The best books of 2023

This list is part of the best books of 2023.

Join 1,707 readers and share your 3 favorite reads of the year.

My favorite read in 2023

Book cover of Gap Year in Ghost Town

Alexandria Blaelock Why did I love this book?

If you know anything about me, you’ll know I love ghost stories, though not the really scary ones.

The one takes place in Melbourne (where I and the author live), and includes many of our eccentricities – laugh out loud for locals! I love reading books set places I know, especially when I get to feel smug because I know some obscure fact mentioned in the book.

This story is Young Adult, and features an interesting premise. Anton Marin is taking a gap year to test out the family business of dispatching ghosts to their eternal rest. He falls in admiring hate with Rani Cross, who comes from an English company with a different method of dispatch.

Pryor’s released a sequel, and it is absolutely sitting in my to-be-read pile!

By Michael Pryor,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Gap Year in Ghost Town as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 14, 15, 16, and 17.


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My 2nd favorite read in 2023

Book cover of A Knight in Shining Armor

Alexandria Blaelock Why did I love this book?

Yes, it’s time travel romance!

Our heroine, Dougless Montgomery, literally wishes for a knight in shining armour (something many of us have done hundreds of time), and he appears. Not just any knight, but Nicholas Stafford, Earl of Thornwyck. Her no-account boyfriend has just stormed off and left her alone in a foreign country without her passport or money, so if anyone was entitled to a knight it was her! Coming off a low base, it was wonderful (and amusing) to see her grow and develop as a person.

Meanwhile, Nicholas has his own problems – when his brother dies in a tragic accident (or maybe assassination), he becomes the Earl. Tried and executed for treason by Elizabeth I. Dougless’ earnest desire to help the man she’s fallen in love with sends her hurtling back in time to make it all better. I’m no historian, but the detail was fascinating.

And even though you know they can’t be together, his spitting image, and a possible descendent is there at the end to make it all better.

By Jude Deveraux,

Why should I read it?

3 authors picked A Knight in Shining Armor as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

A time-travel romance featuring a present-day heroine and a dashing hero from the sixteenth century!

Abandoned by a cruel fate, lovely Dougless Montgomery lies weeping upon a cold tombstone in an English church. Suddenly, the most extraordinary man appears. It is Nicholas Stafford, Earl of Thornwyck...and according to his tombstone he died in 1564.

Drawn to his side by a bond so sudden and compelling it overshadows reason, Dougless knows that Nicholas is nothing less than a miracle: a man who does not seek to change her, who finds her perfect, fascinating, just as she is. What Dougless never imagined…


My 3rd favorite read in 2023

Book cover of A Monk's Guide to a Clean House and Mind

Alexandria Blaelock Why did I love this book?

Cleaning and tidying are definitely my least favourite things to do. I even wrote a book about minimally viable housekeeping! But I’m fascinated by people who love it and embrace it, and like to read about them while I contort my face with increasing incredulity. Perhaps the same way as I’m fascinated by venomous spiders.

So, this book gave me a glimpse behind the scenes of the Komyoji Buddhist Temple in Tokyo, along with the interesting “fact” that cleaning can be a way to cultivate the mind, and clean the soul.

I can’t say it’s made an enormous difference to me, aside from wanting to throw out almost everything I own so I don’t have to clean or tidy it. That’s a philosophy I can get behind!

Also, the illustrations are adorable and made me want to do better.

By Shoukei Matsumoto,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked A Monk's Guide to a Clean House and Mind as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Cleanliness is next to enlightenment. In this Japanese bestseller a Buddhist monk explains the traditional meditative techniques that will help cleanse not only your house - but your soul.

Live clean. Feel calm. Be happy.

We remove dust to sweep away our worldly cares. We live simply and take time to contemplate the self, mindfully living each moment. It's not just monks that need to live this way. Everyone in today's busy world needs it.

In Japan, cleanliness is next to enlightenment. This bestselling guide by a Zen Buddhist monk draws on ancient traditions to show you how a few…


Don‘t forget about my book 😀

Christmas Travesties

By Alexandria Blaelock,

Book cover of Christmas Travesties

What is my book about?

For most of my life, my I’ve had an uneasy relationship with Christmas - almost every traumatic event occurred in the lead up to Christmas. Emigrating to Australia as a five-year-old, my parents divorcing, me divorcing, and the deaths of my father, my favourite aunt, and my mother. Thankfully, not all in the same year!

It’s also the peak period for cadaver transplants, and while I’m deeply grateful for my “new” kidney, I’m also aware my life continues through someone else’s death. Is that twisted enough for you?

I can’t be the only one who feels this way, so here’s a collection of twisted Christmas stories for those who need something less cheerful. There’s something for everyone; bitter, sweet, dark, nutty, and plain.

My book recommendation list