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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 The Gunslinger

J. Anthony Allen Why did I love this book?

This giant series was my summer project. I taught myself how to run this summer by going for long runs and listening to this series. It was perfect for running because it was so other-worldly that it completely took me out of the moment and into the story.

I’ve never read any Stephen King before, and I’m a total convert now. I want to read everything he has done.

By Stephen King,

Why should I read it?

12 authors picked The Gunslinger as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The Dark Tower is now a major motion picture starring Matthew McConaughey and Idris Elba.

'The man in black fled across the desert, and the gunslinger followed.' The iconic opening line of Stephen King's groundbreaking series, The Dark Tower, introduces one of his most enigmatic and powerful heroes: Roland of Gilead, the Last Gunslinger.

Roland is a haunting figure, a loner, on a spellbinding journey toward the mysterious Dark Tower, in a desolate world which frighteningly echoes our own.

On his quest, Roland begins a friendship with a kid from New York named Jake, encounters an alluring woman and faces…


My 2nd favorite read in 2023…

Book cover of First Person Singular: Stories

J. Anthony Allen Why did I love this book?

You could tell me it's just a grocery list, but if it was written by Murakami, I would read it anyway. I have devoured every book he has written.

This one is a series of short stories, and I believe all of them are older. It is a collection of stories he has written earlier in his career. As a musician, I especially identify with Murakami and the way he talks about music in his work. 

The story Charlie Parker Plays the Bossa Nova is enough to have you in laughing and crying at the same time. 

By Haruki Murakami, Philip Gabriel (translator),

Why should I read it?

1 author picked First Person Singular as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

A mindbending new collection of short stories from the unique, internationally acclaimed author of Norwegian Wood and The Wind-up Bird Chronicle.

THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER

The eight masterly stories in this new collection are all told in the first person by a classic Murakami narrator. From nostalgic memories of youth, meditations on music and an ardent love of baseball to dreamlike scenarios, an encounter with a talking monkey and invented jazz albums, together these stories challenge the boundaries between our minds and the exterior world. Occasionally, a narrator who may or may not be Murakami himself is present. Is it…


My 3rd favorite read in 2023…

Book cover of The Great Upheaval: Higher Education's Past, Present, and Uncertain Future

J. Anthony Allen Why did I love this book?

This is nonfiction and takes a hard look at the state and the future of higher education. As someone who is still holding on to a professorship, I’m very aware of the strains and difficulties of higher education. I think these authors hit on some really good points.

They land on an idea of higher education that doesn’t necessarily involve the current university system at all. And that sounds great to me.

By Arthur Levine, Scott J. Van Pelt,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

How will America's colleges and universities adapt to remarkable technological, economic, and demographic change?

The United States is in the midst of a profound transformation the likes of which hasn't been seen since the Industrial Revolution, when America's classical colleges adapted to meet the needs of an emerging industrial economy. Today, as the world shifts to an increasingly interconnected knowledge economy, the intersecting forces of technological innovation, globalization, and demographic change create vast new challenges, opportunities, and uncertainties. In this great upheaval, the nation's most enduring social institutions are at a crossroads.

In The Great Upheaval, Arthur Levine and Scott…


Plus, check out my book…

Music Theory for Electronic Music Producers: The producer's guide to harmony, chord progressions, and song structure in the MIDI grid.

By J. Anthony Allen,

Book cover of Music Theory for Electronic Music Producers: The producer's guide to harmony, chord progressions, and song structure in the MIDI grid.

What is my book about?

As an online and university class, Dr. Allen has had over 50,000 students use this ground-breaking curriculum to learn music theory.

Students and Producers who have wanted to learn music theory to improve their music but have been intimidated by traditional approaches, music notation, and abstract concepts will find this book the answer they have been looking for.

"How music theory is usually taught is unfair. It starts with the assumption that you can read music and understand the language of classical music. My book leaves all of that behind – focusing only on the MIDI grid that producers are already familiar with to learn all the key concepts of music theory and, ultimately, make better music."