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 Confessions on the 7:45

N.L. Blandford Why did I love this book?

Without giving too much away, I enjoyed the multiple points of view and multiple personalities.

A reader needs to be paying attention in order to pick up the red herrings along the way. Otherwise, like me, you’ll be asking yourself what the heck just happened. Which makes a great thriller!

Although attention to the characters is needed at the start, it is a quick read that left me guessing until the last page

By Lisa Unger,

Why should I read it?

4 authors picked Confessions on the 7 as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

'WHAT A READ!... Completely engrossing, undeniably enthralling... The biggest five stars.' NetGalley reviewer, 5 stars

'A masterclass in storytelling... Unforgettable.' Samantha Downing, author of My Lovely Wife

Everyone has a secret. Who would you trust with yours?

On Selena Murphy's train home from work, a mysterious woman named Martha strikes up a conversation and shares a confession: she's having an affair with her boss. In turn, Selena shares her own secret: she suspects her husband is sleeping with the nanny.

At Selena's station the two women part, and Selena never expects to see her again. Until she receives a message.…


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My 2nd favorite read in 2023

Book cover of From the Ashes: My Story of Being Metis, Homeless, and Finding My Way

N.L. Blandford Why did I love this book?

The beautiful prose kept me wanting to find out how Jesse went from an abandoned child to a homeless addict and then persevered to become an academic as an adult.

It was a difficult read at times, and I needed to process what I was reading. At one point, I thought I would cry from the heartbreak of what Jesse, as both a young child and an adult, endured. Jesse shines a light on Canada’s systemic racism and the treatment of the homeless population.

I was left wondering how he survived all his tribulations and happy that he did. We need to hear more stories like this on our way to reconciliation.

This is a must-read for anyone who enjoys memoirs!

By Jesse Thistle,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

*#1 NATIONAL BESTSELLER
*Winner, Kobo Emerging Writer Prize Nonfiction
*Winner, Indigenous Voices Awards
*Winner, High Plains Book Awards
*Finalist, CBC Canada Reads
*A Globe and Mail Book of the Year
*An Indigo Book of the Year
*A CBC Best Canadian Nonfiction Book of the Year

In this extraordinary and inspiring debut memoir, Jesse Thistle, once a high school dropout and now a rising Indigenous scholar, chronicles his life on the streets and how he overcame trauma and addiction to discover the truth about who he is.

If I can just make it to the next minute...then I might have a…


My 3rd favorite read in 2023

Book cover of The Case of the Murderous Dr. Cream: The Hunt for a Victorian Era Serial Killer

N.L. Blandford Why did I love this book?

This non-fiction book grips a reader like a historical fiction thriller novel. The extensive research pulled into the case, as those I was at the scene of the crime, or screaming (in my head, of course) for the women not to take the pill(s) he gave them.

As I got through the book, I’d forgotten he was caught (as stated in the book description) and found myself cheering on Scotland Yard as they tried to hunt Dr. Cream down. It was also an interesting foray into the evolution of forensics in the 1800s.

This is the second Dean Jobb book I’ve read, and I always keep my eye out for something new, as I know I won’t be disappointed.

By Dean Jobb,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked The Case of the Murderous Dr. Cream as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The Case of the Murderous Dr. Cream takes readers to the late nineteenth century as Scotland Yard follows the trail of a cold-blooded serial killer who was as brazen as the notorious Jack the Ripper and who would finally be brought to justice by detectives employing a new science called forensics.

"When a doctor does go wrong, he is the first of criminals," Sherlock Holmes observed during one of his most baffling investigations. "He has nerve and he has knowledge." In the span of fifteen years, Dr. Thomas Neill Cream poisoned at least ten women in the United States, Britain,…


Don‘t forget about my book 😀

The Great Bloody North

By N.L. Blandford,

Book cover of The Great Bloody North

What is my book about?

Dead bodies were not on Douglas and Roberta’s Christmas lists…but they got them anyway. Twelve days from retirement, DC Douglas MacDonald’s Christmas wish is for a crimeless holiday season. His partner, Roberta Cameron, wishes Douglas would leave the 1980s behind. 

Neither will get what they want. When people in the quaint town of Hillford start dying at an extraordinary rate, in unusual ways, Douglas and Roberta’s holiday season is anything but peaceful. 

Roberta is desperate to catch the killer before news of the case brings her past to her doorstep. Douglas’ bottomless cup of whiskey, his witty banter with Roberta, and his flirtations with Ada, the crime scene technician supervisor, maintain his sanity. Mostly.