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The best books of 2023

This list is part of the best books of 2023.

We've asked 1,624 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 This Ruined Place

Alana Oxford Why did I love this book?

I have never read anything like this before. This book illuminates a piece of WWII history that barely anyone knows about Tyneham village.

I usually read romances, but this is not a romance. It is, however, still a love story. The love of place and the love of friendship. This book is so powerful and emotional that it brought me to tears. It’s a beautiful story of unlikely friendship, loss, and the way personal truths create reality.

This book is unforgettable to me, and I’m dying to have a book discussion with it so I can talk to someone else about it! 

By Michael Lawrence,

Why should I read it?

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


My 2nd favorite read in 2023…

Book cover of Gigi, Listening

Alana Oxford Why did I love this book?

I felt like this book was written specifically to make me happy.

I’m a Michigander who loves England and books, and this book features a romance book shop owner in Southeastern Michigan who takes a trip to England to meet an audiobook narrator whose voice she’s fallen for.

It’s a charming romance but also a moving tale of healing. I also fell in love with the other characters on the England trip. There’s so much depth to this book. I bought a paperback copy to keep forever and read again.

By Chantel Guertin,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

“Completely charming!” —Carley Fortune, New York Times bestselling author of Every Summer After

Fans of Sophie Kinsella and Christina Lauren will adore this touching and witty novel about a woman who takes an impulsive trip to England to meet the man behind the audiobook narrator she’s fallen for.

Gigi Rutherford loves love stories. She reads them, she sells them at her romance bookstore, and she could spend hours imagining the meet-cutes of every couple she encounters. But when it comes to her own love interests, Gigi is out of stock. Instead of enduring bad date after bad date, these days…


My 3rd favorite read in 2023…

Book cover of The Seven Year Slip

Alana Oxford Why did I love this book?

I love time slip books, and this one is incredible.

It reminded me of the Sandra Bullock/Keanu Reeves movie The Lake House, which I also love. It’s the ultimate romantic conflict, falling for someone who isn’t at the same time as you. It’s heartbreaking and hopeful, and it made me feel all the emotions, and I didn’t want it to end.

I don’t always like fantasy in my romance reads, but magic realism like this is a favorite. 

By Ashley Poston,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

"A gorgeous love story from one of the finest romance writers out there." —Carley Fortune, New York Times bestselling author of Every Summer After

A Most Anticipated Book by Entertainment Weekly ∙ Harper's Bazaar ∙ PopSugar ∙ Real Simple ∙ BookRiot ∙ and more!

An overworked book publicist with a perfectly planned future hits a snag when she falls in love with her temporary roommate…only to discover he lives seven years in the past, in this witty and wise new novel from the New York Times bestselling author of The Dead Romantics.

Sometimes, the worst day of your life happens,…


Plus, check out my book…

Scotsman in the Stacks

By Alana Oxford,

Book cover of Scotsman in the Stacks

What is my book about?

Paige wants two things: to land a full-time librarian job and find the man of her dreams. On the cusp of thirty, she finds herself suddenly single and working part-time in a Michigan library.

A handsome patron with a delicious accent appears at the reference desk, inadvertently sparking an idea that might help her land the promotion she so desperately needs.

But that's not the only thing he sparks.