--- description: The fiction, nonfiction, and poetry books that entertained and enlightened us. title: The 100 Must-Read Books of 2023 image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb02a9e8f166cad1d/698a4210096a9458f76ae4cb/Top100Books2023_featured2.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # The 100 Must-Read Books of 2023 ## Best Books 2023 *  [The 272](/collections/must-read-books-2023/6332692/the-272/) By Rachel L. Swarns byTIME Staff *  [A Day in the Life of Abed Salama](/collections/must-read-books-2023/6332503/a-day-in-the-life-of-abed-salama/) by Nathan Thrall byTIME Staff *  [A Living Remedy](/collections/must-read-books-2023/6332582/a-living-remedy/) by Nicole Chung byTIME Staff *  [Above Ground](/collections/must-read-books-2023/6332713/above-ground/) By Clint Smith byTIME Staff *  [Absolution](/collections/must-read-books-2023/6332728/absolution-2/) By Alice McDermott byTIME Staff *  [After Sappho](/collections/must-read-books-2023/6331014/after-sappho/) by Selby Wynn Schwartz byTIME Staff *  [After the Funeral](/collections/must-read-books-2023/6332647/after-the-funeral/) by Tessa Hadley byTIME Staff *  [All Souls](/collections/must-read-books-2023/6332721/all-souls/) By Saskia Hamilton byTIME Staff *  [All the Sinners Bleed](/collections/must-read-books-2023/6331303/all-the-sinners-bleed/) by S.A. Cosby byTIME Staff *  [Anansi's Gold](/collections/must-read-books-2023/6332635/anansis-gold/) by Yepoka Yeebo byTIME Staff *  [August Blue](/collections/must-read-books-2023/6332396/august-blue/) by Deborah Levy byTIME Staff *  [The Bee Sting](/collections/must-read-books-2023/6332726/the-bee-sting/) By Paul Murray byTIME Staff *  [Big Swiss](/collections/must-read-books-2023/6332144/big-swiss/) by Jen Beagin byTIME Staff *  [Biography of X](/collections/must-read-books-2023/6332838/biography-of-x/) By Catherine Lacey byTIME Staff *  [Birnam Wood](/collections/must-read-books-2023/6332220/birnam-wood/) by Eleanor Catton byTIME Staff *  [Blackouts](/collections/must-read-books-2023/6332600/blackouts/) by Justin Torres byTIME Staff *  [Chrome Valley](/collections/must-read-books-2023/6332715/chrome-valley/) By Mahogany L. Browne byTIME Staff *  [The Covenant of Water](/collections/must-read-books-2023/6332833/the-covenant-of-water/) By Abraham Verghese byTIME Staff *  [Crook Manifesto](/collections/must-read-books-2023/6332215/crook-manifesto/) by Colson Whitehead byTIME Staff *  [The Deadline](/collections/must-read-books-2023/6331017/the-deadline/) by Jill Lepore byTIME Staff *  [Desertion](/collections/must-read-books-2023/6332618/desertion/) by Abdulrazak Gurnah byTIME Staff *  [Doppelganger](/collections/must-read-books-2023/6332681/doppelganger/) by Naomi Klein byTIME Staff *  [Dyscalculia](/collections/must-read-books-2023/6332222/dyscalculia/) by Camonghne Felix byTIME Staff *  [The End of Drum-Time](/collections/must-read-books-2023/6332675/the-end-of-drum-time/) by Hanna Pylväinen byTIME Staff *  [Fair Play](/collections/must-read-books-2023/6332719/fair-play/) By Katie Barnes byTIME Staff *  [Family Lore](/collections/must-read-books-2023/6331313/family-lore/) by Elizabeth Acevedo byTIME Staff *  [Fire Weather](/collections/must-read-books-2023/6332642/fire-weather/) by John Vaillant byTIME Staff *  [From From](/collections/must-read-books-2023/6332710/from-from/) By Monica Youn byTIME Staff *  [The Future](/collections/must-read-books-2023/6332624/the-future/) by Naomi Alderman byTIME Staff *  [Ghost Music](/collections/must-read-books-2023/6331306/ghost-music/) by An Yu byTIME Staff *  [The Good Life](/collections/must-read-books-2023/6332258/the-good-life/) by Robert Waldinger and Marc Schulz byTIME Staff *  [The Great Reclamation](/collections/must-read-books-2023/6332265/the-great-reclamation/) by Rachel Heng byTIME Staff *  [The Great White Bard](/collections/must-read-books-2023/6332691/the-great-white-bard/) by Farah Karim-Cooper byTIME Staff *  [Greek Lessons](/collections/must-read-books-2023/6332655/greek-lessons/) by Han Kang byTIME Staff *  [The Guest](/collections/must-read-books-2023/6332229/the-guest/) by Emma Cline byTIME Staff *  [The Half Known Life](/collections/must-read-books-2023/6332261/the-half-known-life/) by Pico Iyer byTIME Staff *  [The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store](/collections/must-read-books-2023/6332623/the-heaven-and-earth-grocery-store/) by James McBride byTIME Staff *  [Hello Beautiful](/collections/must-read-books-2023/6331010/hello-beautiful/) by Ann Napolitano byTIME Staff *  [The Hive and the Honey](/collections/must-read-books-2023/6332417/the-hive-and-the-honey/) by Paul Yoon byTIME Staff *  [Holding Pattern](/collections/must-read-books-2023/6332730/holding-pattern/) By Jenny Xie byTIME Staff *  [Holler, Child](/collections/must-read-books-2023/6332253/holler-child/) by Latoya Watkins byTIME Staff *  [How Not to Kill Yourself](/collections/must-read-books-2023/6332445/how-not-to-kill-yourself/) by Clancy Martin byTIME Staff *  [How to Say Babylon](/collections/must-read-books-2023/6332830/how-to-say-babylon/) By Safiya Sinclair byTIME Staff *  [I Am Still With You](/collections/must-read-books-2023/6332633/i-am-still-with-you/) by Emmanuel Iduma byTIME Staff *  [I Do Everything I'm Told](/collections/must-read-books-2023/6332613/i-do-everything-im-told/) by Megan Fernandes byTIME Staff *  [I Have Some Questions For You](/collections/must-read-books-2023/6332470/i-have-some-questions-for-you/) by Rebecca Makkai byTIME Staff *  [The Iliad](/collections/must-read-books-2023/6332668/the-iliad/) by Emily Wilson (translator) byTIME Staff *  [I Love Russia](/collections/must-read-books-2023/6332706/i-love-russia/) By Elena Kostyuchenko byTIME Staff *  [Kairos](/collections/must-read-books-2023/6332644/kairos/) by Jenny Erpenbeck byTIME Staff *  [King: A Life](/collections/must-read-books-2023/6332653/king-a-life/) by Jonathan Eig byTIME Staff The 100 Must-Read Books of 2023 ```json 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