Amazon Editor's Best Books of 2023
Al Woodworth is a Senior Editor on the Amazon Books Editorial team, specializing in literary fiction and biography and memoir. She has been in the book industry for more than 13 years, and got her start as a book publicist at Henry Holt. Al also manages Amazon Literary Partnership, which provides grant funding to nonprofits that support writers. She lives in Brooklyn and some of her favorite books include Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, Deacon King Kong, Crying in H-Mart, Empire of Pain, Pachinko, The Heart’s Invisible Furies, among many others. For more information visit amazon.com/bestbooks2023
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00:00 >> I'll thank you so much for being here today.
00:01 Thanks for having me OK so I have to know what is the number
00:06 one book.
00:07 >> The number one buck is James McBride novel the heaven and
00:11 earth grocery store. The Amazon book editors loved this book
00:16 it's absolutely irresistible it's the story of sort of this
00:20 teaming small neighborhood in Pottstown Pennsylvania called
00:25 chicken Hill and it's and center center sort of on this
00:28 mystery, but the best part is just the sprawling cast of
00:32 characters, it feels like you're part of this
00:34 neighborhood that the characters and their hopes and
00:37 dreams are your neighbors and their hopes and dreams, it's so
00:41 rewarding he's one of the best writers working today and this
00:44 is a great American novel.
00:46 >> I love a book that is character driven, I mean
00:50 obviously there's plot driven elements to it, I'm sure as
00:52 well, but when you get to feel like you know these characters
00:55 and they really kind of bring you in almost like your
00:57 character in the book as well, I absolutely love that so what
01:00 about the top 10.
01:01 >> Sure so the number 2 pick is the Barry pick their pickers by
01:07 Amanda Peters. This is a debut novel which is always so
01:11 exciting to discover a new voice. This is this is a book
01:16 that has all of the feels it's a story of a young girl that
01:20 goes missing and then the story is told from her point of view
01:23 and then her brother's point of view 10 years later 20 years
01:26 later 30 years later so this sort of has the vibes of and
01:29 patch it and Celeste and if those if people are fans of
01:33 those writers. It's such a good story about family about fan
01:37 found family and how far you'll go for the people that you love.
01:41 >> All that sounds beautiful. Well tell us a little bit
01:44 about how the team there picks all of these books to be on
01:48 these lists there at Amazon store.
01:50 >> Yeah, so I'm part of the Amazon books editorial team and
01:53 every month for picking the best books of the month. We
01:56 always have a top 10 last and then books in popular
01:59 categories and so when it comes time to the best of the year we
02:02 look back at those lists we have all of these meetings
02:05 we're sort of debating about what the book that resonated
02:08 the most of what are the books that resonated the most one of
02:11 the books that we don't want to stop talking about that we want
02:15 to shove into everybody's hand that we know and I think that's
02:18 really what we're thinking about we want books that sort
02:21 of resonate that make you feel deeply that make you and whether
02:24 that's laughing or making you cry or helping you learn about
02:28 the world that we're living in the past. That's really what
02:32 we're after and as we put together the list we're trying
02:34 to find books for every kind of reader so our top 10 list has
02:39 writers on it like Stephen King. Walter Isaacson is on the
02:43 list. One of the best biographers working today so
02:47 we're really looking to offer something for everyone so we've
02:50 got our top 100 list, but then we have the top 20 in popular
02:53 category so like if you're a history reader you've got to
02:56 check out David Grant's the wager. We've got romance we
03:00 have sci-fi cookbooks and then kids books according to age so
03:04 there's really something for everyone on this list and you
03:07 can know that we've read them all. We are endorsing them all
03:11 and we're so excited to name the best books of the year.
03:14 >> That really is a sprawling this list that kind of cover so
03:17 many categories and I know you said this but I'm so jealous
03:20 you get to read all of these books.
03:22 >> We do so we're a team of passionate editors who have so
03:27 many years in the books business and we read all the
03:31 time as you can see I've got a bookshelf teaming with bucks
03:35 and that's what we're here to do or here to look through
03:38 these books that are published and recommend those that are
03:41 the best the ones that sort of compel us to action and again
03:44 whether that's laughing or whether that's talking to your
03:46 best friend about it or your parents about it. These are
03:49 books I think that resonate and reflects the world that we're
03:53 living in today. And that's what so terrific about them.
03:57 >> And I love that you have recognizable names on there
04:00 like you said Stephen King and I see that book behind you.
04:02 Yes, there's there's a lot of different things to pick from
04:05 from brand new authors like you said to recognize names us good
04:10 old standbys so yeah, this was sounds really incredible where
04:13 can everybody go to find the list to learn more.
04:16 >> Yeah, you can go to Amazon dot com backslash best books
04:19 2023 you can also go to the Amazon book review which is
04:22 where our team is writing regularly about bucks are
04:26 interviewing authors are interviewing celebrities and
04:28 all that is to help you discover great new reads that's
04:31 what we're here for and so it's such an exciting time of year
04:35 for us right now to announce this list.
04:37 >> And you know what I think it comes out at the perfect time
04:39 of year because it's chilly outside and definitely the time
04:42 to curl up with a blanket and a good book so out thank you so
04:46 much for being here and sharing the list with us.
04:47 Thank you so much for having me.
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