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

Eric J. McNulty Why did I love this book?

A great novel is a welcome respite from my work on crisis leadership. In this book, Verghese swept me away to a world I didn’t know and soon didn’t want to leave.

The characters became like family, and the setting of southwest India was perhaps the most compelling character of all. I was completely caught up in their lives and struggles that span several generations.

The mix of medicine and mysticism engaged different parts of my brain at different times, keeping me eager for more. It is a lengthy book—and I could have read twice as much more.

By Abraham Verghese,

Why should I read it?

41 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 The Four Factors of Trust: How Organizations Can Earn Lifelong Loyalty

Eric J. McNulty Why did I love this book?

Trust is central to my work in crisis leadership. Often, it is presented either in squishy conceptual platitudes or in highly prescriptive, technical terms. In this book, the authors combine extensive research data with an accessible framework that makes it easier to diagnose trust issues and begin to fix them.

The four factors are easy to grasp conceptually, and there is depth to explore in eachI now use this motif regularly in my teaching as the framework spurs great discussion and debate. 

By Ashley Reichheld, Amelia Dunlop,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Four Factors of Trust as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

A WALL STREET JOURNAL BESTSELLER
A PUBLISHERS WEEKLY BESTSELLER

The essential, data-driven blueprint to build trust in your organization.

Did you know that trusted companies outperform their peers by up to 400%? That customers who trust a brand are 88% more likely to buy again? And that 79% of employees who trust their employer are more motivated to work (and less likely to leave)?

The importance of trust is at an all-time high-just as our inclination to trust is at an all-time low.

Building trust is your single greatest opportunity to create competitive advantage. With new data at its core,…


My 3rd favorite read in 2023

Book cover of The Babysitter: My Summers with a Serial Killer

Eric J. McNulty Why did I love this book?

Whoa—what a true crime thriller! I spend time on Cape Cod and enjoy books set there. This book reveals the tale of a serial killer told by someone who was close to him—but who was just a bit too young to appeal to him as a victim.

The story is in part the co-author’s endearing and revealing childhood memories and partly the tale of grisly murder. Bringing the two together kept my reading light on way too late. Even though I knew the author lived to write the book, I could still feel the danger in her interactions with the serial killer. Chilling.

By Liza Rodman, Jennifer Jordan,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

This chilling true story and “harrowing account of the evil that can lurk around the edges of girlhood” (Carolyn Murnick, author of The Hot One)—reminiscent of Ann Rule’s classic The Stranger Beside Me—follows a little girl longing for love who finds friendship with her charismatic babysitter, unaware that he is a vicious serial killer.

Growing up on Cape Cod in the 1960s, Liza Rodman was a lonely little girl. During the summers, while her mother worked days in a local motel and danced most nights in the Provincetown bars, her babysitter—the kind, handsome handyman at the motel where her mother…


Don‘t forget about my book 😀

You're It: Crisis, Change, and How to Lead When It Matters Most

By Eric J. McNulty, Leonard Marcus, Joseph M. Henderson , Barry C. Dorn

Book cover of You're It: Crisis, Change, and How to Lead When It Matters Most

What is my book about?

The essential guide to leading through crisis and change. Full of stories from the field as well as pragmatic tools and techniques. 

The book features the meta-leadership framework developed at the National Preparedness Leadership Initiative at Harvard University.

It is a hands-on guide to building your personal leadership skills and effectiveness.

Book cover of The Covenant of Water
Book cover of The Four Factors of Trust: How Organizations Can Earn Lifelong Loyalty
Book cover of The Babysitter: My Summers with a Serial Killer

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