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 This Chair Rocks: A Manifesto Against Ageism

Ginjer L. Clarke Why did I love this book?

Ageism is insidious and largely undiscussed. Why should you care? Because if you’re younger, misperceptions about what aging entails can lead you to fear it.

If you’re in middle life and seeing changes in your body and your place in society, you know that the pull to defy age is strong and ultimately pointless. And for older people, becoming invisible and not having your life’s wisdom honored can lead to poorer health outcomes. All of us benefit from acknowledging the limitations but also the strengths and beauty of aging.

After reading this well-researched, humorous, deeply thoughtful book, I feel more compassionate toward myself and all of the older people I know. But more importantly, I also feel invigorated by the life I am living and have yet to live—may it be long and joyful!

By Ashton Applewhite,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked This Chair Rocks as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Author, activist, and TED speaker Ashton Applewhite has written a rousing manifesto calling for an end to discrimination and prejudice on the basis of age.

In our youth obsessed culture, we’re bombarded by media images and messages about the despairs and declines of our later years. Beauty and pharmaceutical companies work overtime to convince people to purchase products that will retain their youthful appearance and vitality. Wrinkles are embarrassing. Gray hair should be colored and bald heads covered with implants. Older minds and bodies are too frail to keep up with the pace of the modern working world and olders…


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My 2nd favorite read in 2023

Book cover of The Electricity of Every Living Thing: A Woman's Walk In The Wild To Find Her Way Home

Ginjer L. Clarke Why did I love this book?

An incredibly ambitious walk along the south coast of England led this author to some startling, validating revelations about herself.

I loved going along on this journey to see and feel the world through the eyes of a person recognizing that she has lived her entire life with autism but not understood what that truly meant or how it affected her.

As someone who has a loved one with autism, I found this account to be incredibly beautiful, insightful, and instructive. But this account could be heart-opening and instill understanding and acceptance in anyone. Her attention to detail in nature is highly enjoyable, too, if you’re a science lover, as I am.

By Katherine May,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked The Electricity of Every Living Thing as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The New York Times bestselling author of Wintering writes a life-affirming exploration of wild landscapes, what it means to be different and, above all, how we can all learn to make peace with our own unquiet minds . . .
 
In anticipation of her 38th birthday, Katherine May set out to walk the 630-mile South West Coast Path. She wanted time alone, in nature, to understand why she had stopped coping with everyday life; why motherhood had been so overwhelming and isolating; and why the world felt full of expectations she couldn't meet.  She was also reeling from a chance…


My 3rd favorite read in 2023

Book cover of Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art

Ginjer L. Clarke Why did I love this book?

This book made me angry, and then it made me want to change everything about the way I breathe. Seriously, who knew we were all doing it wrong!

I read a lot of nonfiction science books and articles, have many years of experience taking yoga classes, and thought I was generally paying attention, but I was truly shocked at how little I knew about the basic experience and “lost art” of breathing.

Not only is this research done painstakingly and thoroughly over many years, but the author personally experiences all that he reports on. You will be forever changed by this book, if you’re willing to open your eyes, heart, and nose.

By James Nestor,

Why should I read it?

6 authors picked Breath as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

THE PHENOMENAL INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER - OVER A MILLION COPIES SOLD WORLDWIDE

SHORTLISTED FOR THE ROYAL SOCIETY BOOK PRIZE

'Who would have thought something as simple as changing the way we breathe could be so revolutionary for our health, from snoring to allergies to immunity? A fascinating book, full of dazzling revelations' Dr Rangan Chatterjee

There is nothing more essential to our health and wellbeing than breathing: take air in, let it out, repeat 25,000 times a day. Yet, as a species, humans have lost the ability to breathe correctly, with grave consequences. In Breath, journalist James Nestor travels the world…


Don‘t forget about my book 😀

Animal Invaders: Creatures Causing Trouble

By Ginjer L. Clarke,

Book cover of Animal Invaders: Creatures Causing Trouble

What is my book about?

Did you know that wild boars originally from Europe have taken over parts of the United States? Or that thousands of Burmese pythons from Southeast Asia slither all around the Everglades in South Florida?

These animals, taken from their homes and brought to new areas, might not be the best neighbors, but they make it work!

With simple language and vivid photographs, Animal Invaders is perfect for emerging readers curious about the natural world and some of the power struggles within it.

Book cover of This Chair Rocks: A Manifesto Against Ageism
Book cover of The Electricity of Every Living Thing: A Woman's Walk In The Wild To Find Her Way Home
Book cover of Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art

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