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 Remarkably Bright Creatures

Sara Ackerman Why did I love this book?

I listened to this for my book club (at 1.8x speed because I put it off until 2 days before), and I absolutely loved it!

So much so that I just bought the print book too, and plan on savoring that one. Shelby Van Pelt is a master at creating characters to root for, as well as a plot that really pulls you along. Her inclusion of Marcellus' (the octopus) point of view was also genius.

This is a very touching and feel-good book that will stay with me for a long, long time. 

By Shelby Van Pelt,

Why should I read it?

26 authors picked Remarkably Bright Creatures as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

THE INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER BBC RADIO 2 BOOK CLUB PICK 'Full of heart and humour . . . I loved it.' Ruth Hogan 'Will stay with you for a long time.' Anstey Harris 'I defy you to put it down once you've started' Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney After Tova Sullivan's husband died, she began working the night cleaner shift at the Sowell Bay Aquarium. Ever since her eighteen-year-old son, Erik, mysteriously vanished on a boat over thirty years ago keeping busy has helped her cope. One night she meets Marcellus, a giant Pacific octopus living at the aquarium who…


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My 2nd favorite read in 2023…

Book cover of West with Giraffes

Sara Ackerman Why did I love this book?

This is a tense read, brimming with anticipation of what is waiting right around the corner.

These two giraffes captured my heart from the get-go, and Woody is such a flawed but likable character. I found myself holding my breath, hoping time after time he would make the right decision. 

West With Giraffes is a coming-of-age tale that is full of adventure, mishaps, and keen insights into human behavior. It's also fun to ride cross-country with this band of characters and get a taste of America in the 1930s.

A great read for animal lovers (like me).

By Lynda Rutledge,

Why should I read it?

6 authors picked West with Giraffes as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

An emotional, rousing novel inspired by the incredible true story of two giraffes who made headlines and won the hearts of Depression-era America.

"Few true friends have I known and two were giraffes..."

Woodrow Wilson Nickel, age 105, feels his life ebbing away. But when he learns giraffes are going extinct, he finds himself recalling the unforgettable experience he cannot take to his grave.

It's 1938. The Great Depression lingers. Hitler is threatening Europe, and world-weary Americans long for wonder. They find it in two giraffes who miraculously survive a hurricane while crossing the Atlantic. What follows is a twelve-day…


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My 3rd favorite read in 2023…

Book cover of The Underworld: Journeys to the Depths of the Ocean

Sara Ackerman Why did I love this book?

Susan is a gifted storyteller who also happens to be passionate about the ocean and all of its inhabitants. I've loved every book of hers that I've read.

The Underworld is her latest, and it's a thrilling, deeply researched, and fascinating (if not claustrophobic) read. The book is especially interesting in the wake of the recent Triton submersible tragedy. 

By Susan Casey,

Why should I read it?

5 authors picked The Underworld as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • From bestselling author Susan Casey, an awe-inspiring portrait of the mysterious world beneath the waves, and the men and women who seek to uncover its secrets

“An irresistible mix of splendid scholarship, heart-stopping adventure writing, and vivid, visceral prose." —Sy Montgomery, New York Times best-selling author of The Soul of an Octopus

For all of human history, the deep ocean has been a source of wonder and terror, an unknown realm that evoked a singular, compelling question: What’s down there? Unable to answer this for centuries, people believed the deep was a sinister realm of…


Don‘t forget about my book 😀

The Codebreaker's Secret: A WWII Novel

By Sara Ackerman,

Book cover of The Codebreaker's Secret: A WWII Novel

What is my book about?

1943. As the war in the Pacific rages, Isabel Cooper and her codebreaker colleagues huddle in "the dungeon" at Station HYPO in Pearl Harbor, deciphering secrets plucked from the airwaves in a race to bring down the enemy. Isabel has only one wish: to avenge her brother's death. She soon finds life has other plans when she meets his best friend, a pilot with secrets of his own.

1965 Lu Freitas comes home to Hawaii to cover the grand opening of the glamorous Mauna Kea Beach Hotel, Rockefeller's newest project. When a high-profile guest goes missing, Lu forms an alliance with an intimidating veteran photographer to unravel the mystery.

The two make a shocking discovery that stirs up memories and uncovers an explosive secret from the war days.