Author Investigative journalist Passionately devoted mother Jew-Bu Diagnosed with ADHD as an adult Dog worshipper
The best books of 2023

This list is part of the best books of 2023.

We've asked 1,633 authors and super readers for their 3 favorite reads of the year.

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My favorite read in 2023…

Book cover of The Passage of Power

Katherine Ellison Why did I love this book?

I’d of course heard about Caro’s opus for years and years and always figured it would be too boring to read that much about LBJ. I was so wrong!

I was finally moved to pick up the first book in his series after seeing Turn Every Page, the wonderful documentary about Caro and his editor, Robert Gottlieb. As a journalist myself I was astounded by the depth and detail of Caro’s reporting – and all that he uncovered about LBJ. What a psychopath who also made positive history – it’s easy to understand why Caro got so obsessed.

This is the kind of book that makes you make lots of exclamatory noises when you’re reading, even all by yourself. I was saying “wow!” so often that I finally inspired my husband to read it and he loved it too.

By Robert A. Caro,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked The Passage of Power as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

WINNER OF THE NATIONAL BOOK CRITICS CIRCLE AWARD, THE LOS ANGELES TIMES BOOK PRIZE, THE MARK LYNTON HISTORY PRIZE, THE AMERICAN HISTORY BOOK PRIZE

Book Four of Robert A. Caro’s monumental The Years of Lyndon Johnson displays all the narrative energy and illuminating insight that led the Times of London to acclaim it as “one of the truly great political biographies of the modern age. A masterpiece.”

The Passage of Power follows Lyndon Johnson through both the most frustrating and the most triumphant periods of his career—1958 to1964. It is a time that would see him trade the extraordinary power…


My 2nd favorite read in 2023…

Book cover of Wife with Knife

Katherine Ellison Why did I love this book?

Molly Giles has a distinctly hilarious, cutting (especially in the title story) voice as in this brilliant collection she dices into failed love affairs, adulterous catastrophes, and annoying canines.

I keep this particular book on my bedstand and refer to it repeatedly when I want to imbibe inspired cattiness. She has won lots of prizes and I can’t believe she isn’t a household name.

By Molly Giles,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Wife with Knife as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Winner of the Pushcart Prize and the 

Leapfrog Global Fiction Prize

 "This collection is her best ever." AMY TAN
 Wife with Knife is a collection of quick and quirky short stories, that are an utter delight and winner of the Leapfrog Global Fiction Prize 2020

"Molly Giles’ stories have always been among my favorites since I first read her work thirty-seven years ago. This collection is her best ever. What an irreverent, original voice! I found myself gasping in shock and laughter, feeling at the end of each tale that I had garnered strange wisdom on the human heart and…


My 3rd favorite read in 2023…

Book cover of A Hazard of New Fortunes

Katherine Ellison Why did I love this book?

I’m obsessed with the Gilded Age, and Howells’ book drops you right in the middle of it, making NYC come alive with all its violence and divisions and beauty.

I owe this recommendation to the NY Times columnist Pamela Paul, and am so grateful for it because it was the ideal companion for a two-day trip up the northern California coast. You need a certain amount of solitude and quiet to let the story absorb you, and it’s so worth it.

By William Dean Howells,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked A Hazard of New Fortunes as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?


This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work.

This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and…


Plus, check out my book…

Book cover of Buzz: A Year of Paying Attention

What is my book about?

ADHD is a recipe for family crises, particularly when a parent and child share the diagnosis. 

As an investigative journalist and mom diagnosed with ADHD, I had the gift of a year to dedicate to understanding this bewildering condition and how best to help my son and myself repair our relationship and find resilience. 

Too many parents have to figure out all the pros and cons of medication and the million other things you’re supposed to do while in the midst of cruel emergencies. I wanted to share what I learned that helped our family survive, and succeed – with a big dose of humor and honesty and am so grateful that so many families believe it has helped.