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The best books of 2023

This list is part of the best books of 2023.

We've asked 1,608 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 Mistborn

Brae Wyckoff Why did I love this book?

Brandon Sanderson is a master world-building storyteller. I absolutely loved this entire series. I had heard others talking about it, and wow, it did NOT disappoint.

His use of magic was stellar, and I believe that in the future, many writers will use the mechanics of what he has created. The characters were believable and flawed, two aspects I look for within a book.

By Brandon Sanderson,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

Brandon Sanderson - the international phenomenon who finished the Wheel of Time sequence - introduces a fantasy trilogy which overturns the expectations of readers and goes on to tell the epic story of evil overturned in a richly imagined world.

A thousand years ago evil came to the land and has ruled with an iron hand ever since. The sun shines fitfully under clouds of ash that float down endlessly from the constant eruption of volcanoes. A dark lord rules through the aristocratic families and ordinary folk are condemned to lives in servitude, sold as goods, labouring in the ash…


My 2nd favorite read in 2023…

Book cover of Night Of The Hunter

Brae Wyckoff Why did I love this book?

I’m a massive fan of R.A. Salvatore. Growing up playing Dungeons and Dragons, I have always been a sucker for this genre.

Salvatore, however, captures the essence of his characters so well that I now believe them to be family. In this adventure, we are taken to a lost dwarven city called Gauntlgrym.

It was here the dwarven king lost an amazing friend to a vampire, and they were there to rescue him. The characters are flawed, loyal, powerful, and complicated. This is book one of a new series, and I highly recommend it.

By R. A. Salvatore,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Night Of The Hunter as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

R.A. Salvatore’s New York Times best-selling saga continues as dark elf Drizzt Do’Urden returns to Gauntlgrym with old friends by his side once again, as they seek to rescue Bruenor’s loyal shield dwarf-turned-vampire. But not only do Drizzt and his allies face a perilous journey through the Underdark and the dangers of the undead that lie within, but they must cross through a colony of drow, who would like nothing better than to see Drizzt Do’Urden dead.


My 3rd favorite read in 2023…

Book cover of Dragons of Autumn Twilight

Brae Wyckoff Why did I love this book?

I read this as a child and picked it back for a re-read. I think I loved it even more as an adult.

I fell in love with the characters and remember crying as a teenager through one of the scenes (I won’t give it away). There are wonderful monsters, epic creatures, dragons, and an adventure that changed and influenced my life.

The characters have a history but were separated for years until the rumors of war approached. This brought them together, and none of them were prepared for what was to come, including me. So good.

By Margaret Weis, Tracy Hickman,

Why should I read it?

6 authors picked Dragons of Autumn Twilight as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

This Dungeons & Dragons-inspired fantasy adventure is the first installment in the beloved Dragonlance Chronicles, set in the magical world of Krynn

Once merely creatures of legend, the dragons have returned to Krynn. But with their arrival comes the departure of the old gods—and all healing magic. As war threatens to engulf the land, lifelong friends reunite for an adventure that will change their lives and shape their world forever . . . 
 
When Tanis, Sturm, Caramon, Raistlin, Flint, and Tasslehoff see a woman use a blue crystal staff to heal a villager, they wonder if it's a sign the…


Plus, check out my book…

The Embalmer

By Brae Wyckoff,

Book cover of The Embalmer

What is my book about?

When embalmer Freddy Foley’s young daughter was murdered two years ago by “The Angel Killer,” his life was turned upside down. Now, his estranged wife reaches out to him, and their grief is ignited all over again as the serial killer strikes another young victim.

Unraveling fast, Freddy’s millionaire “life of the party” best friend, George Casey, does everything within his power and his finances to keep his friend from self-destruction.

Deranged killer Steven Murdock hears a voice in his head that directs him to “birth angels.” Young and beautiful, these children are brutally murdered and revealed in a sickening display of innocence and human carnage.