So after reading this, I found out that this is kinda part of a series, so characters have been introduced in previous books and that was the reason I felt so lost. I’ve thought about going back to read more of his work because he’s supposed to be a Canadian Treasure, like people love his work, so I want to see what it’s all about. The writing was great, I just felt confused a lot of the time. Read my review.

Station Eleven by: Emily St. John Mandell. 3.5⭐️ I wanted to like this one, the writing was really good and so was the concept… but because this was about a pandemic, and now after coming out of a one, I feel like it hit close to home and the idea didn’t feel as fresh as it could have been, as if I read it when it came out. Read my review.

Half-Bads in White Regalia by: Cody Caetano. 4⭐️ This was a really interesting memoir; the author is roughly my age, and so when he talked about certain experiences, I could completely relate to some things, and I liked that. Even though it wasn’t always an easy read, it was still a compelling story. Read my review.

Revery: A Year of Bees by: Jenna Butler. 4⭐️ This was such an interesting read about bees. I didn’t know a lot of this stuff going in and this was so fascinating plus the writing was captivating. It was short, to the point, and I enjoyed it a lot. Read my review.

Blood Scion by: Deborah Falaye. 4⭐️ This was so different, and so brutal, but I couldn’t stop reading because it was so captivating and engaging. There is supposed to be a sequel being released sometime next year(?) and I can’t wait because this was so good. Amazing world building and characters. Read my review.

Greenwood by: Michael Christie. 4⭐️ I loved the way he tied trees into the roots of a family and how we read from the different generations and how one thing from the past led to something else in the future; it was SO well written and put together. Read my review.

Dandelion by: Jamie Chai Yun Liew. 4⭐️ I really enjoyed this story; not only was it a story about the main character finding her lost mother, but it was about finding herself in so many ways. It was an emotional journey but it was one I thought was an important read, too. Read my review.

We Were Dreamers by: Simu Liu. 4⭐️ His memoir was so good; I didn’t listen to the audiobook, but I definitely did read this in his voice. I thought it was all really good to read about his life and his origin story, but I felt like there could be a part 2 to this because it felt like the conflict he had with his parents isn’t quite resolved yet. Read my review.

Finding Edward by: Sheila Murray. 4⭐️ This was such a good story; it was slow paced, but I liked the way this was told and how the main character felt connected to someone they had never met and how they felt they needed to find them, it was a beautiful story. Read my review.

Hotline by: Dimitri Nasrallah. 4⭐️ This was a great story about immigrating to Canada and the realities that they face. At the same time, this also had a bit of a fantasy element in the way the main character could hear her husband, it was such a great story. Read my review.

Moon of the Crusted Snow by: Waubgeshig Rice. 4⭐️ I was able to sneak this last book in, in the nick of time last year (that still feels funny to say). This novel was chilly in so many ways, the setting was dead of Winter in Northern Ontario and they were faced with a blackout and a stranger coming to town. It was so atmospheric and well written. Read my review.

Mexican Gothic by: Silvia Moreno-Garcia. 5⭐️ I read this book last year and I didn’t feel like re-reading it, even though it was an amazing story (I have so many of her other books to read!) but this was so creepy in the way the house was kinda like a person and the things that happened… I couldn’t stop reading. Read my review.

Ducks by: Kate Beaton. 5⭐️ This was one of the first books I read for this list, and it’s the one that won, and even though it was a graphic novel, it didn’t stop this from being a hard read at times. I really enjoyed this one. Read my review.

Hana Khan Carries On by: Uzma Jalaluddin. 5⭐️ This was such a fun novel; it had enemies to lovers, plus a whole business on the line plot that really dug into family businesses vs. corporations and finding out what you want to do in life, it really warmed my heart. Read my review.

We Spread by: Iain Reid. 5⭐️ This book still haunts me. It was so creepy in a way I didn’t think a novel could get under my skin so much. I had NO idea what this book was about, going in, and even while reading this, I was still so confused. I would love to reread this book, knowing what I know now and see how I’d think of it. I think this is one of my favourites from this year. Read my review.

That’s a wrap on the 2023 longlisted Canada Reads books! Last year, I said I had a good reading year, but this year was even better! I can’t wait to see what 2024 will have in store! Have you read any of these books? Let me know in the comment below!