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The best books of 2023

This list is part of the best books of 2023.

We've asked 1,624 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 Yellowface

Nicole Willson Why did I love this book?

I have long had unhealthy fascinations with hoaxers and with social media drama. And as an author, I’m drawn to stories about writers navigating the treacherous publishing world.

It’s as if Yellowface was written to suck me in, and it did. I blew through it in one night; this novel about a white author passing off a dead Asian author’s manuscript as hers is as addictive as it is compelling.

Kuang has said she wrote it to approximate the feeling of a panic attack. Mission accomplished; my nerves jangled for hours after I finished the book.

By R. F. Kuang,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

The No. 1 Sunday Times and New York Times bestseller from literary sensation R.F. Kuang

*A Reese Witherspoon Book Club pick*

'Propulsive' SUNDAY TIMES

'Razor-sharp' TIME

'A wild ride' STYLIST

'Darkly comic' GQ

'A riot' PANDORA SYKES

'Hard to put down, harder to forget' STEPHEN KING

Athena Liu is a literary darling and June Hayward is literally nobody.

White lies
When Athena dies in a freak accident, June steals her unpublished manuscript and publishes it as her own under the ambiguous name Juniper Song.

Dark humour
But as evidence threatens June's stolen success, she will discover exactly how far she…


My 2nd favorite read in 2023…

Book cover of Every Woman Knows This: A Horror Collection

Nicole Willson Why did I love this book?

I’m a big fan of Hightower’s work, and when I heard her read the title story of this collection at a convention in 2022, I knew this was going to be a must-buy when it was released.

Hightower examines experiences all too common to women through a horrific lens, and the results are chilling and thought-provoking.

The story I related to the most, aside from the title story, was “Goddess of Need.” If you’re a terminal people-pleaser, that one might resonate with you too.

My 3rd favorite read in 2023…

Book cover of Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI

Nicole Willson Why did I love this book?

This account of a real-life American horror story is nonfiction but reads like a thriller.

When the Osage tribe was moved to land in Oklahoma that turned out to be sitting on oil fields, white criminals resolved to do anything—including murder—to get that oil money from the Osage.

I’d never heard about any of this before reading the book, and it’s a devastating story full of greed, betrayal, racism, and death. I have yet to see the film based on the book, but it’s hard to imagine a movie being any more horrifying than the actual story.

By David Grann,

Why should I read it?

17 authors picked Killers of the Flower Moon as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

In the 1920s, the richest people per capita in the world were members of the Osage Indian nation in Oklahoma. After oil was discovered beneath their land, they rode in chauffeured automobiles, built mansions and sent their children to study in Europe.

Then, one by one, the Osage began to be killed off. As the death toll climbed, the FBI took up the case. But the bureau badly bungled the investigation. In desperation, its young director, J. Edgar Hoover, turned to a former Texas Ranger named Tom White to unravel the mystery. Together with the Osage he and his undercover…


Plus, check out my book…

The Shadow Dancers of Brixton Hill

By Nicole Willson,

Book cover of The Shadow Dancers of Brixton Hill

What is my book about?

In 1937, American circuses are trying to recoup the losses they incurred during the Great Depression while competing with newer forms of entertainment like movie theaters.

Kate Montgomery travels to the small town of Brixton Hill to scout a new act for her father’s struggling circus. Lewis Oswald, a trainer and friend of Kate’s family, introduces her to the Shadow Dancers, three young girls who can make their shadows dance independently of their bodies.

While the act would revive her family’s circus, Kate is horrified by the young women’s dismal training and living conditions. She wants to help them escape their dreadful situation, but when the Shadow Dancers take matters into their own hands, she’ll have to save herself.