Staff Selections: Best Books of 2023

From the New York Times-bestselling author of Cutting for Stone comes a stunning and magisterial epic of love, faith, and medicine, set in Kerala, South India, following three generations of a family seeking the answers to a strange secret

"One of the best books I've read in my entire life. It's epic. It's transportive . . . It was unputdownable!"--Oprah Winfrey, OprahDaily.com

Longlisted for the National Book Award for Young People's Literature. From award-winning author Erin Bow, Simon Sort of Says is a breathtaking testament to the lasting echoes of trauma, the redemptive power of humor, and the courage it takes to move forward without forgetting the past.

"Funny, poignant and--most important--hopeful." -- New York Times

An epic story that spans generations, Homecoming asks what we would do for those we love, how we protect the lies we tell, and what it means to come home.

"Morton keeps the secrets coming, leading up to a powerful, emotional conclusion. This is storytelling at its finest." — Booklist (starred review)

A deeply evocative portrayal of the life of the daring trailblazer for women everywhere. Isabella Stewart Gardner's vision not only created an inimitable legacy in American art but also transformed a city.

“A vivid narrative...brims with pitch-perfect period details...cannily captures Isabella Stewart Gardner’s ambition, independence, and quirks. Fans of strong female protagonists and Gilded Age historicals will enjoy this.”
—Publishers Weekly

A Black sheriff. A serial killer. A small town ready to combust.

The new novel from New York Times bestselling and Los Angeles Times Book Prize-winning author S. A. Cosby, "one of the most muscular, distinctive, grab-you-by-both-ears voices in American crime fiction."
--Washington Post .

A collection of unsettling short stories that delve into the human psyche through dark humor and disorienting experiences. It's under 200 pages (a quick read) and leaves you feeling haunted but also like you need to read more from Bazterrica (good news, she wrote a novel Tender is the Flesh, which is just as haunting, if not more so). --MS

Award-winning, bestselling author Sara Pennypacker and illustrator Matthew Cordell come together in this hilarious absurdist tale about a precocious girl who transforms her community in surprising ways.

"Versatile Pennypacker has written a book that is by turns outrageous and wise, funny and touching, fantastical and true; Cordell’s sketches contribute to the levity." — Horn Book

White lies. Dark humor. Deadly consequences... Bestselling sensation Juniper Song is not who she says she is, she didn't write the book she claims she wrote, and she is most certainly not Asian American--in this chilling and hilariously cutting novel from R.F. Kuang, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Babel.

"At once a brilliant satire that mixes horror and humor; a nuanced exploration of race, heritage, identity, and diversity in publishing; and an honest look at the hell that is social media, this might just be Kuang's best." — Boston Globe

From the beloved author of Posted comes the story of Zeke Stahls--a thoroughly average twelve-year-old who somehow finds himself in a competition to be named the World's Greatest Kid.

"The novel’s premise and the understated wit of Zeke’s engaging first person narrative make this title easy to booktalk and rewarding to read." — Booklist

A Barnes & Noble Best Horror Book of 2023
A haunting Southern Gothic from an award-winning master of suspense, A House With Good Bones explores the dark, twisted roots lurking just beneath the veneer of a perfect home and family.

"Impressively weird, nerve-wracking but still laugh-out-loud funny, A House With Good Bones is another horror hit from T. Kingfisher."―BookPage, STARRED review

In a little town in the south of France in the 1960s, a dazzling encounter with Love itself changes the life of infant orphan Marie-Jeanne forever.

“An appealing companion piece to The Little Paris Bookshop . . . George convincingly portrays her characters’ emotions. . . . Charming.”—Publishers Weekly

From the author of Killers of the Flower Moon, a page-turning story of shipwreck, survival, and savagery, culminating in a court martial that reveals a shocking truth. The powerful narrative reveals the deeper meaning of the events on The Wager, showing that it was not only the captain and crew who ended up on trial, but the very idea of empire.

"Riveting...Reads like a thriller, tackling a multilayered history--and imperialism--with gusto." -- Time

This was an entertaining and poignant look at the career and legacy of Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert. Their shared love of movies led to an amazing partnership and the book is filled with wonderful, touching and hilarious stories about their rise from young Chicago newspaper rivals to becoming the most well known film critics in America, if not the world. --CC

In June 2021, the whole world was listening as Britney Spears spoke in open court. The impact of sharing her voice—her truth—was undeniable, and it changed the course of her life and the lives of countless others. The Woman in Me reveals for the first time her incredible journey—and the strength at the core of one of the greatest performers in pop music history.

"In Britney Spears's memoir, she's stronger than ever." —The New York Times

The Bee Sting , Paul Murray's exuberantly entertaining new novel, is a tour de force: a portrait of postcrash Ireland, a tragicomic family saga, and a dazzling story about the struggle to be good at the end of the world.

“This is a big, multilayered book full of secrets and surprises. But not a word is wasted in this unsettling, character-rich, devilishly plotted page-turner.”
―Library Journal (starred)

In the face of a pandemic, an unprepared world scrambles to escape the mysterious disease causing sensory damage, nerve loss, and, in most cases, death.

"No mere survival story, the novel explores the isolation and grief that comes with outliving the people with whom you have unfinished business."
― The Philadelphia Inquirer, A Best Book of June

From the New York Times Bestselling Author of The Magnolia Palace - A thrilling story about love, sacrifice, and the pursuit of dreams, set amidst the glamour and glitz of Radio City Music Hall in its mid-century heyday.

“An engaging story…the novel is rich with historical details, and it comes most vividly to life in the passages about the Rockettes, with all the sweat, agony, and camaraderie that go into those miraculously perfect performances.” —Kirkus

Enter the brutal and elite world of a war college for dragon riders from New York Times bestselling author Rebecca Yarros

"Suspenseful, sexy, and with incredibly entertaining storytelling, the first in Yarros' Empyrean series will delight fans of romantic, adventure-filled fantasy." -- Booklist, starred review

This latest stunning, meaty historical fiction from Rhys Bowen is set in Paris before and during World War II. A courageous wife, mother, and resister confronts the devastation of World War II and struggles to survive. An enthralling, scrupulously researched narrative. --HE

A heartwarming ghost story about the power of determination, resilience, and most importantly, friendship. --NW