Loading
The best books and audiobooks of 2023
Read the most notable fiction and nonfiction titles of the year.
Published on January 17, 2024
Curated ByLanie Pemberton
Lanie is a San Diego-based freelance writer who loves reading crime thrillers and nonfiction about animals and the natural world. When not writing and reading (or writing about what to read), Lanie spends as much time as possible at the beach with her husband and pampered pittie, Peach.
A Man of Two Faces: A Memoir, A History, A Memorial
Viet Thanh Nguyen“Kaleidoscopic,” “triumphant,” and “eviscerating” are just a few of the words used to describe this memoir by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Nguyen (“The Sympathizer”). It follows his family’s transition from war-torn Vietnam to San José, California, and the slow but painful realization that the American Dream is often a false promise. Nguyen gives an honest — even scathing — first-person account of racism, colonialism, and nationalism, but he also offers hope and insight. “A Man of Two Faces” proves that every voice is powerful and worthy of being heard.
The Hive and the Honey
Paul YoonYoon’s stories follow the Korean diaspora across history and geography and are inspired by his own family’s experiences. Small moments reveal grief, longing, and, most moving of all, resilience. The title story, told through letters from a 19th-century Russian soldier, focuses on a settlement of Korean immigrants who simply want to live their lives, unwatched and unburdened. This collection’s quiet tone manages to amplify its impact.
Let Us Descend: A Novel
Jesmyn WardDrawing on Dante’s “Inferno” and America’s sordid history, one of the greatest writers of our generation delivers the gut-wrenching story of an enslaved girl with a powerful ancestry. As Annis makes the grueling journey between plantations by way of New Orleans’ slave markets, she relies on lessons passed down from her mother — teachings that connect her with nature, protective spirits, and herself. Ward (“Sing, Unburied, Sing”) astounds yet again.
Absolution: A Novel
Alice McDermottOn the cusp of the Vietnam War, two American wives in Saigon navigate restrictive roles as helpmates to their powerful husbands. Charlene, a socialite desperate for autonomy, recruits demure Tricia for charitable initiatives that reveal their deep misunderstanding of the effects of American interference. McDermott, a National Book Award winner and Pulitzer Prize finalist, frames this story as an epistolary retrospective as Tricia remembers, reflects, and reckons with her quiet acceptance.
The Reformatory: A Novel
Tananarive DueIn this supernatural horror novel set in Jim Crow-era Florida, Robbie, a young Black boy, is unjustly sent to a cruel reformatory school. Haunted by ghosts of the past and a sadistic warden, Robbie’s forced to make a chilling choice between self-preservation and justice — for the living and the dead. Based on the real-life horrors of the Dozier School for Boys (where the author’s great-uncle died as a teenager), this story delves into humanity’s capacity for evil.
How to Say Babylon: A Memoir
Safiya SinclairAward-winning poet Sinclair (“Cannibal”) came of age in Jamaica under an authoritarian and often violent father, who expected his children — particularly his daughters — to adhere to the strict values of the Rastafari movement. Poetry (given to Sinclair by her mother) became her solace and, ultimately, her escape. Beautifully rendered, this memoir reckons with how a painful past can shape a bright future.
The Wren, the Wren
Anne EnrightPhil McDaragh’s poetry moves people. His wife, daughter, and granddaughter are bound by a love for his words — and by the trauma of his abandonment. Enright, author of the Booker Prize-winning novel “The Gathering,” writes a family saga about three generations of Irish women grappling with a painful legacy that simultaneously shapes and distorts their identities. Prose and poetry unite in this stunning story.
Flee North: A Forgotten Hero and the Fight for Freedom in Slavery's Borderland
Scott ShaneShane, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, gives long-overdue recognition to Thomas Smallwood, a Black abolitionist and hero. After buying his freedom, Smallwood went on to help hundreds of African Americans escape slavery — even coining the term “underground railroad.” Smallwood’s remarkable story belongs in mainstream historical accounts of 19th-century America, and his erasure is indicative of continued racial injustices in the nation.
Elon Musk
Walter IsaacsonBiographing the richest person in the world — particularly one who’s a lightning rod for controversy — is no easy task. “Dealing with his life is like trying to take notes while drinking from a fire hose,” says Isaacson (“The Code Breaker,” “Steve Jobs”). This exploration of Musk tracks the tech mogul’s turbulent childhood in South Africa, his fanatical commitment to innovation, and the evolution of Tesla, SpaceX, and X (formerly Twitter). Love him or hate him, Musk is undoubtedly a fascinating figure worth learning more about.
The Right Kind of Wrong
Amy C. EdmondsonWe’re often taught to avoid failure, but what if there was a better way to live, work, and grow? Harvard Business School professor Edmonson (“The Fearless Organization”) guides readers on the “right” way to fail and how organizations can use psychological safety to transform missteps into learning experiences. This is a powerful — and empowering — lesson on the iterative nature of life that was shortlisted for the Financial Times Business Book of the Year Award.
Family Lore: A Novel
Elizabeth AcevedoIn her adult debut, Acevedo (author of the National Book Award-winning “The Poet X”) follows the always spirited, often magical lives of the Marte women. Several members of this Dominican American family are blessed with gifts, like Flor’s ability to predict the time and nature of everyone’s death. She plans her own “living wake,” bringing the family together as they’re all dealing with dramas, crises, and surprises. A woman-centric family saga written with heart and humor.
Valiant Women: The Extraordinary American Servicewomen Who Helped Win World War II
Lena S. AndrewsLike many important moments in history, most accounts of WWII are male-centric. Andrews, a CIA analyst, corrects the narrative with this meticulously researched exploration of the hundreds of thousands of women who were instrumental in winning the war. The author weaves profiles of and interviews with the women alongside riveting stories of female pilots, engineers, nurses, spies, translators, and more, recognizing the brave, brilliant people who deserve a place in our history books.
Ripe: A Novel
Sarah Rose EtterCassie works a grueling job at a tech startup, where the irony of Silicon Valley wealth amid rampant homelessness in San Francisco is on full display. A pervasive sense of dread haunts Cassie, along with a black hole only she can see. Is the world ending, or is Cassie losing her mind? Corporate greed and our depression-riddled age are at the forefront of this increasingly surreal novel by the Shirley Jackson-winning author of “The Book of X.”
The Librarianist: A Novel
Patrick deWittAt 71, retired librarian Bob Comet lives a life of solitude until happenstance leads him to the local senior center. There, Bob opens up to his newfound friends, sharing non-linear memories from boyhood and young adulthood. As each new slice of life is revealed, the complete picture of Bob comes into focus. deWitt follows his 2018 novel, “French Exit,” with this slow but steady exploration of a life well lived and how every encounter can alter our stories.
Immortal Longings
Chloe GongYA author and BookTok sensation Gong (“Foul Lady Fortune,” “These Violent Delights”) makes her adult debut with a trilogy starter inspired by “Antony & Cleopatra” and likened to “The Hunger Games.” The kingdom of Talin hosts an annual winner-take-all, fight-to-the-death competition with unthinkable wealth on the line. Princess Calla enters in disguise and quickly allies with Anton, a royal exile. Their rivals-to-lovers relationship keeps the tension high, as do political intrigue and fantastical battle sequences.
Owner of a Lonely Heart: A Memoir of Motherhood and Absence
Beth NguyenNguyen’s family fled Vietnam when she was only eight months old, leaving her mother behind. They wouldn’t see each other again for 18 years. In this highly anticipated memoir, Nguyen (“Stealing Buddha's Dinner”) ponders her identity as a daughter, mother, refugee, and American and how her birth mother’s absence shaped her sense of belonging and self. A contemplative and affecting reminder of how our heritage informs every stage of our lives.
Pageboy: A Memoir
Elliot PageIn one of the most anticipated celebrity memoirs of the summer — and perhaps the year — Page reveals the complex process of shaking off outside expectations and embracing one’s true self. The Oscar-nominated actor (“Juno,” “The Umbrella Academy”) came out as transgender in 2020, but his memoir begins much earlier, allowing readers to follow along with Page’s vulnerable and powerful journey.
All the Sinners Bleed: A Novel
S. A. CosbyThe acclaimed crime writer who brought us propulsive hits like “Blacktop Wasteland” and “Razorblade Tears” returns with a new noir Publishers Weekly calls “easily the author’s strongest work to date.” A fatal school shooting leads Sheriff Titus Crowne into a complex web of racially motivated crime, forcing him to reckon with his role as a Black law enforcement officer in the American South. Narrator Adam Lazarre-White brings Cosby’s work to life once again, building tension in all the right ways.
The Mythmakers
Keziah WeirFloundering journalist Sal Cannon reads an excerpt by late author Martin Keller and is shocked to realize it's about an encounter they shared years ago. She becomes preoccupied with learning more about Keller’s work, slowly infiltrating his widow’s life in the hopes of reading his full manuscript. Weir, a Vanity Fair editor, delivers an engaging first novel about how ownership and entitlement intersect with art.
The Covenant of Water (Oprah's Book Club)
Abraham VergheseThe long-awaited latest by Verghese (“Cutting for Stone”) is a family saga that unfolds over much of 20th-century India, giving readers a glimpse of the nation’s changing cultural landscape. It follows three generations of a family that’s simultaneously cursed with tragedy and blessed with gifts of sharp intelligence and creativity. Whether it's describing the gorgeous landscape or a breakthrough medical procedure, Verghese’s lush prose is rare and moving.
Warrior Girl Unearthed
Angeline BoulleyReturn to Sugar Island, the setting of “Firekeeper's Daughter,” in Boulley’s standalone sophomore novel. While interning for the Ojibwe Tribal Council, Perry Firekeeper-Birch learns that a local university is wrongly holding the remains of a Native girl. Perry, her twin Pauline, and their fellow interns concoct a plan to return “Warrior Girl” to her Anishinaabe ancestors. Though “Warrior Girl Unearthed” is a lively YA heist, it explores deeper themes like repatriation and the epidemic of violence against Indigenous Women.
Our Migrant Souls: A Meditation on Race and the Meanings and Myths of “Latino”
Héctor TobarDrawing on personal and collective experiences, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Tobar (“The Last Great Road Bum”) examines commonly held beliefs about the “Latino” identity in America. Moving between his native L.A. and other Latino enclaves across the country, Tobar’s lyrical essays cover the many missing pieces in Latino and Hispanic stereotypes, and how the popular yet reductive “non-white” identity fails to represent and respect one of the largest people groups in the nation.
You Have to Be Prepared to Die Before You Can Begin to Live: Ten Weeks in Birmingham That Changed America
You Have to Be Prepared to Die Before You Can Begin to Live: Ten Weeks in Birmingham That Changed America
Paul KixKix’s book, which reads more like a thriller than a true historical account, explores how Martin Luther King Jr.’s Southern Christian Leadership Conference leveraged the violent police presence in Birmingham, Alabama, to gain national attention during the fight for civil rights in America. Kix makes several comparisons to today’s continued battle for racial justice and equality, illustrating that, no matter how far we’ve come, we still have a long road ahead of us.
The Story of Art Without Men
Katy HesselLike many aspects of history, art history has skewed heavily male and white. Hessel challenges this narrative with a fascinating exploration of the women artists long-excluded from the narrative. Her deep-dives into artistic movements from the Baroque period to the present prove that women weren’t missing from the scene — they were merely ignored. “The Story of Art Without Men” is an engaging, enlightening, and long-awaited read.
A Living Remedy: A Memoir
Nicole ChungIn her second affecting memoir (following “All You Can Ever Know”), Chung mourns the loss of her mother and father while skewering the systems that failed them. A Korean American adopted by white parents, the author reflects on race, class, and how family members often hide their grief from one another. Chung’s pain is visceral, and the helplessness she portrays is something we can all relate to after the pandemic.
Life Sentence: The Brief and Tragic Career of Baltimore’s Deadliest Gang Leader
Mark BowdenBowden’s acclaimed repertoire includes books on U.S. military escapades (“Black Hawk Down”), the hunt for Pablo Escobar (“Killing Pablo”), and the lead-up to the January 6 insurrection (“The Steal”). In “Life Sentence,” the author and journalist covers gang violence. This story tracks Montana “Tana” Barronette, the leader of one of the most dangerous gangs in Baltimore. Alongside Tana’s story, Bowden explores the cyclical nature of violent crime and the systemic changes required to free countless Americans from their “life sentences.”
Ordinary Notes
Christina SharpeIn a kaleidoscopic blend of memoir, cultural criticism, and analysis, Sharpe (“In the Wake”) paints a vivid picture of Blackness in America. Her notes reflect on personal and historical moments alike, allowing readers to see how collective experiences inform individual lives. “Ordinary Notes” is as vulnerable as it is incisive.
Small Mercies: A Novel
Dennis LehaneIn 1970s Boston at the height of desegregation tensions, Mary Pat Fennessey’s teen daughter goes missing the same night a young Black man is found dead. Mary’s probing questions raise the hackles of the Irish mob, hinting at a possible connection between the two events. Lehane, whose body of work includes bestselling novels like “Shutter Island” and “Mystic River” (both of which were adapted into blockbuster films), delivers a new gripping thriller that’s dark yet hopeful with themes of race and class at the forefront.
Biography of X : A Novel
Catherine LaceyAfter a famous performance artist simply known as “X” dies, her wife is determined to write a biography of her life. But the search for answers about the mysterious, secretive X reveals shocking revelations and, ultimately, becomes a widow’s descent into near-madness. Lacey (“Pew”) frames this exploration of art and deceit as an alternative history of modern America.
Künstlers in Paradise
Cathleen SchineSchine’s (“The Grammarians”) latest is an engaging and witty ode to storytelling. Mamie Künstler has lived in Los Angeles since her family fled Austria in 1939. In 2020, her floundering grandson comes calling, but lockdown extends his visit indefinitely. Mamie fills their time by sharing stories of Old Hollywood and her community of refugees, including notable Jewish artists, performers, and intellectuals.
Big Swiss: A Novel
Jen BeaginGreta, a transcriptionist for a sex coach, is beguiled by one client’s voice, nicknaming her “Big Swiss.” Then Greta meets Big Swiss in real life, and a passionate love affair begins. Only Beagin (“Vacuum in the Dark”), with her penchant for the off-color and eccentric, could pen a romantic comedy that’s as weird as it is endearing, addressing trauma while simultaneously making fun of New York elites.
Don't Fear the Reaper
Stephen Graham JonesJones returns with a sequel to his Bram Stoker-winning novel, “My Heart Is a Chainsaw.” After four years in prison, Jade Daniels is back in Proofrock, Idaho, now going by Jennifer. Her name may be new, but some things never change: Jennifer must once again use her slasher film expertise when a serial killer starts shedding blood. Sharp in dialogue and plot, “Don’t Fear the Reaper” more than lives up to Jones’ reputation as a master of contemporary Indigenous horror.
The House of Eve
Sadeqa JohnsonTwo young Black women in 1950s America fight to keep their dreams afloat in the face of unexpected circumstances. In Philadelphia, Ruby Pearsall longs to attend college, while Eleanor Quarles, a Howard University student, is set to be the first graduate in her family. Both of their lives are upended after finding love. Johnson’s (“Yellow Wife”) powerful historical fiction revisits a time when women, particularly those of color, grappled with limited choices and seemingly predetermined futures.
All the Beauty in the World: The Metropolitan Museum of Art and Me
Patrick BringleyAfter a heartbreaking loss, Bringley left his position at The New Yorker to work as a guard in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. For a decade, the author found comfort in the ecosystem of one of New York’s most-loved institutions. This thought-provoking memoir chronicles the art, visitors, and personal epiphanies that hallmarked Bringley’s time at the Met.
After Sappho
Selby Wynn Schwartz“At its heart, the book is about trying to find a shape for your life that hasn’t already been prescribed as your inevitable, cramped destiny,” says debut author Schwartz of her new novel. “After Sappho” fills in historical gaps, speculating on the lives, pursuits, and feelings of 20th-century women like Virginia Woolf and Natalie Barney. This story splinters between the protagonists but reads like a collective chorus railing against patriarchal expectations.
Lives of the Wives: Five Literary Marriages
Carmela CiuraruThe inner workings of five unhappy marriages unfold in this eye-opening trek through 20th-century literary history by Ciuraru (“Nom de Plume: A (Secret) History of Pseudonyms”). Each couple includes a famous author husband (including Roald Dahl and Kingsley Amis), who often only rose to fame thanks to their wives’ sacrifices and subservience. An incisive and fascinating look at how male privilege prevents women from pursuing their ambitions and achieving their dreams.
Bloodbath Nation
Paul AusterGun violence is a singularly American issue, costing over 40,000 citizens their lives each year. In this compelling work of nonfiction, Auster (“Sunset Park”) explores how U.S. gun culture developed — and why the nation has yet to make changes. Blending statistics, anecdotes, and analysis, he walks readers through essential history, including ratifying the Second Amendment, clashes with Native Americans, and modern-day mass shootings, even weaving in his own dark family history with guns.
A Guest at the Feast: Essays
Colm ToibinTóibín, the award-winning Irish author who brought us titles like “The Magician” and “Brooklyn,” delivers a sharply funny essay collection. Covering topics like beating cancer (thus entering “the age of one ball”), growing up in Ireland, religion, and sexuality, Tóibín's talent for moving readers with authentic and profound expression shines through once again.
The Faraway World: Stories
Patricia EngelEngel follows her award-winning 2021 release, “Infinite Country,” with a collection of 10 stories unfolding across the U.S., Colombia, Cuba, and beyond. Though the stories deal with bleak choices and scenarios, they each highlight uplifting, human-forward themes like courage, empathy, and redemption.
This Other Eden
Paul HardingIn the 18th century, former slave Benjamin Honey settled Malaga Island off the coast of Maine alongside his Irish wife. Over a century later, government officials would forcefully displace the mixed-race inhabitants of Malaga. Many were involuntarily institutionalized. Harding (author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning “Tinkers”) rehumanizes history in this fictitious retelling of true events, highlighting the effects of racism, eugenics, and colonization with affecting prose and rich characterization.
Maame: A Today Show Read With Jenna Book Club Pick
Jessica GeorgeMaddie, the dependable one in her British Ghanaian family, finally chooses to prioritize herself and build the life she deserves. George’s novel, called a “pitch-perfect debut” by Publishers Weekly, is a coming-of-age journey featuring a vulnerable protagonist readers can simultaneously identify with and root for. “Maame” includes themes of systemic racism, family obligations, and self-empowerment.
Master Slave Husband Wife: An Epic Journey from Slavery to Freedom
Ilyon WooWoo revives an incredibly true story in “Master Slave Husband Wife.” The book, which Woo is careful to root in verifiable facts, follows Ellen and William Craft, who escaped slavery in 19th-century America by posing as slave and master on their travels north. It’s a remarkable tale of determination and steadfast love, and the author paints a vivid picture of the time, including the myriad dangers enslaved people faced.
Cobalt Red: How the Blood of the Congo Powers Our Lives
Siddharth KaraKara, a professor and expert in modern slavery, explores how the smartphones and laptops that power the developed world are rooted in heinous human rights violations. Part exposé, part call-to-action, this alarming book sheds light on the realities of Congolese cobalt miners (including children), who suffer under brutal conditions and poverty so that we can scroll, stream, and stay connected.