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The best books of 2023

This list is part of the best books of 2023.

We've asked 1,639 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 Nightingale

C.J. Zahner Why did I love this book?

I loved this one. To me, The Nightingale should go down as one of the best war books ever written and a classic.

The story describes female courage during wartime, both subtle bravery and gallant heroism. Two sisters, with varying personalities, flaunt strength in completely different manners. And where sometimes you favor one lead character over another in a book, here, the excellent character development had me loving both women.

Hannah is one of the best writers I have read. I could not put it down. Her cadence and beats are simple yet exquisite. She doesn’t overwrite. She captures the reader’s emotions and never lets go.

By Kristin Hannah,

Why should I read it?

27 authors picked The Nightingale as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Soon to be a major motion picture, The Nightingale is a multi-million copy bestseller across the world. It is a heart-breakingly beautiful novel that celebrates the resilience of the human spirit and the endurance of women.

This story is about what it was like to be a woman during World War II when women's stories were all too often forgotten or overlooked . . . Vianne and Isabelle Mauriac are two sisters, separated by years and experience, by ideals and passion and circumstance, each embarking on her own dangerous path towards survival, love and freedom in war-torn France.

Kristin Hannah's…


My 2nd favorite read in 2023…

Book cover of An American Marriage

C.J. Zahner Why did I love this book?

I cried like a baby over this book.

I bought An American Marriage by mistake when my book club was reading American Dirt (I loved that, too). Purchasing this was the BEST book mistake I ever made.

Roy is a smart black man with a college degree from Morehouse, the world at his fingertips. He marries Celestial, born to wealthy parents. Roy fears he can’t live up to her family’s standards.

Enter an author with a knack for creating great storylines. Their lives turn tragic when Roy is arrested for a crime he did not commit. Tayari Jones brings her characters alive on mere paper. I held my breath and couldn’t stop reading. Her writing was so spectacular that, from here on out, I’ll read anything she writes.

By Tayari Jones,

Why should I read it?

5 authors picked An American Marriage as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

A NEW YORK TIMES AND WASHINGTON POST NOTABLE BOOK

A 2018 BEST OF THE YEAR SELECTION OF NPR  * TIME  * BUSTLE  * O, THE OPRAH MAGAZINE  * THE DALLAS MORNING NEWS  * AMAZON.COM

OPRAH’S BOOK CLUB 2018 SELECTION

LONGLISTED FOR THE 2018 NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FOR FICTION

“A moving portrayal of the effects of a wrongful conviction on a young African-American couple.” —Barack Obama

“Haunting . . . Beautifully written.” —The New York Times Book Review
 
“Brilliant and heartbreaking . . . Unforgettable.” —USA Today
 
“A tense and timely love story . . . Packed with brave questions about…


My 3rd favorite read in 2023…

Book cover of It Ends with Us

C.J. Zahner Why did I love this book?

If you’ve ever wondered how a girl could find herself in an abusive relationship, read this book. I’ll admit this begins like a love story, but doesn’t most domestic violence?

Don’t let the first few chapters fool you; this is so much more than sheer romance. Hoover delves into abuse and relationships in her eloquent writing style and makes you fall in love with her characters—even the not-so-nice ones at first. But isn’t that the way life is? And how domestic violence begins? Loving a person you know little about?

Although this is fiction, there is something so realistic about this story that I am still thinking about it months later. The writing is just plain excellent.

By Colleen Hoover,

Why should I read it?

4 authors picked It Ends with Us as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Lily hasn't always had it easy, but that's never stopped her from working hard for the life she wants. She's come a long way from the small town where she grew up-she graduated from college, moved to Boston, and started her own business. And when she feels a spark with a gorgeous neurosurgeon named Ryle Kincaid, everything in Lily's life seems too good to be true.

Ryle is assertive, stubborn, maybe even a little arrogant. He's also sensitive, brilliant, and has a total soft spot for Lily. And the way he looks in scrubs certainly doesn't hurt. Lily can't get…


Plus, check out my book…

Don't Mind Me, I Came with the House

By CJ Zahner,

Book cover of Don't Mind Me, I Came with the House

What is my book about?

Nikki Stone just wanted to be noticed…

Divorced and juggling an accounting job with an after-five life as her kids’ maid, her luck changes when a popular golf pro falls in love with her. She’s offered the CFO position at work, her kids lighten up on her, and she spends weekends traveling the glamorous US golf circuit—in her awkward sort of way. But when female problems surface in her forty-seven-year-old body, she’s certain illness will dash her future.

Then she gets the news. She’s not dying—she’s pregnant. Determined not to force Blake the Pro into marriage, she vows to keep her pregnancy secret until he proposes. Her bungling efforts catapult her into online sensationalism… careful of what you wish for.