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 One of Us

Steve Stred Why did I love this book?

I loved Craig DiLouie's book because it’s a novel that transcends genres. Metaphorically, no matter what you choose, it’ll stand up and fit within the framework that DiLouie has created here.

We get a group of outcasts who struggle to deal with the wider world, and the book asks the reader solid questions about morals, ethics, and the treatment of those we consider ‘different.’

By Craig Dilouie,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

Known as "the plague generation" a group of teenagers begin to discover their hidden powers in this shocking post-apocalyptic coming of age story set in 1984.

"This is not a kind book, or a gentle book, or a book that pulls its punches. But it's a powerful book, and it will change you." -- Seaman McGuire
They've called him a monster from the day he was born.

Abandoned by his family, Enoch Bryant now lives in a rundown orphanage with other teenagers just like him. He loves his friends, even if the teachers are terrified of them. They're members of…


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My 2nd favorite read in 2023

Book cover of Gravenfrost

Steve Stred Why did I love this book?

This one does a perfect job of blending a horror novel with a comedic novel. We get a flawed main character with supernatural powers he wishes he didn’t have and a compelling storyline.

Using a ghost-hunting show to hook the readers in was a perfect ploy for Hammarberg, and Doyle is a character that’ll stick with the reader for some time after reading.

By Peter Hammarberg,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

The Devil’s Domicile. The notoriously infamous house is just one of the hot spots that cultists, freaks, and other assorted malcontents visit in Gravenfrost, Maine. Founded on ground so tainted it was said to be vomited up from the sea itself, Gravenfrost isn’t your average sleepy New England town.

When the host of a popular ghost-hunting TV show brutally murders his crew and co-hosts during an overnight filming, the FBI sends their agent most accustomed to “strange crap”: Special Agent Bobby Doyle. Doyle likes his cases like he likes his whiskey: neat and smooth.

This one, however, is anything but.…


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My 3rd favorite read in 2023

Book cover of Songs for the Lost

Steve Stred Why did I love this book?

Zelenyj might be the best and least-known short story writer. His brand of strange, weird short stories extends well beyond the Canadian borders of his home country and connects far and wide with the characters and plots.

I wasn’t sure what to expect from this collection, but each short story resonated, and I felt compelled to discover each new world he’d created.

By Alexander Zelenyj,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

The lonely and the regretful and the downtrodden, the furious and the woeful and the damaged; all facing the futility of living in a world of malice, loss and loneliness; all desperately seeking salvation while forging through the miles of pain marking every step of the path to Paradise . . . A farmer sings a nightly funeral dirge, summoning something from far across the fields. A cavalry troop finds Heaven or Hell in the hills. A reporter witnesses the final inexplicable moments of a saucer suicide cult. A boy and his grandfather hear a message from an un-guessed world…


Don‘t forget about my book 😀

When I Look at the Sky, All I See Are Stars

By Steve Stred,

Book cover of When I Look at the Sky, All I See Are Stars

What is my book about?

My book is a cosmic horror novella that follows a psychiatrist at an institution who is assigned a new patient. This patient believes he is possessed by a 400-year-old demon.

At first, she doesn’t believe this patient, but as she listens to his story and incidents occur, she wonders if he is telling the truth.