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Goodreads Members' Top 72 Hit Books of the Year (So Far)
We’re halfway through 2022—that seemed awfully fast, didn’t it?—so it’s time once again for our annual check-in of Goodreads’ most popular new books of the year (so far).
The listings below represent the books that have generated the most interest and enthusiasm from Goodreads members in the first half of the year. The editorial team measures this by tallying up reader reviews and watching how often a particular title is added to readers’ Want to Read lists. We’ve also limited the selections to books that have a 3.5-star or better average star rating.
As of this writing, Goodreads has more than 140 million members worldwide, so the number crunching can get pretty serious. This time around, we’ve also chopped up the results by genre.
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
#1
#2
#3
#4
#5
#6
#7
#8
#9
#10
#11
#12
Mystery & Thriller
#1
#2
#3
#4
#5
#6
#7
#8
#9
#10
#11
#12
Sci-Fi & Fantasy
#1
#2
#3
#4
#5
#6
#7
#8
#9
#10
#11
#12
Romance
#1
#2
#3
#4
#5
#6
#7
#8
#9
#10
#11
#12
Young Adult
#1
#2
#3
#4
#5
#6
#7
#8
#9
#10
#11
#12
Nonfiction
#1
#2
#3
#4
#5
#6
#7
#8
#9
#10
#11
#12
Comments Showing 51-100 of 288 (288 new)
Steve wrote: "Sci-Fi and Fantasy are NOT the same thing. They should have two distinct categories. By grouping them together you are saying that Asimov and Tolkien wrote the same sort of books."Also, they usually just put YA fantasy in it, not scifi and fantasy for an adult audience, it bothers me a lot
Eleanor wrote: "Robbie wrote: "I don't trust any list that once had The Midnight Library as #1"Well, The Midnight Library is rated 4.05 on Goodreads, so a lot of people must love it. Just because you didn't enjo..."
So true! And books defined as best by folks who read half a dozen books a year are likely to be quite different that those selected as best by those who read several hundred or more. I think this particular feature just ranks books by how many folks have read them.
I think a lot of books on this list were heavily promoted by publishers, creating demand that libraries quickly accommodated. If you go to your library's website, you will see that lots of "popular" titles were in great demand when they first come out but now sit on the shelves--both real and digital--with almost empty hold lists. OTOH, there are some very good books on this list. A couple I read were quite awful.
Barbara wrote: "I loved The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab"Only problem is that it was published in 2020, and this article is about books published so far in 2022. The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue is being read by lots of folks and is on the list of books folks have read this year as part of their 2022 reading challenge
https://www.goodreads.com/blog/show/2303
Some of these are on my To Raad List. Kindle Prime Reading wait list for some are as long as 6 months. Most are not available via Overdrive Libby library app. Due to health issue, I have been unable to walk to public library to check out new books.
Marrying the Ketchups by Jennifer Close is a very fun read-especially if you are from Chicago.
Robbie wrote: "I don't trust any list that once had The Midnight Library as #1"Agree
Robbie wrote: “I don't trust any list that once had The Midnight Library as #1”Someone had to say it…
Tony wrote: "Please separate Science fiction from the Fantasy genre... we keep begging."I AGREE!!!
Steve wrote: "Sci-Fi and Fantasy are NOT the same thing. They should have two distinct categories. By grouping them together you are saying that Asimov and Tolkien wrote the same sort of books."I don't know why they keep doing that stupidity. It is so ANNOYING.
Janet wrote: "Eleanor wrote: "Robbie wrote: "I don't trust any list that once had The Midnight Library as #1"Well, The Midnight Library is rated 4.05 on Goodreads, so a lot of people must love it. Just because..."
Well said Janet.
Tony wrote: "Please separate Science fiction from the Fantasy genre... we keep begging."Can't agree more!
Robbie wrote: "I don't trust any list that once had The Midnight Library as #1"Ha, same
Barbara wrote: "I loved The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab" I do too, but it is not published in 2022
I've just added about 22 books to my already huge tbr... I love Goodreads!🙃
PinkPanthress wrote: "Hmhmm, yummy! :DMany of these are on my read or to-read List… lovely!"
ME TOOOOOO
13 to be exact.
Oh the WAITING!
Couldn't even last 6 days into Pride Month before it was changed to something else. Poor show Amazon...
I really liked Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt.
Where are the lgbtq books?
That's a great suggestion Tony wrote: "And how about a category for European and Nordic genres?????"
Robbie wrote: "I don't trust any list that once had The Midnight Library as #1"If it's any consolation, this list is for the most "popular" not the "best" books of 2022.
Tony wrote: "Please separate Science fiction from the Fantasy genre... we keep begging."Thank you and exactly!
Nice list, I've added some of them to my list... Reading some old classic titles lately, it's good to take new ones for a contemporary refresh.
David wrote: "Add Horror!"Seconded! Thirded! Demanded!
I'm surprised that only one of these books are on my TBR pile and I'm even more surprised as there are so many books that I thought would on it this year..
Eleanor wrote: "Robbie wrote: "I don't trust any list that once had The Midnight Library as #1"Well, The Midnight Library is rated 4.05 on Goodreads, so a lot of people must love it. Just because you didn't enjo..."
Exactly. It is almost as if literature like all art is subjective.
The Betrayal of Anne Frank: A Cold Case Investigation??!Experts around the world support our criticism – without exception. Historians, specialist journalists and scientists have torn the results up in thin air and accused the cold case team of charlatanism. The book is fundamentally wrong and accumulates hundreds of factual errors
droog-mag.nl
/2022/interview-yves-kugelmann-welt.html
Anne Frank betrayal book pulled by publisher as historians discredit findings of cold case investigation
news.sky.com.story
anne-frank-betrayal-book-pulled-by-publisher-as-historians-discredit-findings-of-cold-case-investigation-12573390
A favorite of mine that just came out is Pharaoh's Ticks by Kenneth J. Stein!!! This should be way more popular, it's definitely a thriller!
A Year of Marvelous WaysThe Rose Code
Wanderlust
My top books of the year.
Daughter of the Moon Goddess seems promising!
Barbara wrote: "I loved The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab"Same, it was amazing. I love the way that she writes, she really brings the story to life.
Just read Daughter of the Moon Goddess, and it rightly deserves 3rd in Fantasy (even if it should be #1 imo). Saw Ruta Sepetys' name too! Fantastic writer
Many of these were on my to read list already! Favourite read of the year so far: The Wisdom of Crowds.
How about just "fiction" and "non-fiction" rather than categorizing books into a dizzying array of genres.
I’d like to see a history category as non-fiction is rather broad, hence why I have not read any of the above. My favorite so far this year is Ways and Means: Lincoln and His Cabinet and the Financing of the Civil War . It is an excellent and detailed discussion of an aspect of the American Civil War that rarely has readable, well presented research.
Barbara wrote: "I loved The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab"Me too!!
Shruti wrote: "Tony wrote: "Please separate Science fiction from the Fantasy genre... we keep begging."I Support Totally."
Ditto!!
Erin wrote: "Why is horror always left out of these lists?"Agree. Goodreads treats horror like such a second class citizen, even though it's a hugely popular genre.
Yes, every review I've seen has been positive. Probably my favorite book so far this year!