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The best books of 2023

This list is part of the best books of 2023.

We've asked 1,686 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 Surviving Daybreak

Jonathon Mast Why did I love this book?

She’s jarred awake from cryosleep. Get to the pods. The ship trembles. It’s crashing.

They were supposed to be in orbit, with plenty of time to wake, get reacclimated, and finish training before settling in the colony. No time now. Everything’s on fire. They’re all going to die. Anikka barely gets to the pods. And she’s the only survivor.

What happened to the Daybreak Colony? Why did the ship crash? And will she find a way to survive a planet bent on killing her?

I couldn’t turn away once the book started. Anikka proves a tenacious character, and the planet she crashes onto is richly imagined with a full biosphere and lots of surprises.

Read it if you want something like Hatchet in a science fiction setting. Worth it!

By Kendra Merritt,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

Anikka has worked her butt off to earn a place on the Last Resort, a colony ship leaving overcrowded Earth. But instead of a peaceful trip to a new world, Anikka wakes from cryo-sleep as the Last Resort hits the atmosphere and crashes in the jungle, completely ruining her plans.

Wounded and alone except for an anxious AI, Anikka is determined to survive even when the planet itself is trying to kill her. All she has to do is get to the colony. But rising mysteries trip her every step of the way. Why did the ship crash? Why isn't…


My 2nd favorite read in 2023…

Book cover of A Thief In Farshore

Jonathon Mast Why did I love this book?

Charity finally got caught. As punishment, she’s shipped off to the literal other side of the world from the great empire.

Rumor has it there are mythical creatures like elves and dwarves across the ocean. But when Charity arrives, she finds not only those creatures but so many more. At first, she’s purchased to fight in the arena, and then she’s sent on a mad quest to find some crown with a bunch of mythics… and it gets even crazier from there. She needs to forge new friendships if she’s going to survive the far side of the world!

I loved the interplay between the humans and the other races and the explanation as to why the races even put up with the humans colonizing their territories. The entire series is available in two omnibi now, so if it sounds like your thing, it’s worth your time.

By Justin Fike,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked A Thief In Farshore as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

A New World.
A Fight To The Death.
Her Adventure Has Only Just Begun...

"Charity is my kind of badass! She's mouthy and stubborn and gets herself into and out of a whole lotta trouble." - Amazon ★★★★★

I'm Charity, and before I saved the world I was just a common thief.

Also a drunk, rabble-rouser, harlot, and blasphemer according to the magistrate who sentenced me to ten years of forced labor in Farshore, the emperor's new colony across the great sea. You'd think that stepping off of a prison ship on the ass-end of the world was bad enough,…


My 3rd favorite read in 2023…

Book cover of Dinocalypse Now

Jonathon Mast Why did I love this book?

The Century Club prevents the assassination of FDR, but then things get weird.

Warmongering gorillas riding psychic dinosaurs from the dawn of time attack New York City. Now, the pulp heroes of the Century Club must band together, travel to the future, and then to the distant past of Atlantis if they hope to save the world!

Look, having read that description, you already know if these books are for you. They are just as bonkers and amazingly action-packed as they sound. The first book, in particular, is so extremely gripping.

Wendig is an amazing author; I’ve read a chunk of his stuff and have never once been disappointed. 

By Chuck Wendig, John Adamus (editor), Christian N. St. Pierre (illustrator)

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

When the Century Club is called in to prevent the assassination of FDR, it's just another day on the job - but what they discover puts not just the President, but the entire world in jeopardy. With psychic dinosaurs taking over Manhattan and beyond, it's up to Sally Slick, Jet Black, Mack Silver and the other Centurions to save humanity from extinction!


Plus, check out my book…

Stones and Swords

By Jonathon Mast,

Book cover of Stones and Swords

What is my book about?

Grab your sword, kindle the sparks of your magic, and let’s rescue some people!

The prince has kidnapped Grandma! 14-year-old Madelyn sets out on a rescue mission and discovers she can. float rocks? She lifts an entire Island into the sky as a sanctuary, but she must still face the prince! 

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