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 With the End in Mind: Dying, Death, and Wisdom in an Age of Denial

Susan H. McFadden Why did I love this book?

My husband was diagnosed with lung cancer when he was hospitalized with Covid in 2021. Since then, various treatment side effects have produced more miserable days than happy, carefree days. This book by a British palliative care doctor offers beautifully told tales of her patients, their families, friends, and medical staff, and it has given my husband and me a different perspective on his situation.

Dr. Mannix says we have forgotten how to talk about dying and death in our time, and she gently opens up the conversation with her sensitive descriptions of how people face their endings.

We have recommended this book to many people who also have appreciated its honest sensitivity about a difficult topic.

By Kathryn Mannix,

Why should I read it?

3 authors picked With the End in Mind as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER

'Impossible to read with dry eyes or an unaltered mindset' Sunday Times

'Illuminating and beautiful' Cathy Rentzenbrink

What if everything you thought you knew about death was wrong?

How should we prepare for the facts of dying and saying our goodbyes?

And what if understanding death improved your life?

By turns touching and tragic, funny and wise, With the End in Mind brings together Kathryn Mannix ' s lifetime of medical experience to tell powerful stories of life and death.


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My 2nd favorite read in 2023

Book cover of Transcendent Kingdom

Susan H. McFadden Why did I love this book?

This is a marvelous story by a young Ghanaian-American author about a family coping with living between several competing cultures: Life in Ghana, in the American South, and in the high-pressure world of academia and neuroscientific research conducted at Stanford.

I loved the way she wove religious themes through the book, as well as her loving portrayal of the tragic outcomes of family members dealing with untreated mental illness and drug abuse.

I was very impressed with the accuracy of her descriptions of the neuroscientific research conducted by Gifty and her colleagues at Stanford.

By Yaa Gyasi,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

SHORTLISTED FOR THE WOMEN'S PRIZE FOR FICTION 2021

**From the bestselling author of Homegoing**

'A BOOK OF BLAZING BRILLIANCE' Washington Post
______________________________________________

As a child Gifty would ask her parents to tell the story of their journey from Ghana to Alabama, seeking escape in myths of heroism and romance. When her father and brother succumb to the hard reality of immigrant life in the American South, their family of four becomes two - and the life Gifty dreamed of slips away.

Years later, desperate to understand the opioid addiction that destroyed her brother's life, she turns to science for answers.…


My 3rd favorite read in 2023

Book cover of Carsick: John Waters Hitchhikes Across America

Susan H. McFadden Why did I love this book?

You don’t have to be a lifelong fan of John Waters’ proudly transgressive work in film to appreciate this book. You have to be open to sliding into a wild and funny tale of how the author hitchhiked from Baltimore to San Francisco when he was in his 60s.

You’ll never look at hitchhikers standing by Interstates or resting in rest stops the same way.

Waters’ stories are remarkably imaginative, but when you get to the last third of the book and read his actual descriptions of the hitchhiking adventure, you’ll gain a new appreciation for the way he cares deeply about people who are often shunned in our society. 

By John Waters,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

John Waters is putting his life on the line. Armed with wit, a pencil-thin moustache, and a cardboard sign that reads 'I'm Not Psycho', he hitchhikes across America from Baltimore to San Francisco, braving lonely roads and treacherous drivers. But who should we be more worried about, the delicate film director with genteel manners or the unsuspecting travelers transporting the Pope of Trash?

Along the way, Waters fantasizes about the best and worst possible scenarios: a friendly drug dealer hands over piles of cash to finance films with no questions asked, a demolition-derby driver makes a filthy sexual request in…


Don‘t forget about my book 😀

Dementia-Friendly Communities: Why We Need Them and How We Can Create Them

By Susan H. McFadden,

Book cover of Dementia-Friendly Communities: Why We Need Them and How We Can Create Them

What is my book about?

With increasing numbers of people showing various signs of some type of dementia, and no cures in sight, along with post-pandemic studies of the health risks of social isolation, what some have called a "disease of exclusion" must be addressed on a community-wide level. This book offers concrete ideas about how that can happen and contribute to the well-being of persons living with dementia and those who love them.

Book cover of With the End in Mind: Dying, Death, and Wisdom in an Age of Denial
Book cover of Transcendent Kingdom
Book cover of Carsick: John Waters Hitchhikes Across America

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