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Goodreads Members' Top 48 Hit Books of the Year (So Far)
Believe it or not, we're halfway through 2021! As is our tradition, this is the time when the Goodreads editorial team burrows 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 125 million members.
Below you'll find Goodreads' members most popular new books, divided into fiction vs. nonfiction. For anyone who's curious, we measure popularity by how often a book is added to readers' Want to Read shelves. 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, of course).
Scroll over the covers to learn more about each book, and be sure to add the books that pique your interest to your Want to Read shelf!
Fiction
Nonfiction
Which books would you choose as your top picks of the year (so far)? Let us know in the comments!
Comments Showing 1-50 of 97 (97 new)
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Alex
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Jun 14, 2021 01:17AM
100% The Plot by Jean Hanff Korelitz should be on this list, loved that.
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Omg so many of these are on my TBR, can't wait to get through them!!
Yaa Gyasi’s ‘Transcendent Kingdom’ has been my best book of the year so far. I finished it and just sat there thinking “wow, this writer is in a league of her own.”
I will read anything Sally Hepworth writes. She has such a way with words.
The High House by Jessie Greengrass is amazing and very topical.
West with Giraffes by Lynda Rutledge. A beautiful novel!
My top book of 2021 as it sits right now is Unsettled Ground by Claire Fuller. It's not getting the praise it deserves! The Prophets by Robert Jones Jr. is a close second.
Ginny wrote: "My top book of 2021 as it sits right now is Unsettled Ground by Claire Fuller. It's not getting the praise it deserves! The Prophets by Robert Jones Jr. is a close second."I just finished Unsettled Ground! Very good
We Begin At The End by Chris Whitaker should be on the list. That's my favorite fiction read of the year so far.
My two favorites are already on your list: The Good Sister and The Rose Code!
Broken (In the best possible way) by Jenny Lawson is the absolute best book I’ve ever read, in any genre. I absolutely recommend this. The Rose Code was also fantastic, as was The Paris Library!
Hamnet. Hands down, the only book I can remember reading twice, ever, and almost back to back.
Though I wouldn’t quite put it here, I am maybe surprised that The Final Revival of Opal & Nev isn’t on here given it’s Daisy Jones-isness. You know that the next version of this will include The Chosen and the Beautiful? I mean Jordan Baker is the best part of Gatsby…
Kim wrote: "We Begin At The End by Chris Whitaker should be on the list. That's my favorite fiction read of the year so far."Me as well.
I've read The Push and Project Hail Mary and they were both 5☆ reads.
I'm excited for almost every book on the fiction shelf. Can't wait to read them!!
I'm excited for almost every book on the fiction shelf. Can't wait to read them!!
The Authenticity Project by Clare Pooley was one of my favs this year. It was light and uplifting, but also had some depth to it at the same time. I thought it was better than the other three books on this list that I've read.
Maybe You Should Talk to Someone, The Queens Gambit, and What Could Be Saved
Alex wrote: "100% The Plot by Jean Hanff Korelitz should be on this list, loved that."Agreed!
My favourite book of the year so far is Filthy Hot by Serena Akeroyd. Irish Mob with a romantic twist.
I loved Unsettled Ground by Claire Fuller too.
Liked the look of Last Call but it seems I can't buy it because it's only available for pre-order? How can this be on the list of Best so Far?Sean
Hail Mary was a book that I had in my thoughts long after I read it. It gave perspective on many of todays issues in a surprising way. A none suspected ending that was very thoughtful.
Red Island House by Andrea Lee. A real gem of a book, which has stayed with me long after reading.
Mystery- Mother May I by Joshilyn Jackson
Nils wrote: "Hail Mary was a book that I had in my thoughts long after I read it. It gave perspective on many of todays issues in a surprising way. A none suspected ending that was very thoughtful."Agreed! Such an inventive book with such interesting ideas. I loved it - it is an all-time favorite!
Sadeqa Johnson’s Yellow Wife should definitely be on this list!
Can't pick just one: Nightingale, Caste, Codebreaker, All the light you cannot see
Caste, The Warmth of Other Suns, Premonition, and (how did I miss this all my life...?) Moby Dick!
Fire keepers daughter deserves to be on this list
I agree on the Four Winds and the Lost Apothecary. Amazing books.
My favorite of the year is The Book of Lost Names so incredible!
The Nature of Fragile Things by Susan Meissner Beautifully written
Karen wrote: "Sadeqa Johnson’s Yellow Wife should definitely be on this list!"Yes!! An amazing read!
I’m loving The Rose Code! Historical Fiction is my favorite genre.
I read The Four Winds. I thought it was terrible. Grapes of Wrath dumbed down for 6th grade reading level. Klara and the Sun was just weird. Not compelling. Not interesting. Thankfully not that long. It makes me suspicious of a list of popular books. Just because people are reading them doesn’t make them good. Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi (sp?) was very good. The Hidden Brain by Shankar Vedantum is excellent.
Project Hail Mary and Hamnet are my favorites for the last year. Both are 5 stars reads.
[author:Claire Lombardo The Most Fun We Ever HadFirst novel for this talented writer. Good story about four daughters transversing their lives and their amorous parents.
Everything Here is Beautiful by Mira T. Lee
Two sisters, one falls prey to mental illness. The character development and accurate account of mental illness captured my attention.
Jackie wrote: "Why not books published elsewhere?"Wondering the same thing....
I don't see any fantasy on the list so will not be reading any of these.
Karen wrote: "Sadeqa Johnson’s Yellow Wife should definitely be on this list!"Totally agree! The writing was superb!
The Rose Project ---- Well written a historical novel that follows three female codebreakers through WWII. Even though they are from different backgrounds, they become friends. The friends navigate through secrets and romance and much more. Their friendship becomes estranged as each has betrayed one other. To find the Bletchley Park traitor, they come together to solve the Rose Code and bring the traitor to justice. The novel is a bit too long but worth the read.
The Vanishing Half......by Brit Bennett
Kathy wrote: "I read The Four Winds. I thought it was terrible. Grapes of Wrath dumbed down for 6th grade reading level. Klara and the Sun was just weird. Not compelling. Not interesting. Thankfully not that lon..."Agree
