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 Bass Rock

Jacqueline West Why did I love this book?

I’m a sucker for a distinctive (preferably gothic) setting, and this book makes incredible use of the northern Scottish coast. The wet chill of the air practically seeps through its pages, mirroring the slow, seeping chill of the plot.

As the story moves through three separate timelines, braiding together the lives of three different women who’ve lived in that remote, rocky spot, misogyny and violence against women rise to the surface again and again, like the dead things that wash ashore.

The piece-by-piece buildup is so subtle, the writing is so beautiful, and the unfolding events are so enraging, I couldn’t put this book down until I reached the end. And it has haunted me ever since.

By Evie Wyld,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

'A modern gothic triumph. Spectacularly well-observed, profoundly disquieting and utterly riveting. Like all Evie Wyld's work it is startlingly insightful about psychological and physical abuse. It is a haunting, masterful novel.' -Max Porter

Surging out of the sea, the Bass Rock has for centuries watched over the lives that pass under its shadow on the Scottish mainland. And across the centuries the fates of three women are linked: to this place, to each other.

In the early 1700s, Sarah, accused of being a witch, flees for her life.

In the aftermath of the Second World War, Ruth navigates a new…


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My 2nd favorite read in 2023

Book cover of Simon Sort Of Says

Jacqueline West Why did I love this book?

Oh boy, the voice. Erin Bow captures the first-person voice of Simon, a modern-day middle schooler moving to a new town, in a way that’s so unaffected, funny, and distinct that you just want him to tell you story after story.

You want to hear about the ostrich farm, the squirrel-and-eucharist disaster, the small-town funeral home where his family lives…and if you’re like me, you want to listen to every detail about the mortuary peacock, Pretty Stabby.

Because you already love Simon, when he finally—sort of—tells you the whole story about what brought him to this place, it’s heart-stopping. This book is a reminder that we must do better for kids like Simon, who have to live with the daily fear of gun violence—and Simon could be any of our kids.

By Erin Bow,

Why should I read it?

4 authors picked Simon Sort Of Says as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 8, 9, 10, and 11.

What is this book about?

Longlisted for the National Book Award for Young People’s Literature

“Funny, poignant and—most important—hopeful.” —New York Times

For fans of Kate DiCamillo and Jack Gantos, a hilarious, wrenching, hopeful novel about finding your friends, healing your heart, and speaking your truth.

Simon O’Keeffe’s biggest claim to fame should be the time his dad accidentally gave a squirrel a holy sacrament. Or maybe the alpaca disaster that went viral on YouTube. But the story the whole world wants to tell about Simon is the one he’d do anything to forget: the one starring Simon as a famous survivor of gun violence…


My 3rd favorite read in 2023

Book cover of White Is for Witching

Jacqueline West Why did I love this book?

This is a brilliant take on the haunted house tale.

The writing slips from one point of view to another smoothly but unsettlingly, revealing slivers of the secrets that the Silver family are keeping from each other, sometimes even taking on the persona of the house itself.

And the way whiteness is used—as a symbol, as a concept, as an identity—is unique and truly frightening. It’s something that the characters devour until it devours them.

By Helen Oyeyemi,

Why should I read it?

5 authors picked White Is for Witching as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Haunting in every sense, White is for Witching by Helen Oyeyemi is a spine-tingling tribute to the power of magic, myth and memory.

High on the cliffs near Dover, the Silver family is reeling from the loss of Lily, mother of twins Eliot and Miranda, and beloved wife of Luc. Miranda misses her with particular intensity. Their mazy, capricious house belonged to her mother's ancestors, and to Miranda, newly attuned to spirits, newly hungry for chalk, it seems they have never left. Forcing apples to grow in winter, revealing and concealing secret floors, the house is fiercely possessive of young…


Don‘t forget about my book 😀

Last Things

By Jacqueline West,

Book cover of Last Things

What is my book about?

Anders Thorson is about to get everything he’s ever wanted. His band, Last Things, is on the cusp of fame that will take him far from his small northern Minnesota town. His guitar technique has gone from great to world-class.

New songs come to him fully formed, in an exhilarating rush. He’s even collecting die-hard fans like Thea Malcolm, the strange new girl in town, who sometimes lurks in the woods beyond his bedroom window at night.

But Anders also has a secret: He may not have earned these things. These were gifts. And now the power that gave them to him is coming to collect what it is owed.

My 3-year-old's favorite read in 2023…

Book cover of Chirri & Chirra, Underground

Jacqueline West Why did they love this book?

My three-year-old adores the magical, miniature adventures that the twin sisters in the Chirri and Chirra series take together—especially the beautiful food and drinks and gifts the sisters get to choose from wherever they go.

In this installment, she loves the family of badgers and their colorful underground river boats, and she always stops to study the illustration of glowing fantasy flowers blooming in a dark cave. (She likes to point out which one she would pick.)

By Kaya Doi, David Boyd (translator),

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Chirri & Chirra, Underground as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 3, 4, 5, and 6.

What is this book about?

Behind a hole in their basement wall, Chirri and Chirra discover a network of tunnels. Join them as they visit moles, discover caves full of glowing flowers, poke at the roots of growing plants, traverse a subterranean lake, and spend the night with a family of badgers! The fourth book in the Japanese Chirri & Chirra series, this underground adventure is sure to charm and delight.


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My 8-year-old's favorite read in 2023…

Book cover of Adventure Time, Volume 1

Jacqueline West Why did they love this book?

The Adventure Time comics capture the spirit of the TV show (which my eight-year-old also loves) perfectly, but with stories that are brand new.

There’s just the right balance of absurd humor and genuine feeling, and the blend of sci-fi, horror, action, and adventure never gets old. Plus, it’s funny. And there are lots of butts.

By Ryan North, Shelli Paroline (illustrator), Braden Lamb (illustrator)

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Adventure Time, Volume 1 as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 9, 10, 11, and 12.

What is this book about?

It's ADVENTURE TIME! Join Finn the Human, Jake the Dog, and Princess Bubblegum for all-new adventures through The Land of Ooo.

The totally algebraic adventures of Finn and Jake have come to the comic book page! The Lich, a super-lame, SUPER-SCARY skeleton dude, has returned to the the Land of Ooo, and he’s bent on total destruction! Luckily, Finn and Jake are on the case...but can they succeed against their most destructive foe yet? Featuring fan-favorite characters Marceline the Vampire Queen, Princess Bubblegum, Lumpy Space Princess and the Ice King!


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Book cover of The Bass Rock
Book cover of Simon Sort Of Says
Book cover of White Is for Witching

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