This is the time of year when everyone compiles their Best of Lists. Best Movies. Best Games. Best Shows. And of course, Best Books. I recently contributed another book list to Shepherd.com, which enlists the help of authors, not algorithms, to share recommendations with readers. Shepherd is running a Best Books of 2023 project, which hundreds of authors have already contributed to. Mine is up now, and it’s called:

Joseph D’Agnese’s 3 favorite reads in 2023!

I hope you’ll check the list out. My picks are not typical ones for me, I must say. For one, they’re all nonfiction, and they speak to my current obsessions with staying focused on my work, and nailing my creative goals. After reading and then re-reading two of the books, I deleted my social media accounts. (I have yet to talk about that decision, but I think it’s working out for me. More on that one of these days.)

I’ll add links to the books themselves here, but you’ll have to go over to Shepherd to learn why I liked them:

Ten Arguments for Deleting Your Social Media Accounts Right Now, by Jaron Lanier

Stolen Focus: Why You Can’t Pay Attention, by Johann Hari

The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles, by Steven Pressfield

The Best Books of 2023 project at Shepherd is ongoing, but they’ve already got about 1,200 writers contributing lists. Totally worth checking out if you’re into that sort of thing. The main page for the project is here:

The 100 Best Books of 2023

So far, my wife has contributed four lists to Shepherd. They are:

Best Books on or by Maverick Women

Best Books on Writing (from a NY Times Bestseller)

Best Books on the Manhattan Project and the Making of the Atomic Bomb

The best books on gratitude that make every day feel like Thanksgiving

I’ve contributed a total of five lists. Besides the one I’ve shared above, I’ve posted these four:

The best books about the Declaration of Independence that bring the signers to life, warts and all

Best Books about the Creation of the U.S. Constitution

Best Books for Discovering Italian Mystery Novels

Best Books for Helping Your Kid Fall in Love with Math

As I’ve said before, I like writing for Shepherd because it makes good sense for authors, and it helps me focus my book recs in a way that’s tight and logical. I have a few other lists in the works, which I’ll share in the New Year. (Geez, I can’t believe I uttered those words.)

All photos by me.