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The 40 Most Read Books of the 2023 Goodreads Reading Challenge (So Far)
Time once again, gentle readers, for our midyear check-in on the Goodreads Reading Challenge, in which readers push themselves by pledging to read a set number of books for the year. Lots of activity this time around! Six million participants and more than 250 million books pledged?! Crazy numbers!
We’ve collected below the most popular books completed so far in this year’s Reading Challenge. That is to say, the books that people are marking "read" as part of this year's Challenge.
There are a few clear takeaways here at the halfway point. As is typical, the list tends to favor a few Very Popular Authors, each of whom has multiple individual books clocking in. For instance, Colleen Hoover, Taylor Jenkins Reid, and Sarah J. Maas. Romance continues to be a popular genre in the Challenge, but you’ll find other specimens, too: domestic thrillers, inventive fantasy, giant octopi, this sort of thing. Not surprisingly, you’ll also find plenty of nominees and winners of past Goodreads Choice Awards.
Take a leisurely scroll through the images below, click through the cover images for more details, and feel free to add to your own Want to Read shelf.
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What are some of your favorite reads so far this year from your own 2023 Reading Challenge? Let us know in the comments!
Comments Showing 51-100 of 688 (688 new)
message 51:
by
Anna
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Jun 19, 2023 05:24AM
2/40
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8/40, and my TOP are:3rd - The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo
2nd - Verity
1st - One True Loves
I agree with alot of people's opinions: there are much better books than these. Inheritance Games were the only good choice. And im kind of tired of seeing Hoover books hype over nothing
Kathi wrote: "i try not to be judgy, but damn .. please read better books lol"preach
vivienne wrote: "this list is abysmal? do ppl not get tired of reading the same shit over n over again? how are 90% of the most read books this horrible."ya'll are embarrassing honestly. let people enjoy what they enjoy. everyone's tastes are different.
I haven't read any of these and not even tempted to read any from this list. None of these are from the genre I usually read.
I've only read the Housemaid of these 40, I have Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow on my shelf but I don't tend to follow what is popular, there are so many great backlist books.
I have none of these on my TBR and don't plan to. For me, popular books are hit or miss. And many of these are a miss for me based on their descriptions. I'm fine reading books that appeal to me.
I've read almost all of the books above. I did not expect that lol.
I've read: Daisy Jones & the Six, The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, Tomorrow & Tomorrow & Tomorrow, Verity, The Housemaid, Carrie Soto is Back, and Malibu Rising. I really enjoyed all of them. Tomorrow & Tomorrow & Tomorrow was my not just my fave out of the 7, but one of my fave books of all time (warning it is a little dense- lots of big words, not for casual "beach" reading). All of Taylor Jenkins Reid books were fun and great as well, the best being Evelyn Hugo (these 4 novels share characters so I'd recommend reading them in order of release)
Yess wrote: "That's a lot of Colleen Hoover, a little too much actually."I blame Tiktok.
Can Colleen Hoover and SJ Maas please have their own lists or not be included with multiple books? It’s getting freaking ridiculous.
0/40 but seven are on my TBR list. So maybe before the year's out.
People really out here putting themselves on pedestals over what they perceive to be acceptable reading material. I'm never going to read a Colleen Hoover book, but if it makes someone else's trip around the sun a little less miserable, why not just leave it alone?
Dana wrote: "I'm getting really tired of seeing these same titles everywhere, on booktok and bookstagram and displayed prominently in bookstores."Its so interesting to me! There are so many books in the world yet it seems everyone is reading the same ones lol. I guess there are trendy books just like trendy clothes lol
I only read 1 Twisted Love and need to continue the series with Twisted Games, I'm reading 3 and 20 or more Want to read shelf hahahah
Amber wrote: "Y’all need to read some non fiction like damn. And step away from the Colleen Hoover."Exactly!
I’ve read 18, not all this year though. Several more are on my TBR.
I wonder how many of those books were Amazon First Reads. There are so many by Colleen Hoover and Sarah J. Maas. I haven't completed any of the 40 books. I started Daisy Jones & the Six,, but I didn't like it. I don't remember why. My favorite genres aren't popular apparently.
Well, you can see the chokehold TikTok has on the publishing industry from this list. Smh.
Jessica wrote: "I DNF'ed Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow at about 75 pages in... Didn't know where it was going and there wasn't ANYTHING happening imo... 😅😬"I would recommend trying again and sticking it out.
I've read several of these, though not all of them were this year.Daisy Jones & The Six- ****
I'm Glad My Mom Died- *****
Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow- ****
Spare- ****
The Midnight Library- *****
November 9- ***
The Song of Achilles- ****
Malibu Rising- *****
The Last Thing He Told Me- ****
Rania wrote: "I read some of those years ago. There are tones of better writers out there."Hopefully some of them know the difference between "tones" and "tons."
Agreed. The only books on this list which I even recognize are a self-serving memoir by a failed prince and a homoerotic riff on Homer. When I consider how many classic works of Literature and scholarship are on my lifetime TBR list, I weep for the future of the Republic.
Amber wrote: "Y’all need to read some non fiction like damn. And step away from the Colleen Hoover."Hard agree.
The only books on the list I recognise are the SJM (Sarah J. Maas - one of my fav authors) books (ACOTAR series) WHICH I REALLY WANT TO READ but I agree there are so many great books/authors out there that are not on here. If I could add books, I would add a ton of YA novels eg. Throne of Glass series, The Roots of Chaos series, Red Queen series, Legend series, The Selection series… and throw in LOTR while I’m at it.I haven’t read any of these books, but I’m really keen to start the ACOTAR series. Any one else a fan of SJM here?
Rameen wrote: "lots of coho and sjm. do better everyone"SJM is great! She’s one of my fav authors and I love the ToG series! (Especially because my name is actually Aelin :D )
Not CH and AH books….absolutely no thanks. Wish there was more sci-fi, there are so many gems 😕
I've never read Colleen Hoover so maybe that's why I don't get the hype, but I definitely get hardcore, "no one that actually reads good books reads this crap" vibes based on how often I see her books on grocery store shelves, so I will continue to stay away. ✌🏽
I read Malibu Rising last year, it was ok.Read Lessons In Chemistry this year, really liked it.
None of the others on on my TBR.
Just finished Project Hail Mary, loved it, amazing in audio!
d e v y n wrote: "Not CH and AH books….absolutely no thanks. Wish there was more sci-fi, there are so many gems 😕"I agree - honestly this list is terrible.
Read 10, only 2 of them this year and no Colleen Hoover I'm 48 books into this years challenge.
Kathi wrote: "i try not to be judgy, but damn .. please read better books lol"I am with you! Most of these (IMO) are middle school books.
Side eye to everyone criticising what people are reading. This is a hobby not homework. Let people read what they want!
why are 15% of this list colleen hoover books???
In the immortal words of Dean Wormer “Zero point Zero.”
"A Confederacy of Dunces" is a book title which accurately describes the bulk of American readers today, as proved by this list.
I haven't read a single one of these books this year, welp 😄
