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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.

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

My favorite read in 2023…

Book cover of The New Roaring Twenties: Prosper in Volatile Times

Wesley Britton Why did I love this book?

Do you feel like you have a handle on the perils and possibilities of AI?

Do you understand the risks to us all in terms of international relations, employment, the environment, intellectual property, and “Zero Day” algorithms that could end the human race?

I gained a lot of clarity regarding these issues in The new Roaring Twenties and didn’t put the book down feeling any easier. In addition, the book cautions   that we all need to educate ourselves about the inevitable changes AI is bringing into all our lives nearly every day, why we need do due diligence in accepting the news we receive over social media, and why we all need to be more human to each other in the “New Roaring Twenties.”

In short, a very important and indispensable read in 2023.

By Paul Zane Pilzer, Stephen P. Jarchow,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The New Roaring Twenties as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The world and its economic foundations are shifting beneath our feet!

We are at the threshold of the new roaring twenties—a resurgent era of technology-driven advancement with greater financial equity and economic expansion.

Not unlike the famed decade of the previous century, our next ten years will be filled with striking cultural shifts, new challenges, and, ultimately, abundant financial opportunities.

Paul Zane Pilzer, the economist/entrepreneur and New York Times bestselling author of 13 books, sees a better world on the horizon. In The New Roaring Twenties he imparts inspiration and a new template for escaping the shadow of a global…


My 2nd favorite read in 2023…

Book cover of Consider Your Ass Kissed

Wesley Britton Why did I love this book?

This irresistible memoir by a legendary entertainer is a glittering ride through classic Hollywood history.

Ruta talks about her debut in Seven Brides for Seven Brothers and Witness for the Prosecution and skims over 2,250 TV appearances. She acted with, danced with, joked with, or sang with Frank, Dean, Sammy. And Gene Kelley. Fred Astaire. Jerry Lewis. Her longtime partner, Debbie Reynolds.

For over 50 years, Ruta has been a leading light of the Thalians, an organization supporting troubled youth. So this is an autobiography with something for every movie fan and a purpose in the end to touch your conscience. Among her off screen tales, you will be stirred by her memory of persuading former Soviet premier Nikita Kruschev to free her imprisoned grandmother in Lithuania.

For old-time movie fans and those who enjoy being star-struck.

By Ruta Lee,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Consider Your Ass Kissed as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

"Consider Your Ass Kissed"

By Ruta Lee

Ruta Lee's Her memoir, entitled "Consider Your Ass Kissed" (released through Briton Publishing), is a treasure trove of wonderful personal stories and anecdotes with rare first hand and authentic memories of the entertainment industry.

- Her starring roles in films such as "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers" to 'Funny Face" "Bullet for a Badman" "Witness for the Prosecution" "Sergeants 3"

- Ruta has worked with Clint Eastwood, Burt Reynolds, Charles Bronson, James Garner, Johnny Carson, Fred Astaire, Robin Williams, Howard Keel, Bob Crane, Frank Sinatra and the rest of the Rat Pack, the…


My 3rd favorite read in 2023…

Book cover of Brothers and Sisters: The Allman Brothers Band and the Inside Story of the Album That Defined the '70s

Wesley Britton Why did I love this book?

Based on many interviews with the participants, Paul explores What made the Allman Brothers 1973 album, Brothers and Sisters, so special. Allman expert Paul gives us a generous ride into what made that period so influential and so much more than “Rambling Man.”

But Paul’s greatest service to pop cultural lovers is his lengthy overview of the July 1973 Summer Jam at Watkins Glen. It was bigger than Woodstock but largely forgotten despite a total of 600,000 attendees listening to the Allmans, the Grateful Dead, and The Band.

Historian Paul turns over every stone possible to give as complete a portrait of the long-neglected Festival as told anywhere, something long overdue. I learned a lot and thank Alan Paul for sharing what should never be overlooked, at least by ‘70s rock fans.

By Alan Paul,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

THE INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

New York Times bestselling author Alan Paul's in-depth narrative look at the Allman Brothers' most successful album, and a portrait of an era in rock and roll and American history.

The Allman Brothers Band’s Brothers and Sisters was not only the band’s bestselling album, at over seven million copies sold, but it was also a powerfully influential release, both musically and culturally, one whose influence continues to be profoundly felt.

Celebrating the album’s fiftieth anniversary, Brothers and Sisters the book delves into the making of the album, while also presenting a broader cultural history…


My project is...

Flashback

Flashback with Wes Britton is our gift to guests and listeners alike, celebrating first-class creativity by actors, musicians, authors, and experts. We share stories, perspectives, and memories of entertainment history, then, now, the future, surprises and delights, music and laughs, and windows into ways of making our world a better place.

Broadcast Saturdays and Sundays at 7pm EST over the ArtistFirst radio network, Flashback with Wes Britton features interviews with entertainment insiders, including stars from M*A*S*H, Lost in Space, The Orville, and Star Trek; musicians from the 1960s and contemporary blues artists; and authors of books on the Allman Brothers, A.I., and Hollywood classics. 

Podcasts of Wes’s previous Remember When show, including the many guests in his “James Bond 70th Anniversary Avalanche,” Ed Asner, Bernie Koppel, Patty Duke, members of CCR, Grand Funk, and Toto.