Readers' Hit New Books of the Year (So Far) > Likes and Comments
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They should have these lists reflect the categories in the Goodreads Choice Awards, all of them.
And they should add more categories to the GR Choice Awards.
- Non US author
- Indigenous
- POC authors
- Neurodivergent
- Disability Focus
- LGBTQ+
I know they aren't necessarily the popular books, but part of it is you need to really look for them to find them. These lists shouldn't be only to highlight successful books. They should highlight under represented groups.
Here's some New Zealand fiction that has been popular this year for those who are interested
At The Grand Glacier Hotel
The Night She Fell
The Space Between
The Grimmelings
The Call
When I open the shop
It's shameless that you include the book "The Ministry of Time", which is a copy of the Spanish tv show "El Ministerio del Tiempo". I invite everyone to do the comparation between both plots...
If I understand this correctly, the reason that admin (or other members?) give for the list being USA centric is that the list is an aggregate of books read by members, not an overview of the great books of the year so far as indicated by a cross view of many (or all) newspaper and magazine book reviews, NYT Bestseller lists, etc.
But to sort of state the obvious: 'the best of the crop' is an inherently flawed concept in this sense: let's limit an example to one year's books, for the purposes of my point - say, 2024. There are not two categories, but three, regarding the quality of books (for my purposes). There is: the consensual best books, the consensual weak books, and most importantly - the great books that are not mainstream books, or are for specialized tastes, or are unique, small, specific, difficult, any number of traits that a) make them difficult for wide appeal, but b) are not diminished in quality by this fact.
I don't know how you poll for, or measure this third category. But it's the problem with all best of lists. Not every great thing is a broadly loved thing. Some great things are for specialized tastes. And they are very, very different from poorly written books, and every bit the equal of widely popular, good books.
I am so beyond over SJM. Her books are not that good.
I hope that people will consider two books that I really liked. One was The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon, a historical novel that was a real page turner. The other is Real Americans, by Rachel Khong, which traces three generations of people from China to America. I am picking both books for my book club.
For those looking for books by non-US authors and those that take place in the US, enlighten us by writing reviews of these books to bring light and awareness so others may discover them as well. Some will follow you just to see what great (or not so great) book you will read next. Goodreads articles are not the only source. In fact I follow those who read and write reviews often for my main source of new book discoveries, not so much Goodreads articles. #Spreadthereviews.
Law wrote: "I want to read First Lie Wins and The Women. I've read three books from this list, Bride, The Familiar and The Teacher, and all were disappointing."
I read The Women and First Lie Wins and enjoyed both.
Cathy wrote: "They should have these lists reflect the categories in the Goodreads Choice Awards, all of them.
And they should add more categories to the GR Choice Awards.
- Non US author
- Indigenous
- POC au..."
They should add the middle grade, graphic novel, picture book and poetry categories back, too. Is the Indigenous category meant for every Indigenous author?
I've read 2, one being The Women, which I liked, and the other First Lie wins, which was a disappointment. So, by statistics, does that mean I would like half of the list? 50% is way too high
I too, did not have any of the books on my "to read list", nor have I read any of them. I clicked on just a few I will read reviews on, but it seems like so many popular books are depressing, about murder, etc. I try to read uplifting, funny, or positive stories, classics, etc., so most of what I read doesn't make the lists or is ever included on Bookreads "Books of the year' contest.
So many good ones on this list! I was particularly impressed with Abby Jimenez’ Just For the Summer, which is both a romance and a coming of age story. Of course, Erik Larson is an incredible writer - I’d gladly read his grocery lists…..
I've read, James, The Women, and First Lie Wins. I really enjoyed all three but would highly recommend James and The Women.
I put a lot of the books on my want to read list.
No LGBTQ+ category, and of the romance books appear to be straight :/
I agree with the other readers here who are asking for more books by authors from different countries. More translated books and more from Canada, the UK, Australia, and New Zealand.
The Women is wonderful as is KH herself. The music, clothes and vivid Descriptions of the 70s transported me back
Marianne wrote: "Murder Road was very disappointing. I love Simone St James, but this was my least favorite. I’m reading First Lie wins right now and I’m obsessed."
I agree, my biggest diappointment this year.
I've read several Aotearoa authors this year, sadly, their books don't often appear on Goodreads.
I also, outside of that, read a good deal of British authors. I'd love to see Goodreads extol authors outside of the United states. <3
I agree with Alison, Ines, and Dave! This list should consider international authors - otherwise it is, by no means, a “best books of the year list”. And where is literary fiction?!?!?!
what a helpful list I saw quite a few good recommendations! I have already read heartless hunter and it is a very good storyline!
Are your readers only from the US? Romantasy books should be under romance or fantasy. I don't see you putting this much effort separating romantic suspense or erotic thrillers from their parent genre. Where is poetry? Where is middle grade? Where are graphic novels? Your editorial team is a joke.
Could we see a list for top LITRPG novels? Or maybe progression fantasy too?
Courtney wrote: "How is this list curated? Lots of these aren't even rated 4 stars?"
I don't find the average star rating a particularly good measure of the worth of a book, as it can be easily thrown off by brigading. The highest rating books have been up-voted by the author's friends and family, while the lowest rating books have been down-voted by people who dislike the author's politics.
I find that the most interesting books have a good spread of star ratings. People either love or hate them!
Grace wrote: "As a bookseller in Australia, only a small handful of these are popular over here. Some recent bestsellers in our bookstore are Caledonian Road Lola in the Mirror ..."
Some of these aren't available in the US yet and therefore, probably didn't make their list of considerations. The company is based in the US and is very US-centered.
Phøenix13 wrote: "Would love to see middle grade get some love. I'm sure there were some great releases on the middle grade scene that we never get to hear about."
Check out the groups/lists for Mock Caldecott and Newbery. That has good recs and is updated pretty frequently. Read-alongs, too :)
Riley wrote: "Heartless Hunter is most definitely not YA 😭"
Publisher lists it for ages 13-18. They define it as "YA", thus why it's on this list.
Beryl wrote: "Kim wrote: "Why are these mid year checks at the beginning of June? So bizarre."
Because it seems they do the awards before the end of December, seem to remember they came out in early December so..."
They usually start mid-November and books published after that are considered in the next year. I take issue with how they do awards, as well, though. They don't allow a write-in period anymore, removed a lot of categories last year, and allow nominations for books that have come out AFTER nominations started (books published that week) that no one except ARC readers would have gotten a chance to read. It's a popularity contest, not a serious award.
there are so many popular genres that wasnt added!!
for all of those bemoaning the lack of diversity here (i would be happy with a more diverse list), this list is compiled by the popularity of the titles amongst goodreads users. perhaps us users should be more diverse...just saying. or just read what calls to you and don't overthink it.
ol wrote: "for all of those bemoaning the lack of diversity here (i would be happy with a more diverse list), this list is compiled by the popularity of the titles amongst goodreads users. perhaps us users sh..."
Yep. It even says it at the beginning of the list, as if the list-maker knew these comments were coming!
"As always, these selections are based on the total number of reader reviews and which titles are making their way to members’ Read and Want to Read shelves."
I have so many of these on my to read list and still managed to find more to add!! Such a good list!
I would love to see some picks for middle grade!
Alison wrote: "Thanks for this! A lot of great recommendations. I noticed nearly all the books are from authors based in the US. Do you recommend books written by authors from the UK, Ireland, Canada, New Zealand..."
Alison wrote: "Thanks for this! A lot of great recommendations. I noticed nearly all the books are from authors based in the US. Do you recommend books written by authors from the UK, Ireland, Canada, New Zealand..."
Kairo is a great book. Here are a few books in translation that I've read: Fem by Magda Carneci (Romanian, 2019), The Fox Wife by Yangzse Choo (Manchuria/China, 2024), What I'd Rather Not Think About by Jente Posthuma (the Netherlands, 2020), Embers by Sandor Marai (Hungry, 1942), Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead by Olga Tokarczuk (Polish, 2019), When We Cease to Understand the World by Benjamin Labatut (nonfictionish, Spanish, 2021). An Irish author I love is Claire Keegan, try anything.
Alison wrote: "Thanks for this! A lot of great recommendations. I noticed nearly all the books are from authors based in the US. Do you recommend books written by authors from the UK, Ireland, Canada, New Zealand..."
Totally agree for a universal site not very diverse unless it's USA based.
Janet wrote: "Dave wrote: "Id like to second Alison's comment, this is an extremely one eyed list in terms of authors origins." You're correct about that, but since the list is compiled by how many folks have re..."
That's a good point!
So far I've read 18 of these and have another 4 on my reading list, this gives me some ideas of some other books to add.
Jeanine wrote: "What an amazing list! I throughly enjoyed Kristin Hannah’s The Women."
What age would you say it is appropriate for?
Jennie wrote: "Law wrote: "I want to read First Lie Wins and The Women. I've read three books from this list, Bride, The Familiar and The Teacher, and all were disappointing."
I thought The Women was over-hyped ..."
...and the research is dreadful. I like her central point--that women did serve in Vietnam, but were denied the services that men that served received--but the other historical details are cringeworthy.
I don't get how "Romantasy" and "Fantasy" can have their separate categories, but "Historical" and "Contemporary" fiction has to be bundled together. Please separate these two! Thanks.
queer people write and exist in romance books too
Hi. I wrote a memoir called Brain Tumours, John Bonham and Fat Pigeons. It's had positive reviews from those that have read it but I only have 19 rating on Amazon and that number hasn't changed in quite a few weeks. How do I promote this book and get others to know about it?
I was disappointed with Murder Road
Listen for the Lie was excellent
Alison wrote: "Thanks for this! A lot of great recommendations. I noticed nearly all the books are from authors based in the US. Do you recommend books written by authors from the UK, Ireland, Canada, New Zealand..."
The Guardian is usually a pretty good source for lists that aren't as US centered. Can't post a link, but tab "Culture" then "Books" has an article on what to read this summer.
Danny wrote: "Beryl wrote: "Because it seems they do the awards before the end of December"
Which then begs the question why they can't wait until the year is over to determine the best books of the year. They ..."
I suspect that end-of-year "best of" lists will always be published between Thanksgiving and mid-December to push holiday sales (or, if we want to be charitable, to help shoppers select their gift purchases). In January, people look forward; in December, they look back; or, at least, that's what they've been conditioned to do.
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They should have these lists reflect the categories in the Goodreads Choice Awards, all of them. And they should add more categories to the GR Choice Awards.
- Non US author
- Indigenous
- POC authors
- Neurodivergent
- Disability Focus
- LGBTQ+
I know they aren't necessarily the popular books, but part of it is you need to really look for them to find them. These lists shouldn't be only to highlight successful books. They should highlight under represented groups.
Here's some New Zealand fiction that has been popular this year for those who are interestedAt The Grand Glacier Hotel
The Night She Fell
The Space Between
The Grimmelings
The Call
When I open the shop
It's shameless that you include the book "The Ministry of Time", which is a copy of the Spanish tv show "El Ministerio del Tiempo". I invite everyone to do the comparation between both plots...
If I understand this correctly, the reason that admin (or other members?) give for the list being USA centric is that the list is an aggregate of books read by members, not an overview of the great books of the year so far as indicated by a cross view of many (or all) newspaper and magazine book reviews, NYT Bestseller lists, etc.But to sort of state the obvious: 'the best of the crop' is an inherently flawed concept in this sense: let's limit an example to one year's books, for the purposes of my point - say, 2024. There are not two categories, but three, regarding the quality of books (for my purposes). There is: the consensual best books, the consensual weak books, and most importantly - the great books that are not mainstream books, or are for specialized tastes, or are unique, small, specific, difficult, any number of traits that a) make them difficult for wide appeal, but b) are not diminished in quality by this fact.
I don't know how you poll for, or measure this third category. But it's the problem with all best of lists. Not every great thing is a broadly loved thing. Some great things are for specialized tastes. And they are very, very different from poorly written books, and every bit the equal of widely popular, good books.
I am so beyond over SJM. Her books are not that good.
I hope that people will consider two books that I really liked. One was The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon, a historical novel that was a real page turner. The other is Real Americans, by Rachel Khong, which traces three generations of people from China to America. I am picking both books for my book club.
For those looking for books by non-US authors and those that take place in the US, enlighten us by writing reviews of these books to bring light and awareness so others may discover them as well. Some will follow you just to see what great (or not so great) book you will read next. Goodreads articles are not the only source. In fact I follow those who read and write reviews often for my main source of new book discoveries, not so much Goodreads articles. #Spreadthereviews.
Law wrote: "I want to read First Lie Wins and The Women. I've read three books from this list, Bride, The Familiar and The Teacher, and all were disappointing."I read The Women and First Lie Wins and enjoyed both.
Cathy wrote: "They should have these lists reflect the categories in the Goodreads Choice Awards, all of them. And they should add more categories to the GR Choice Awards.
- Non US author
- Indigenous
- POC au..."
They should add the middle grade, graphic novel, picture book and poetry categories back, too. Is the Indigenous category meant for every Indigenous author?
I've read 2, one being The Women, which I liked, and the other First Lie wins, which was a disappointment. So, by statistics, does that mean I would like half of the list? 50% is way too high
I too, did not have any of the books on my "to read list", nor have I read any of them. I clicked on just a few I will read reviews on, but it seems like so many popular books are depressing, about murder, etc. I try to read uplifting, funny, or positive stories, classics, etc., so most of what I read doesn't make the lists or is ever included on Bookreads "Books of the year' contest.
So many good ones on this list! I was particularly impressed with Abby Jimenez’ Just For the Summer, which is both a romance and a coming of age story. Of course, Erik Larson is an incredible writer - I’d gladly read his grocery lists…..
I've read, James, The Women, and First Lie Wins. I really enjoyed all three but would highly recommend James and The Women. I put a lot of the books on my want to read list.
No LGBTQ+ category, and of the romance books appear to be straight :/
I agree with the other readers here who are asking for more books by authors from different countries. More translated books and more from Canada, the UK, Australia, and New Zealand.
The Women is wonderful as is KH herself. The music, clothes and vivid Descriptions of the 70s transported me back
Marianne wrote: "Murder Road was very disappointing. I love Simone St James, but this was my least favorite. I’m reading First Lie wins right now and I’m obsessed."I agree, my biggest diappointment this year.
I've read several Aotearoa authors this year, sadly, their books don't often appear on Goodreads.I also, outside of that, read a good deal of British authors. I'd love to see Goodreads extol authors outside of the United states. <3
I agree with Alison, Ines, and Dave! This list should consider international authors - otherwise it is, by no means, a “best books of the year list”. And where is literary fiction?!?!?!
what a helpful list I saw quite a few good recommendations! I have already read heartless hunter and it is a very good storyline!
Are your readers only from the US? Romantasy books should be under romance or fantasy. I don't see you putting this much effort separating romantic suspense or erotic thrillers from their parent genre. Where is poetry? Where is middle grade? Where are graphic novels? Your editorial team is a joke.
Could we see a list for top LITRPG novels? Or maybe progression fantasy too?
Courtney wrote: "How is this list curated? Lots of these aren't even rated 4 stars?"I don't find the average star rating a particularly good measure of the worth of a book, as it can be easily thrown off by brigading. The highest rating books have been up-voted by the author's friends and family, while the lowest rating books have been down-voted by people who dislike the author's politics.
I find that the most interesting books have a good spread of star ratings. People either love or hate them!
Grace wrote: "As a bookseller in Australia, only a small handful of these are popular over here. Some recent bestsellers in our bookstore are Caledonian Road Lola in the Mirror ..."Some of these aren't available in the US yet and therefore, probably didn't make their list of considerations. The company is based in the US and is very US-centered.
Phøenix13 wrote: "Would love to see middle grade get some love. I'm sure there were some great releases on the middle grade scene that we never get to hear about."Check out the groups/lists for Mock Caldecott and Newbery. That has good recs and is updated pretty frequently. Read-alongs, too :)
Riley wrote: "Heartless Hunter is most definitely not YA 😭"Publisher lists it for ages 13-18. They define it as "YA", thus why it's on this list.
Beryl wrote: "Kim wrote: "Why are these mid year checks at the beginning of June? So bizarre."Because it seems they do the awards before the end of December, seem to remember they came out in early December so..."
They usually start mid-November and books published after that are considered in the next year. I take issue with how they do awards, as well, though. They don't allow a write-in period anymore, removed a lot of categories last year, and allow nominations for books that have come out AFTER nominations started (books published that week) that no one except ARC readers would have gotten a chance to read. It's a popularity contest, not a serious award.
there are so many popular genres that wasnt added!!
for all of those bemoaning the lack of diversity here (i would be happy with a more diverse list), this list is compiled by the popularity of the titles amongst goodreads users. perhaps us users should be more diverse...just saying. or just read what calls to you and don't overthink it.
ol wrote: "for all of those bemoaning the lack of diversity here (i would be happy with a more diverse list), this list is compiled by the popularity of the titles amongst goodreads users. perhaps us users sh..."Yep. It even says it at the beginning of the list, as if the list-maker knew these comments were coming!
"As always, these selections are based on the total number of reader reviews and which titles are making their way to members’ Read and Want to Read shelves."
I have so many of these on my to read list and still managed to find more to add!! Such a good list!
I would love to see some picks for middle grade!
Alison wrote: "Thanks for this! A lot of great recommendations. I noticed nearly all the books are from authors based in the US. Do you recommend books written by authors from the UK, Ireland, Canada, New Zealand..."Alison wrote: "Thanks for this! A lot of great recommendations. I noticed nearly all the books are from authors based in the US. Do you recommend books written by authors from the UK, Ireland, Canada, New Zealand..."
Kairo is a great book. Here are a few books in translation that I've read: Fem by Magda Carneci (Romanian, 2019), The Fox Wife by Yangzse Choo (Manchuria/China, 2024), What I'd Rather Not Think About by Jente Posthuma (the Netherlands, 2020), Embers by Sandor Marai (Hungry, 1942), Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead by Olga Tokarczuk (Polish, 2019), When We Cease to Understand the World by Benjamin Labatut (nonfictionish, Spanish, 2021). An Irish author I love is Claire Keegan, try anything.
Alison wrote: "Thanks for this! A lot of great recommendations. I noticed nearly all the books are from authors based in the US. Do you recommend books written by authors from the UK, Ireland, Canada, New Zealand..."Totally agree for a universal site not very diverse unless it's USA based.
Alison wrote: "Thanks for this! A lot of great recommendations. I noticed nearly all the books are from authors based in the US. Do you recommend books written by authors from the UK, Ireland, Canada, New Zealand..."
Reckless by Lauren Roberts!!
Reckless by Lauren Roberts!!
Janet wrote: "Dave wrote: "Id like to second Alison's comment, this is an extremely one eyed list in terms of authors origins." You're correct about that, but since the list is compiled by how many folks have re..."That's a good point!
So far I've read 18 of these and have another 4 on my reading list, this gives me some ideas of some other books to add.
Jeanine wrote: "What an amazing list! I throughly enjoyed Kristin Hannah’s The Women."What age would you say it is appropriate for?
Jennie wrote: "Law wrote: "I want to read First Lie Wins and The Women. I've read three books from this list, Bride, The Familiar and The Teacher, and all were disappointing."I thought The Women was over-hyped ..."
...and the research is dreadful. I like her central point--that women did serve in Vietnam, but were denied the services that men that served received--but the other historical details are cringeworthy.
I don't get how "Romantasy" and "Fantasy" can have their separate categories, but "Historical" and "Contemporary" fiction has to be bundled together. Please separate these two! Thanks.
queer people write and exist in romance books too
Hi. I wrote a memoir called Brain Tumours, John Bonham and Fat Pigeons. It's had positive reviews from those that have read it but I only have 19 rating on Amazon and that number hasn't changed in quite a few weeks. How do I promote this book and get others to know about it?
I was disappointed with Murder RoadListen for the Lie was excellent
Alison wrote: "Thanks for this! A lot of great recommendations. I noticed nearly all the books are from authors based in the US. Do you recommend books written by authors from the UK, Ireland, Canada, New Zealand..."The Guardian is usually a pretty good source for lists that aren't as US centered. Can't post a link, but tab "Culture" then "Books" has an article on what to read this summer.
Danny wrote: "Beryl wrote: "Because it seems they do the awards before the end of December"Which then begs the question why they can't wait until the year is over to determine the best books of the year. They ..."
I suspect that end-of-year "best of" lists will always be published between Thanksgiving and mid-December to push holiday sales (or, if we want to be charitable, to help shoppers select their gift purchases). In January, people look forward; in December, they look back; or, at least, that's what they've been conditioned to do.
I loved “The Teacher” but my coworkers and I were a bit freaked out because … well … we are teachers. We all had to go back and reread the last chapter because we couldn’t believe that final twist!