Goodreads Members' 60 Most Popular Books from the Past Five Years

From non-fiction to fantasy, here are Goodreads members' top 12 most popular books from each of the past five years. And we're delighted to report that there is something for almost every genre of reader in our latest roundup!
Got a hankering for horror? Be sure to check out Mexican Gothic, the latest by Silvia Moreno-Garcia. Romcom and romance lovers will be swept away by two favorites from Emily Henry, Beach Read and People We Meet on Vacation. Fans of former first lady Michelle Obama join her on her journey to the White House in Becoming. And if you're into sci-fi, you won't want to miss the interstellar space trip, Project Hail Mary, published this year by The Martian author, Andy Weir.
The books that rise to the top of each year's top 12—which are determined by the number of reviews, Want to Read shelvings, and average ratings—are sure to surprise and delight readers that want to expand beyond their familiar favorites. Be sure to add the titles that make you do a double-take or pique your curiosity to your Want to Read shelf!
2017
2018
2019
2020
2021
How many of these books have you read and what are some of your favorites? Share them with us in the comments below!
Check out more recent articles:
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Staff Picks: Goodreads Employees’ Top Reads of 2021
Check out more recent articles:
44 Short New Books to Crush Your Reading Challenge
Lose yourself in These New High Fantasy Worlds
Staff Picks: Goodreads Employees’ Top Reads of 2021
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Dec 06, 2021 09:56PM
Is there a similar list for non-fiction?
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I have read four and have 10 on my to read list. I have been slacking on reading so this is a good reminder to get on it.
Addie Larue was the #2 book of 2020, but did not win a Choice Award in its category. Lost out to the #8 book. Perhaps the reason was that it was published later in the year, and didn’t have enough readers at the time of the vote.
Bonnie G. wrote: "I have read 18 of these. It surprises me how many I have read since I don't gravitate to bestsellers. There are four 2-star reads among the 18 and one I disliked too much to finish so I didn't give..."Oooh and we'd love to know the book you quit.
17 for me and will likely finish another two from this list before the end of the year. Great choices!
It’s rather interesting that 90% of these books are female-authored? Only 6/60 were written by men. Not that I have an issue with female authors—some of the best books I’ve read were written by women—but it definitely seems odd, especially considering that the wide majority of books on the NY Times Best-Seller List were authored by men. The only answer I can think of is that the majority of Goodreads members are women, and women tend to gravitate more towards books written by other women, while male readers—generally—don’t have a preference for one gender over another. Thoughts?
I’ve read 31 of these and they were all really good. I’ll have to work my way thru the rest of this list!
I've only read five books from that list and only one from 2021 and I didn't fully love a single one of those.
This list explains why Goodreads mostly seems to cater to women over 25. All of their lists, articles and other content seems to ignore the interests of a lot of "male" readers.
Heather wrote: "Interestingly, the books from this list that I did read were some of my lowest rated books in those years. Just because something is popular doesn't mean it is good."I can relate to that. I haven't read any on this list. Actually, I haven't really been visiting Goodreads until the past 6 months. And I've been surprised by a lot of the 'best books' lists and recommendations, that so few of them appeal to me. And many popular books I have read I've stopped reading the author. I guess I am marching to a different drum. [g]
Out of the 30 that i know and have been in my tbr, i only managed to have read 7. Guess i should speed up ahhaha
27, and it's strange that the number for each year diminished as the years went by. Wonder if that was my taste changing or the quality of the books offered.
I think I have only read three from there and honestly some of the books arent THAT great but hey… WHERE IS "You've reached Sam" ON HERE? Like what? huh?
I DNFd about 10 of these. The only one I finished was Mexican Gothic which I gave 3 stars.Conclusion: I should stay away from popular books!
Whatever happened to the "most read" year lists? I feel like they keep hiding the data more and more... :(
























