My Favorite Televison Shows and Books of 2023
Buddy Gott, editor of Plethora of Pop, has challenged us to write about our favorite books, TV shows, movies, and albums of 2023. We can focus on just one or several of the categories.
The first category I choose to write about is books. I am in a book club, plus I read several books on my own.
I have read several excellent books; many were not published this year, so I won’t write about those.
It has surprised me that I enjoy reading books about spies and espionage. We read a few in my book club. After that, I got on a kick and read spy novel after spy novel.
Code Name Sapphire by Pam Jenoff drew my attention immediately. It takes place during World War II in Nazi-occupied Berlin and Brussels. Hannah, the main character, arrives in Antwerp, Belgium after losing her fiance and unborn baby in Berlin. She escaped to Belgium to live with her cousin until she could get safely to America.
Hannah joins the Sapphire Line that helps downed and injured pilots leave occupied Europe, in the hopes that they could fly and fight again. They promised her that if she helped the Sapphire Line, they would try to get her to America. This is a page-turner about love, courage, family, and sacrifices. This historical novel is based on true events.
The Beach at Summerly by Beatriz Williams is another historical fiction novel about espionage and takes place during present-day 1954 and the past 1946, after WWII. Emilia Winthrop lives in the caretaker’s cottage of the Peabody Mansion on Winthrop Island in Massachusetts.
She was very close to the Peabody sons, despite their different classes. She becomes very close to their fascinating aunt when she arrives on the island. The arrival of Summer Fox, an FBI agent, changes her life. Years later, she gets a phone call from the CIA asking for her assistance again. This intriguing novel has love, family drama, and espionage.
I have read most of these authors’ books, and they are all gripping. Jenoff and Williams are now two of my favorite writers.
Lets’s talk about TV shows next.
My favorite TV series is Virgin River streaming on Netflix. This show follows nurse practitioner Mel, who moves from Los Angeles to a distant town in Northern California, hoping to make a new start in life.
The cast is stellar and includes Alexandra Breckenridge as Mel and New Zealand actor Martin Henderson as Jack. Tim Matheson (my heartthrob years ago), plays the doctor Mels works for. The cast and characters are very diverse and fascinating. It doesn’t hurt that the scenery is beautiful, because they film the show in Vancouver, British Columbia. This show has it all, and it won’t disappoint you.
Another Netflix favorite is Sweet Magnolias. It stars JoAnna Garcia Swisher, Brooke Elliott, and Heather Headley as three longtime best friends who support each other through life’s trials and tribulations. They are always there for each other, whether one is experiencing difficulties with romance, family, or their jobs. It takes place in South Carolina and comes with the requisite accents.
Finally, I love Only Murders in the Building, streaming on Hulu. It stars funny men Steve Martin and Martin Short, along with Selena Gomez. This show is a mystery and comedy. The three characters are virtually strangers who live in the same building. They come together because of their shared obsession with true crime after there is a, you guessed it, murder in their building. This show is so fun. Meryl Streep guest stars this season (3).
I hope this article inspires you to want to grab your remote or go to the library.
Brandon Ellrich, Paula Shablo, Jerry Dwyer, NancyO, Bruce Coulter, Michael Rhodes, Karen Schwartz, Lu Skerdoo, Adrian CDTPPW, Jennifer Dunne, Shanti C K, Randy Pulley, Julia A. Keirns, Dixie Dodd❤️, Lu Skerdoo, Frances A. Chiu, Johnny Poitras
