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 Apeirogon

Maren Showkeir Why did I love this book?

Timing can be everything. I love all of Colum McCann’s work, so it’s not surprising that he would top this list. But I happened to be reading this title, a fictionalized account of a true story, not long before Hamas stormed into Israel.

The story centers on the profound human pain this conflict creates. It offers hope and optimism in the stories of two fathers, one Israeli and one Palestinian, who create a close and enduring friendship amid horrifying losses— the violent deaths of their daughters. The narrative beautifully describes the trauma, tragedies, and transformations the men and their families experience, which fuels their commitment to creating a nonviolent movement for peace in the Middle East.

In addition to being a creative and gripping read, it offers historical context and interesting twists to an impossibly complex and ongoing geopolitical crisis. This book left me both heartbroken and hopeful.

By Colum McCann,

Why should I read it?

3 authors picked Apeirogon as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER LONGLISTED FOR THE BOOKER PRIZE SHORTLISTED FOR THE DUBLIN LITERARY AWARD SHORTLISTED FOR THE PRIX FEMINA AND THE PRIX MEDICIS SHORTLISTED FOR THE GOLDSBORO BOOKS GLASS BELL AWARD WINNER OF THE PRIX DU MEILLEUR LIVRES ETRANGER WINNER OF THE 2020 NATIONAL JEWISH BOOK AWARDS CHOSEN AS A BOOK OF 2020 BY THE SUNDAY TIMES, OBSERVER, GUARDIAN, i PAPER, FINANCIAL TIMES, NEW STATESMAN, SCOTSMAN, IRISH TIMES, BBC.COM, WATERSTONES.COM 'A wondrous book. It left me hopeful; this is its gift' Elizabeth Strout 'An empathy engine ... It is, itself, an agent of change' New York Times Book…


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My 2nd favorite read in 2023

Book cover of Hag-Seed

Maren Showkeir Why did I love this book?

I fell in love with Shakespeare as a college undergrad and was introduced to the incomparable artistry of Margaret Atwood at around the same time. Her novel Hag-Seed (the title is a Shakespearean "curse word") slipped past me somehow. Happily, I rectified that oversight this year.

This book is remarkable for its clever plot, colorful characters, and it's satisfying resolution. Set mainly in a prison, it's based on one of Shakespeare's lesser-staged plays, The Tempest. The book's sly humor made me laugh out loud for real, which is no mean literary feat.

Her book also underscores what an essential role the arts, and literature in particular, play in helping us expand our thinking, imagine worlds different from our own, and generate compassion and empathy for people who are very unlike us.

By Margaret Atwood,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Hag-Seed as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

** Longlisted for the Bailey's Women's Prize for Fiction **

Selected as a Book of the Year -- Observer, Sunday Times, Times, Guardian, i magazine

`It's got a thunderstorm in it. And revenge. Definitely revenge.'

Felix is at the top of his game as Artistic Director of the Makeshiweg Theatre Festival. His productions have amazed and confounded. Now he's staging a Tempest like no other: not only will it boost his reputation, it will heal emotional wounds.

Or that was the plan. Instead, after an act of unforeseen treachery, Felix is living in exile in a backwoods hovel, haunted by…


My 3rd favorite read in 2023

Book cover of The Water Dancer

Maren Showkeir Why did I love this book?

Coate's writing enlivens this haunting, almost mythical story about how we can justify human cruelty and the various facets of liberation.

The story's protagonist is a slave whose father is a plantation owner. As a young boy, he suffers the loss of his mother, a renowned Water Dancer, and is eventually raised in a hybrid world where he is elevated but never set free.

The book forces the reader to wrestle with morality, humanity, and the murky ethics of committing evil to further an overall good. Mostly, it's just a compelling read that had me burning the midnight oil to see what happens next.

By Ta-Nehisi Coates,

Why should I read it?

7 authors picked The Water Dancer as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

THE NEW YORK TIMES #1 BESTSELLER

OPRAH BOOK CLUB PICK

'One of the best books I have ever read in my entire life. I haven't felt this way since I first read Beloved . . .' Oprah Winfrey

Lose yourself in the stunning debut novel everyone is talking about - the unmissable historical story of injustice and redemption that resonates powerfully today

Hiram Walker is a man with a secret, and a war to win. A war for the right to life, to family, to freedom.

Born into bondage on a Virginia plantation, he is also born gifted with a…


Don‘t forget about my book 😀

Yoga Wisdom at Work: Finding Sanity Off the Mat and On the Job

By Maren Showkeir, Jamie Showkeir,

Book cover of Yoga Wisdom at Work: Finding Sanity Off the Mat and On the Job

What is my book about?

The physical practice of yoga is familiar to most people — a cat-cow stretch, a downward-facing dog, the majestic Warrior Pose. Yet most people don’t realize that the physical practice is a fraction of the secret code that unleashes the transformational powers of yoga. Dig deeper, you’ll discover that yoga’s simple, yet rich philosophy contains profound insights for confronting the complexities of life.

This ancient wisdom, contained in the “Eight Limbs of Yoga,” offers those in the modern world ways stay centered, compassionate, calm, and content, even in chaotic circumstances. In this book, the authors filter yoga philosophy through the lens of work to illustrate how to stay positive, productive, creative, and energized no matter what you do or where you work

Book cover of Apeirogon
Book cover of Hag-Seed
Book cover of The Water Dancer

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