Author Treasure hunter Gamer Stargazer Cartophile
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 Fool's Errand

Kevin Sands Why did I love this book?

This book has a surprise waiting inside. Yet even if you guess what it is—Robin Hobb spends plenty of time foreshadowing it—you still won’t be prepared when it happens.

This book is one of the most devastating books I’ve ever read. I kept thinking about it for days after I’d finished, and even now, months later, those feelings stir with the memory.

By Robin Hobb,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Fool's Errand as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

'Fantasy as it ought to be written' George R.R. Martin

Return to the world of Fitz, the Fool and Nighteyes in the first book of The Tawny Man Trilogy by international bestselling author, Robin Hobb.

Years have passed since Fitz was tortured by Prince Regal. Now he lives in self-imposed exile far from the court. Even his beloved Molly believes him dead. It is safer that way.

But safety remains an illusion. Even though war is over dangerous undercurrents still swirl around the Six Duchies and suddenly young Prince Dutiful disappears just before his crucial diplomatic wedding to shore up…


My 2nd favorite read in 2023…

Book cover of Son of the Black Sword

Kevin Sands Why did I love this book?

Action is one of the harder things to get right in a novel. But if you want to see a master at work, Larry Correia’s your man.

This book delivers the usual cinematic masterpieces of violence Correia’s fans have come to know and love, wrapped inside tight, complex plotting and believable, empathetic characters, all in a fresh setting not commonly explored in epic fantasy. 

By Larry Correia,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Son of the Black Sword as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 16, and 17.

What is this book about?

#1 IN A NEW EPIC FANTASY SERIES from Monster Hunter series creator and New York Times best-selling author, Larry Correia!


My 3rd favorite read in 2023…

Book cover of I Am Pilgrim

Kevin Sands Why did I love this book?

On paper, this book should not make this list. It breaks almost all of the rules people say a good thriller shouldn’t break, with philosophical asides and passages of backstory interrupting the action, among others. Yet the book works, and magnificently.

Terry Hayes has written a gripping global spy thriller that grabs you from the start and never lets go. It’s one of the best and most surprising novels I’ve read in this genre in ages.

By Terry Hayes,

Why should I read it?

10 authors picked I Am Pilgrim as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The astonishing story of one man's breakneck race against time to save America from oblivion.
_______________
A FATHER PUBLICLY BEHEADED. Killed in the blistering heat of a Saudi Arabian public square.
A YOUNG WOMAN DISCOVERED. All of her identifying characteristics dissolved by acid.

A SYRIAN BIOTECH EXPERT FOUND EYELESS. Dumped in a Damascus junkyard.

SMOULDERING HUMAN REMAINS. Abandoned on a remote mountainside in Afghanistan.

PILGRIM. The codename for a man who doesn't exist. A man who must return from obscurity. The only man who can uncover a flawless plot to commit an appalling crime against humanity.
_____________

'The plot twists…


Plus, check out my book…

Children of the Fox

By Kevin Sands,

Book cover of Children of the Fox

What is my book about?

Five kids with unusual talents must commit an impossible crime in a thrilling new fantasy heist series.

Lured by the promise of more money than they've ever dreamed of, five young thieves are hired to steal a heavily guarded treasure from the most powerful sorcerer in the city. But as every thief knows, it's best to stay away from magic. It can turn on you at any moment and make you think you're running the con game when, in reality, you're the one being fooled.

Faced with insurmountable odds, can the new friends pull off this legendary heist? Or has their luck finally run out?