The best books of 2023

This list is part of the best books of 2023.

We've asked 1,708 authors and super readers for their 3 favorite reads of the year.

My favorite read in 2023…

Book cover of Lying about Hitler

Kenneth L. Campbell I this book because...

This is not only one of the best books I’ve read this year but one of the best books I have ever read. Originally published in 2001, this book provides an invaluable case study of why words and truth matter so much—perhaps now more than ever.

Even if you thought you knew this story through the 2016 film Denial about the libel suit Holocaust-denier David Irving brought in England against Deborah Lipstadt, an American expert on the Holocaust, this book will keep you enthralled and in suspense as the story unfolds.

Reading this book by renowned European historian Richard Evans, himself an expert witness for the defense in the trial, one gains incredible insights into the history of the Holocaust and its aftermath—and ourselves.

By Richard J. Evans,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Lying about Hitler as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

In ruling against the controversial historian David Irving, whose libel suit against the American historian Deborah Lipstadt was tried in April 2000, the High Court in London labeled Irving a falsifier of history. No objective historian, declared the judge, would manipulate the documentary record in the way that Irving did. Richard J. Evans, a Cambridge historian and the chief adviser for the defence, uses this famous trial as a lens for exploring a range of difficult questions about the nature of the historian's enterprise.


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My 2nd favorite read in 2023…

Book cover of 12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos

Kenneth L. Campbell I this book because...

If you think this is just another self-help book, think again. This is a wise and philosophical reflection on life, psychology, society, and history based on principles that can assist readers in navigating both their own lives and relationships and the troubled times in which we live.

Peterson offers a fresh and profound way of thinking about life in the third decade of the twenty-first century. Once you have read this book, you will want to return to it and its “rules” again and again.

Peterson shows us not just ways in which we can deal with all that life has to throw at us but also helps us understand why it matters so much how we speak, think, and act, not only for ourselves but for society in general. 

By Jordan B. Peterson,

Why should I read it?

4 authors picked 12 Rules for Life as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Penguin presents the CD edition of 12 Rules for Life written and read by Jordan B. Peterson

Jordan Peterson's work as a clinical psychologist has reshaped the modern understanding of personality, and now he has become one of the world's most popular public thinkers, with his lectures on topics ranging from the Bible to romantic relationships drawing tens of millions of viewers. In an era of polarizing politics, echo chambers and trigger warnings, his startling message about the value of personal responsibility and the dangers of ideology has resonated around the world.

In this book, he combines ancient wisdom with…


Want my future book recommendations?

My 3rd favorite read in 2023…

Book cover of This Is Shakespeare

Kenneth L. Campbell I this book because...

This book will appeal to people who love and know Shakespeare well or to people who don’t know Shakespeare very well but would like to know more about his famous plays.

I loved this book because Smith divides the book into relatively short chapters on each of the bard’s plays, for each of which she provides a unique and interesting perspective.

Smith is an entertaining and informative guide who looks for contemporary resonances, none of which feel forced. Having written a book about the Beatles, I know how daunting it can be to take up a subject about which much has already been said and written and try to look at it in a fresh way.

I can only hope my effort was half as successful as Smith’s is. 

By Emma Smith,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked This Is Shakespeare as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

A THE TIMES BOOK OF THE YEAR 2019

'The best introduction to the plays I've read, perhaps the best book on Shakespeare, full stop' Alex Preston, Observer

'It makes you impatient to see or re-read the plays at once' Hilary Mantel

A genius and prophet whose timeless works encapsulate the human condition like no others. A writer who surpassed his contemporaries in vision, originality and literary mastery. Who wrote like an angel, putting it all so much better than anyone else.
Is this Shakespeare? Well, sort of.

But it doesn't really tell us the whole truth. So much of what…


Don‘t forget about my book 😀

The Beatles and the 1960s: Reception, Revolution, and Social Change

By Kenneth L. Campbell,

Book cover of The Beatles and the 1960s: Reception, Revolution, and Social Change

What is my book about?

This book uses the Beatles as a lens through which to explore the sweeping, panoramic history of the social, cultural, and political transformations that occurred in the 1960s. It draws on audience reception theory, untapped primary source material, and personal interviews to understand how listeners would have interpreted the Beatles' songs and albums at the time they were released.

Taking a year-by-year approach, each chapter analyses the external influences the Beatles absorbed, consciously or unconsciously, from the culture surrounding them.

Key topics include race relations, gender dynamics, political and cultural upheavals, the Vietnam War, and the evolution of rock music and popular culture. This book provides an accessible yet rigorous study of the historical relevance of the Beatles in a crucial decade of social change.