Best books of 2023: from our stable

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Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter.

The Truth Detective: How to Make Sense of a World That Doesn’t Add Up by Tim Harford (Wren & Rook)
With the help of a cast of characters from Sherlock Holmes to Florence Nightingale, the FT Undercover Economist’s first children’s book introduces younger readers (suitable for ages nine to 13) to the fundamentals of data and critical thinking, with illustrations by Ollie Mann.

The War Came to Us: Life and Death in Ukraine by Christopher Miller (Bloomsbury)
Miller has covered Russia’s war in Ukraine since the beginning of 2014 — he now works as the FT’s Ukraine correspondent — and here reflects on the experience of being on the ground, having been caught up in more than one Russian invasion. Through first-hand accounts and interviews, he paints a picture of how a search for freedom and independence ripples through the country’s past, present and future.

Chasing Shadows: A True Story of Drugs, War and the Secret World of International Crime by Miles Johnson (The Bridge Tree Press/Little, Brown)
Set against the backdrop of the Syrian civil war and the European refugee crisis, this true-crime thriller from the FT investigations reporter explores the interlocking worlds of drugs and terrorism. The book tracks American agent Jack Kelly, who oversees the investigation of Mafia and Hizbollah drug trafficking and draws on hundreds of hours of interviews with those who were there.

Invitation to a Banquet: The Story of Chinese Food by Fuchsia Dunlop (Particular Books)
The story of Chinese food through the millennia and what it reveals about that country’s society, written by a regular FT Weekend food and drink contributor. History, anecdote and surprising stories crop up in what our FT reviewer called a “compelling blend of scholarship and passion”. Just beware: you may finish the book feeling very hungry.

What Went Wrong with Brexit: And What We Can Do About It by Peter Foster (Canongate)
Talk of Brexit tends to fixate on myths or return to well-worn points — here, the FT’s public policy editor cuts through the recycled conversation to tune into the real financial implications of Brexit and what can be constructively done to move on and forward.

Murder in My Dreams by David Oakley (published via Amazon)
The second crime novel in the assistant companies editor’s “The Napoleon Mysteries” series. Chief Inspector Robert Napoleon investigates the death of an important businessman — and loses himself deep in the case, even when he falls asleep.

300,000 Kisses: Tales of Queer Love from the Ancient World by Séan Hewitt and Luke Edward Hall (Particular Books)
A landmark illustrated anthology of queer ancient Greek and Roman love stories, many of them previously censored, brings a gorgeous celebration of love and desire that reaches far back into the past. Vividly illustrated by the FT’s House & Home columnist.

Monet: The Restless Vision by Jackie Wullschläger (Allen Lane)
The FT’s chief visual arts critic places the evolution of the founder of Impressionism in the context of his personal life. The monumental figure — “Art divides into before and after Monet,” Wullschläger writes — is brought to life with all the colour and flair he deserves in this rich biography.

Homer and His Iliad by Robin Lane Fox (Allen Lane)
With a long-held adoration of the great epic poem, English historian and FT gardening columnist Lane Fox presents a many-threaded study of Homer’s work and its enduring relevance and resonance.

A Faithful Spy by Jimmy Burns (Chiselbury)
The interlocking world of US and UK intelligence is illuminated in this biography of Walter Bell, an MI5 and MI6 officer who sat at the heart of the development of the post-1945 “special relationship”. Burns, a former FT security and intelligence correspondent, draws on previously undisclosed personal papers to give an insight into the workings of Britain’s spooks.

The Crisis of Democratic Capitalism by Martin Wolf (Allen Lane/Penguin Press)
The FT’s chief economics commentator analyses the maleffects of cronyism on capitalism and democracy in the modern world, and why he nevertheless thinks the system should be protected. Wolf is “no dystopian shoulder-shrugger”, Bill Emmott writes in his FT review, but rather appeals for a “renewed concept of citizenship”.

What They Don’t Teach You About Money: Seven Habits to Unlock Financial Independence by Claer Barrett (Ebury Edge)
An accessible compendium of practical tips for budgeting, debt management and digital banking by the FT’s consumer editor. Barrett explores the different habits surrounding money and the emotions embedded in our financial choices.

Last Dance at the Discotheque for Deviants by Paul David Gould (Unbound)
A mystery novel inspired by the author’s memories of the underground gay scene in Moscow during the transition from the Soviet Union. Gould, an FT journalist, simultaneously pens a love story and a portrait of 1990s Moscow.

Foreign Bodies: Pandemics, Vaccines and the Health of Nations by Simon Schama (Simon & Schuster/Ecco)
During Covid-19 lockdowns, the British historian and FT contributing editor was inspired to examine how nations have historically attempted to protect civilisations through immunisation — as well as the rabid opposition that rises like an inevitable side effect.

Black River by Nilanjana Roy (Pushkin Press)
A work of literary fiction with a granular, compassionate outlook by the Delhi-based FT columnist. Following a tragedy in a largely Hindu community, Inspector Ombir Singh sets out to determine the murderer as suspicion falls on an itinerant Muslim.

The Nowhere Thief by Alice M Ross (Nosy Crow)
The FT’s deputy news editor takes a slightly different tack — having previously written Investing to Save the Planet — with a story for children. Twelve-year-old Elsbeth embarks on an adventure across parallel worlds. Along the way, she learns about the importance of finding family.

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