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 Dempsey

Tori Eldridge Why did I love this book?

Whether I’m writing, reading, or watching a show, I enjoy action thrillers with multilayered protagonists and emotional depth. Andrews and Wilson deliver both entwined with a twisty, action-packed plot that takes the Dempsey so deep undercover in Russia, even the members of his Task Force Ember team believe he is dead. Organized crime, politics, and high, deadly stakes combined with emotional angst and moral conflict packs a punch.

By Jeffrey Wilson, Brian Andrews,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

The world is more volatile, unpredictable, and dangerous than ever before. To stop the architect of this chaos, Dempsey is given the most dangerous tasking of his career … a mission only he can complete against an adversary he must face alone.

After Task Force Ember’s successful intervention in Ukraine, John Dempsey disappears without a trace—with no notice or explanation given to his teammates. Spotty intelligence eventually places him in Russia where he is rumored to have been captured by the Russian FSB and is now presumed dead. Mourning his loss, Ember is forced to pick up the pieces, restructure,…


Shepherd is reader supported. When you buy books, we may earn an affiliate commission.

My 2nd favorite read in 2023

Book cover of Yellowface

Tori Eldridge Why did I love this book?

As an Asian American author, this eviscerating satire by R.F. Kuang hit me hard.

She tackles the most controversial issues Asian and other authors of color face in publishing today, including the question of cultural appropriation and the pressure to write what publishers and readers expect. The first-person POV pulled me into the protagonist’s mind and illuminated issues of jealousy, reverse discrimination, delusion, and greed. And all of this is wound into a suspenseful and twisted plot that made me gasp and laugh as I read.

By R. F. Kuang,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

The No. 1 Sunday Times and New York Times bestseller from literary sensation R.F. Kuang

*A Reese Witherspoon Book Club pick*

'Propulsive' SUNDAY TIMES

'Razor-sharp' TIME

'A wild ride' STYLIST

'Darkly comic' GQ

'A riot' PANDORA SYKES

'Hard to put down, harder to forget' STEPHEN KING

Athena Liu is a literary darling and June Hayward is literally nobody.

White lies
When Athena dies in a freak accident, June steals her unpublished manuscript and publishes it as her own under the ambiguous name Juniper Song.

Dark humour
But as evidence threatens June's stolen success, she will discover exactly how far she…


My 3rd favorite read in 2023

Book cover of City on Fire

Tori Eldridge Why did I love this book?

I’ve read other reviewers say this, and I have to agree Don Winslow has written a modern-day Godfather with City on Fire.

It has the classic ingredients of a reluctant hero, complicated multigenerational families, and conflicting ambitions within organized crime, all of which I love to read and to write. For me, great plots are never enough. Whether writing or reading, I want to be pulled into the people, culture, and place.

By Don Winslow,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

"One of America's greatest storytellers." - Stephen King

"No one fuses action with emotion like Winslow." - The Times

The new thriller from the #1 international bestseller - the start of a brand new trilogy

'Superb. This is storytelling with a keen edge. City on Fire is exhilarating to read.' - Stephen King

A Times Best Book for 2022

Two criminal empires together control all of New England.

Until a beautiful woman comes between the Irish and the Italians, launching a war that will see them kill each other, destroy an alliance, and set a city on fire.

Danny Ryan…


Don‘t forget about my book 😀

The Ninja Daughter

By Tori Eldridge,

Book cover of The Ninja Daughter

What is my book about?

Chinese-Norwegian modern-day ninja Lily Wong battles the Los Angeles Ukrainian mob, sex traffickers, and her own complicated family when a young mother Lily has rescued returns to her abusive marriage and a nightclub waitress, victim shamed in the press, falls into the crosshairs of a sexy assassin with no apparent reason for wanting her dead.

As Lily copes with her sister’s murder that set her on this path, she keeps her missions secret from her tiger mom, meddlesome Hong Kong grandparents, and her Norwegian father above whose Chinese restaurant she lives. Only Lily’s ninja sensei and her women’s shelter employers know the truth.

I’ve enriched this story with my own cultural heritage, fifth-degree black belt experience, and personal connections with Los Angeles and Hong Kong.