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 Pomegranates

Seb Doubinsky Why did I love this book?

Pomegranates is a poignant story that takes place in Hadès, the Greek version of the Land of the Dead; the goddess Persephone explains to a human listener why she has cursed the Earth with an eternal winter.

Using the backdrop of the Greek myths, Priya Sharma manages to build a deeply human story about familial violence and abuse, which resounds deeply in our times of #metoo and attacks of women’s fundamental rights.

I loved this book because it gave a moving voice to a suffering, powerful character whose divinity is challenged by her peers.

It resonated for me with the struggle of women worldwide, and with its hopeful ending, it also lets a ray of light pierce through the darkness of the clouds, smothering us.

By Priya Sharma,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

Pomegranates is a dystopian tale, where climate change is an all-too-real backdrop to the events of the novella. Persephone is in the Underworld, relating her family’s history to a human who’s found his way there. As events unfold, and we see the horror her anger has unleashed on the world, we’re drawn deeper and deeper into the heart of this amazing story. The author has drawn a vivid picture of the world’s decay set against the backdrop of the repercussions of a dysfunctional family. And what a family it is―the gods themselves, bringing destruction on us all.


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My 2nd favorite read in 2023…

Book cover of Dark Factory

Seb Doubinsky Why did I love this book?

Dark Factory is a very strange object, as it is both a book and an electronic device, as you can scan QR codes and click on links in order to get extra information through bonus chapters.

A tale of electronic music madness and extreme clubbing, Dark Factory focuses on the personalities and motives of a few central characters dedicated to starting a total revolution of the senses through their “art total” experiment.

This book really tickled me in all the good places as it tackles themes that readers can find in my own city-state novels, such as power, subversion, and the methodical destruction of reality.

By Kathe Koja,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

Welcome to Dark Factory! You may experience strobe effects, Y reality, DJ beats, love, sex, betrayal, triple shot espresso, broken bones, broken dreams, ecstasy, self-knowledge, and the void. Dark Factory is a dance club: three floors of DJs, drinks, and customizable reality, everything you see and hear and feel. Ari Regon is the club's wild card floor manager, Max Caspar is a stubborn DIY artist, both chasing a vision of true reality. And rogue journalist Marfa Carpenter is there to write it all down. Then a rooftop rave sets in motion a fathomless energy that may drive Ari and Max…


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My 3rd favorite read in 2023…

Book cover of Some Features of Living Matter in the Neighborhood of the Sun

Seb Doubinsky Why did I love this book?

In spite of its incredibly long title, Some Features Of Living Matter in the Neighborhood Of the Sun is actually quite a short novella. Part science-fiction, part climate-fiction, the story is papert-hin simple: a mother and a daughter take a boat trip along a river to share good moments before one of them leaves for Mars.

Focusing on the characters' humanity, Zachary Tanner offers us unlimited and un-gendered love and affection through solidarity and respect. 

Written in prose with a Pynchonian twist, it is one of the most beautiful and optimistic hymns to humanity I have read for a long time.

Don‘t forget about my book 😀

The Invisible

By Seb Doubinsky,

Book cover of The Invisible

What is my book about?

It’s election time in New Babylon, and President Maggie Delgado is running for re-election but is threatened by the charismatic populist Ted Rust.

Newly appointed City Commissioner George Ratner is given the priority task to fight the recent invasion of Synth in the streets of the capital, a powerful hallucinogen drug with a mysterious origin. When his old colleague asks him for help on another case and gets murdered, things become more and more complicated, and his official neutrality becomes a burden in the political intrigue he is gradually sucked into.

Supported by Laura, his trustful life partner, and the Egyptian goddess Nut, Ratner decides to fight for what he believes in, no matter the cost.

My book recommendation list