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 Postcapitalism: A Guide to Our Future

Sean Michael Wilson Why did I love this book?

This is a book on one of the 2 or 3 most important issues affecting the world: how we organize our society.

It’s a book looking at what is wrong with the present capitalist economic system and then suggesting what a better POST-capitalist economy and society might be. A massively important issue that people sometimes dismiss by saying ‘I’m not interested in politics’.

The book shows that attitude to be a big mistake because of all the ways that political and economic policies affect our lives. So, we better be involved and play our part in making things better. Also, the writer, Paul Mason, loves northern soul music which I’m also a big fan of! 

By Paul Mason,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

'The most important book about our economy and society to be published in my lifetime' Irvine Welsh

From Paul Mason, the award-winning Channel 4 presenter, Postcapitalism is a guide to our era of seismic economic change, and how we can build a more equal society.

Over the past two centuries or so, capitalism has undergone continual change - economic cycles that lurch from boom to bust - and has always emerged transformed and strengthened. Surveying this turbulent history, Paul Mason wonders whether today we are on the brink of a change so big, so profound, that this time capitalism itself,…


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My 2nd favorite read in 2023

Book cover of The Walker Brothers: No Regrets: Our Story

Sean Michael Wilson Why did I love this book?

This is a book written by two members of a band that I really love deeply – The Walker Brothers.

Hardly a contemporary book since their main period of chart success was the 1960s, but good music is eternal. It’s from the point of view of John and Gary, the two lesser known members, since most people focus on the main singer, Scott Walker. He was of course, fantastic beyond words, but the experiences and contributions of John and Gary should be known and respected too.

We read in this book, in their own words, the ups and downs of the musical careers and their personal lives. I learned a lot more about this band I love. 

By John Walker, Gary Walker,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

The Walker Brothers - John, Scott and Gary - were one of the biggest pop groups of the 1960s. Gifted with stunning voices and drop-dead-gorgeous looks, their appeal was irresistible. Massive hits such as 'Make It Easy On Yourself' and 'The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Anymore' have become evergreen classics. This is their story.


My 3rd favorite read in 2023

Book cover of Woman Rebel: The Margaret Sanger Story

Sean Michael Wilson Why did I love this book?

This is an excellent example of how good comic books are at covering biography and history.

It’s about Margaret Sanger, a very brave and intelligent woman who fought long and hard for birth control in the early 20thC, at a time when that was very controversial. I learned from this how much society has changed for the better in relation to this issue, and especially how badly the older habits and rules affected women.

Lovely to see a more recent book by Peter Bagge also, since I really like his comics in the 1990s. 

By Peter Bagge,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

The alternative-comics master offers an indelible and idiosyncratic take on the protofeminist
"[Woman Rebel] is fine work from an excellent cartoonist and I urge you to jump right in."-Tom Spurgeon of The Comics Reporter, from his introduction

Peter Bagge's Woman Rebel: The Margaret Sanger Story is a dazzling and accessible biography of the social and political maverick, jam-packed with fact and fun. In his signature cartoony, rubbery style, Bagge presents the life of the birth-control activist, educator, nurse, mother, and protofeminist from her birth in the late nineteenth century to her death after the invention of the birth control pill.…


Don‘t forget about my book 😀

Clear Away the Clichés: A Guide Book for Students about Communism, Capitalism, Anarchism and Post-Capitalism

By Sean Michael Wilson,

Book cover of Clear Away the Clichés: A Guide Book for Students about Communism, Capitalism, Anarchism and Post-Capitalism

What is my book about?

There are various very silly clichés and misunderstandings about anarchism, communism, socialism, and capitalism. Many people have almost no idea what these systems are, or believe the most basically inaccurate things. If we don't know what they really are, then how can we choose which is best? So, let's clear away the cliches!

This short and accessible book is an attempt to increase basic knowledge about anarchism, communism, socialism, and capitalism. And what a post-capitalist society could consist of. It does so by noting various common clichés and making clear what the views and approaches really are. Written in a plain style, and avoiding academic jargon, this book will be especially useful for students in courses of economics, sociology, politics, and cultural studies.

Book cover of Postcapitalism: A Guide to Our Future
Book cover of The Walker Brothers: No Regrets: Our Story
Book cover of Woman Rebel: The Margaret Sanger Story

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