The Best Books of 2023

 

Still Life with Books and Candle by Henri Matisse

In 2023, I read over 70 books that I thought were outstanding, so narrowing them down to just a few is an arbitrary choice based on my personal preferences in this moment. Ask me tomorrow, and the list might change. Presented below are my favorites—those I found phenomenal. Whether you’re in a position to sit down and read without distraction or if you can only snare the time to read or listen to a few pages without having to attend to the duties that keep you afloat, this list has something for you. There are books to comfort you, books to challenge you, books to make you laugh, and those that will make you cry. Wishing you a year in which you find the right book for the space you inhabit at the time. Descriptions of each title appear here.

My Top Five Novels of 2023:

The Berry Pickers by Amanda Peters

Good Night, Irene by Luis Alberto Urrea

Hello, Beautiful by Ann Napolitano

This Other Eden by Paul Harding

Tom Lake by Ann Patchett

The Honorable Mention Best Novels of 2023: 

Banyan Moon by Thao Thai

The Caretaker by Ron Rash

Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr (2021)

Dinosaurs by Lydia Millet (2022)

Happiness Falls by Angie Kim

The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store by James McBride

Let Us Descend by Jesmyn Ward

Maame by Jessica George

The Measure by Nikki Erlick (2022)

The Memoirs of Stockholm Sven by Nathaniel Ian Miller (2021)

Signal Fires by Dani Shapiro (2022)

Take What You Need by Idra Novey

Tandem by Andy Mozina

The Best Debut Fiction of 2023:

The Berry Pickers by Amanda Peters

The Honorable Mention Best Debut Fiction of 2023:

Banyan Moon by Thao Thai

Countries of Origin by Javier Fuentes

Maame by Jessica George

The Measure by Nikki Erlick (2022)

The Memoirs of Stockholm Sven by Nathaniel Ian Miller (2021)

Memphis by Tara Stringfellow (2022)

Pineapple Street by Jenny Jackson

The Best Historical Fiction (Pigeon Pie) Books of 2023:

The Berry Pickers by Amanda Peters

Good Night, Irene by Luis Alberto Urrea

The Memoirs of Stockholm Sven by Nathaniel Ian Miller (2021)

This Other Eden by Paul Harding

The Honorable Mention Best Historical Fiction of 2023:

Absolution by Alice McDermott

Because I Loved You by Donnaldson Brown

The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese

The Forger of Marseille by Linda Joy Myers

From Dust to Stardust by Kathleeen Rooney

The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store by James McBride

Horse by Geraldine Brooks (2022)

Künstlers in Paradise by Cathleen Schine

Let Us Descend by Jesmyn Ward

Mercury Pictures Presents by Anthony Marra

The Best Dessert, Pick-Me-Up Books of 2023:

Found in a Bookshop by Stephanie Butland

500 Miles from You by Jenny Colgan (2020)

The Music of the Bees by Eileen Garvin (2022)

The Museum of Ordinary People by Mike Gayle

Pineapple Street by Jenny Jackson

The Best Mysteries, Suspense, and Thrillers of 2023:

All the Sinners Bleed by S. A. Cosby

Don’t Know Tough by Eli Cranor (2022)

I Have Some Questions for You by Rebecca Makkai

Notes on an Execution by Danya Kukafka (2022)

Ozark Dogs by Eli Cranor

The Honorable Mention Best Mysteries, Suspense, and Thrillers of 2023:

Distant Sons by Tom Johnston

Everybody Knows by Jordan Harper

The Last Devil to Die by Richard Osman

Reykjavik by Ragnar Jónasson and Katrin Jakobsdóttir

Symphony of Secrets by Brendan Slocumb

The Best Nonfiction of 2023:

The Art Thief: a True Story of Love, Crime and a Dangerous Obsession by Michael Finkel

Class: a Memoir of Motherhood, Hunger, and Higher Education by Stephanie Land

Grateful: the Subversive Practice of Giving Thanks by Diana Butler Bass (2018)

A Living Remedy by Nicole Chung

Smile by Sarah Ruhl (2021)

Best Young Adult Novel of 2023

All My Rage by Sabaa Tahir (2022)