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In 2023, the literary world gifted us with books that will remain on our shelves and must-read lists for years to come. Be it the juicy memoirs of iconic pop stars who we thought we knew, or the latest from the authors that we know and love.
The year also gave HuffPost and our readers an opportunity to revisit the written works of the past like Daphne du Maurier’s gothic classic “Rebecca” and more recently, Raven Leilani’s sexy debut novel, “Luster,” which is a vital depiction of one Black woman’s life experience.
For this list, I turned to bookstore staff, viral BookTokers, fellow book lovers in the HuffPost newsroom and even some of the world’s most notable authors to help remind me of some of best books of 2023 — and to tell me about the books of yesteryear that held their attention, too. The collection of reads spans multiple genres, authors and eras.
Think of it as our little “Spotify Wrapped” of books, if you will. Here’s everything that HuffPost was reading in 2023.
HuffPost and its publishing partners may receive a commission from some purchases made via links on this page. Every item is independently curated by the HuffPost Shopping team. Prices and availability are subject to change.
Fiction
— Suggested by Marianne Taylor, bookseller at Powell's Books, and featured in HuffPost Books
— Featured in HuffPost Books newsletter, editor's pick from Lourdes Avila Uribe, senior shopping writer
— Featured in HuffPost Books
— Editor's pick from Mary Perkins, front page editor
— Editor's pick from Perkins
— Suggested and quoted by HuffPost Books reader Andy Pollen of Please Read It to Me
— Featured in HuffPost Books
— Suggested by Charlotte Starling, bookseller at Powell's Books, and featured in HuffPost Books
— Suggested byDan Graham, promotional director with Book Soup in Los Angeles and featured on HuffPost
— Editor's pick from Perkins
Fantasy and Science Fiction
— Featured in HuffPost Books and suggested by author Rebecca Yarros
— Featured in HuffPost Books
— Featured on HuffPost
— Featured on HuffPost
— Featured in HuffPost Books and suggested by drag performer Muffy Fishbasket
— Featured in HuffPost Books as an editor's pick
— Editor's pick from Emily Bond, HuffPost contributor
Romance and Romantasy
— Featured on HuffPost and HuffPost Books
— Featured on HuffPost and HuffPost Books

— Suggested by Emilie Sommer, book buyer at East City Books in Washington, D.C., and featured on HuffPost
— Featured in HuffPost Books
— Featured on HuffPost and HuffPost Books
— Featured on HuffPost
— Featured on HuffPost
Non-Fiction
Eig, a journalist and New York Times bestselling author, had already taken on several other modern legends, including Muhammad Ali and Jackie Robinson. In “King: A Life,” the author provides an engrossing and humanizing narrative that reads like something akin to a thriller. Quickly paced and filled with compelling reflections and extraordinary new details into King’s life, this work will give more insight into the man, including his relationship with his wife, Coretta Scott King.
— Suggested byDan Graham, promotional director with Book Soup in Los Angeles and featured on HuffPost
— Featured on HuffPost and HuffPost Books
— Suggested by Consuelo Wilder, buying and inventory director at Book People in Austin, Texas, and featured on HuffPost
— Featured in HuffPost Books and suggested by BookToker Tim Blackett
— Featured in HuffPost Books and suggested by video producerVanessa Sirias for Latine Heritage Month
Young Adult
— Featured on HuffPost and HuffPost Books
— Featured in HuffPost Books
—Featured on HuffPost
— Featured in HuffPost Books and suggested by BookToker Zai Sylla
— Featured in HuffPost Books
— Suggested by Christine Longmuir, owner of Two Rivers Bookstore in Portland, Oregon, and featured on HuffPost
Horror and Thriller
— Suggested by Shane Khosropour, manager and book buyer for Unabridged Bookstore in Chicago, and featured on HuffPost
— Featured on HuffPost Books
— Featured on HuffPost and suggested by author R.L. Stine
— Featured on HuffPost and suggested by author R.L. Stine
Banned
— Featured in HuffPost Books
— Featured in HuffPost Books
— Featured in HuffPost Books
— Featured in HuffPost Books and suggested by banned children’s book author Todd Parr
Cookbooks
— Featured in HuffPost Books
— Featured on HuffPost
— Featured on HuffPost
— Featured in HuffPost Books and suggested by food editor Kristen Aiken