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The best books of 2023

This list is part of the best books of 2023.

We've asked 1,627 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 Lessons in Chemistry

Allison Pataki Why did I love this book?

The language in this novel was so visceral and immediate – I felt immersed in the scenes of 1960s California.

While this book is sharply humorous at times, the subject matter of Zott’s career, relationships, and trajectory through motherhood felt weighty and poignant. Plus, it’ll stay with you after you finish reading I think of Elizabeth Zott in her chemistry lab every time I make my daughters their school lunches, and if you read this original and charming novel, you’ll see why.

By Bonnie Garmus,

Why should I read it?

60 authors picked Lessons in Chemistry as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • GOOD MORNING AMERICA BOOK CLUB PICK • Meet Elizabeth Zott: a “formidable, unapologetic and inspiring” (PARADE) scientist in 1960s California whose career takes a detour when she becomes the unlikely star of a beloved TV cooking show in this novel that is “irresistible, satisfying and full of fuel. It reminds you that change takes time and always requires heat” (The New York Times Book Review).

A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR: The New York Times, Washington Post, NPR, Oprah Daily, Newsweek, GoodReads

"A unique heroine ... you'll find yourself wishing she wasn’t fictional." —Seattle Times…


My 2nd favorite read in 2023…

Book cover of Nora Goes Off Script

Allison Pataki Why did I love this book?

Annabel Monaghan has such a gift for writing characters who feel real, relatable, and make us want to root for them, and I really did root for Nora and Leo in this novel of unlikely friendship and love.

I laughed, but it also got me thinking about marriage, family, and the heart’s willingness to heal and love again. Monaghan writes with smart and charming style. I could smell the coffee as Nora was watching the quiet sunrise.

By Annabel Monaghan,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Nora Goes Off Script as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

"The perfect escape." —USA Today

"Readers who loved Emily Henry's Book Lovers are sure to savor Nora Goes Off Script." —Shelf Awareness

Named one of the Best Beach Reads of Summer 2022 by The Washington Post • USA Today • Cosmopolitan • Southern Living • Country Living • Business Insider • Buzzfeed • Book Riot • The Augusta Chronicle

Nora’s life is about to get a rewrite…

Nora Hamilton knows the formula for love better than anyone. As a romance channel screenwriter, it’s her job. But when her too-good-to work husband leaves her and their two kids, Nora turns her…


My 3rd favorite read in 2023…

Book cover of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo

Allison Pataki Why did I love this book?

It was a creative, dishy, scandalous, and moving tour through Old Hollywood.

It felt like we, as readers, got to witness some of the most glamorous and sensationally secretive moments of the world’s most beloved and iconic movie star as she navigated her career in film, her many fractious relationships, and her tumultuous journey to find love—with others and, ultimately, with herself.

By Taylor Jenkins Reid,

Why should I read it?

9 authors picked The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

"If you're looking for a book to take on holiday this summer, The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo has got all the glitz and glamour to make it a perfect beach read." -Bustle

From the New York Times bestselling author of Daisy Jones & the Six-an entrancing and "wildly addictive journey of a reclusive Hollywood starlet" (PopSugar) as she reflects on her relentless rise to the top and the risks she took, the loves she lost, and the long-held secrets the public could never imagine.

Aging and reclusive Hollywood movie icon Evelyn Hugo is finally ready…


Plus, check out my book…

Finding Margaret Fuller

By Allison Pataki,

Book cover of Finding Margaret Fuller

What is my book about?

An epic imagining of the life of Margaret Fuller—America’s forgotten leading lady and the central figure of a movement that defined a nation—from the New York Times bestselling author of The Magnificent Lives of Marjorie Post.

With a star-studded cast and sweeping, epic real-life events, this is a historical fiction novel of an inspiring trailblazer, a woman who loved big and lived even bigger—a fierce adventurer who transcended the rigid roles ascribed to women and changed history, all on her own terms.