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The Top 40 Hit Books of the Year (So Far)
We're halfway through the year that time forgot! Ahem...I mean, 2020. Believe it or not, it's June.
Traditionally, this is when the Goodreads editorial team burrows deep into our data to see which books published in the U.S. during the first six months of the year have been most popular, highly anticipated, and highly rated among our collective 105 million members.
Below you'll find those books ranked according to popularity on the site. Note that we eliminated any book that fell below a 3.5 star–average rating from your fellow readers (at the time this article was written, natch). Then, just for fun, we divvied this list up into the two rather large and varied categories of fiction vs. nonfiction.
As always, be sure to add the books that pique your interest to your Want to Read shelf. And happy reading!
Fiction
#1
#2
#3
#4
#5
#6
#7
#8
#9
#10
#11
#12
#13
#14
#15
#16
#17
#18
#19
#20
Nonfiction
#1
#2
#3
#4
#5
#6
#7
#8
#9
#10
#11
#12
#13
#14
#15
#16
#17
#18
#19
#20
Which of these books are you most excited about, and which books would you contend should be among the most popular of the first half of 2020? Let us know in the comments!
Comments Showing 101-150 of 170 (170 new)
message 101:
by
Cecelia
(new)
Jun 16, 2020 08:12PM
I have alot of books on this list on my "want to read" list. Thank you for putting this list together.
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Jodi wrote: "This list's Description says exactly what this is: "...Goodreads editorial team burrows deep into our data to see which books published in the U.S. during the first six months of the year have been..."Yes, but it has the very misleading and US-centric title of The Top 40 Hit Books of the Year (So Far).
And the question is valid. Why only produce a list of the top books published in the US? Why not also produce lists of the top books published in a variety of other countries?
Or why limit it by country at all when it's based on user ratings which apply to all books published everywhere?
Brianna wrote: "This list is very not diverse in terms of authors. A shame given the momentum we’ve seen building around BIPOC authors and the NYT bestsellers list the last few weeks."This was as of June 1: I imagine those titles will skyrocket in future rankings.
This looks like a publishers list on books they want promoted rather than a reader's top rated. And certainly not representing the last 6 months, rather perhaps a very recent period of time.
This is a list of READER FAVORITES! Good Reads compiled it by the ratings given from the readers of these books. Not a list of their own recommendations. Personally, I've only read a few of the books listed here, but I might add a few of them to my TBR list.
Kealy wrote: "I see a lot of people asking why so many are published in the US yet I don't see any suggestions for books published elsewhere that you think should have taken the place of one of these. It's so in..."Well seeing as this is done by how many are sold they could have quite easily just taken the figure from global Amazon instead of US Amazon. People are perfectly within their rights to demand a more global representation from a global website like Goodreads. I find your battleground comments quite amusing - and quite rich seeing as the only culture being represented here is your own. Try and open your mind and think about how you might feel if the "top 40 hit books of the year" was actually only from, say Uganda and nowhere else.
Most interested in Buy Yourself the F*cking Lilies.
I'm interested in very few of them basically due to the fact that I read few books in these catagories.
I think it will be nice for goodreads to have lists of books rated by people based on country being published...it is interesting
Thea wrote: "Only one of these is on my TBR list - The Sun Down Motel and none of these on my Read list. I'm interested why only books published in the US made it to the list, that will rule o..."
I have nothing against books published in America, at the end of the day it shouldn’t matter where the book is published or where the author is from, only how good the story is. However, I live in Northern Ireland and hear about many books through other UK bookstores but these books rarely seem to feature on Goodreads. Some of those books are highly acclaimed and go on to be prize winning. Over time this general lack of recognition by Goodreads for the wider non-US market has made it seem a more ‘fluffy’ site.
Thea wrote: "Only one of these is on my TBR list - The Sun Down Motel and none of these on my Read list. I'm interested why only books published in the US made it to the list, that will rule o..."
That's right. It left out books from different countries and continents. There are many good books that go unnoticed by mass because of these noninclusive events.
I haven't read any of these yet, but they look exciting!Thanks for creating this list.
Thea wrote: "Only one of these is on my TBR list - The Sun Down Motel and none of these on my Read list. I'm interested why only books published in the US made it to the list, that will rule o..."
I have to agree with you. A lot of my artists are not from America
Robin wrote: "This list verified my feelings that 2020 has been a garbage year for new books."Sadly, it's been garbage for pretty much everything.
Absolutely none of these books appeal at all. Maybe if you included some British authors it would be a more appealing list.
Shirley wrote: "I have read 75 books so far this year. I have read none of these and none are on my TBR list."Same here, 75 books and none of them are these.
Elena wrote: "Thea wrote: "True, but we do have a UK specific Amazon in the UK for example...."The way region-specific Amazon versions work also bother me, to be honest. Especially when products with digital d..."
I agree with you on this. When something is published on a certain date, it should be available to everyone everywhere.
I also agree that they should show more non-USA publications. I would be interested to see what books are popular in other countries and have the ability to read those books.
Many people are complaining about how US-centric Goodreads is. What websites do you recommend to get reading suggestions for books published in other countries? Post them here!I hear about a lot of wonderful books from CBC: https://www.cbc.ca/books
Karen wrote: "Absolutely none of these books appeal at all. Maybe if you included some British authors it would be a more appealing list."Lucy Foley, author of The Guest List is British. It's her follow up to The Hunting Party. I quite enjoyed both of her books.
Just for kicks for anyone else interested, Emily St. John Mandel (author of The Glass Hotel on this list) is Canadian. Also wrote Station Eleven (a great read).
I admittedly never have high numbers of Read or Want to Read on these lists offered by Goodreads. I can't rely on them to separate Science Fiction from Fantasy as a rule so I've learnt to take their offerings for what they are. It in no way stops me from the discovery of books I'm interested in. Someone suggested Lists and I have to agree. It has helped me find lists of books that there will never be a featured article on. Just because it's not on the front page doesn't mean the need isn't being supplied & crowdsourced elsewhere on the site.
I guess these books ranked according to popularity on the site, were listed for the US citizens? Pretty biased?
In being a naturally curious person I'm interested in 'why' people think these books aren't worth reading (other than the generic, they are all American authors) as well as specific book suggestions you would offer us.
As a Mexican, I’m disgusted to see American Dirt at the top of the list. I wanted to keep an open mind and read the book but read a few excerpts beforehand and was appalled to see what the writer wrote about a country and culture she is clueless about!
Elena wrote: "Thea wrote: "I'm interested why only books published in the US made it to the list, that will rule o..."Right. I have the same problem with all lists on the Goodreads blog, this really limits the..."
Not sure where it was published but the Glass Hotel is set in Canada by a Canadian author and Canadian literature is distinct from US literature, in my opinion . But yes, lists are all just someone’s opinion.
I've read several of these. GLASS HOTEL is the standout.
Elena wrote: "Thea wrote: "True, but we do have a UK specific Amazon in the UK for example...."The way region-specific Amazon versions work also bother me, to be honest. Especially when products with digital d..."
It's because of the way book publishing contracts are written. The authors have separate contracts to cover specific geographical areas, so until all publishers are licensed to sell in all countries, that's the way it is. Nothing stops you from ordering books from foreign countries, although they are going to be pricey. Since most of our members are in the US, most of the books they have access to are published in the US. The header to the list says that these are the books that have shown up on the most anticipated lists, to be read lists, read lists, and with higher reader ratings. It's largely a popularity contest. Believe me, if we had a million members in France gobbling up a specific French title, it would have shown up here.
I've read 2--rated them highly as they were very good, and have another half dozen on my TBR list
B.A. wrote: "I keep seeing these lists and they are biased to best selling US authors. Give a Canadian indie some love: https://www.amazon.ca/Someones-Story-..."This particular list is based on popularity--it says so right up front. No author or region is excluded at all, but unless widely available to lots of members, it just won't get the numbers to show up here. The 2 books from this list that I read were excellent, and one was from a small press. Neither was highly promoted. OTOH, I read a couple that were hugely buzzed, both were awful, and neither is on this list. I'm a librarian and can tell you for certain that many of these books have very long hold lists at my library and--when we are again fully open--will generate purchases of multiple copies to meet demand.
I found My Sister The Serial Killer on Goodreads. Definitely not American.
I have read some terrific stories this year, and I don't see a single one of them on this list.
I see Covid has made some of you even more bitter than you were.
unapologetic_bibliosmia wrote: "Only one of these is on my TBR list - The Sun Down Motel and none of these on my Read list. I'm interested why only books published in the US made it to the list, that will rule o..."
Emily St John Mandel is Canadian, not American.
Has anyone here read Dear Edward or My Dark Vanessa? Those are great, two of my favorites! Sad to read so many negative comments here!
Julia wrote: "Goodreads comments sections are seriously full of the most miserable people on the internet. Good lord."Just thinking the same thing! Sheesh
Patricia wrote: "I have read some terrific stories this year, and I don't see a single one of them on this list."Agreed, same
I read Chain of gold and Crescent city from this list. Both DNF. I should probably avoid the others.
Bonjour svp comment on lire les livres. J'essaie de cliquer sur veut lire mais je ne lis rien inh.
Thea | (unapologetic_bibliosmia) wrote: "Only one of these is on my TBR list - The Sun Down Motel and none of these on my Read list. I'm interested why only books published in the US made it to the list, that will rule o..."
Goodreads has been called out a lot recently for only promoting books by popular authors, published in certain places, or that follow specific political agendas. There was a mass of comments complaining about 2 months ago that they had massive authors promoting more upcoming and new-release books by their friends and nobody within the reading or self-publishing community got to give recommendations.
I mean... there's a few of these on my TBR, but can you stop promoting the same type of book over and over and over again because it's either by a popular author, or because the topic is trending politically? I want to see a diverse range of books. There's been a lot of fantastic books published in Japan and translated that get completely ignored, and British authors too.
Sarah wrote: "Elena wrote: "Thea wrote: "True, but we do have a UK specific Amazon in the UK for example...."The way region-specific Amazon versions work also bother me, to be honest. Especially when products ..."
i'm British and Australian living in the USA and cannot enter kindle competitions as apparently i don't live in the right region?!?!?! Amazon delivers to me lol they can manage that at least!!!!
We should have a region wise list... For example, I would love to see which books tops the list in India, fiction as well as non-fiction...
Certainly that is not difficult rocket-science, few clicks should make it possible for GoodReads...
How ITF is DEACON KING KONG not on this list?! I just finished that 5-star read on audio and it was excellent. Forget the Oprah rec if that's what's been putting you off. I usually don't pay attention to those celebrity recs, either. If you don't read the latest by James McBride, you will miss out. This is an excellent book straight from the heart that literally stopped me in my tracks more than once.
Santosh wrote: "We should have a region wise list... For example, I would love to see which books tops the list in India, fiction as well as non-fiction..."
That would be interesting!
It’s not just US published though is it. Lucy foley for example... English and lives in England.
Robin wrote: "This list verified my feelings that 2020 has been a garbage year for new books."Not just about books...trying to find delight in anything this year!
Santosh wrote: "We should have a region wise list... For example, I would love to see which books tops the list in India, fiction as well as non-fiction...."
Yeah, that'd be great, Top 10 per area or something. Of course what "area" means and how many you have can be a big discussion, maybe first time you do it is not perfect but still will be pretty interesting!
