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The best books of 2023

This list is part of the best books of 2023.

We've asked 1,639 authors and super readers for their 3 favorite reads of the year.

Shepherd is reader supported. When you buy books, we may earn an affiliate commission.

My favorite read in 2023…

Book cover of Go Hunt Me

Katya de Becerra Why did I love this book?

I’m a huge fan of Kelly deVos, and I’m always excited when she has a new book out. But when I first read the description of Go Hunt Me, my excitement went into overdrive. This book is brimming with my favorite things: horror movie lore, enigmatic location, social commentary, moody weather, feminist vibes, and the sinister yet subtle supernatural dread… I’m in!

What I didn’t see coming was the incredible, mind-breaking twist! This book manages to be both deeply atmospheric and fast-paced, as well as chilling, thrilling, and surprising. But who is the real monster, the story asks? This question will stay with readers long after they turn the final page. 

By Kelly deVos,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Go Hunt Me as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 12, 13, 14, and 15.

What is this book about?

For Dracula lovers and fans of Diana Urban’s All Your Twisted Secrets,this spine-tingling thriller follows seven horror buffs as their dream trip to a remote Romanian castle turns into a nightmare when they begin to be killed one by one.

Alex Rush is ready for the trip of a lifetime.

She and her friends have made some creepily awesome films together throughout high school, so with only a few months left before they go their separate ways for college, they’re determined to make the best one yet: an epic short film that reimagines the story of Dracula, filmed on location…


My 2nd favorite read in 2023…

Book cover of A House with Good Bones

Katya de Becerra Why did I love this book?

T. Kingfisher is an auto-buy author for me; I devour her books over the course of days if not hours. She’s versatile and so talented. But it is her contemporary horror novels that I adore the most, for their signature quirky heroines who find themselves in absolutely chilling, sinister scenarios.

A House with Good Bones is one of Kingfisher’s latest offerings (at least, ‘latest’ at the time of writing—she’s very prolific) and it blew my mind with its fresh take on suburban horror, dark magic, the occult, and dangers lurking in our own backyard.

This book has everything I adore in this author’s oeuvre: an out-of-this-world horror premise that also feels deeply familiar and very close to home, a down-to-earth, no-nonsense heroine with a snarky sense of humor, and weird yet believable family dynamics, these elements mixing together into a perfect blend of that is this edge-of-your-seat crisp-paced mystery.

I can’t get enough of it! And I can’t wait for T. Kingfisher’s next book! 

By T. Kingfisher,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked A House with Good Bones as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

A Barnes & Noble Best Horror Book of 2023

A haunting Southern Gothic from an award-winning master of suspense, A House With Good Bones explores the dark, twisted roots lurking just beneath the veneer of a perfect home and family.

"Mom seems off."

Her brother's words echo in Sam Montgomery's ear as she turns onto the quiet North Carolina street where their mother lives alone.

She brushes the thought away as she climbs the front steps. Sam's excited for this rare extended visit, and looking forward to nights with just the two of them, drinking boxed wine, watching murder mystery…


My 3rd favorite read in 2023…

Book cover of The Changeling

Katya de Becerra Why did I love this book?

I can't stop thinking about this book! It's difficult to describe, but it perfectly captures this sense of dread we all felt at least once in our life when our mundane, everyday reality feels slightly off, like some other world is encroaching upon it, moving too close, its boundaries scraping against the thin layer of fabric that separates us from the awful things that dwell just beyond our reach.

The Changeling is a story about strange disappearances, about things and feelings we can rarely explain, and about what happens when the veil is pulled back from our eyes for the first time, allowing us to see things as they are, however terrifying they are.

LaValle takes a chilling metaphor, turns it on its head, and wraps it in ingenious layers of social commentary on racism, sexism, and power. It's an absolutely fascinating read!  

By Victor LaValle,

Why should I read it?

5 authors picked The Changeling as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

When Apollo Kagwa was just a child, his father disappeared, leaving him with recurring nightmares and a box labelled 'Improbabilia'. Now a successful book dealer, Kagwa has a family of his own after meeting and falling in love with Emma, a librarian. The two marry and have a baby: so far so happy-ever-after.

However, as the pair settle into their new lives as parents, exhaustion and anxiety start to take their toll. Emma's behaviour becomes increasingly erratic, until one day she commits an unthinkable act, setting Apollo on a wild and fantastical quest through a suddenly otherworldly New York, in…


Plus, check out my book…

When Ghosts Call Us Home

By Katya de Becerra,

Book cover of When Ghosts Call Us Home

What is my book about?

Haunting of Hill House meets found-footage horror in this edge-of-your-seat thriller that explores the power of family ties and the trauma that lurks there.

When Sophia Galich was twelve, she starred in her older sister Layla’s amateur horror movie Vermillion. It recorded raw footage of her real reactions to scenes her sister concocted in their old Californian house on the coast–Cashore House.

In the years after the film’s release, Sophia’s relationship with her sister became more strained, while her memories of the now-infamous house fueled her nightmares. Vermillion amassed an army of fanatical fans who speculated about the film’s hidden messages; it was rumored that Layla made a pact with the devil–her soul in exchange for fame and arcane knowledge. Sophia dismissed this as gossip…until Layla disappeared.