Join us as we reveal the Hachette Aotearoa team's favourite books from 2023 (…so far)!

From dragons to witches, moons to plants, romance to children's fiction, these are some of Alison's favourites this year.

It's all romance - and dragons 🐉 - over here. Cyanne is all about the #BookTok reads and has no shelf control (and clearly loves this colour palette 🤩)!

Dom's favourite books from the international division this year include a few literary fiction titles, her must-read author (Tiffany McDaniel), a spot of fantasy and a very sweet middle-grade about a non-binary kid named Jamie 🍏

Ellie's sure there are plenty more books this year that she highly rated, but these three, different though they are, all stayed with her and Ellie found herself recommending them widely.
Historical Fiction is probably Ellie's favourite genre and The Beasts of Paris is an exquisite foray into 19th Century France. The Rachel Incident sharply captures the messiness of being a 20-something with such brilliant humour, and Fourth Wing is an outrageously good romp - Ellie loves herself a bit of high-octane fantasy and dragons (who doesn't? 🐉🤷♀️)

Kate's (almost) all about our local Moa Press list! Kate publishes books that aim to champion a diverse range of voices from commercial to literary fiction, YA fantasy, and quality non-fiction, and clearly, from this stack, loves reading across these genres too.Also, dragons 🐉 Need we say more?

Epic dragons, adorable witches, egotistical lizards, murderous professors and the dangers of the rumour mill - what a delightful mixed bag of absolutely excellent reading 2023 has been for Maiko!

Mel’s favourite books take you inside women’s worlds – at the heart of each story is a feisty woman making sense of the messy and complicated world they find themselves in, whether it’s crazy families, misunderstood midwives, messy friends or gruesome Scandi crime.

Sacha is sensing a theme with all her favourite books this year being about love. The illustrations and poetry of You Hung The Moon get her every time she reads it, and she absolutely loved working on this book.
Sacha loves the sassy females, the tension and the banter of Elsie Silver (not to mention educational aspect – having never met a real life cowboy before, she had never heard of the cowboy hat rule – IYKYK 😉), and Ana Huang writes an alpha hero like no other. She loves returning to the world of luxury and glamour with each of the Kings of Sin books and is hard pressed to pick a favourite.
Fourth Wing – what is there to say? The Empyrean Series lives rent-free in her head constantly – it is simply perfection 🐉

Sam is all about classic authors and classic history. He says the master of horror & intrigue elevates a supporting character to the lead in Holly.
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is back, with a new author, right up with the best of the series. Is it a meme or is it facts? You too can think about the Roman Empire with Tom Holland’s (not Spiderman, the other Tom Holland) latest dive into Roman society.
1923 is a fascinating look at 20th-century politics, the lesser told story of the near collapse of the Weimar republic. Don Bentley continues to entertain with high-tech thrillers under the Tom Clancy brand.

What can Suzy say? She loved ALL these books – they speak for themselves and are her top picks for a reason! 🤩

A mixed bag of love, murder, disconnection, togetherness, tears, and happiness, and a bit of romantasy for fun.
The choices this year have taken Sharon on quite the journey. There was even a time-lapse through the seasons.
Sharon has seen the best in people and the absolute worst - each book left an indelible mark on her 🤩
Presenting our authors attending Auckland Writers Festival 2026 📚
Ever wondered what your favourite people behind some of your favourite books read?
The story of two brothers, born and raised in the shadow of Taranaki Maunga, by 'one of Aotearoa's finest writers' (NZ Listener).
On a perilous voyage, she fell in love. But will a devastating attack tear them apart?
Download discussion questions for Pātea Boys/Ngāti Pātea in English and te reo Māori