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The best books of 2023

This list is part of the best books of 2023.

We've asked 1,608 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 In the Upper Country

Gail Nyoka Why did I love this book?

How could I not love a book where stories are found within stories? There’s a mystery here, too, one which I didn’t guess until the end of the book.

The old woman is a mystery herself. At first, she seems incomprehensible, her actions arbitrary. Then, I started to warm up to her, wishing her freedom against the odds. Here’s the forgotten history of a bond between Black and Indigenous people under colonial rule. The writing is powerful. The stories are powerful.  

By Kai Thomas,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked In the Upper Country as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

SHORTLISTED FOR THE ATWOOD GIBSON WRITERS' TRUST FICTION PRIZE 2023
SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2023 AMAZON CANADA FIRST NOVEL AWARD COSMOPOLITAN'S 10 BEST HISTORICAL FICTION BOOKS OF 2023

'Fresh and propulsive . . . a testament to the power of story and a veneration of those whose tales are often forgotten' New York Times

Freedom, you can't get and bury, and keep it and keep it so it won't ever go away.
No, child.
You got to swing your freedom like a club.

In 1859, deep in the forests of Canada, an elderly woman sits behind bars. She came to Dunmore…


My 2nd favorite read in 2023…

Book cover of Greek Lessons

Gail Nyoka Why did I love this book?

Beautiful prose always hooks me in. Yet it takes more than the loveliness of writing style to keep me wanting to find out more, to care for the fate of the characters.

The two protagonists in Greek Lessons are each locked within their own worlds of language and perception. That is their bond and their difficulty. I was anxious to find out if, in the end, they could connect.

By Han Kang, Deborah Smith (translator), Emily Yae Won (translator)

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

A powerful novel of the saving grace of language and human connection, from the celebrated author of The Vegetarian.

'Breathtaking . . . She is simply my favourite living writer to read, and think with, and see the world with' Max Porter

In a classroom in Seoul, a young woman watches her Greek language teacher at the blackboard. She tries to speak but has lost her voice. Her teacher finds himself drawn to the silent woman, for day by day he is losing his sight.

Soon they discover a deeper pain binds them. For her, in the space of just…


My 3rd favorite read in 2023…

Book cover of The Sleeping Car Porter

Gail Nyoka Why did I love this book?

I never met my great-uncle, a sleeping car porter, around the time of the setting of this book. His wife told me that the work had led to his early death.

I was interested to read this book about the life and work of a sleeping car porter. I was not disappointed. I was drawn to the character of Baxter, a man who dreamed of a life outside of the limitations he was presented with. In that, he had something in common with my great-uncle. 

By Suzette Mayr,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked The Sleeping Car Porter as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

WINNER OF THE 2022 SCOTIABANK GILLER PRIZE

PUBLISHERS WEEKLY TOP 20 LITERARY FICTION BOOKS OF 2022

OPRAH DAILY: BOOKS TO READ BY THE FIRE

THE GLOBE 100: THE BEST BOOKS OF 2022

CBC BOOKS: THE BEST CANADIAN FICTION OF 2022


When a mudslide strands a train, Baxter, a queer Black sleeping car porter, must contend with the perils of white passengers, ghosts, and his secret love affair

The Sleeping Car Porter brings to life an important part of Black history in North America, from the perspective of a queer man living in a culture that renders him invisible in two…


Plus, check out my book…

Voices of the Ancestors: Stories & Lore From Ghana’s Volta Region

By Gail Nyoka,

Book cover of Voices of the Ancestors: Stories & Lore From Ghana’s Volta Region

What is my book about?

How do you know when palm nuts are ready to pick? There's a story that tells you.  

Voices of the Ancestors: Stories & Lore from Ghana's Volta Region imparts wisdom from times gone by and wisdom found in now seldom-told stories. Glimpse into the philosophy of a Voodoo Priestess; learn how the reverence for the forests and animals at Tafi Atome created a special place of culture for that village; read about how the people of Amyanui attune to the seas and marine life that provide their livelihood.

These stories are a window into the disappearing culture of the Ewe of Ghana's Volta Region. The collection includes stories of Kweku Anansi and the region's animals, giving an insight into their habitat and the people's traditions.