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The best books of 2023

This list is part of the best books of 2023.

We've asked 1,627 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 The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo

Laura Drake Why did I love this book?

I don't care about Hollywood, or the stars. I haven't ever watched the Oscars. But the story was so deep, so complex, and captured the personality of this one unique woman - and so, all women.

Beautifully written, I feel like I lived the story. Read it in two days and didn’t want it to end.

By Taylor Jenkins Reid,

Why should I read it?

9 authors picked The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

"If you're looking for a book to take on holiday this summer, The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo has got all the glitz and glamour to make it a perfect beach read." -Bustle

From the New York Times bestselling author of Daisy Jones & the Six-an entrancing and "wildly addictive journey of a reclusive Hollywood starlet" (PopSugar) as she reflects on her relentless rise to the top and the risks she took, the loves she lost, and the long-held secrets the public could never imagine.

Aging and reclusive Hollywood movie icon Evelyn Hugo is finally ready…


My 2nd favorite read in 2023…

Book cover of This Tender Land

Laura Drake Why did I love this book?

The story of 4 vagabonds during the Depression. Abused orphans who take fate into their own hands. Coming of age story during a trying time in America’s history.

Love their story. Well written, and I learned more about the time period, but the human condition and man’s inhumanity to fellow men is the same. Emotional and heartfelt. Highly recommend.

By William Kent Krueger,

Why should I read it?

8 authors picked This Tender Land as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

1932, Minnesota-the Lincoln School is a pitiless place where hundreds of Native American children, forcibly separated from their parents, are sent to be educated. It is also home to an orphan named Odie O'Banion, a lively boy whose exploits earn him the superintendent's wrath. Forced to flee, he and his brother Albert, their best friend Mose, and a brokenhearted little girl named Emmy steal away in a canoe, heading for the mighty Mississippi and a place to call their own.

Over the course of one unforgettable summer, these four orphans will fly into the unknown and cross paths with others…


My 3rd favorite read in 2023…

Book cover of Just a Regular Boy

Laura Drake Why did I love this book?

One of her best. And since I've read most of them, that's saying a lot. Wonderfully rich story, but what I especially loved, was the wisdom woven in about what it's like to be human, and how there is still good in the world.

Her books restore my faith in humanity. So, so very good.

By Catherine Ryan Hyde,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Just a Regular Boy as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

An orphaned boy raised by a survivalist wends his way into the real world in an emotional novel about hope, fears, and found family by New York Times bestselling author Catherine Ryan Hyde.

Out there is chaos, the collapse of society, and so much to be afraid of. All that matters is freedom.

That's what Remy Blake has been taught by his survivalist father. Raised off the grid in the middle of nowhere, his own survival skills not yet honed, Remy is days shy of his eighth birthday when his father unexpectedly dies. As seasons pass, supplies run out, and…


Plus, check out my book…

Amazing Gracie

By Laura Drake,

Book cover of Amazing Gracie

What is my book about?

CJ has returned from war. But she hasn’t left the war behind. The bright spot in her life is her nine-year-old sister, Amazing Gracie. Together they head on a cross-country motorcycle trip to visit the homes of her fallen friends. It isn't the journey CJ expected, but it is the one she needs when they discover they’ve been headed to an undisclosed destination all along.