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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 Wishing Season

Kimberly Sabatini Why did I love this book?

I am in love—heart and soul with this book. This touching middle-grade novel is stunning. It makes me want to be a kinder and more empathetic human.

Today, more than ever before, we need more books that bring out the best in us. We need stories that help us navigate the ups and downs of being human. We need to remember that loving others and being vulnerable is a strength and not a weakness. Wishing Season will break your heart and then it will show you how to mend it, so you’ll be stronger for having loved and lost.

Go read this story, my friends. ♥️ Some books are impossible not to share.

By Anica Mrose Rissi,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Wishing Season as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 8, 9, 10, and 11.

What is this book about?

A moving middle grade story by Anica Mrose Rissi that will appeal to readers who loved The Thing about Jellyfish and Hello, Universe, about the enduring bond between twins: Anders, who has recently died, and Lily, who has to balance her grief and confusion with a brother who isn’t quite gone—and how to navigate a world that is moving forward without him.

Of course Anders wasn’t lonely in the afterlife. He still, like always, had Lily.

Lily doesn’t believe in making wishes. Not anymore. Not since Anders died.

Wishes can’t fix the terrible thing that happened. Wishing won’t change how…


My 2nd favorite read in 2023…

Book cover of Under the Whispering Door

Kimberly Sabatini Why did I love this book?

If you follow me, you know I’ve written a novel about a girl who has died for the third time and is stuck in the afterlife. The afterlife in my novel is modeled after Mohonk Mountain House.

TJ Klune’s afterlife is a completely different world than mine and it fascinates me. I know the complexity of imagination and emotion that went into my story, so it’s always intriguing to be inside someone else’s head the same way.

Hugo’s tea shop and the cast of characters that cross its threshold are interesting, complex, relatable, and they will touch your heart. Klune has written an uplifting story about our greatest fears and one of our deepest mysteries, reminding us that death is only the beginning. You don’t want to miss this one. 

By TJ Klune,

Why should I read it?

5 authors picked Under the Whispering Door as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

When a reaper comes to collect Wallace Price from his own funeral, Wallace suspects he really might be dead.
Instead of leading him directly to the afterlife, the reaper takes him to a small village. On the outskirts, off the path through the woods, tucked between mountains, is a particular tea shop, run by a man named Hugo. Hugo is the tea shop's owner to locals and the ferryman to souls who need to cross over.
But Wallace isn't ready to abandon the life he barely lived. With Hugo's help, he finally starts to learn about all the things he…


My 3rd favorite read in 2023…

Book cover of Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead

Kimberly Sabatini Why did I love this book?

Every day, when I turn on the news or check social media, it feels like a dumpster fire.

Seeing and hearing so much negativity and hatred gives me anxiety and a feeling that my voice doesn’t matter. That’s not who I want to be at my core and Daring Greatly has reminded me that the very thing I hide when life feels like a scary place, is the exact thing that is going to allow me to successfully navigate through these challenging times.

“What we know matters, but who we are matters more.” “The willingness to show up changes us, it makes us a little braver each time.”

This book gives you inspiration, but it also gives you tools and it can spark something inside you that just might change everything.

By Brené Brown,

Why should I read it?

11 authors picked Daring Greatly as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

**Now on Netflix as The Call to Courage**

'She's so good, Brene Brown, at finding the language to articulate collective feeling' Dolly Alderton

Every time we are faced with change, no matter how great or small, we also face risk. We feel uncertain and exposed. We feel vulnerable. Most of us try to fight those feelings - or feel guilt for feeling them in the first place.

In a powerful new vision Dr Brene Brown challenges everything we think we know about vulnerability, and dispels the widely accepted myth that it's a weakness. She argues that, in truth, vulnerability is…


Plus, check out my book…

Touching the Surface

By Kimberly Sabatini,

Book cover of Touching the Surface

What is my book about?

When Elliot finds herself dead for the third time, she can't remember her past, is getting the cold shoulder from her best friend, and has no idea why she keeps repeating the same mistakes across her previous lives. What she does know is this is her last chance to get things right.

Elliot just wants to move on, but first, she will be forced to delve into the painful memories she'd rather keep buried. Memories of the people she's hurt, people she's betrayed...and the person she's killed.

As she pieces together her previous lives, Elliot must find a way to earn the forgiveness of the person she's hurt most and reveal the truth about herself to her best friend and the two boys she loves...even if it means losing them forever.