Oliver Lovrenski’s Back in the Day and Anders de la Motte’s second installment in The Leo Asker Series, The Glass Man, are two of the titles featured on Norwegian newspaper Verdens Gang’s “Best books of the year 2023” list for literature & fiction. The annual list is put together by renowned critics by picking out their own personal favorite reads of the past year. The critics’ words are as follows:

Back in The Day, for Best Fiction of 2023:
“I can’t recall seeing a debutant receive the kind of attention that Oliver Lovrenski has garnered in a very, very long time. And it’s completely deserved.”

“What a scorcher of a debut novel! The 19-year-old Lovrenski has burst onto the scene, into bookstores, and into the hearts of readers with tremendous force.”

The Glass Man, for Best Crime of 2023:
“A creepy opening kicks off the second book /…/ and the eeriness persists throughout the entire book. De la Motte is adept at creating eerie and fascinating perpetrators. ‘The Glass Man’ is even better than last year’s ‘The Mountain King,’ and it’s extremely difficult to put down.”

Dimmed Lights, Kristina Ohlsson’s third novel in the August Strindberg series, shoots to No. 1 on the paperback bestseller list of the week. Martin Widmark’s Christmas in Valleby: Boxing Day, meanwhile appears at No. 4 on the children’s list.

Ia Genberg’s The Details and Lina Wolff’s The Devil’s Grip are two of the titles featured on the Danish Litteratursiden’s “Best translated books of the year 2023” list. The Details is also seen on the list for “10 most popular books of the year“.

Litteratursiden’s writers’ group consists of critics, researchers, editors, librarians, writers, journalists and cultural figures.

Antti Tuomainen’s final installment in the acclaimed Rabbit Factor trilogy, The Beaver Theory, has been named one of the Thriller Books of the Year by The Sunday Times. The newspaper calls it “The joyous, triumphant conclusion to Tuomainen’s trilogy” and “The comic thriller of the year.”

Jo Nesbø’s Killing Moon and Yrsa Sigurdardottir’s The Prey have been chosen by The Sunday Times as two of the best crime novels of 2023. The newspaper calls Killing Moon “not just an unbearably tense thriller, but another of Jo Nesbo’s piercing studies in love and loneliness.” The Prey is described as “mesmerising and atmospheric, with entrancing descriptions of landscape.”

Oliver Lovrenski and Horst & Enger stay put at No. 1 on their respective bestseller lists this week; Lovrenski’s Back in the Day places first on the hardcover list, and Horst & Enger’s Stigma tops the paperback list. Hjorth & Rosenfeldt meanwhile climb the e-book list, reclaiming the No. 1 spot with The Guilt You Carry.