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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 151-200 of 327 (327 new)
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Hayley
(new)
Dec 08, 2022 08:19AM
28 for me on this list! But most of them not this year, not a ton of new new books on here
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wow! i have read almost half (29) of these books and still have quite a few on my to-read list!
41 out of 60 and a few on my TBR list.
Are almost none of these books written by BIPOC authors? And for those wanting to know about the Colleen Hoover explosion, read the Oct 2022 NY Times article. Goodreads doesn't permit links in comments (sorry) but you can Google it.
Interesting. I’ve read 21 and have 10 on the want to list.
I’ve read 20 and more on on my tbr!! I don’t think I’ll reach my goal this year but it’s been fun!
Jason wrote: "I've read the top 33. 1 away from completing the top 44."The year isn't over yet :-)
I have read 6 from this list (5 this year). This data is so interesting but I am starting to feel like I am the only one who doesn't want to read Colleen Hoover?! Starting to think I need to give her a try but I don't know why, I cant bring myself to.This list is good cool though, I have just added 4 to my TBR from it :)
I think my favourite book this year has been the Invisible Life of Addie LaRue and I read it in January. Nothing else has matched up so far!
25read and 3 dnf. Aaaaaaaaa. I’m a victim of hype i guess😬
Two on the list, highly recommend the book thief by Marcus Zusak, shed some tears last night.
I've read 23 of these, not all in the last year. A good number of these are also already on my TBR shelf! I have added a few extras, however.
I haven’t read any of these books 🤷🏻♀️. I do have one of them as want to read though.
Read 6 books out of 60. Good to see these data.
14 of 60 but at least seven more on my TBR. I’ll be right back lol
do your brains a favour and read books that challenge you. light reads (like most on this list) are nice and all, they might be a pleasant starting point, but settling for just that is a great waste of your potential.
Hoping for more memoirs or mystery thriller. Not just romance.
I've read 23 Books from the list, and a couple more are on my wish list :)
I've read 6 on this list. But that is probably due to the fact I mostly read & follow Black and WoC authors. I tried following BookTok & found I had 0 interest in most of the books they suggested.
Read 16/60 plus several are dnfs. But not all from last year.
I see that about every other book is by Colleen Hoover! Is she really that good of an author or is this a passing faze?
I have read 31 of them! All this year, I am aiding these statistics haha
I have only heard of one of those (Harry Potter), and have no interest in reading it.
i've read half of the books on this list
It's been a good reading year. I've read 7 of these. Looking forward to next years challenge!
Maybe people went for light reads because we've just come out of a shit show of the last 3 years and needed cheering up
I've read about 5 on this list... and the rest aren't even on my To Be Read list.Might be nice to see the 60 or even the 100 most read books for each genre? Such as nonfiction, crime, fantasy etc.
Read 26 out of these 60 books, not all in this past year though.But…
Colleen Hoover must be stopped. Her books are on every single one of these lists. And not just one title, more like 5-10 🙃 But good for her. I just want to see something new
Read 7/50 I guess I have more reading to go
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."My sentiments exactly. I'm increasingly miffed also by the Goodreads Choice Awards; populism sucks--in politics and in literature!
BWAHAHAHA
Amber wrote: "Then again, I don't like romance as a rule and don't understand the Colleen Hoover hype."TRUTH -- so blech
Tatiana wrote: "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 he..."
Full disclosure: I haven't read any of Colleen Hoover's books, but the fact that several Goodreads readers have remarked on her poor writing makes me wonder about many of the other Goodreads folks -- at least the ones who join the annual challenge. To me it's painful to read poorly written books. The book has to have a LOT of other positives to make me want to finish it. A narrative full of poor or clumsy writing pulls me, as a reader, out of the story. It overwhelms the story, & makes it frustrating to read. Most often, I stop reading & find something better.
Shrijal wrote: "Read 13 of these books. My favourite would be 'Circe' and 'The song of Achilles'"Both of these were challenging AND excellent, in my opinion.
I wish there were more nonfiction books on this list. I love fiction -- really, I love lots of different kinds of books. I don't understand why there aren't more biographies, autobiographies/memoirs, & history or current affairs books on this list. Great nonfiction books I've read this year include "The Invention of Nature: Alexander von Humboldt's New World," by Andrea Wulf; "Between Two Kingdoms: A Memoir of a Life Interrupted," by Suleika Jaouad; "A Feeling for the Organism: The Life and Work of Barbara McClintock," ; "Wanderlust: A History of Walking," by Rebecca Solnit; and "The Last Stargazers: The Enduring Story of Astronomy's Vanishing Explorers," by Emily M. Levesque. These were all mind-opening & eye-opening books. They weren't tedius or hard to understand. Not all were new, "A Feeling for the Organism" was published in 1983 and "Wanderlust" in 2000. I checked both of these books out of my local library; I had to use interlibrary loan to get "A Feeling for the Organism," but that wasn't difficult. Why do so many readers seem to avoid nonfiction, which is often more compelling that many fictional tales? I guess I'm weird & nerdy, because I want to know how the world operates and how it operated in the past.
I have read 30 with about 10 more on my TBR list.
I have read 4 books on this list, & loved all 4:
I already had a few of the other books on my TBR list; I've now added 14 more!
I've never read any of Colleen Hoover's books, but some of them sound good, so I'll give her a try.
It's a shame there aren't many Fantasy, (Classic, Urban or Paranormal) or Sci-Fi books on the list - I know that Fantasy, especially, is a popular genre & there are some amazing authors out there.
Read 4 this year (no coho) want to read 6! Read 2 in previous year :)
Not a Colleen Hoover Fan, but I have read 6 others, with a few on my “want to read” pile.
26 out of 60! And a few others on my TBR
I’ve read 39 of the 60 (several were before this year.) I think I’ve been intentional to not read the ones on the list that I haven’t read yet for various reasons. Of course I’ve read some books with more depth than some of these listed, but I’m also glad I’ve read these ‘popular’ books. I read mostly for enjoyment these days, and I enjoyed most of these that I read.
Yes! I like this data based list. I have read 14 from the list. Not many of which were read during 2022.
