The D.O. found 2023’s must-read books of every genre
Get the latest Syracuse news delivered right to your inbox.
Subscribe to our newsletter here.
In 2023, book lovers enjoyed new releases from literary greats including Zadie Smith and R.F. Kuang along with books from breakout authors such as Maggie Smith.
Authors traveled back in time with historical novels like “The Wager” and “Bright Young Women.” At the same time, “BookTok” and “bookstagram” social media accounts and other online communities increased demand for approachable reads like “Happy Place.”
Whether you prefer hard-hitting historical books or sappy romance novels, here are the top ten titles of 2023:
“Yellowface” by R.F. Kuang
R.F. Kuang made her mark on the literary scene in 2018 with “The Poppy War,” a fantasy novel about 20th-century China. This year, Kuang published “Yellowface,” her first novel that stepped away from fantasy and historical fiction. The novel is a satire on the publishing industry and white performativity told through a case of identity theft. With cutting first-person prose and ethical dilemmas, the book won the Goodreads Choice Award for Best Fiction and made it on many TBR (books readers want to read next) lists.
“Holly” by Stephen King
Since his first mainstream success with “Carrie,” Stephen King has become the benchmark for the horror genre. In recent years, he branched off from his classic horror novels into new waters with books like “Billy Summers” and “The Institute.” His most recent release, “Holly,” returns to his classic horror roots by taking Holly Gibney, a character from several of his former novels, and bringing her into the spotlight. King’s matter-of-fact, concise style tells the story of an unlikely protagonist facing the forces of small-town evil in classic King fashion.
“Some People Need Killing” by Patricia Evangelista
Featured on both the TIME Magazine list of top ten nonfiction books and the New York Times list of the top ten books of the year, “Some People Need Killing” has garnered critical acclaim for its unflinching journalism. Patricia Evangelista, a journalist from the Philippines, was awarded the Kate Webb Prize for exceptional journalism in dangerous conditions for the title. The book contains years of careful reporting on President Rodrigo Duterte’s violent war on drugs in the country. Written on the ground from a witness perspective, the novel’s prose is striking.
“The Wager” by David Grann
This year for the first time, Barnes & Noble introduced an Author of the Year award. The inaugural prize went to David Grann, a journalist with the New Yorker, for his book, “The Wager.” A piece of historical nonfiction, Grann covers the 1741 mutiny aboard the shipwrecked HMS Wager and the stories of its crew who split up on the island where they crashed. With grotesque detail and vivid characters, Grann tells the story with deft precision. The novel has been praised by critics for Grann’s mastery of suspense in the historical nonfiction genre.
“You Could Make This Place Beautiful” by Maggie Smith
Before this year, Maggie Smith – not to be confused with the British actress – was best known for her poem, “Good Bones.” One line from the poem was circulated heavily on social media: “The world is at least / fifty percent terrible, and that’s a conservative / estimate, though I keep this from my children.” The last line of the poem provided the title for her award-winning memoir, “You Could Make This Place Beautiful.” The memoir describes the end of her marriage and her new outlook on life using lyrical vignettes. Time Magazine featured the piece on its list of best nonfiction books of 2023.
“Bright Young Women” by Jessica Knoll
After watching “Conversations with a Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes” and seeing the judge of the Bundy case describe him as a “bright young man,” author Jessica Knoll was inspired to flip the script. With fictional characters, Knoll uses certain dates and facts from the case to weave a narrative that focuses on victims and survivors, not the killer. The story is set at Florida State University, where the real murders happened, but focuses on Pamela Schumacher and Tina Cannon, the book’s fictional protagonists.
“A Day in the Life of Abed Salama” by Nathan Thrall
“A Day in the Life of Abed Salama” tells the story of a tragic accident outside of Jerusalem and a father’s search for his son. Thrall’s book explores life in occupied Palestine and is critically acclaimed for its compassionate, searing prose. In the context of recent escalations in the Israel-Hamas war, the book garnered praise from TIME Magazine, The Economist, The Financial Times and The New Republic for its topical and powerful storytelling.
“The Fraud” by Zadie Smith
Novelist and essayist Zadie Smith has become one of the most important voices of this generation for her skillful writing about race and culture. She made her debut with “White Teeth” in 2000 and won awards including the Whitbread First Novel Award and the Guardian First Book Award. The New York Times featured her new book, “The Fraud,” on its list of top ten books of the year. Set in 19th-century England, the novel revolves around the “Tichborne case,” a legal dispute about a family legacy.
“Happy Place” by Emily Henry
With the emergence of “BookTok” and online book communities, cheesy romance novels are making a strong comeback. With bestselling novels including “People We Meet On Vacation” and “Beach Read,” Emily Henry is leading the new wave of writers in the genre. Her novels are compulsively readable with fun plots, and “Happy Place” is no exception. The story is about a couple pretending to be in a relationship and employs many tropes from typical fan fiction and romance novels.
“Hello Beautiful” by Ann Napolitano
Ann Napolitano has compared the four sisters of her novel to the beloved March sisters from “Little Women,” and the story similarly focuses on love and human connection, albeit through a different lens. People Magazine and The New York Times Book Review both described the book as powerful, immersive and beautiful. With its nomination in the Goodreads Choice Awards, readers seem to agree.
