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

Jools Abrams Why did I love this book?

I did not want to put this book down. The world of Elizabeth Zott held me completely, understanding her struggles to be acknowledged in the patriarchal world of the 1950s science community with feminine solidarity, and rooting for her as she makes her own uncompromising way.

I loved the themes, the clever writing, and the characters you want as friends. After all, who wouldn’t want a dog with such brilliant opinions as Six Thirty as a companion?

Bonnie Garmus communicated with me on Twitter about the casting of the dog for the Apple TV series; our lab was the wrong size and in the wrong country. I look forward to the adaptation.

By Bonnie Garmus,

Why should I read it?

77 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 Cold Fish Soup

Jools Abrams Why did I love this book?

As a prolific ghostwriter of memoirs, I’m also an avid reader of the form and writing my own. Cold Fish Soup deals with themes I’ve met before, personal trauma and the unexpected loss of a loved one, but it does so in a kind and no-nonsense, Northern way.

Adam observes his stretch of the Yorkshire coast with empathy and wit, with an astute understanding of those other world, forgotten towns, battered by the sea and neglect. He captures what it is to be an outsider in the edge lands.

This is a moving and funny study of family and the landscapes that make us. 

By Adam Farrer,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Cold Fish Soup as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

WINNER OF THE 2021 NORTHBOUND BOOK AWARD

'Adam Farrer is a bold new voice in nonfiction writing. His keen observations are as gentle as they are wry, as attentive to the bleak truths of loss and deprivation as they are to the eccentric humour of humans being entirely themselves ... Witty, charming, moving and real.' Jenn Ashworth

Before Adam Farrer's family relocated to Withernsea in 1992, he'd never heard of the Holderness coast. The move represented one thing to Adam: a chance to leave the insecurities of early adolescence behind. And he could do that anywhere. What he didn't know…


My 3rd favorite read in 2023

Book cover of A Year Unfolding: A Printmaker's View

Jools Abrams Why did I love this book?

Angela Harding’s prints contain the essence of the British countryside through the seasons.

Rather than my usual approach to an art book, I tried to resist the temptation to read this lovely work in one sitting, and instead, parceled up each season and unfolded as the year turned.

Curled in a book nook with my cup of tea and her book, looking out of the window and imagining the wildlife in her beautiful prints flitting across my suburban garden.

A Year Unfolding encourages our connection to nature and landscape; it reminds us we must protest and protect nature at all costs. 

By Angela Harding,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked A Year Unfolding as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

A cosy and delightful book - a real joy to behold.' Daily Mail

'A gorgeous book to be treasured' BBC Countryfile

A beautifully illustrated guide to nature through the seasons by much-loved printmaker Angela Harding.

The cover of this stunning book has an exclusive triptych printed on the reverse - a perfect collector's item

This stunning work, the first book that is solely dedicated to Angela's art, is a celebration of her beautiful prints, and a glimpse into her detailed and meticulous process.

A Year Unfolding is a journey through Angela's year in nature watching the seasons unfold in front…


Don‘t forget about my book 😀

Girl in the Mirror

By Jools Abrams,

Book cover of Girl in the Mirror

What is my book about?

A novel of historical fiction set before and after the Second World War in working-class Manchester, it chronicles the life of Muriel, A giddy kipper of a girl who craves the spotlight of a movie star.

An ordinary girl with extraordinary dreams. Growing up in a family who behaved as if love was on ration, her restless spirit sparks through her dancing shoes and love of the paintings of Ford Madox Brown.

Her spirit creates struggles with her fragile mind. Can Muriel find a balance in her fractured life held together with love?

Book cover of Lessons in Chemistry
Book cover of Cold Fish Soup
Book cover of A Year Unfolding: A Printmaker's View

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