Lenny Cavallaro's 3 favorite reads in 2023

Isabel Allende is one of my favorite authors. She once again writes poignantly about political violence in Latin America and the plight of two victims, presenting sympathetic characters in a tightly woven plot.

The two victims are from Latin America — Allende’s “home turf.” We meet Leticia, whose father swam across the Rio Grande while Letitia clung to his back, and Anita Dias, who survived the hazardous trip only to be separated from her mother (who was deported) when they reached Nogales (Arizona).

The third character’s narrative was similarly compelling. As a child, Samuel Adler escaped the Nazis on a Kindertransport train and survived completely alone in England. 

The stories of all three intersect in a powerful, well-crafted novel that may very well move the reader to tears.


Although I don’t read much nonfiction, I heartily recommend this book.

The Wager was a British war vessel during a bizarre conflict with Spain (the War of Jenkins’ Ear). Grann’s book is non-fiction but reads like fiction. We encounter a number of strange characters (some rather despicable) as we read about their horrifying struggle for survival and the desperate measures some of the crew took to achieve it. 

I was impressed by Grann’s immense research, particularly with the details of the subsequent trial. Moreover, the court martial proceedings are remarkably suspenseful, even if one already knows the outcome.

I enjoyed the book immensely, and it is definitely my top nonfiction choice of the year!

Although I enjoyed some of Anne Rice's vampire novels, I am not a great fan of the genre. Thus, the presence of a vampire tale on this list is somewhat surprising.

The author writes a compelling tale, with suspense (as the heroine-vampire struggles to preserve her "secret") and horror (when she witnesses the destruction she has wrought). Moreover, I was intrigued by some of the philosophical notions Holland develops over the course of the narrative.

I share just one, pessimistic though it may sound: "Nothing good I've known has been spared destruction. Everything I've loved I've lost... it seems that to love is to lose."

Wow! What more can I say?