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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 Nishga

Nyah Nichol Why did I love this book?

I read this novel for an English University course and really enjoyed it.

This book outlines the difficulties of Jordan Abel, an Indigenous Nisga’a man, as he navigates through learning about his culture and past. I found his story heartbreaking as I learned more about the effects of intergenerational trauma on Indigenous people.

I related to his internal struggles of being a person of color and dealing with preconceived assumptions. I definitely recommend reading this book to join Abel’s search for identity. 

By Jordan Abel,

Why should I read it?

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


My 2nd favorite read in 2023…

Book cover of The Slippery Slope

Nyah Nichol Why did I love this book?

Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events has been my go-to for reading this year.

I thoroughly enjoy his humorous tone, but I also feel the frustration of tragedy the main characters, Violet, Klaus, and Sunny Baudelaire, endure. My favorite in the series so far is The Slippery Slope. I didn’t want to put the book down as the riveting plot takes you to the Mortmain Mountains, where Violet and Klaus must rescue their sister.

I have younger siblings, two brothers and a sister, who I’ve had many adventures with as we’ve grown up into our teenage years.

By Lemony Snicket,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Slippery Slope as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 9, 10, 11, and 12.

What is this book about?

Dear reader,

There is nothing to be found in Lemony Snicket's 'A Series of Unfortunate Events' but misery and despair. You still have time to choose another international best-selling series to read. But if you insist on discovering the unpleasant adventures of the Baudelaire orphans, then proceed with caution...

Violet, Klaus, and Sunny Baudelaire are intelligent children. They are charming, and resourceful, and have pleasant facial features. Unfortunately, they are exceptionally unlucky.

In The Slippery Slope the siblings face a secret message, a toboggan, a deceitful trap, a swarm of snow gnats and a scheming villain...

In the tradition of…


My 3rd favorite read in 2023…

Book cover of 1984

Nyah Nichol Why did I love this book?

This old science-fiction novel was recommended to me by a neighbor who let me borrow her copy.

It gave me some intriguing ideas to think about like how history may not always display the actual truth, but who decides what’s true in history? The book uses new forms of language to instill beliefs, which is also an interesting concept. I read this book after living in Thailand for three months, and it was something to sit down and reflect on as I returned to Alberta, Canada. 

By George Orwell,

Why should I read it?

42 authors picked 1984 as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING YOU . . .

1984 is the year in which it happens. The world is divided into three superstates. In Oceania, the Party's power is absolute. Every action, word, gesture and thought is monitored under the watchful eye of Big Brother and the Thought Police. In the Ministry of Truth, the Party's department for propaganda, Winston Smith's job is to edit the past. Over time, the impulse to escape the machine and live independently takes hold of him and he embarks on a secret and forbidden love affair. As he writes the words 'DOWN WITH BIG…


Plus, check out my book…

Faded Glimpses of Time

By Nyah Nichol,

Book cover of Faded Glimpses of Time

What is my book about?

Faded Glimpses of Time is the second action-packed novel in The Tempus Trilogy, a young adult sci-fi series. It explores time travel theories, impossible machines, and high-stakes military operations in this continuation of the first novel, Broken Shards of Time.

Wren Derecho, the main character, and her friends are burdened with the responsibility to save their world from total destruction after the timeline is reset. Readers will be on the edge of their seats as failure and tragedy strike again and again. Secrets will be revealed, lives will be stolen, and the past will return to haunt those who wish to forget it.