Author Hopeful future diplomat Literature and history enthusiast Traveler Human rights advocate
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.

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My favorite read in 2023…

Book cover of Babel

Sowon Kim Why did I love this book?

Kuang connected many of the worlds I love: history, translation, literature, and social issues. She did so seamlessly through unforgettable and relatable characters and a heart-wrenching plot.

This novel made me think about colonization and racism at a deeper level. I was forced to reflect on how these issues affect our lives even now. The ending left me speechless; no book’s ending had ever made me so emotional in my life.

By R. F. Kuang,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

THE #2 SUNDAY TIMES AND #1 NYT BESTSELLER

'One for Philip Pullman fans'
THE TIMES

'An ingenious fantasy about empire'
GUARDIAN

'Fans of THE SECRET HISTORY, this one is an automatic buy'
GLAMOUR

'Ambitious, sweeping and epic'
EVENING STANDARD

Traduttore, traditore: An act of translation is always an act of betrayal.

Oxford, 1836.

The city of dreaming spires.

It is the centre of all knowledge and progress in the world.

And at its centre is Babel, the Royal Institute of Translation. The tower from which all the power of the Empire flows.

Orphaned in Canton and brought to England by…


My 2nd favorite read in 2023…

Book cover of I Fell in Love with Hope

Sowon Kim Why did I love this book?

I discovered the author on TikTok, and when I scrolled through her profile, I was impressed: she had self-published a novel as a college student, and it had become a bestseller.

I was even more impressed and, at the same time emotional when I looked into her personal story and how it inspired I Fell in Love with Hope. This book is one of the best examples of how novels reflect their author’s lives in modern literature.

The prose is beautiful, the characters and their backstories are incredibly deep, and the message behind everything is one of a kind. If you would like to read something different, this book is the perfect option.

My 3rd favorite read in 2023…

Book cover of The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue

Sowon Kim Why did I love this book?

One word sums up how I would describe this book—magical.

The journey I witnessed while reading this book was a once-in-a-lifetime experience: I met various historical characters, lived through wars and paranormal events, and, most importantly, met the striking protagonist, Addie LaRue.

By V. E. Schwab,

Why should I read it?

12 authors picked The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

"For someone damned to be forgettable, Addie LaRue is a most delightfully unforgettable character, and her story is the most joyous evocation of unlikely immortality." -Neil Gaiman

A Sunday Times-bestselling, award-nominated genre-defying tour-de-force of Faustian bargains, for fans of The Time Traveler's Wife and Life After Life, and The Sudden Appearance of Hope.

When Addie La Rue makes a pact with the devil, she is convinced she's found a loophole-immortality in exchange for her soul. But the devil takes away her place in the world, cursing her to be forgotten by everyone.

Addie flees her tiny home town in 18th-Century…


Plus, check out my book…

A Gleaming Shard of Glass

By Sowon Kim,

Book cover of A Gleaming Shard of Glass

What is my book about?

Every six months on Regulation Day, children from the city of Nepenthe take a required intelligence examination. Those who pass resume their lives as valuable students, but those who fail are imprisoned and no longer considered human.

When fourteen-year-old Grecia Rivera fails the examination—despite being one of the best artists of her age—her life is turned upside down. To avoid her prison sentence, she must abandon everyone she loves and escape from Nepenthe. But Grecia soon discovers that the outside world is just as brutal. Now trapped within a society of runaways, Grecia must risk her life for freedom.

Filled with shocking secrets and heart-shattering betrayals, A Gleaming Shard of Glass reveals the dark side of modern society and the true meaning of free will.