Skip to main content

Library

Blog Hero Image - In the Know

On Display: Best Books of 2023

We are excited to announce our 15th annual Best Books display! This year's display features more than 250 titles that have appeared on 17 year-end best books lists*, providing a broad selection of fiction and nonfiction across subjects and genres. Some of these books are blockbusters that you'll surely recognize, while others are critically acclaimed works that may have received less publicity or escaped your attention. 

collage of 8 book covers from the Best Books of 2023 display

Stop by the library to browse the physical display, or visit the companion online display, which includes ebook and digital audiobook options. The online display allows you to browse all of the books by category (fiction, nonfiction) and format (print, ebook, audiobook). You will also be able to check a book's current availability, download ebooks and digital audiobooks, place holds on items, and/or pin items to save for later.

Curious to know about the "best of the best"? There were 8 books that appeared on nine or more of the lists consulted:

  1. King; A Life by Jonathan Eig
  2. North Woods by Daniel Mason
  3. The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store by James McBride
  4. The Fraud by Zadie Smith
  5. How to Say Babylon by Safiya Sinclair
  6. I Have Some Questions for You by Rebecca Makkai
  7. Birnam Wood by Eleanor Catton
  8. The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny, and Murder by David Grann

Borrow now, or add these to your "to read" list for the coming year. 

Best Books Display Archives
Take  a look back at our previous Best Books displays!


*Sources consulted: Audible, AudioFile, Barnes & Noble, Bloomberg, Booklist, The Boston Globe, The Christian Science Monitor, The Economist, The Financial Times, The Guardian, Kirkus Reviews, Library Journal, The New York Times, NPR, Publishers Weekly, The Wall Street Journal, and The Washington Post.