Every year, we announce our annual Top 20 books, chosen by participating BookBrowse subscribers. But which are the cream of the crop, the favorites among favorites?
From this year’s list, we bring you the Award Winners for Top Fiction, Top Nonfiction, Top Debut and Top Young Adult, determined by the highest number of votes in
each category.
The Covenant of Water
by Abraham Verghese
Hardcover May 2023. 736 pages
Published by Grove Press
Verghese sustains the massive story in The Covenant of Water with numerous enigmatic and vividly drawn characters like Big Ammachi, Digby, a Swedish physician named Rune who runs a colony for lepers, Philipose and his love Elsie, who is born to be an artist of staggering genius if only the world will let her. However, running like a riptide beneath the waters of the Malabar Coast, the Condition strikes the family in new, unbidden and heartbreaking ways. It will reach a crescendo with Mariamma, Big Ammachi’s granddaughter, who becomes a neurosurgeon to unlock the secrets of this affliction, only to face the secrets “that can bind them together or bring them to their knees when revealed.” (Peggy Kurkowski)
The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder
by David Grann
Hardcover Apr 2023. 352 pages
Published by Doubleday
I found The Wager to be well-researched, well-written and extremely easy to read. It was actually quite a thrilling read to be honest. It felt more like I was reading an adventure book than a nonfiction book (Tara T). Although the subject matter was not of great interest to me when I started reading the book, my opinion quickly changed when more of the narrative was developed. The author takes a maritime scandal and engulfs the reader in a suspenseful historical thriller! (Dan W). It’s a riveting, page-turning adventure, complete with shipwreck, mutiny and murder (Lois K).
In Memoriam: A Novel
by Alice Winn
Paperback Mar 19, 2024. 400 pages
Published by Vintage
Winn’s descriptions of the WWI battlefront leave an indelible image and the author realistically conveys the various ways conflicts like this can leave someone permanently scarred, both physically and emotionally. As well-written as the novel’s battle scenes are, the highlight of In Memoriam is the love story between Ellwood and Gaunt, and the dynamic between the two sets up the primary tension in the narrative. Winn completely captures Ellwood and Gaunt’s terrible longing for each other and the ache of their unexpressed love. (Kim Kovacs)
Remember Us
by Jacqueline Woodson
Hardcover Oct 2023. 192 pages
Published by Nancy Paulsen Books
Woodson strikes an excellent balance of accessibility and poignancy with her writing, lending the novel genuine appeal to a broad readership. While Remember Us is aimed at younger audiences and her adolescent protagonist feels authentic, its themes of place, memory, identity, and belonging will ring true for readers of any age. It never seems as though Woodson is patronizing younger readers by simplifying the complex themes and emotions at play, and she never resorts to clichés or saccharine prose. (Callum McLaughlin)
Thanks to everyone who voted; we hope these Award Winners and our 2023 Top 20 give you some ideas for what to read next!
For more great recommendations, be sure to check out our Novels and Nonfiction for Book Clubs in 2024, as well as Award Winners from previous years and 23 years of past Best of Year lists. You can also test your knowledge with our Best of Year Quiz!
If you’d like to know how the books are selected, information here.
