book reviews january 2023

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20 Best Books To Read in January

JAN. 3, 2023

by Tom Crewe

A smart, sensual debut. Full review >

JAN. 10, 2023

GRAPHIC NOVELS & COMICS

by Deena Mohamed ; illustrated by Deena Mohamed

Immensely enjoyable. Full review >

JAN. 17, 2023

by Chaitali Sen

Quiet, emotionally gripping stories. Full review >

JAN. 24, 2023

by Aleksandar Hemon

Hemon pulls no punches in his most ambitious novel to date. Full review >

by Dacher Keltner

A timely reminder to appreciate the awe-inspiring everyday wonders flourishing all around us. Full review >

by Heriberto Araujo

An arresting examination of the history of extreme deforestation and violence in the Brazilian Amazon. Full review >

by Chris Whipple

There’s more to the current administration than meets the eye, and Whipple is a reliable, readable interpreter. Full review >

CURRENT EVENTS & SOCIAL ISSUES

by Mary Ziegler

As always, Ziegler is a clear explainer of a complex, gray-shaded body of law. Full review >

TEENS & YOUNG ADULT

by James Ramos

A charmingly nerdy and romantic coming-of-age story. Full review >

by Priyanka Taslim

Candid, textured, and amusing: a novel readers will devour in one sitting. Full review >

by Maiya Ibrahim

A beautifully written, surprise-filled page-turner. Full review >

JAN. 31, 2023

by Nick Brooks

Breathtakingly complex and intriguing. Full review >

CHILDREN'S

by Molly B. Burnham ; illustrated by Fanny Liem

Profound in its own sparkling, humorous way. Full review >

by Jerry Pinkney ; illustrated by Jerry Pinkney

A moving work from a legend of children’s literature and a testament to his legacy of visual storytelling. Full review >

by Erin Bow

Adroit, sensitive, horrifying, yet hilarious. Full review >

by Dianne K. Salerni

An enchanting and evocative tale. Full review >

by Tami Charles ; illustrated by Bryan Collier

A powerful narrative about Black yesterdays that have built the foundation for all our tomorrows. Full review >

by Lynne Cox ; illustrated by Richard Jones

A mesmerizing glimpse at the miracles of the natural world. Full review >

by Reem Faruqi ; illustrated by Hoda Hadadi

A stirring tale of grit and perseverance. Full review >

by Élise Fontenaille ; illustrated by Violeta Lópiz ; translated by Karin Snelson & Emilie Robert Wong

Warmhearted and affirming—one to pick up. Full review >

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12 Must-Read Books of January 2023

Here are the new books you should read in January 2023.

The New Year is officially here and so are new 2023 releases!

This year is shaping up to be an incredible one for readers, and we’re starting off strong with a slate of January books. The early months of the New Year also bring us a large number of debuts, making it the perfect time to both set your reading goal, and discover fresh voices to fall in love with.

Here are 12 new releases that we’re looking forward to here at the Chicago Review of Books !

Fieldwork: A Forager’s Memoir By Iliana Regan Agate Midway

We’re eagerly anticipating the release of Fieldwork: A Forager’s Memoir, the latest from the 2019 CHIRBy Award winner Iliana Regan. In 2019, the Michelin star chef moved with her wife to Michigan’s remote Upper Peninsula to found the Milkweed Inn, a B&B in which almost all of the food served is foraged from the surrounding forest and river. In this memoir, Regan digs deep into her life and heritage as a forager, spanning her ancestry in Eastern Europe, her childhood in rural Indiana, and her new life after leaving her famed Chicago restaurant behind. Fieldwork is a stunningly beautiful reflection on finding peace with our family history and the land we inhabit.

Extended Stay By Juan Martinez University of Arizona Press January 17, 2023

Looking to start your New Year off with some horror? Chicago’s very own Juan Martinez is back with a gothic exploration of the complicated relationship between the Latinx undocumented experience and capitalism. Following a young man who finds himself as a line cook at a seedy hotel in Las Vegas after fleeing his home in Colombia, Extended Stay is a prime example of the power of horror as a genre that can provoke both spine-tingling frights and incredible insights on our current age.

Moonrise Over New Jessup By Jamila Minnicks Algonquin Books

From the winner of the 2021 PEN/Bellwether Prize for Socially Engaged Fiction comes Moonrise Over New Jessup , an enchanting story about a Black woman doing whatever it takes to protect all she loves at the beginning of the civil rights movement in Alabama. When Alice Young moves to the all-Black town of New Jessup, where residents have largely rejected integration as the means for social advancement, she must balance her support for her lover Raymond’s clandestine work and her desire to protect her home from the upheaval that may come with it. Jamila Minnick has written an unforgettable debut, and announced herself as a writer to watch for years to come.

The World and All That It Holds By Aleksandar Hemon MCD

Calling all history buffs! The World and All That It Holds follows Rafael Pinto, a pharmacist with a poet’s heart who finds himself embroiled in the trenches of World War I after the death of Archduke Franz Ferdinand throws the continent into chaos. Amid the bloodshed, Rafael falls in love with a fellow soldier named Osman, and the two make a plan to escape the violence at all costs. Spanning across mountains and deserts all the way to Shanghai, Hemon tells the heart wrenching story of how a love between two men transcended the violence of one of history’s most brutal wars.

I Keep My Exoskeletons to Myself By Marisa Crane Catapult

Set in a near future United States in which an unjust surveillance state has become our reality, a government organization called Department of Balance has created a new form of law enforcement: rather than incarceration, wrongdoers are given a second shadow as a reminder of their crime and a warning to those they encounter. I Keep My Exoskeletons to Myself follows Kris and her baby that was born with a second shadow of her own as the two try to make a new life for themselves under the oppressive eye of the department. This lyrical debut examines the long shadow of grief, the hard work of parenting, and the power of queer resistance.

Deadpan: The Aesthetics of Black Inexpression By Tina Post New York University Press

In Deadpan , University of Chicago professor Tina Post traces the long history of art of purposeful withholding as a critical tool in the work of Black culture makers. While the term “deadpan” is often viewed today as the lack emotion, Post argues that this performance of expressionlessness serves as a powerful foil to the persistent framing of Blackness as “colorful, loud, humorous, and excessive.” Post’s work is a thoughtful study that seamlessly weaves art and life through the lens of an often under-appreciated aesthetic.

Judas Goat By Gabrielle Bates Tin House Books

One of our favorite things about the New Year is seeing all the exciting new work from debut authors. In 2023, Gabrielle Bates’s Judas Goat is high on that list. Named for the animal used to lead sheep to slaughter while having its own life spared, these forty poems wrestle with the thorny themes of betrayal and forced obedience, violence and young womanhood, and the “forbidden felt language” of sexual and sacred love. Bates writes every line with fierceness and an unflinching eye for desire and risk, crafting a collection that never has to scream its most powerful lines to embed them in your mind for years to come.

The Faraway World By Patricia Engel Avid Reader Press / Simon & Schuster

Our Favorite Short Story Collections of 2023

Patricia Engel’s Infinite Country burst onto the scene as a New York Times bestseller and Reese’s Book Club pick, and her new short story collection is sure to make noise as well. These ten stories make for a haunting read, as her characters are forced to make moral compromises and sacrifices in their search for a better life in cities throughout the world. But no matter how far these stories travel, Engel infuses intimacy and care in every single life she writes.

Drinking Games: A Memoir By Sarah Levy St. Martin’s Press

Part memoir and part social critique, Drinking Games explores the impact alcohol has on relationships and identity through the life of one woman in her late 20’s. In brave and insightful prose, Sarah Levy reflects on her toxic relationship with alcohol even as her professional and social lives were thriving. Alcohol can often be a difficult topic for us to discuss openly, which is why Drinking Games and the candidness that Levy writes with is such a welcome sight in 2023.

The Sense of Wonder By Matthew Salesses Little, Brown and Company

During the 2012 NBA season, point guard Jeremy Lin led the New York Knicks to a surprise turnaround and captivated the world in what eventually became known as “Linsanity.” Inspired by that global cultural phenomenon, The Sense of Wonder follows Won Lee, an Asian American basketball player who must navigate the thorny worlds of sports and entertainment when his spectacular play places himself and his entire identity on display on the world stage. PEN/Faulkner finalist Matthew Salesses strikes the perfect balance between humor and heart-wrenching insights on the limitations of our collective imagination, which makes his newest novel one of our early favorites of 2023.

The Red Headed Pilgrim By Kevin Maloney Two Dollar Radio

The Red Headed Pilgrim is a fantastic addition to the “midlife woes” genre. Lost in the throes of an existential crisis, 42-year-old web developer Kevin Maloney reflects on where his life led him. After embarking on a cross-country trip that took him from the beaches of San Diego to a frontier-themed roadside attraction in Helena and beyond, his life is unsettled by the birth of his daughter, which brings about its own wonderful and terrifying realities. Kevin Maloney’s novel is a tragicomic misadventure about new beginnings that is in turns laugh out loud funny and painfully real.

Ghost Season By Fatin Abbas W.W. Norton & Company

When a mysterious burnt corpse appears one morning in Saraaya, a remote border town between northern and southern Sudan, the news foreshadows trouble to come. From there, five strangers on an NGO compound find themselves tied together as cataclysm arrives. Ghost Season is a gripping debut from Fatin Abbas about the porous and perilous nature of human made borders.

Emerge, Speak, Become Embodied: A Conversation with Joan Leegant

Seeing Ourselves in Chigozie Obioma’s “The Road to the Country”

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The Best Books to Read This January

Our picks for the 11 standout new releases of the month.

Every item on this page was chosen by a Town & Country editor. We may earn commission on some of the items you choose to buy.

Prince Harry's highly anticipated memoir is sure to be a conversation starter this month. "I’m writing this not as the prince I was born but as the man I have become," Harry shared upon the announcement of Spare . "I’ve worn many hats over the years, both literally and figuratively, and my hope is that in telling my story—the highs and lows, the mistakes, the lessons learned—I can help show that no matter where we come from, we have more in common than we think." Spare, with its provocative title and promises of "raw, unflinching honesty," is not the first royal memoir written , but it's the most high-profile one to date. Consider it a must-read, and not just for royal fans.

Age of Vice

Deepti Kapoor's sprawling novel, Age of Vice, centers on the wealthy Wadia family. There's the playboy heir, Sunny; his servant, Ajay, who was born in poverty; and a journalist, Neda, who falls into Sunny's orbit. Kapoor takes the readers through each of their stories, and what results is a fast-paced, compelling novel that is part thriller, part family drama, and part look at modern Indian politics.

The Mitford Affair: A Novel

Truth, it's often said, is stranger than fiction. The Mitford Sisters could put that idea to the test. While the real-life antics of the legendary British siblings are wild enough (including, of course, fictionalizing their experiences for their own books), this new novel by Marie Benedict takes one of the most fraught moments in the family's history and uses it as the basis for a fun, compelling, and deliciously mannered saga. It might not be actual history, but we certainly don't mind.

Dior by Sarah Moon

This three-volume collection captures in stunning pictures (all photographed by Sarah Moon) the history of the house of Dior. The first volume includes photos of 33 of Christian Dior's original designs, shot in 2021 at Paris's Fondation Le Corbusier. The second pays tribute to the subsequent artistic directors of the brand through Raf Simons. The final volume is an ode to current creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri.

Maame: A Novel

Jessica George's Maame follows the story of Londoner Maddie, called "Maame" by her Ghanian family, as she cares for her father, who has advanced stage Parkinson’s. When her mother returns from Ghana, she tries to begin her life outside of the family home. Soon, however, tragedy strikes and Maddie loses her job at a publishing house. In this coming-of-age novel, Maddie navigates grief, familial duty, workplace racism, and being torn between two cultures. An unforgettable, funny debut.

Words and Music: Confessions of an Optimist

Stephen Rubin got his start as a music writer, but truly made his mark running some of the world's most storied publishing houses. In this smart, dishy memoir, Rubin details life at the top of the pile of American letters—the victories, the losses, the skirmishes, the gossip —and shares an unforgettable inside look at the world of books, celebrity, and the literary industrial complex.

Hell Bent: A Novel (Alex Stern, 2)

Leigh Bardugo returns to the dark magic of Yale's secret societies in this sequel to the bestselling Ninth House . Protagonist Alex "Galaxy" Stern is set on breaking her mentor, Darlington, out of purgatory. The dark academia fantasy novel is rooted in the very real nature of wealth, power, and murder, and Hell Bent is just as twisty and good as Ninth House .

The Half Known Life: In Search of Paradise

Prolific travel writer Pico Iyer turns his attention to the question of paradise in his latest book, The Half Known Life . "I’d begun to wonder what kind of paradise can ever be found in a world of unceasing conflict—and whether the very search for it might not simply aggravate our differences," he writes. Iyer travels to Iran, Sri Lanka, Ethiopia, Israel, Tibet, and elsewhere to uncover what paradise looks like on earth.

The New Life: A Novel

In 1800s England, two men whose marriages aren't quite as traditional as they appear to be find themselves planning to publish a book taking a radical-for-the-time stance on same-sex relationships. But when public opinion becomes obviously swayed prior to the book's release, the question of whether they want their work out in the world becomes urgent. Tom Crewe's book is a beautiful, haunting portrait of love in a time that didn't understand it, and a reminder of how close we are to the past.

The Shards: A novel

A sort of prequel to the author's legendary debut novel, Less Than Zero , The Shards follows a young man (named Bret Easton Ellis) through the smoggy world of early 1980s Los Angeles, where he attends private school, experiments with drugs and sex, and casually glides through life—until a string of murders gets too close for comfort. It's a thrilling page turner from Ellis , who revisits the world that made him a literary star with a stylish, scary new story that doesn't disappoint.

8 Rules of Love: How to Find It, Keep It, and Let It Go

Award-winning storyteller and podcaster Jay Shetty is set to deliver his second book 8 Rules of Love, and seeing as how his first landed in the number one slot on Amazon’s best seller list, we’re looking forward to this subsequent project. Shetty’s 8 Rules of Love combines ancient wisdom and modern science to offer tangible tools that will help you navigate relationships through every stage— and not just relationships with others, but also with ourselves and the world.

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Book Reviews for January 2023

Written by Michelle Watson

Book reviews, january 15, 2023.

It’s m’duty to tell you that this article contains affiliate links, which earn me commission at no extra cost to you. Here’s my disclosure policy .

Well, my friends. We have a fresh year of reading ahead of us. What stories will come our way in 2023?

Here are my book reviews for January 2023—a fresh batch, I’m happy to report.

This month, I’m sharing…

A knockout memoir—and I don’t even like memoirs that much
A brand-new middle-grade novel that feels wonderfully old-timey
Loads of kids’ books—I’ve done the prereading, you’re welcome 😜

Here’s where you can find me on Goodreads and The Storygraph . Connect with me so that I can see what you’re reading, too!

Everything Sad Is Untrue

By Daniel Nayeri

Memoir of an Iranian refugee as told (hilariously) by his adolescent self

You’ll love it if poop jokes make you laugh and the truth makes you cry

This ain’t your typical woe-is-me memoir. This book is crafted so beautifully and written with so much tenderness—I laughed, I cried, I loved it. Don’t expect a linear storyline. You’ll be a little disoriented at first, but please do give it a chance. I promise all the pieces will come together.

Content warnings: Domestic abuse (not graphically portrayed). Drug smuggling (not condoned).

The Death of Ivan Illych

By Leo Tolstoy

Novella-length cautionary tale

You’ll love it if you want a challenging story that’ll disinfect your soul

This tiny book is brilliant but extremely uncomfortable. I think most of us have more in common with the unremarkable and self-centered Ivan Illych than we’d care to admit. So, let’s heed the truth of Tolstoy’s cautionary tale. (Fun fact: The name Ivan Illych is the Russian version of John Doe.)

Content warnings: There’s passing mention of Ivan visiting a red-light district.

The Matchmaker’s Gift

By Lynda Cohen Loigman

Alternating timelines chronicle the stories of a Jewish matchmaker in the early 1900s and her granddaughter in the 1990s

You’ll love it if you want to read something light and mildly romantic

I wanted to read this book because I’m interested in the role that matchmakers play in Jewish culture, especially in modern times. How do they make matches? How do they work with families? What’s the process? The fee? This book provided NO such sneak peek, sadly. It was cute, but not for me.

Content warnings: This book portrays a very worldly view of romantic love, so don’t expect much substance.

The Two Towers

By J. R. R. Tolkien

Aragorn and company tackle Saruman, while Gollum leads Frodo and Sam to Mordor

You’ll love it if you’re craving a fantasy adventure written by a master craftsman

I will say it again: The Andy Serkis audio version is tremendous. I’ve only ever seen the LOTR movies, so I had no clue that this book is structured in two parts with parallel timelines. The first one follows Aragorn and his crew to Rohan and onto Helms Deep and then to Orthanc. The second part, which is far and away more intriguing, follows Frodo, Sam and Gollum to Mordor. These books are off the charts.

Content warnings: Wars and violence. Andy Serkis does that raspy/gurgly Gollum voice, which may creep out younger listeners.

Bright Evening Star: Mystery of the Incarnation

By Madeleine L’Engle

Reflections on Jesus Christ in human form

You’ll love it if you want to grapple with some of the harder-to-understand aspects of Christianity

I read this book off and on during the Christmas season. It’s not exactly an advent book, but it examines the Christian belief that God took human form. Why did God choose to redeem the world THAT way? How should the incarnation affect us? I didn’t finish this one. It wasn’t bad at all, but there were a few things that struck me as woo-woo.

Content warnings: She briefly describes an icky incident in which an adult male molested her.

The Witch of Blackbird Pond

By Elizabeth George Speare

A free-spirited young girl from Barbados tries to survive in Puritanical New England with mixed results

You’ll love it if you want to read superior historical fiction (with more than a touch of romance)

I’m on a mission to read all of Elizabeth George Speare’s books because I never read ANY of them as a kid. I can definitely see why this is her most popular work. The plot is nice and tight, and all of the characters have virtues AND flaws that make them human. Preteen me would’ve loved the romance element—I was a big sucker for that stuff (and still am).

Content warnings: Some parents don’t like when a book is overly focused on romance, and this one definitely has its share, although it’s all tastefully displayed. There is a witch hunt, but no actual witchcraft is portrayed.

The Star That Always Stays

By Anna Rose Johnson

A young girl in the 1910s must figure out who she is, past, present, and future

You’ll love it if you’re a fan of Anne Shirley, Jo March, and the Penderwick sisters

Do you ever wish that a modern author would write lovely, wholesome books like Anne of Green Gables or Little Women? Do you also wish that authors would have the guts to point their young readers to The Truth? If you answered yes, then you MUST check out this debut middle-grade novel. I can’t wait to read more from Anna Rose!

Content warnings: None

The Green Ember

By S. D. Smith

It’s rabbits vs. wolves in this inspiring children’s fantasy

You’ll love it if you enjoyed Watership Down (or you’ve got kids who want an animal adventure with teeth)

I have a confession: I’m not a fan of animal protagonists. (I prefer people.) But I will say that this was a GREAT read-aloud for my boys, who thoroughly enjoyed the rabbity adventure. The first half of this book is too long and needs to be edited, but the second half really picks up. If you haven’t heard of S. D. Smith before, he’s hilarious and I dare you not to like him immediately.

Content warnings: There are some scary wolves and birds of prey that’ll be too much for the very, very young.

The Bears on Hemlock Mountain

By Alice Dalgliesh

Will Jonathan meet bears on Hemlock Mountain, even though his mom says he won’t?

You’ll love it if you want a lightning-fast read-aloud for young kids

This is a great early chapter book that my 7-year-old is reading right now in homeschool. It’s a super-simple story with a slow build of suspense—will there actually be bears???—and a wonderfully fun climactic moment. This reminds me a lot of Robert Clyde Bulla’s kids’ novels.

The Light at Tern Roc k

By Julia L. Sauer

Can young Ronnie help his elderly aunt keep the lighthouse working in winter?

You’ll love it if you want a highly discussable Christmas book to read with youngsters over the holidays

What a gorgeous kids’ Christmas book! Not only are there beautiful black-and-white illustrations throughout, but the story . It’s complex without being complicated. My boys’ll need to be older to appreciate this, but I was thoroughly charmed.

The Door in the Wall

By Marguerite de Angeli

A young boy in Medieval times becomes a hero in spite of a physical handicap

You’ll love it if you want to empower a young man in your life with a tale of bravery

If you’ve got a kid who can’t get enough of knights, castles, or Ye Olde Britain, then this slim novel serves up a lot of historical flavor, and it has a wonderful message to boot. One day, young Robin, our protagonist, can no longer walk. Instead of wallowing in self-pity, he learns to find the next “door in the wall,” i.e. a way to pass through whatever barrier is stopping him from progressing in life. The first half of the book is somewhat slow, but the second half picks up, and the ending brings all the drama.

The Secret of the Hidden Scrolls: The Beginning (Book 1)

By M. J. Thomas

Kids time travel to Bible events

You’ll love it if you want your kids to get hooked on a chapter series that’s connected to the Bible

Remember the Magic Treehouse series? This is like the Christian version. A brother and sister time-travel back to Bible events. In this first book, they witness God create the world. They have a (somewhat silly) mission to complete. There are more books in the series with more missions. My opinion: just okay.

Content warnings: I wasn’t crazy about the mission the kids had to complete, which was to translate Hebrew writing on a scroll. It seemed like an arbitrary plot device and a little too derivative of Magic Treehouse. I don’t want my boys to think that God would ever leave them stranded up a creek without a paddle just because they couldn’t complete a random mission.

Book journal pages you can color

Love books AND colored pencils? Then these printable book journal pages are for YOU. I designed them to be cheerful and nostalgic. Pop your email into the box below, and I’ll send you the FREE printables.

More along these lines…

Book reviews for February 2024

Feb 27, 2024

My book reviews for February include quite a mix! Fantasy, mystery, nonfiction, and middle-grade historical fiction.

Book reviews for January 2024

Jan 30, 2024

My book reviews for January 2024 include a heap of wonderful children’s fiction, plus a fantasy that’s pure fun.

Book reviews for December 2023

Jan 2, 2024

My book reviews for December include a massive classic, a regency romance, and a newly published YA fairy tale.

Hi Michelle!

I pulled together a January TBR stack from just about every room in my house … titles from 1847 – 2022. And I’ve featured you in my list of reading/writing/journaling links! http://www.lindastoll.net/2023/01/porch-74-for-dedicated-book-lovers.html

I love this, Linda! What a great idea to leave books in certain spots in the house. I also love that your copy of Pollyanna is inscribed. Wuthering Heights wasn’t my favorite, so I don’t think you’re missing out too much (haha), but I do love fragile, battered copies of the classics. Thank you so much for linking to me!

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Books | Best Sellers

About the best sellers - january 15, 2023.

This copy is for your personal, noncommercial use only.

A version of this Best Sellers report appears in the January 15, 2023 issue of The New York Times Book Review . Rankings on weekly lists reflect sales for the week ending December 31, 2022 .

Rankings reflect unit sales reported on a confidential basis by vendors offering a wide range of general interest titles published in the United States. Every week, thousands of diverse selling locations report their actual sales on hundreds of thousands of individual titles. The panel of reporting retailers is comprehensive and reflects sales in tens of thousands of stores of all sizes and demographics across the United States.

The book selling universe is comprised of well-established vendors as well as emerging ones. The sales venues for print books include national, regional and local chains representing tens of thousands of storefronts; many hundreds of independent book retailers; scores of online and multimedia entertainment retailers; supermarkets, university, gift and big-box department stores; and newsstands.

E-book rankings reflect sales from leading online vendors of e-books in a variety of popular e-reader formats and are included in our combined fiction, combined nonfiction, advice, children's series and monthly lists. Titles are included regardless of whether they are published in both print and electronic formats or just one format. In general, publisher credits for e-books are listed under the corporate publishing name instead of by publisher's division or imprint, unless by special request. Graphic book rankings include all print and digital formats. Adult, children's, young adult, fiction and nonfiction graphic books are eligible for inclusion on the graphic books and manga list. Audiobook rankings are created from sales of physical and digital audio products. Free-trial or low-cost audiobook sales are not eligible for inclusion. Publisher credits for audiobooks are listed under the audiobook publisher name.

The appearance of a ranked title reflects the fact that sales data from reporting vendors has been provided to The Times and has satisfied commonly accepted industry standards of universal identification (such as ISBN13 and EISBN13 codes). All identities, anecdotal, contextual, and other information about the retail sales of any title, as well as overall sales data, are provided with the expectation and assurance of confidentiality by every vendor and are protected by Non-Disclosure Agreements.

Sales are defined as completed transactions by vendors and individual end users during the period on or after the official publication date of a title. Institutional, special interest, group or bulk purchases, if and when they are included, are at the discretion of The New York Times Best-Seller List Desk editors based on standards for inclusion that encompass proprietary vetting and audit protocols, corroborative reporting and other statistical determinations. When included, such bulk purchases appear with a dagger (†).

Publishers and vendors of all ranked titles must conform in a timely fashion to The New York Times Best-Seller Lists requirement to allow for examination and independent corroboration of their reported sales for that week. Sales are statistically weighted to represent and accurately reflect all outlets proportionally nationwide. An asterisk (*) indicates that a book's sales are barely distinguishable from those of the book above.

Among the categories not actively tracked at this time are: perennial sellers, required classroom reading, textbooks, reference and test preparation guides, e-books available exclusively from a single vendor, journals, workbooks, calorie counters, shopping guides, periodicals and crossword puzzles.

The New York Times Best Sellers are compiled and archived by The Best-Seller Lists Desk of The New York Times News Department, and are separate from the Editorial, Culture, Advertising and Business sides of The New York Times Company.

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The New York Times Book Review

At 17, she fell in love with a 47-year-old. now she questions the story..

Jill Ciment’s 1996 memoir “Half a Life” described her teenage affair with the man she eventually married. Her new memoir, “Consent,” dramatically revises some details.

Weekly Best Sellers Lists

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Hardcover Nonfiction
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Advice, How-To & Miscellaneous
Children’s Middle Grade Hardcover
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Monthly Best Sellers Lists

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Starred titles reviewed in our January 2023 print issue, spanning audio, mystery and suspense, SF/fantasy, romance, and more.

Bono. Surrender: 40 Songs, One Story. Books on Tape.

Carvan, Tabitha. This Is Not a Book About Benedict Cumberbatch: The Joy of Loving Something—Anything—Like Your Life Depends on It. Books on Tape.

Davis, Geena. Dying of Politeness: A Memoir. HarperAudio.

Lithwick, Dahlia. Lady Justice: Women, the Law, and the Battle To Save America. Books on Tape.

Newman, Paul. The Extraordinary Life of an Ordinary Man: A Memoir. Books on Tape.

Stoppard, Tom. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead. L.A. Theatre Works.

MYSTERY & SUSPENSE

Chern, Lina. Play the Fool. Bantam.

Connelly, Lucy. An American in Scotland. Crooked Lane.

Kapoor, Deepti. Age of Vice. Riverhead.

Lehane, Dennis. Small Mercies. Harper.

Rubinstein, Mark. Downfall. Oceanview.

Smith, Tom Rob. Cold People. Scribner.

Sutanto, Jessie Q. Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers. Berkley.

Ashton, Edward. Antimatter Blues. St. Martin’s.

Drake, Piper J. Wings Once Cursed & Bound. Sourcebooks Casablanca.

Gladstone, Max. Dead Country. Tor.com.

Klune, TJ. In the Lives of Puppets. Tor.

Raney, Brenna. The Meister of Decimen City. CamCat.

Castro, V. The Haunting of Alejandra. Del Rey: Ballantine.

Fracassi, Philip. Gothic. Cemetery Dance.

Pelayo, Cynthia. The Shoemaker’s Magician. Agora.

Blakely, Lauren. The Boyfriend Comeback. self-published.

Charles, KJ. The Secret Lives of Country Gentlemen. Sourcebooks Casablanca.

De la Rosa, Liana. Ana María and the Fox. Berkley.

Forest, Kristina. The Neighbor Favor. Berkley.

James, Kira. Embrace Me Darkly. Martini & Olive.

Kellogg, Camille. Just as You Are. Dial.

Kelly, Anita. Something Wild & Wonderful. Forever: Grand Central.

McCoy, Taj. Zora Books Her Happy Ever After. Mira: Harlequin.

Simone, Naima. Don’t You Forget About Me. Oliver-Heber.

Abbas, Fatin. Ghost Season. Norton.

Barry, Sebastian. Old God’s Time. Viking.

Mallon, Thomas. Up with the Sun. Knopf.

Meissner, Susan. Only the Beautiful. Berkley.

Minnicks, Jamila. Moonrise over New Jessup. Algonquin.

Sittenfeld, Curtis. Romantic Comedy. Random.

ARTS & HUMANITIES

Blecha, Peter. Stomp and Shout: R&B and the Origins of Northwest Rock and Roll. Univ. of Washington.

Brown, Ashley. Serving Herself: The Life and Times of Althea Gibson. Oxford Univ.

Brown, Nic. Bang Bang Crash. Counterpoint.

Coleman, Robin R. Means & Mark H. Harris. The Black Guy Dies First: Black Horror Cinema from Fodder to Oscar. Gallery.

Hodgkins, Lisa. Everyday Fashion in Found Photographs: American Women of the Late 19th Century. Bloomsbury Visual Arts.

Levit, Igor & Florian Zinnecker. House Concert. Polity.

Mask, Mia. Black Rodeo: A History of the African American Western. Univ. of Illinois.

Smith, Zadie. The Wife of Willesden. Penguin Books.

SOCIAL SCIENCES

Betts, Reginald Dwayne (text) & Titus Kaphar (illus.). Redaction. Norton.

Moore, Beth. All My Knotted-Up Life: A Memoir. Tyndale House.

Williams, Kidada E. I Saw Death Coming: A History of Terror and Survival in the War Against Reconstruction. Bloomsbury.

Larson, Kate Clifford. Harriet Tubman: A Reference Guide to Her Life and Works. Rowman & Littlefield.

Overbey, Tracey & Amanda L. Folk. Narratives of (Dis)Enfranchisement: Reckoning with the History of Libraries and the Black and African American Experience. ALA Editions.

Snodgrass, Mary Ellen. Asian Women Artists: A Biographical Dictionary, 2700 BCE to Today. McFarland.

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