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The best books of 2023

This list is part of the best books of 2023.

We've asked 1,624 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 Now In November

Jessica Graham Why did I love this book?

Recently, a series of unfortunate events created the perfect storm of unexpected expenses, and the debt that resulted has me vacillating between the wet wool of depression and ice-cold shrieks of panic. I try to be open about my money woes, and when I told a loved one about my predicament, she suggested that I read this book.

This gorgeous Pulitzer Prize-winning novel is a beautiful, poetic, and brutal story about a family during the Depression and how they lost almost everything over the course of a year as the great drought ravages their crops, hearts, and minds.

This lean feast of a book made me feel less alone in my financial fear and in the sense that capitalism is fighting dirty and has me down for the count.

By Josephine W. Johnson,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Now In November as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Brilliant, evocative, poetic, savage, this Pulitzer Prize-winning first novel (1934) depicts a white, middle-class urban family that is turned into dirt-poor farmers by the Depression and the great drought of the thirties.

Like Ethan Frome, the relatively brief, intense story evokes the torment possible among people isolated and driven by strong feelings of love and hate that, unexpressed, lead inevitably to doom. Reviewers in the thirties praised the novel, calling its prose "profoundly moving music," expressing incredulity "that this mature style and this mature point of view are those of a young women in her twenties," comparing the book to…


My 2nd favorite read in 2023…

Book cover of How High We Go in the Dark

Jessica Graham Why did I love this book?

I love Sci-Fi, especially when it’s told through complex human stories of love, loss, hope, and resilience. This genre is often quite dark, which is part of why I enjoy it, but this book balanced the devastating and disturbing aspects of humanity with the humor, tenderness, and compassion of humanity.

I never wanted this book to end, and yet, when it did, I felt deeply satisfied with the conclusion. The way this book explored the interconnection of all living beings and the deepest questions of life filled me with joy, anguish, and wonder.

This is Nagamatsu’s debut novel, and as an aspiring novelist, I was both inspired and a little jealous. That combo is motivating, so hopefully, one day, I’ll be thanking the author in my acknowledgments. 

By Sequoia Nagamatsu,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked How High We Go in the Dark as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

SHORTLISTED FOR THE WATERSTONES DEBUT FICTION PRIZE 2022 FINALIST FOR THE BARNES & NOBLE DISCOVER PRIZE 2022 FINALIST FOR THE URSULA LE GUIN PRIZE FOR FICTION 2022 WATERSTONES AND ESQUIRE BEST BOOKS OF 2022 'Haunting and luminous ... An astonishing debut' - Alan Moore, creator of Watchmen and V for Vendetta 'A powerfully moving and thought provoking read. At times sublime, strange and deeply human' Adrian Tchaikovsky, bestselling author of the Children of Time series Siberia, 2031. After a virus, unearthed from melting permafrost, unleashes a deadly plague upon humanity, those left alive are forced to adapt to a new…


My 3rd favorite read in 2023…

Book cover of Unmasking Autism: Discovering the New Faces of Neurodiversity

Jessica Graham Why did I love this book?

I got diagnosed with autism and officially came out as non-binary this past summer. I had my suspicions about autism for a while, and I had started sharing with trusted people about my gender expression a few years earlier, but getting the diagnosis and coming out to the wider public about being non-binary has been quite the adventure.

I’ve needed support and understanding, and this book offers just that. Neurodivergence, queerness, and gender intersect on these pages in a way that makes being me feel less awkward and lonely while also compassionately educating me on how to start taking off the masks I’ve been wearing for decades. 

By Devon Price,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

A deep dive into the spectrum of Autistic experience and the phenomenon of masked Autism, giving individuals the tools to safely uncover their true selves while broadening society’s narrow understanding of neurodiversity

“A remarkable work that will stand at the forefront of the neurodiversity movement.”—Barry M. Prizant, PhD, CCC-SLP, author of Uniquely Human: A Different Way of Seeing Autism

For every visibly Autistic person you meet, there are countless “masked” Autistic people who pass as neurotypical. Masking is a common coping mechanism in which Autistic people hide their identifiably Autistic traits in order to fit in with societal norms, adopting…


Plus, check out my book…

Good Sex: Getting Off Without Checking Out

By Jessica Graham,

Book cover of Good Sex: Getting Off Without Checking Out

What is my book about?

A deep spiritual life and an extraordinary sex life are not mutually exclusive. In this keenly personal, fun, straightforward, and unflinchingly frank guide, readers learn how to find mindfulness in sex without losing the fun and adventure. 

This self-help memoir offers simple mindfulness tools and techniques for improving your sex life and romantic relationships. The book weaves together personal stories with meditations, down-to-earth suggestions, and advice on everything from orgasms to threesomes to dealing with a low sex drive.

Not only a tool kit for creating a rich and deeply satisfying sex life, this fun, explicit, and inclusive book conveys the deeper message of how combining meditation with sex can bring about profound spiritual awakenings.