It’s hard to encapsulate a year in books. When looking at 2023, the obvious standouts are a slew of major, much-anticipated celebrity memoirs – Britney Spears, Prince Harry, Barbra Streisand, just to name a few. It appears we have a new buzzy fantasy series in the form of Rebecca Yarros’ The Fourth Wing. But what makes the literary world so exciting and engaging is that there is truly something out there for everyone, you just have to know where to look. Lucky for you, we’ve got some recommendations.
Join Great Pop Culture Debate panelists Bob Erlenback, Jennifer Chen, Kara Austin, and Michael Schwarz as they share their favorite reads of the past year in our Best of 2023 Books special.
Bob Erlenback Pick #1: Lose You to Find Me
By Erik J. Brown (Balzer + Bray)
Jennifer Chen Pick #1: Pageboy
By Elliot Page (Flatiron Books)
Kara Austin Pick #1: Spare
By Prince Harry (Random House)
Michael Schwarz Pick #1: The Ferryman
By Justin Cronin (Ballantine Books)
Bob Erlenback Pick #2: The Oddly Pedestrian Life of Christopher Chaos
By James Tynion IV (w), Tate Brombal (w) and Isaac Goodhart (a) (Dark Horse Comics)
Jennifer Chen Pick #2: Yellowface
By R.F. Kuang (William Morrow Books)
Kara Austin Pick #2: The Hurricane Wars
By Thea Guanzon (Harper Voyager)
Michael Schwarz Pick #2: The Terraformers
By Annalee Newitz (Tor Books)
BUT WAIT THERE’S MORE! For each panelist’s No. 1 picks, listen to the episode now! We absolutely saved the best for last.
Did we miss your favorite books? Do you disagree with some of our picks? Leave a comment below.
Looking for more related content?
Check out these other episodes from Great Pop Culture Debate:
Also make sure to check out Harry Loizides’ Top 10 list of the best video games of 2023.
Have a say in future episodes!
Finally, if you want to have a say in what episodes we tackle next, vote in our Topic Polls! And we would love to have you pick your faves in the polls currently open for your votes!
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EPISODE CREDITS
Host: Eric Rezsnyak
Panel: Bob Erlenback, Jennifer Chen, Kara Austin, Michael Schwarz
Producer: Curtis Creekmore
Editor: Eric Rezsnyak