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 Swifts and Us: The Life of the Bird that Sleeps in the Sky

Celia Haddon Why did I love this book?

I wanted to know more about these birds. I love the sound of swifts as they circle high in the sky in summer. The book inspired me to put up two swift nest boxes and to try to persuade all builders to include a swift brick in every new house.

I loved this book because it took me into the strange world of the swift. My three passions are cats, animal welfare, and nature. Swifts are amazing and incredible birds, and we need to know more about them so we can help them survive in the modern world.

By Sarah Gibson,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

Swifts live almost entirely in the air. They eat, drink, sleep, mate and gather their nesting materials on the wing, fly thousands of miles across the world, navigating their way around storms, never lighting on tree, cliff or ground, until they return home with the summer.

Sarah Gibson has written a fascinating story of discovery, exploring what is known about these mysterious birds, their ancient ancestry and how they have been regarded through history. But the swifts are in real danger: often unintentionally, we are sealing our homes against wildlife of any kind. Cracks, gaps and crevices which for thousands…


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My 2nd favorite read in 2023

Book cover of Prisoners of the Castle: An Epic Story of Survival and Escape from Colditz, the Nazis' Fortress Prison

Celia Haddon Why did I love this book?

I read Ben Macintyre’s book about the SAS which was terrific. I knew several former SAS blokes. During my life, I have met two people who were imprisoned in Colditz. One of them spent a lot of time knitting sweaters for escapers, because his nanny had taught him how to knit!

He is an excellent writer, and I was interested in his take on Colditz.

By Ben Macintyre,

Why should I read it?

5 authors picked Prisoners of the Castle as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

THE #1 SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER

'A master at setting the pulse racing' Daily Mail
'A fine feat of storytelling . . . will surely become the last word on the subject' Telegraph
_____________________________

FROM THE BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF SAS: ROGUE HEROES

Colditz Castle: a forbidding Gothic tower on a hill in Nazi Germany. You may have heard about the prisoners and their daring and desperate attempts to escape, but that's only part of the real story.

In Colditz: Prisoners of the Castle, bestselling historian Ben Macintyre takes us inside the walls of the most infamous prison in history to meet…


My 3rd favorite read in 2023

Book cover of Pathogenesis

Celia Haddon Why did I love this book?

I reviewed this for The Salisbury Review and wasn’t expecting to like it. But I did.

I had no idea that the Roman Empire had suffered various plagues and that these, rather than Christianity, may have led to its downfall. And maybe the Neanderthals died out because we modern humans gave them deadly diseases.

You wouldn’t think a book about plagues and epidemics could be fun, but it was!

By Jonathan Kennedy,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

A BBC RADIO 4 BOOK OF THE WEEK

'Powerfully argued... Fascinating and pacy' Sunday Times, Book of the Week
'Superbly written... sure to please readers of Yuval Noah Harari or Rutger Bregman' The Times
'Full of amazing facts' Observer
'The book shines when it brings cutting-edge science to bear' Financial Times
'A dizzying range of material' The Economist
'A humbling story for humankind' Spectator

Challenges some of the greatest cliches about colonialism... A revelation' SATHNAM SANGHERA
'Thrilling and eye-opening' LEWIS DARTNELL
'Science and history at its best' MARK HONIGSBAUM
'Unpicks everything we thought we knew... Mind blowing' CAL FLYN

In…


Don‘t forget about my book 😀

Being Your Cat: What's really going on in your feline's mind

By Celia Haddon, Daniel Mills,

Book cover of Being Your Cat: What's really going on in your feline's mind

What is my book about?

What is it like to be a cat? Based on research, this book tells you how a cat feels, thinks, and experiences life.

Book cover of Swifts and Us: The Life of the Bird that Sleeps in the Sky
Book cover of Prisoners of the Castle: An Epic Story of Survival and Escape from Colditz, the Nazis' Fortress Prison
Book cover of Pathogenesis

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