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 How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia

Cecily Wong Why did I love this book?

I’ve been gradually making my way through Moshin Hamid’s books, and this one might be my favorite. Told in the second person, the novel is crafted like a self-help book—a sly nod to the business advice books instructing young people across contemporary Asia.

It tells the story of an unnamed narrator and his rise from a poor, rural kid to a successful entrepreneur. It’s an emotional wallop of a book, as the protagonist hustles and hustles, growing further from his past while still being haunted by it.

Hamid’s books always sneak up on me with their clever heft; he does this incredible blending of cultural commentary with enormous compassion and heart, and this book is a prime example.

By Mohsin Hamid,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The unabridged, downloadable audiobook edition of Mohsin Hamid's How To Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia, read by the author himself.

The astonishing and riveting tale of a man's journey from impoverished rural boy to corporate tycoon, 'How To Get Filthy Rich in Asia' steals its shape from the business self-help books devoured by youths all over 'rising Asia'. It follows its nameless hero to the sprawling metropolis where he begins to amass an empire built on the most fluid and increasingly scarce of goods: water. Yet his heart remains set on something else, on the pretty girl whose star…


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My 2nd favorite read in 2023

Book cover of Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow

Cecily Wong Why did I love this book?

I know very few people who didn’t fall for this book. It’s the kind of saga that you can disappear into, with a little something for everyone: turbulent friendship and unrequited love, art-making, video games, ambition, betrayal, and joy.

I love this book for its wildly honest, insightful, and often brutal rendering of art-making and the relationships that sustain a creative life. It spoke to my writerly heart—chartered the messiness of wanting to make things, the hunger and insecurity and pleasure of it.

I’m also a sucker for a novel with an innovative form, and there are a few chapters sprinkled throughout that were just ingenious.

By Gabrielle Zevin,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

* AMAZON'S #1 BOOK OF 2022 *

Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow takes us on a dazzling imaginative quest, examining identity, creativity and our need to connect.

This is not a romance, but it is about love.

'I just love this book and I hope you love it too' JOHN GREEN, TikTok

Sam and Sadie meet in a hospital in 1987. Sadie is visiting her sister, Sam is recovering from a car crash. The days and months are long there, but playing together brings joy, escape, fierce competition -- and a special friendship. Then all too soon that time is…


My 3rd favorite read in 2023

Book cover of Bright Lights, Big City

Cecily Wong Why did I love this book?

I’ve been on a second-person narrator kick this year, both because I love the intimacy of the format and for my own novel-writing research. This book is such a romp.

It follows a guy with a bunch of problems he’s not talking about, among them a drinking problem, as he tries to stamp out those problems with chaotic fun. It teeters between light and dark in such an affecting way, all the humor with a tinge of pain. Plus, the voice is like candy.

It’s an ode to the dumbassery and bravado of youth that felt both nostalgic and voyeuristic. 

By Jay McInerney,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Bright Lights, Big City as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

It is six am, the party is over and reality is threatening to intervene in the power-fuelled existence of a young man who should have everything but who might just end up with nothing at all. His wife has left him, his job is in jeopardy, and his social life is about to end.


Don‘t forget about my book 😀

Kaleidoscope: A Novel

By Cecily Wong,

Book cover of Kaleidoscope: A Novel

What is my book about?

Morgan and Riley Brighton are joint heirs to Kaleidoscope: a glittering, ‘global bohemian’ shopping empire—created in sleepy Oregon and catapulted into Haute New York—sourcing luxury goods from around the world. Morgan, a statuesque beauty and Kaleidoscope’s talented designer is adored by all, especially by the Brighton parents. Yet no one loves her more than Riley, whose shy and adventurous spirit is exalted by her sister.

When a catastrophic event dismantles the Brightons’ world, Riley must stand in the spotlight for the first time in her life, with questions about her family that challenge her memory, identity, and loyalty.

Restless and heartbroken, she sets off across the globe with the person she least expects to seek truths about those she thought she knew best—herself included.