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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 Your Brain on Art: How the Arts Transform Us

Douglas Weissman Why did I love this book?

This is a fantastic look at the positive effects art has on your brain, all backed by science. Not only does the book make you feel about taking time to enjoy art in every way, but it also reminds you that enjoying art and practicing art are necessities for life.

It helped me understand why and how writing my novel had such a healing effect on me. 

By Susan Magsamen, Ivy Ross,

Why should I read it?

3 authors picked Your Brain on Art as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • A life-altering journey through the science of neuroaesthetics, which offers proof for how our brains and bodies transform when we participate in the arts—and how this knowledge can improve our health, enable us to flourish, and build stronger communities.

“This book blew my mind!”—Angela Duckworth, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Grit

Many of us think of the arts as entertainment—a luxury of some kind. In Your Brain on Art, authors Susan Magsamen and Ivy Ross show how activities from painting and dancing to expressive writing, architecture, and more are essential to our lives.…


My 2nd favorite read in 2023…

Book cover of Still Life

Douglas Weissman Why did I love this book?

The novel is a love letter to Florence, Italy, but also a love letter to friendship.

It’s the type of feel-good story that, even though bad things happen—reminds you of the power of friendship, the beauty of a setting, and the power of an unforeseen adventure to bring people together.

It brought to the surface my love of cozy books, when, no matter how difficult things get, they all work out in the end. I laughed; I cried; I wanted to revisit Florence and give complete strangers a big hug.

By Sarah Winman,

Why should I read it?

7 authors picked Still Life as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

A Good Morning America Book Club Pick
 
A Veranda Magazine Book Club Pick

A captivating, bighearted, richly tapestried story of people brought together by love, war, art, flood, and the ghost of E. M. Forster, by the celebrated author of Tin Man.

Tuscany, 1944: As Allied troops advance and bombs fall around deserted villages, a young English soldier, Ulysses Temper, finds himself in the wine cellar of a deserted villa. There, he has a chance encounter with Evelyn Skinner, a middle-aged art historian who has come to Italy to salvage paintings from the ruins and recall long-forgotten memories of her…


My 3rd favorite read in 2023…

Book cover of A Wizard's Guide to Defensive Baking

Douglas Weissman Why did I love this book?

It was a new spin on the Gingerbread Man folktale and one that gave me goosebumps. It has battles, little whisps of magic, and characters I rooted for from start to finish. It made me feel like the characters I write about, the type I want to have a cup of tea with years from now to see where their lives have taken them. 

By T. Kingfisher,

Why should I read it?

4 authors picked A Wizard's Guide to Defensive Baking as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Fourteen-year-old Mona isn't like the wizards charged with defending the city. She can't control lightning or speak to water. Her familiar is a sourdough starter and her magic only works on bread. She has a comfortable life in her aunt's bakery making gingerbread men dance.

But Mona's life is turned upside down when she finds a dead body on the bakery floor. An assassin is stalking the streets of Mona's city, preying on magic folk, and it appears that Mona is his next target. And in an embattled city suddenly bereft of wizards, the assassin may be the least of…


Plus, check out my book…

Life Between Seconds

By Douglas Weissman,

Book cover of Life Between Seconds

What is my book about?

A 25-year-old American and 74-year-old Argentine form an unlikely friendship while running from their nightmares, until their past ghosts threaten their future

Unfolding over three decades, Life Between Seconds sets Peter and Sophia on a collision course with their respective pasts, propelling them toward either redemption or damnation. Engrossing, heartbreaking, and surreal, Douglas Weissman's first adult novel mediates trauma, family, and how to heal after a great loss.

My 4-year-old's favorite read in 2023…

Book cover of Luna and the Treasure of Tlaloc

Douglas Weissman Why did they love this book?

My daughter loves stories about treasure, clues, and bada** girls kicking butt and going on adventures. 

Luna and the Treasure of Tlaloc is about mythology but also shows why ancient folktales stick with us, how their messages connect with children and adults today, and how we can retell old stories in new, exciting ways.

The story gave her a deep sense of adventure while also relating to the character's relationships. 

By Joe Todd-Stanton,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Luna and the Treasure of Tlaloc as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 5, 6, 7, and 8.

What is this book about?

The story was one she hadn’t yet heard and it gave her a deep sense of adventure while also relating to the character relationships. 


Explore all books for 4-year-olds