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 The Covenant of Water

Diana Winston Why did I love this book?

I have spent many years living in India so any book about India is going to grab me.

The lush setting details, diverse characters, and epic scope of the book drew me in immediately. Although this book was quite long, I truly couldn’t put it down (I know that’s a cliché) as I found myself thoroughly immersed in the three generations of this South Indian family and the intriguing mystical medical mystery behind the story. Loved loved loved it!

By Abraham Verghese,

Why should I read it?

40 authors picked The Covenant of Water as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

OPRAH’S BOOK CLUB PICK • INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • SUBJECT OF A SIX-PART SUPER SOUL PODCAST SERIES HOSTED BY OPRAH WINFREY

From the New York Times-bestselling author of Cutting for Stone comes a stunning and magisterial epic of love, faith, and medicine, set in Kerala, South India, following three generations of a family seeking the answers to a strange secret

“One of the best books I’ve read in my entire life. It’s epic. It’s transportive . . . It was unputdownable!”—Oprah Winfrey, OprahDaily.com

The Covenant of Water is the long-awaited new novel by Abraham Verghese, the author of…


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My 2nd favorite read in 2023

Book cover of Demon Copperhead

Diana Winston Why did I love this book?

Demon Copperhead has an unforgettable narrative voice.

I found myself hysterically laughing at times while at the same time horrified by his life story and string of misfortunes. I loved the Dickens backdrop and the updating to contemporary Appalachia. The book had the power to enlighten and educate me about a part of the country I knew very little about.

Deeply powerful, moving, and that narrative voice… spectacular!


By Barbara Kingsolver,

Why should I read it?

83 authors picked Demon Copperhead as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Demon's story begins with his traumatic birth to a single mother in a single-wide trailer, looking 'like a little blue prizefighter.' For the life ahead of him he would need all of that fighting spirit, along with buckets of charm, a quick wit, and some unexpected talents, legal and otherwise.

In the southern Appalachian Mountains of Virginia, poverty isn't an idea, it's as natural as the grass grows. For a generation growing up in this world, at the heart of the modern opioid crisis, addiction isn't an abstraction, it's neighbours, parents, and friends. 'Family' could mean love, or reluctant foster…


My 3rd favorite read in 2023

Book cover of Rules of Civility

Diana Winston Why did I love this book?

I loved A Gentleman from Moscow and my friend said yes that’s great but you have to try Rules of Civility. So glad I did!

I was certainly transported to the Jazz Age, martinis, and a heroine who was going to conquer the world. I loved the writing, the turns of phrases, and felt nothing but delight the entire time I read it. Loved descriptions of Manhattan in the 1930s.

By Amor Towles,

Why should I read it?

5 authors picked Rules of Civility as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

From the #1 New York Times-bestselling author of The Lincoln Highway and A Gentleman in Moscow, a “sharply stylish” (Boston Globe) book about a young woman in post-Depression era New York who suddenly finds herself thrust into high society—now with over one million readers worldwide

On the last night of 1937, twenty-five-year-old Katey Kontent is in a second-rate Greenwich Village jazz bar when Tinker Grey, a handsome banker, happens to sit down at the neighboring table. This chance encounter and its startling consequences propel Katey on a year-long journey into the upper echelons of New York society—where she will have…


Don‘t forget about my book 😀

Wide Awake: A Buddhist Guide for Teens

By Diana Winston,

Book cover of Wide Awake: A Buddhist Guide for Teens

What is my book about?

Wide Awake shares the basics of Buddhism geared to teenagers although many adults find it quite useful and approachable. It covers foundational Buddhist teachings like the four noble truths, karma, ethical precepts, and meditation, and then uses quotes from teens to explore how to make Buddhism accessible and doable in daily life. Teens learn a Buddhist approach to drugs and alcohol, sex, relationships, difficult emotions, and social change.

This book originally came out in 2003 and it is being reissued in January with a new introduction by me talking about a few things that didn’t get included in the first edition (the internet was not a thing back then). I stand by the book 20 years later!

Book cover of The Covenant of Water
Book cover of Demon Copperhead
Book cover of Rules of Civility

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