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 VenCo

Marsheila Rockwell Why did I love this book?

This book has everything I love: witches, found family, LGBTQ+ and Indigenous representation, and burning down the patriarchy. Did I mention witches?

The main character, Métis witch Lucky St. James, is profoundly relatable, as are the other witches in her coven; the magic systems are authentic and intriguing; and the villain is appropriately dark and menacing.

It was a fun, engrossing read, and I was sad when I closed the cover for the final time. I’ll be rereading this one, and I hope Dimaline has more stories planned for these remarkable witches!

By Cherie Dimaline,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

"Once I opened VenCo, I was propelled through an entire night of charmed reading. Cherie Dimaline creates a world utterly fantastical, yet real. VenCo is funny, tense, and cracking with a dark, divine energy."  ---Louise Erdrich, New York Times bestselling author of The Sentence

For fans of The Once and Future Witches and Practical Magic, comes an incredibly imaginative, highly anticipated new novel featuring witches, magic, and a road trip across America—from Cherie Dimaline, the critically acclaimed author of Empire of Wild.

Métis millennial Lucky St. James is barely hanging on when she learns she’ll be evicted from the tiny…


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My 2nd favorite read in 2023

Book cover of A Door in the Dark

Marsheila Rockwell Why did I love this book?

I picked this book up because I saw the main character, Ren Monroe, described as Hermione Granger meets Six of Crows’ Kaz Brekker, and there was no way I could resist a pitch like that!

Ren more than lives up to the hype; the world-building is top-notch, the magic system is unique and interesting, and the twists will leave you guessing until the last few pages.

If you’re a fan of Leigh Bardugo, you’ll definitely dig this one!

By Scott Reintgen,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked A Door in the Dark as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 13, 14, 15, and 16.

What is this book about?

One of Us Is Lying meets A Deadly Education in this fantasy thriller that follows six teenage wizards as they fight to make it home alive after a malfunctioning spell leaves them stranded in the wilderness.

Ren Monroe has spent four years proving she’s one of the best wizards in her generation. But top marks at Balmerick University will mean nothing if she fails to get recruited into one of the major houses. Enter Theo Brood. If being rich were a sin, he’d already be halfway to hell. After a failed and disastrous party trick, fate has the two of…


My 3rd favorite read in 2023

Book cover of The Last House on Needless Street

Marsheila Rockwell Why did I love this book?

I love books about serial killers, and when you first dig into this one, that's what you think you're getting, but the story slowly reveals itself to be something much deeper.

Suspenseful and dark, this one has a reveal that Ward builds up to masterfully, and you won't see it coming until it hits you straight in the feels.

I'm pretty sure I cried more than once, and when you can say that about a horror novel, you know it's something special.

By Catriona Ward,

Why should I read it?

10 authors picked The Last House on Needless Street as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

"The buzz...is real. I've read it and was blown away. It's a true nerve-shredder that keeps its mind-blowing secrets to the very end." ―Stephen King

Winner of the British Fantasy Award for Best Horror Novel!
A World Fantasy Award Finalist!
An Indie Next Pick! A LibraryReads Top 10 Pick!
A Library Journal Editors' Pick! STARRED reviews from Library Journal and Publishers Weekly!
Named one of the "50 Best Horror Books of All Time" by Esquire!

"Brilliant....[a] deeply frightening deconstruction of the illusion of the self." ―The New York Times

Catriona Ward's The Last House on Needless Street is a shocking…


Don‘t forget about my book 😀

The Hunger: A Marvel Zombies Novel

By Marsheila Rockwell,

Book cover of The Hunger: A Marvel Zombies Novel

What is my book about?

The Incident has infected the planet, creating zombified superheroes who destroy everything they swore to protect. Doctor Strange realizes the plague cannot be allowed to spread to other realities, but his Hunger is irresistible.

Now Earth's only hope is the Sanctum Sanctorum librarian, Zelma Stanton. She knows every spell in the book, but she's no fighter. Enter witch Nico Minoru, monster hunter Elsa Bloodstone, and Deadpool.

They plan to trap the zombies in a time loop, but it goes horribly awry (thanks, Deadpool), crushing a million butterflies, and the timeline unravels, making the original Incident look like a cakewalk. It's going to take magic bullets, bloodstones, and brains to fix this flesh-eating nightmare.

Book cover of VenCo
Book cover of A Door in the Dark
Book cover of The Last House on Needless Street

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