The Best Books of 2023
Last updated: September 22, 2024
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1
Pulp: A Practical Guide to Cooking with Fruit
by Abra Berens -
2
The Everlasting Meal Cookbook: Leftovers A-Z
by Tamar Adler -
3
Still We Rise: A Love Letter to the Southern Biscuit with Over 70 Sweet and Savory Recipes
by Erika Council -
4
Comfort and Joy: Irresistible Pleasures from a Vegetarian Kitchen
by Ravinder Bhogal -
5
Portico: Cooking and Feasting in Rome’s Jewish Kitchen
by Leah Koenig
The Best Cookbooks of 2023, recommended by Becky Krystal
The Best Cookbooks of 2023, recommended by Becky Krystal
Casting their expert eyes, experience—and taste buds—across this year’s new cookery titles, Becky Krystal of the Washington Post and colleagues have come up with a list of the best cookbooks of 2023. They cover everything from baking American-style biscuits to making the best use of leftovers, and a celebration of the unique cuisine of the Jewish-Roman community.
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1
Overreach: The Inside Story of Putin and Russia’s War Against Ukraine
by Owen Matthews -
2
Russia's War
by Jade McGlynn -
3
Muppets in Moscow: The Unexpected Crazy True Story of Making Sesame Street in Russia
by Natasha Lance Rogoff -
4
Places of Tenderness and Heat: The Queer Milieu of Fin-de-Siècle St. Petersburg
by Olga Petri -
5
Cigarettes and Soviets: Smoking in the USSR
by Tricia Starks -
6
Red Leviathan: The Secret History of Soviet Whaling
by Ryan Tucker Jones
The Best Russia Books: The 2023 Pushkin House Prize, recommended by Ekaterina Schulmann
The Best Russia Books: The 2023 Pushkin House Prize, recommended by Ekaterina Schulmann
Since its invasion of Ukraine last year, Russia has been much in the news, with many of us struggling to better understand its politics, history, society and culture. Fortunately, we have the Pushkin House Book Prize, which every year celebrates the best nonfiction written about Russia and available in English. Russian political scientist Ekaterina Schulmann, chair of this year’s judging panel, talks us through the books that made the 2023 shortlist.
Notable Memoirs of 2023, recommended by Cal Flyn
Five Books deputy editor Cal Flyn selects the best recent autobiographical writing in this round-up of notable memoirs of 2023—taking in new work from such literary giants as Janet Malcolm and Annie Ernaux, the writer other writers are raving about, and a humorous debut depicting life in a haunted antiquarian bookshop.
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1
Red Memory: The Afterlives of China's Cultural Revolution
by Tania Branigan -
2
Courting India: England, Mughal India and the Origins of Empire
by Nandini Das -
3
The Violence of Colonial Photography
by Daniel Foliard -
4
Black Ghost of Empire: The Long Death of Slavery and the Failure of Emancipation
by Kris Manjapra -
5
Papyrus: The Invention of Books in the Ancient World
by Irene Vallejo -
6
Ritual: How Seemingly Senseless Acts Make Life Worth Living
by Dimitris Xygalatas
The 2023 British Academy Book Prize for Global Cultural Understanding, recommended by Madawi Al-Rasheed
The 2023 British Academy Book Prize for Global Cultural Understanding, recommended by Madawi Al-Rasheed
The annual British Academy Book Prize seeks out books that promote ‘global cultural understanding’—something we could all do with more of right now. Anthropologist Madawi Al-Rasheed, a visiting professor at LSE and one of the prize’s judges, talks us through the six excellent books that made the 2023 shortlist, from the ancient Library of Alexandria to fire walking in contemporary Greece.
The Best Mysteries of 2023, recommended by Sophie Roell
Throughout the year, as new books are published and the shortlists for prizes are announced, we keep an eye on the mysteries we think might be gripping or fun to read. Here’s our list of the best mysteries of 2023, put together by Five Books editor, Sophie Roell.
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1
Bodies, Brains & Bogies
by Paul Ian Cross & Steve Brown (illustrator) -
2
Live Like a Hunter Gatherer
Naomi Walmsley, Mia Underwood (illustrator) -
3
Am I Made of Stardust?
Dr Maggie Aderin-Pocock, Chelen Écija (illustrator) -
4
Step Inside Science: Germs
by Sarah Hull & Teresa Bellon (illustrator) -
5
Ben Rothery's Deadly and Dangerous Animals
by Ben Rothery -
6
A Bug's World
by Dr Erica McAlister & Stephanie Fizer Coleman (illustrator)
The Best Science Books for Children: the 2023 Royal Society Young People’s Book Prize, recommended by Usha Goswami
The Best Science Books for Children: the 2023 Royal Society Young People’s Book Prize, recommended by Usha Goswami
The judges of the Royal Society Young People’s Book Prize look for books that explain high quality science in an engaging and accessible way. Neuroscientist Usha Goswami, chair of the 2023 judging panel, explains why it is important to get children excited about science via books, and introduces us to the fabulous titles that made this year’s shortlist.
The Best Kids’ Books of 2023, recommended by Our Children's Editor
Every year Tuva Kahrs, our children’s editor, keeps an eye out for the best kids’ books as they’re published, picking out books that are good enough to meet her rigorous standards. Here are the books, a mixture of novels and nonfiction, that have made her 2023 list.
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1
In The Shadow of the Mountain
by Silvia Vasquez-Lavado -
2
High: A Journey Across the Himalaya, Through Pakistan, India, Bhutan, Nepal, and China
by Erika Fatland, translated by Kari Dickson -
3
Crossed Off the Map: Travels in Bolivia
by Shafik Meghji -
4
The Slow Road to Tehran: A Revelatory Bike Ride through Europe and the Middle East
by Rebecca Lowe -
5
The Po: An Elegy for Italy's Longest River
by Tobias Jones
The Best Travel Books of 2023: The Stanford Travel Writing Awards, recommended by Cal Flyn
The Best Travel Books of 2023: The Stanford Travel Writing Awards, recommended by Cal Flyn
Every year, Stanfords, the best travel bookshop in the world (in our view), sponsors the Edward Stanford Travel Writing Awards, with travel writers and journalists judging the best travel book in a number of categories. Here Cal Flyn, our deputy editor, takes us through the eight books shortlisted for the 2023 ‘Travel Book of the Year’ award, taking us from Bolivia to Singapore via Europe, the Middle East and the top of Mt. Everest.
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1
Wild Song
by Candy Gourlay -
2
Victory. Stand! Raising My Fist for Justice
Tommie Smith, Derrick Barnes, Dawud Anyabwile (illustrator) -
3
The Undying of Obedience Wellrest
by Nicholas Bowling -
4
I Kick and I Fly
by Ruchira Gupta -
5
Warrior Girl Unearthed
by Angeline Boulley & Isabella Star LaBlanc (narrator)
The Best Books for Teens of 2023, recommended by Our Children's Editor
The Best Books for Teens of 2023, recommended by Our Children's Editor
From history to historical fiction, from Romania to the Philippines, here’s our list of the best books for teenagers of 2023. We’ve included award-winning books as well as books for young adults handpicked by Tuva Kahrs, our children’s editor.
The Best Political Novels of 2023, recommended by Boyd Tonkin
The Orwell Prizes are the UK’s most prestigious prizes for writing about politics, awarded annually to books and articles that best meet George Orwell’s own ambition “to make political writing into an art.” Boyd Tonkin, chair of this year’s judges, talks us through the books shortlisted for the 2023 Orwell Prize for Political Fiction.