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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 Scythe

Kawika Miles Black Why did I love this book?

Now, although this is technically three books, the trilogy has to be read together. Otherwise, the themes are incomplete in my opinion. Having read each book back to back, cover to cover, the story of death and humanity’s incapability of dealing with it in wholesome fashions is brilliantly articulated by Neal Shusterman.

As I have personally delved into the dystopian genre due to my own creative endeavors, I always like to see another author’s take on the genre. Not only does this world extrapolate the possibilities of death being conquered, but it battles with the question of how involved should technology be in our lives, to what end do we worship this technology, and what are the warning signs that lead to our complacency.

By Neal Shusterman,

Why should I read it?

6 authors picked Scythe as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 14, 15, 16, and 17.

What is this book about?

"A true successor to The Hunger Games." Maggie Stiefvater

In a perfect world, what is there left to fear? A chilling and thought-provoking sci-fi novel from New York Times bestselling author Neal Shusterman.

A dark, gripping and witty thriller in which the only thing humanity has control over is death.

In a world where disease, war and crime have been eliminated, the only way to die is to be randomly killed ("gleaned") by professional scythes. Citra and Rowan are teenagers who have been selected to be scythes' apprentices, and despite wanting nothing to do with the vocation, they must learn…


My 2nd favorite read in 2023…

Book cover of Free to Choose: A Personal Statement

Kawika Miles Black Why did I love this book?

America is a fantastic country that has offered more opportunities to change one’s economic status than any other country. That being said, few understand why this has even been made possible by the Free Enterprise System and how it is at risk by careless policies, flippant politicians, and complacent citizens within their communities.

I no longer wanted to be a part of that group of people and figured who better to learn about economics than Milton Freidman. While this book is dense with information, the economic principles are articulated in such a straightforward fashion that even a college dropout like me can understand and apply them.

By Milton Friedman, Rose Friedman,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Free to Choose as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Argues that free-market forces work better than government controls for achieving real equality and security, protecting consumers and workers, providing education, and avoiding inflation and unemployment.


My 3rd favorite read in 2023…

Book cover of Cynical Theories: How Activist Scholarship Made Everything about Race, Gender, and Identity--And Why This Harms Everybody

Kawika Miles Black Why did I love this book?

In a world full of outrage and demands for justice, having become familiar with Edward Bernays and his work in propaganda and marketing, it seemed to me that a lot of the noise was guided and misappropriated, especially when it came to identity politics.

So, I wanted to know more, and this book was the red pill! I’ve been a longtime fan of James Lindsay and his work. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed his studies on Marxism, and this book is the blueprint for the applied strategies being utilized by Modern Marxists to infiltrate the education system and mold the minds of impressionable youth.

This, in my opinion, is a major crux that is creating the dystopian reality that we all are living in. 

By Helen Pluckrose, James Lindsay,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and Publishers Weekly Bestseller!

Times, Sunday Times, and Financial Times Book-of-the-Year Selection!

Have you heard that language is violence and that science is sexist? Have you read that certain people shouldn't practice yoga or cook Chinese food? Or been told that being obese is healthy, that there is no such thing as biological sex, or that only white people can be racist? Are you confused by these ideas, and do you wonder how they have managed so quickly to challenge the very logic of Western society?

In this probing and intrepid volume, Helen Pluckrose and…


Plus, check out my book…

Saga of the Nine: Origins

By Kawika Miles Black, Lori Humphreys (editor),

Book cover of Saga of the Nine: Origins

What is my book about?

In this new American dystopian, we follow both Jax, a lowly mill worker in an unnamed tyrannical future, and Mica Rouge, a former veteran who is watching his country being torn apart in a not-too-distant time. In a war across time, both men are pulled into a fight against the Nine, the Ordean Reich, and their dystopian designs for not only the United States but the world. 

In this debut novel by American author Kawika Miles, readers will find themselves in a refreshing take on the dystopian genre.

While the world Miles creates is rampant with your typical themes of censorship, corruption, rebellion, and tyranny, characters are rife with internal conflict due to the violence, betrayal, and dishonor within factions and amongst apparent comrades.