We continue our countdown to our favourite books of 2023. What are the best books you have read this year?

We have read sooo many great books this year, and these are our favourite books of 2023. Stay tuned for Part 2 next week.

The Keep It Fictional Librarians reveal their guilty pleasure reads. What do you read that you are a bit embarassed to admit that you love? Books mentioned on this episode: Girls Like Girls by Hayley Kiyoko, Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals by Oliver Burkeman, The Wrong Girl by C.J. Archer, Make It Stick by Henry L. Roediger III, Mark A. McDaniel, and Peter C. Brown, and Vampire Hunter D by Hideyuki Kikuchi and illustrated by Yoshitaka Amano.

Introducing our new book friend, Emma! As per the tradition of Keep It Fictional, we read and talked about a book from Emma's Top Ten List, and found out a bit more about what type of reader Emma is. Books mentioned on this episode: Himawari House by Harmony Becker, The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller, Bleach by Tite Kubo, and The Penelopiad by Margaret Atwood.

Aside from suggesting underappreciated books more people should read, Corene and Virginia also talk about the elusive bestseller list, the lesser-known types of picnics, the unforgiveable "crimes" of Kenneth Branagh, and this thing called baseball.

We bring you our CanLit book suggestions today if you'd like to join in the "I Read Canadian Day" celebration this year. Also, Sadie has a diabolical "Would You Rather" question for her book friends and all of you listeners out there. Books mentioned on this episode: Do You Remember Being Born? by Sean Michaels, Tell Me Pleasant Things about Immortality by Lindsay Wong, Poison Town by Elyssa Campbell, and The Stone Carvers by Jane Urquhart.

Al, Sadie, and Virginia face their fears by choosing a book that has something that scares them in it. Books mentioned on this episode: Weyward by Emilia Hart, The Passion According to G.H. by Clarice Lispector, translated by Idra Novey, and Mister Magic by Kiersten White.

Today we took book recommendations from other podcasts we listen to. Books mentioned on this episode: The Parking Lot Attendant by Nafkote Tamirat, Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky, The Innocent Wife by Amy Lloyd, and Women and Other Monsters:Building a New Mythology by Jess Zimmerman.

We highlight some recent books by authors of Latin American descent on today's episode, as we celebrate the Latin American community and their contributions in October. Bonus: A revelation that is not for the faint of heart about one of our book friends. Books mentioned on this episode: What the River Knows by Isabel Ibañez, A Haunting in Hialeah Gardens by Raul Palma, The Holy Days of Gregorio Pasos by Rodrigo Restrepo Montoya, and Tender is the Flesh by Agustina Bazterrica, translated by Sarah Moses.

On our 157th episode, the lucky numbers are: 5, 7, and 11.