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 Darwin Affair

James Charles Why did I love this book?

The Darwin Affair dropped and immersed me into hard times in Victorian England with a frustrated detective based on a Charles Dickens character who investigates a conspiracy to murder either Queen Victoria, Prince Albert, and/or Charles Darwin, who is promoting his On the Origin Of Species.

I not only learned a bit about Victorian England and Darwin, but this historical fiction was a fast-paced thriller to boot! I read it in four days. 

By Tim Mason,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

"Intellectually stimulating and viscerally exciting, The Darwin Affair is breathtaking from start to stop." -The Wall Street Journal A Barnes & Noble Discover Pick * A Wall Street Journal Best Mystery Book of the Year * A Reader's Digest Best Summer Book * A Forbes.com Best Historical Novel of the SummerGet ready for one of the most inventive and entertaining novels of 2019-an edge-of-your-seat Victorian-era thriller, where the controversial publication On the Origin of Species sets off a string of unspeakable crimes.London, June 1860: When an assassination attempt is made on Queen Victoria, and a petty thief is gruesomely murdered…


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My 2nd favorite read in 2023

Book cover of An Officer and a Spy

James Charles Why did I love this book?

A well-researched historical novel, An Officer and a Spy, recounts the infamous Dreyfus Affair in France from the POV of the chief investigator.

This accurate story highlights the government corruption, secret tribunals, and coverup of antisemitism of the time.

It reminded me of how nothing has changed, in that governments will do what they have to do to “make it all go away,” and when it doesn’t, to dig in and never admit mistakes or injustice until time has passed. Subsequent officials take over and admit the mistakes of their fathers.   

By Robert Harris,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked An Officer and a Spy as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

National Book Awards Popular Fiction Book of the Year 2013

They lied to protect their country. He told the truth to save it. A gripping historical thriller from the bestselling author of FATHERLAND.

January 1895. On a freezing morning in the heart of Paris, an army officer, Georges Picquart, witnesses a convicted spy, Captain Alfred Dreyfus, being publicly humiliated in front of twenty thousand spectators baying 'Death to the Jew!'

The officer is rewarded with promotion: Picquart is made the French army's youngest colonel and put in command of 'the Statistical Section' - the shadowy intelligence unit that tracked down…


My 3rd favorite read in 2023

Book cover of Essex Dogs

James Charles Why did I love this book?

Essex Dogs sucked me into 14th Century France during the Hundred Years War.

It immersed me into the horrid nature of slash-‘em-up warfare at the time and the comradeship of these battled-hardened soldiers.

I not only learned some of that particular history at that particular battle but also rooted for the Dogs and their survival against all odds and for this war, a war that would ultimately forge a kingdom.

As with many war stories, this is told mostly from the POV of the lowly foot soldier; I was one. And rightly so! 

By Dan Jones,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

The Sunday Times bestseller, BBC History 2022 Book of the Year and Richard & Judy Book Club Pick from Dan Jones. July 1346. The Hundred Years' War has begun, and King Edward and his lords are on the march through France. But this war belongs to the men on the ground. Swept up in the bloody chaos, a tight-knit company from Essex must stay alive long enough to see their home again. With sword, axe and longbow, the Essex Dogs will fight, from the landing beaches of Normandy to the bloodsoaked field of Crecy. There's Pismire, small enough to infiltrate…


Don‘t forget about my book 😀

Spirit of the Amaroq: A Story of Salvation

By James Charles,

Book cover of Spirit of the Amaroq: A Story of Salvation

What is my book about?

Pastor Jack Douglas resigns his ministry after a traumatic event and hikes across America.

In North Dakota, he finds work on an oil rig until a violent turn of events forces him to seek seclusion in the Alaskan wilderness, where he's stalked by the mythical Amaroq wolf.

In Nome, Jack takes a job on a king crab fishing boat, where he continues to struggle with his past tragedies while fighting feelings for the proprietor of a rustic inn, a beautiful Inuit woman, Qaniit. A man from the past then perpetrates a catastrophic event that will once again challenge Jack's faith. Will Jack survive, or will God forsake him once more?

Book cover of The Darwin Affair
Book cover of An Officer and a Spy
Book cover of Essex Dogs

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