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 The Cruellest Month

Krista Wallace Why did I love this book?

I found this book gripping and suspenseful; in short, I couldn’t put it down!

It begins with a séance in a haunted house. What a great way to start a murder mystery! The folks in this tight-knit community have interesting quirks and fascinating backgrounds, providing a host of possible perpetrators.

This is a masterful look into how people find reasons to grow suspicious of each other, and to treat each other less-than-kindly. Chief Inspector Gamache is having devastating problems of his own: someone in the organization is out to destroy his life.

Who can he trust? How can he solve this murder while watching his own back? My first Louise Penny book will not be my last. (I’ve already bought two more.)

By Louise Penny,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Cruellest Month as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

It's Easter, and on a glorious spring day in peaceful Three Pines, someone waits for night to fall. They plan to raise the dead! When C. I. Gamache of the Surete du Quebec arrives the next morning, he faces an unusual crime scene. A seance in an old, abandoned house has gone horrifically wrong and someone lies frightened to death. For in idyllic Three Pines not all is as it seems. Toxic secrets lie buried, and something terrible has finally clawed its way out. And even Gamache has something to hide. One of his own team is preparing to betray…


Shepherd is reader supported. When you buy books, we may earn an affiliate commission.

My 2nd favorite read in 2023

Book cover of The Enchantment Emporium

Krista Wallace Why did I love this book?

In short: Characters. This was a quick read, I had a tough time putting it down.

I loved Alysha, the strong, independent protagonist, who is smart and funny, and makes her own decisions. She doesn’t defer to anyone, even the controlling Aunties. I loved that this is a family where the women run the show, and unapologetically have the power.

Allie is faced with dragons, an assassin, a leprechaun, and a grandmother who may or may not be dead. She doesn’t whinge about what to do: she knows what has to be done, and she does it. I loved the characters, and Yay, there’s a sequel!

I do want to know the significance of the yo-yos… Also, there is a lot of pie in this book. I love pie.

By Tanya Huff,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Enchantment Emporium as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

First in a brand-new urban fantasy series from the author of The Blood Books

The Gale family can change the world with the charms they cast, and they like to keep this in the family. Alysha Gale is tired of having all her aunts try to run her life, both personally and magically. So when the letter from her Gran arrives willing her a "junk" shop in Calgary, Alysha jumps at the chance. It isn't until she gets there that she realizes her customers are fey. And no one told her there's trouble brewing in Calgary-trouble so big that even…


My 3rd favorite read in 2023

Book cover of Waking the Witch

Krista Wallace Why did I love this book?

I love witches! I’ve been a Kelley Armstrong fan for years, and for some reason I’m drawn to the witch books more than the werewolf and vampire books.

I met the young Savannah in Dime Store Magic and Industrial Magic, and I love seeing her grow up into a sassy lead character in her own right. With Paige and Lukas away, Savannah takes on her first case on her own.

Is she ready? Can she do this? Or is she in over her head, big time…?? Funny, exciting, romantic, suspenseful… There’s so much to love in here. Oh, and she rides a wicked cool motorbike.

By Kelley Armstrong,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Waking the Witch as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Columbus is a small, fading town, untouched by the twenty-first century. But when three young women are found dead - victims of what appear to be ritual murders - things start to get very dark, and very dangerous ...Private investigator Savannah Levine can handle 'dark and dangerous'. As the daughter of a black witch, she has a lot of power running through her veins, and she's not afraid to use it. But her arrival in Columbus has not gone unnoticed. Savannah may think she's tracking down a murderer, but could she be the killer's next target? Of course she could…


Don‘t forget about my book 😀

Gatekeeper's Key

By Krista Wallace,

Book cover of Gatekeeper's Key

What is my book about?

Swordfighter, Kyer Halidan, walked out of a cornfield at age three. Twenty years later, she sets out to discover who left her there.

She kills a man in a duel, catching the interest of Valrayker, who invites her to join his company on a mission. But the man she killed had powerful friends, who now believe she killed him under Val's orders.

Desperate to learn what she knows about their plans, her new enemies pursue her relentlessly. When she escapes a dire situation through an inexplicable magic, they have an all-new reason to want her dead. Even her newfound friends now wonder if they can trust her… As for her identity, Valrayker has a theory, but he's not ready to share it with her, yet.