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The 60 Most Read Books of the 2022 Reading Challenge
As the final days of the year tick themselves off the calendar, the 2022 Goodreads Reading Challenge is coming to a close. Sincere congratulations to all who participated, and can we just say…wow. More than 6.5 million (!) readers took the challenge this year, pledging to read more than 320 million (!!) books. That’s a lot of page-turning. Maybe there’s an alternative energy source here?
If you’re curious about which books were the most read in this year’s challenge, well, so were we. We’ve listed below the Top 60 books marked as Read (as opposed to, say, Want to Read) by those who signed up for the challenge. These are the raw numbers from Goodreads regulars, reporting on the books they finished in 2022.
The big takeaway, which quickly becomes apparent, is that author Colleen Hoover is the undisputed queen of publishing this year. She’s claimed 4 of the top 10 slots on our list, and 5 of the top 12. Hoover’s story is pretty amazing, and her success speaks to the supernova power of online reviews, viral reaction videos, and BookTok.
Those same online dynamics powered a huge surge for romance novels generally, romantic comedies specifically, and several individual books that broke through to mainstream pop culture in 2022. You’ll also find plenty of the year’s most talked-about titles in science fiction, memoirs, fantasy, thrillers, historical fiction, and existential ennui.
Check out our list, add anything promising to your own Want to Read shelf, and feel free to continue the conversation in the comments section.
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What are some of your favorite reads so far this year from your 2022 Reading Challenge? Let us know in the comments!
And be sure to check out more recent articles.
And be sure to check out more recent articles.
Comments Showing 1-50 of 327 (327 new)
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Keri
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Dec 05, 2022 12:53PM
Only 3 for me in total and only one that I have read as yet.
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Colleen Hoover... Loved a couple of her earlier books but I can't get past Verity.Surprised Harry Potter continues to be on most read books lists.
I have read 21 of these, but not all in this past year.
Not to sound negative, but it's a shame these books are the most read. So many other great genres out there. They seemed a bit all the same type of book.
I have read 8 out of the 60! I have 9 of the 60 I still want to read! This is cool that GoodReads published this data; thank you!
I've read 4 out of these 60 books this year. I'm surprised just how many Coleen Hoover books are on this list
I have read two; one prior to this year.I own two that I have not yet read.
And I currently have seven on my wishlist.
Can we have a most read list that doesn’t include Colleen Hoover?
Read 22 out of the 60 but not all this year ! And then most of the rest of them are on my tbr
wow apparently I'm super mainstream (I've read 32 of these)😅🙃and almost all others are on my tbr😂
Benjamin wrote: "Not to sound negative, but it's a shame these books are the most read. So many other great genres out there. They seemed a bit all the same type of book."I agree a disappointing list of “light” reading.
I've read 4 of these, and own 5 that I haven't gotten to yet. 9 out of 60 isn't too bad considering I'm not interested in romance or Colleen Hoover.
Benjamin wrote: "Not to sound negative, but it's a shame these books are the most read. So many other great genres out there. They seemed a bit all the same type of book."i agree tbh
Oh dear, so cool that people read a lot, but such a pity that some of the most read books this year are from a lady that does not really know how to formulate a sentence properly.I read two of her books and at least I will give her the credit of knowing how to make you addicted to her plots, but writing for real is something different that I take seriously.
Benjamin wrote: "Not to sound negative, but it's a shame these books are the most read. So many other great genres out there. They seemed a bit all the same type of book."I agree with you. At the end, people read what they like. What surprises me it's that most people say they read serious and here is the proof they're lying.
I've read the top 33. 1 away from completing the top 44.
I've read 35 of these (I'm sure not all in 2022). Several are also on my "want it" or "to read" shelf. Not bad...
I've read seven of these. Some were good to me, others not so much.
This should be retitled as "The 60 Most Basic Books". Ok some exceptions apply but still.
I've read 11/60 of them and 7/60 are on my TBR list ^__^
Benjamin wrote: "Not to sound negative, but it's a shame these books are the most read. So many other great genres out there. They seemed a bit all the same type of book."I agree, but I think this list is more indicative of the people who use Goodreads than people who read in general.
I read 4 of these books, it was Song of Achilles, The Love Hypothesis, A Court of Thorns and Roses, and A Court of Mist and Fury
I've read seven of these, but interested in reading several others!My favorite from this list was "Crying in H Mart" by Michelle Zauner.
Abi wrote: "I've read 4 out of these 60 books this year. I'm surprised just how many Coleen Hoover books are on this list"She's definitely in her peak right now! Verity put her on the map, sky rocketing all her other work.
Read 14 of these books. My favourite would be 'Circe' and 'The song of Achilles'. 2 of them were by CoHo. Regret!
I've read 15 of those and want to read 20 of them. Project Hail Mary was definitely one of my favorites and Daisy Jones & The Six, as well as Lessons in Chemistry.Project Hail Mary
Daisy Jones & The Six
Lessons in Chemistry
Out of almost 400 books, My personal 5 star reads for 2022 have been:
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My favorite from this list that I read this year was Lessons in Chemistry. Great book, cover doesn't do it justice. My favorites that are not on the list that I highly recommend are: The People we Keep, Black Cake, The Hearts Invisible Furies, Once there were Wolves & Cloud Cuckoo Land
I've read a number of these books but surprised that many of those read on this list, I've only given 3 stars. My favorite this year were: Sea of Tranquility,
Shrines of Gaiety,
Desert Star -- Michael Connelly at his best,
Black Cake,
Harlem Shuffle,
The Lioness,
The Love Songs of W.E.B. Du Bois,
Trust,
Legendborn,
Dirt Creek, and
Great Circle.
19. There are way too many CH books on here, though. There were so many other great books out this year, it’s so weird to me that those books are as popular as they are. I’m one of the weirdos who didn’t get the hype of Verity when I read it. But that’s just my opinion. 🤷🏻♀️
most if not all are on my to-be read & I have them on my physical shelf. 24 of these I've read :)
I've read a whopping two from this list this year, seven if you include 2020 and 2021. Then again, I don't like romance as a rule and don't understand the Colleen Hoover hype. My favorite titles this year were The Book Eaters by Sunyi Dean, The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss (I was a little late to the party), and Africa Risen.
When it comes to ARCs that have yet to be released, I thoroughly enjoyed Maeve Fly, The Lies of the Ajungo, Dual Memory, and Nothing but the Rain.
