It’s been another year of great books! Riveting and personal fiction titles, as well as non-fiction books on some of today’s most current and pressing issues. As you look for ideas for upcoming events, let our speakers and their books inspire you.
BEST BOOKS 2023
Spoken Word – Joshua Bennett
The New York Times 100 Notable Books of 2023
“Bennett’s engaging history of a literary and cultural movement that took hold in many realms […] tracks its evolution from the earliest days of the Nuyorican Poets Cafe on the Lower East Side to the first iterations of slam poetry and beyond.” —The New York Times
How Big Things Get Done – Bent Flyvbjerg
The Economist’sBest Books of 2023
Inc.’s Best Books of 2023
Financial Times Business Book of the Year (Shortlist)
“No matter how “big” the scale of your next project, the insights in How Big Things Get Done will help you actually get it done.” —Inc.
Some People Need Killing – Patricia Evangelista
The New York Times 100 Notable Books of 2023
TIME 100 Must-Read Books of 2023
The New Yorker Best Books 2023
“In one of the most harrowing and brave books published this year, Patricia Evangelista, a top reporter in the Philippines at the independent news site Rappler, recounts her years covering the extraordinary number of extrajudicial killings that took place under the rule of former president Rodrigo Duterte between 2016 and 2022.” —TIME
The Vaster Wilds – Lauren Groff
TIME100 Must-Read Books of 2023
Vogue Best Books of 2023
NPR Books We Love 2023
“Lauren Groff has long been fascinated by stories of female survival, and in her new novel, The Vaster Wilds (Riverhead), she places her protagonist in extreme circumstances: an early period of the Jamestown colony, when famine decimated almost the entirety of that settlement.” —Vogue
Life on Delay — John Hendrickson
The New Yorker Best Books 2023
“Hendrickson presents a wealth of fascinating detail (virtually all stutterers, for instance, can sing and recite fluently), but the real draw lies in his account of his personal experiences, which convey something essential about the challenge of being human.” —The New Yorker
Your Face Belongs to Us – Kashmir Hill
Inc.’s Best Books of 2023
“The fight to create and improve facial recognition technology is riveting, scary, and timely…” —Inc.
Wellness — Nathan Hill
NPR Books We Love 2023
“It’s a monumental achievement: a masterpiece by an author who has, in the space of two novels, become indispensable.” —NPR
Real Self-Care — Dr. Pooja Lakshmin
NPR Books We Love 2023
“Instead of pushing us to strive – or suggesting a cleanse – Lakshmin provides tools for boundary setting and treating yourself with compassion.” —NPR
The Frozen River – Ariel Lawhon
Kirkus Reviews Best Fiction Books of the Year
“A vivid, exciting page-turner from one of our most interesting authors of historical fiction.” —Kirkus Reviews
White Cat, Black Dog – Kelly Link
Kirkus Reviews Best Fiction Books of the Year
“Enchanting, mesmerizing, brilliant work.” —Kirkus Reviews
I Have Some Questions For You – Rebecca Makkai
The Washington Post 50 notable works of fiction
TIME100 Must-Read Books of 2023
Publishers Weekly Best Books of 2023
NPR Books We Love 2023
“Somehow, Makkai has managed to pull off a novel that’s simultaneously about the unsettling popularity of true crime, racial inequities in the criminal justice system, post-#MeToo gender politics, 1990s pop nostalgia, and boarding schools, all without ever feeling exploitive or opportunistic.” —Publishers Weekly
The Vulnerables – Sigrid Nunez
Kirkus Reviews Best Fiction Books of the Year
Vogue Best Books of 2023
NPR Books We Love 2023
“Sigrid Nunez has achieved something wonderful at this later stage of her career: a talent for slim, companionable novels that have a kind of gossamer delicacy and tremendous emotional power.” —Vogue
Saving Time– Jenny Odell
Inc.’s Best Books of 2023
“In Saving Time” an irreverent guide from the best-selling author of How to Do Nothing, you’ll learn how to reevaluate the role time plays in your life to find a better balance.” —Inc.
When Crack Was King – Donovan X. Ramsey
TIME100 Must-Read Books of 2023
Publishers Weekly Best Books of 2023
NPR Books We Love 2023
“A compassionate and urgent story that centers the victims of this superdrug, When Crack Was King is an illuminating look at the devastating, racialized impacts of the U.S. criminal justice system—and a warning for us to do better as more drug epidemics rear their ugly heads.” —TIME
Family Meal – Bryan Washington
Kirkus Reviews Best Fiction Books of the Year
The Washington Post 50 notable works of fiction
NPR Books We Love 2023
“Washington is a generous writer, with a profound capacity to face the cruelty and pain of contemporary American life while still allowing for hope.” —The Washigton Post
On Great Fields – Ronald C. White
Kirkus Reviews Best Fiction Books of the Year
“A revealing portrait of an American hero who deserves even wider recognition.” —Kirkus Reviews
Crook Manifesto – Colson Whitehead
The New York Times 100 Notable Books of 2023
Kirkus Reviews Best Fiction Books of the Year
The Washington Post 50 notable works of fiction
TIME100 Must-Read Books of 2023
NPR Books We Love 2023
“The latest novel by two-time Pulitzer Prize winner Whitehead is a sequel to his best-selling Harlem Shuffle. With these books, Whitehead has identified deficiencies in the noir genre, and injected beauty and grace into its often too-predictable and clichéd conventions.” —The Washington Post
Land of Milk and Honey – C Pam Zhang
The New York Times 100 Notable Books of 2023
Kirkus Reviews Best Fiction Books of the Year
NPR Books We Love 2023
“Mournful and luscious, a gothic novel for the twilight of the Anthropocene Era.” —Kirkus Reviews