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 Wishing Game

Nanette Littlestone Why did I love this book?

Ever since I was a kid I’ve loved riddles and puzzles, even the ones I can’t solve.

The imagination and magic woven into The Wishing Game, along with the actual riddles in the story, make it feel like a children’s book for adults—the perfect thing for a story lover and puzzler. Lucy’s perseverance, Christopher’s courage, Hugo’s wonderful artistry, and Jack’s ability to see the goodness in everyone rounded out this lovely book in the most wonderful way.

Meg Shaffer has conjured a world of trouble and trials offset with hope and joy and a heaping barrel of love. You’ll be pouring through the pages but remember to slow down and enjoy every moment.

By Meg Shaffer,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

Years ago, a reclusive mega-bestselling children’s author quit writing under mysterious circumstances. Suddenly he resurfaces with a brand-new book and a one-of-a-kind competition, offering a prize that will change the winner’s life in this absorbing and whimsical novel.

“Clever, dark, and hopeful . . . a love letter to reading and the power that childhood stories have over us long after we’ve grown up.”—V. E. Schwab, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue

Make a wish. . . .

Lucy Hart knows better than anyone what it’s like to grow up without parents who…


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My 2nd favorite read in 2023

Book cover of The Duzy House of Mourning

Nanette Littlestone Why did I love this book?

January Duzinski never knew her parents. Her father died the night of her birth and her mother was severely disfigured and left with brain trauma. 22 years later January works for the family mortuary, with little to no interaction with her mother.

The writing in this story is sprinkled with magic and the reality of the complexity of relationships. January’s journey into understanding her mother and all of her family is a wonder to behold. There is fear and doubt, memories to be scrutinized, a beautiful unfolding of amazing events and realizations. January’s pain and love is so evident.

I haven’t read a story that so connected with my own feelings and emotions—it had my heart swelling constantly and my eyes pricking with tears. 

By Ka Hancock,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

THE DUZY HOUSE OF MOURNING is the compelling story of a young woman who survived an unthinkable accident the night she was born, an accident that claimed the life of her father, and forever altered her mother who sustained a traumatic brain injury.

The book opens 22 years later. January Duzinski has been raised by her Polish paternal grandparents and works as an embalmer in their mortuary. She’s a bit of an introvert, completely comfortable with the dead, completely brilliant (like her mother was) at the piano. And she has a very conflicted relationship with her non-verbal, disabled mother, Claire.…


My 3rd favorite read in 2023

Book cover of Daughter of the Sea

Nanette Littlestone Why did I love this book?

Effie, an outcast in her Yorkshire village, rescues a baby from the ocean wrapped in a sealskin and takes it home for safekeeping.

From the beginning, the author shows Effie’s simple existence, her isolation from others, the hardships of her life, and climate, all wrapped up in an aura of magical prose. When Lachlan, a mariner, enters the story, there is a wildness about his interactions with Effie, and you feel the pull of the sea and the girl that Effie rescued.

There is a magnetism that wraps around you, as secure as the sealskin around the baby girl. I fell in love with his romantic fantasy and stayed mesmerized until the last page.

By Elisabeth J. Hobbes,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

A captivating and page-turning romance perfect for fans of Christina Courtenay and Barbara Erskine!

On a windswept British coastline the tide bestows an unexpected gift...

It was the cry that she first noticed, the plaintive wail that called to her over the crash of winter waves. Wrapped only in a sealskin, the baby girl looks up at Effie and instantly captures her heart.

Effie has always been an outcast in her village, the only granddaughter of a woman people whisper is a witch, so she's used to a solitary existence. But when Midsummer arrives so too does a man claiming…


Don‘t forget about my book 😀

For the Love of Brigid

By Nanette Littlestone,

Book cover of For the Love of Brigid

What is my book about?

When shy librarian Brigid meets famous mystery writer Andrew, mutual attraction develops. For wannabe author Brigid, this is a dream come true. He’s researching an Irish legend related to her family; she needs help with her writing. Sadly, he’s already engaged. Putting her feelings aside, Brigid invites him to Ireland for a family celebration in exchange for his writing assistance.

With two failed books behind him, and desperate for success, Andrew jumps at the invitation. But surprises emerge in this enchanted land. The flames of attraction climb, and the legend pulls them both on a powerful journey. As the secrets of the legend come to light, Brigid and Andrew discover an unexpected path to love and the dreams they both desire. 

Book cover of The Wishing Game
Book cover of The Duzy House of Mourning
Book cover of Daughter of the Sea

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