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 Lessons in Chemistry

Janet Lawler Why did I love this book?

My first career was in a very male-dominated profession (I now write children’s books!) So I cheered for chemist Elizabeth Zott from the first page, as she encountered sexism in the scientific and business worlds of the early 1960s. 

Garmus is a great storyteller, and some scenes had me laughing and crying at the same time! With intelligence, wit, and perseverance, Elizabeth faces and conquers many obstacles. Her brilliant, eccentric colleague Calvin Evans treats her as an equal, and their romantic relationship is central to the complex but well-crafted plot.

As I closed the book on this wonderful story, I put my hand to my heart and was sad, but only because there were no more pages to turn.

By Bonnie Garmus,

Why should I read it?

73 authors picked Lessons in Chemistry as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • GOOD MORNING AMERICA BOOK CLUB PICK • Meet Elizabeth Zott: a “formidable, unapologetic and inspiring” (PARADE) scientist in 1960s California whose career takes a detour when she becomes the unlikely star of a beloved TV cooking show in this novel that is “irresistible, satisfying and full of fuel. It reminds you that change takes time and always requires heat” (The New York Times Book Review).

A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR: The New York Times, Washington Post, NPR, Oprah Daily, Newsweek, GoodReads

"A unique heroine ... you'll find yourself wishing she wasn’t fictional." —Seattle Times…


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My 2nd favorite read in 2023

Book cover of All the Light We Cannot See

Janet Lawler Why did I love this book?

Great WWII historical fiction, full of compelling detail and perfect prose. Using flashbacks, Doerr masterfully weaves a plot that moves two young people from childhood to early adulthood in wartime, when their paths intersect.

Physically sightless young Marie-Laure LeBlanc flees occupied Paris with her father to the small seaside town of Saint-Malo. Werner Pfenning serves in Hitler’s army and tracks down enemy radio transmissions.

I was surprised to feel sorry for a Nazi soldier! But Werner Pfennig’s journey from a deprived childhood in an orphanage through inhumane military schooling and service to Hitler made him a tragic figure as his moral compass awakened.

I’ll end by saying both Marie-Laure and Werner grow and affirm their humanity in this deeply moving, beautifully written novel.

 

By Anthony Doerr,

Why should I read it?

46 authors picked All the Light We Cannot See as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

WINNER OF THE 2015 PULITZER PRIZE FOR FICTION
NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FINALIST
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
WINNER OF THE CARNEGIE MEDAL FOR FICTION

A beautiful, stunningly ambitious novel about a blind French girl and a German boy whose paths collide in occupied France as both try to survive the devastation of World War II

Open your eyes and see what you can with them before they close forever.'

For Marie-Laure, blind since the age of six, the world is full of mazes. The miniature of a Paris neighbourhood, made by her father to teach her the way home. The microscopic…


My 3rd favorite read in 2023

Book cover of Horse

Janet Lawler Why did I love this book?

This book was recommended by a friend. I am not a horse lover, but I loved this story!

With three main character storylines interwoven (that of a young Kentucky slave bonded with a gifted horse, a Nigerian-American art historian, and an Australian fossil expert), Geraldine Brooks made me feel like I was "really there" with each of them.

These characters’ lives play out in relationship to a mystery involving an oil painting of a racehorse. I was fascinated by the historical details of thoroughbred horse racing in the US. 

And depictions of a slave’s life grabbed me from the get-go, in the main character’s name denoting possession, Warfield’s Jarrett. Jarett’s story made me pause and ponder many times, as did contemporary scenes dealing with racial discrimination.

By Geraldine Brooks,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

"Brooks' chronological and cross-disciplinary leaps are thrilling." -The New York Times Book Review

"Horse isn't just an animal story-it's a moving narrative about race and art." -TIME

A discarded painting in a junk pile, a skeleton in an attic, and the greatest racehorse in American history: from these strands, a Pulitzer Prize winner braids a sweeping story of spirit, obsession, and injustice across American history

Kentucky, 1850. An enslaved groom named Jarret and a bay foal forge a bond of understanding that will carry the horse to record-setting victories across the South. When the nation erupts in civil war, an…


Don‘t forget about my book 😀

There's No Place Like Hope

By Janet Lawler, Tamisha Anthony (illustrator),

Book cover of There's No Place Like Hope

What is my book about?

My inspirational picture book offers a joyful message for meeting challenges and ushering in new beginnings. Diverse characters, shown caring and sharing in childhood/community scenes, beautifully complement the lyrical text in a kid-friendly exploration of how hope makes us loving, courageous, and connected to one another.

This book belongs in homes, classrooms, school libraries, and counselor's book collections focusing on community and kindness.