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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 101-150 of 688 (688 new)
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by
Kathy
(new)
Jun 19, 2023 10:48AM
I've read 17 of those books. The best jmo were 1) Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorros; 2) Verity; and 3) The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo. I agree with the Colleen Hoover comments. She's a good writer but much like Danielle Steel in that her books seem to be written with the same algorithm after reading 4 or 5 of her books. I'm reading censored books in Florida. I haven't come across any that would need censoring unless the Moms of Liberty and DeSantis think their kids don't already know LGBTQ+ happenings. Also, trying to read more than one nonfiction. Happy Reading!
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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... 😅😬" Agreed. I had to force myself to finish it. It was just ok for me but everyone is different. I don't understand all the hype around this book.
6/40Recommend Daisy Jones & The Six if you like audiobooks, ensemble casts, and the 70s/rockband culture.
Recommend The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo if you like flawed protagonists, strong female leads, and character driven stories.
Recommend Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow if you like video games, character driven stories, and don't mind slow pacing.
Recommend Book Lovers if you don't mind romance that includes non-romance plot points, witty banter, and low spice.
I also read Spare and It Ends with Us, but they weren't for me.
Julia wrote: "I swear to god, if there are no haters of The Silent Patient left, I'm dead." There is so much about this book that made no sense. I finished it but why do so many people love this book!
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... 😅😬"Ditto!
8/40, and have 10 on my TBR. A few others I'm considering to get to eventually..
5/34, and I have 16 on my TBR. There is many reasons why I have for examples many Colleen Hoover's books on my list. And no, it is not reason, that those books are popular. And for examples when I read even more than 350 books in year, I know what is my book taste. And because I'm Finn, usual some books aren't not so popular in here, anyway. But to me it is usual so big surprise that there is other people to tell us, what we can or can't read. It is so snobbery, and not in a good way.
I have read 16/40 books on the list. Then I have 15/40 on my want to read list. I started Tomorrow, Tomorrow, Tomorrow, but stop reading it. I’m gonna get back to it and give it a chance before the year ends.
I’ve only read 3 off these books. Hardly heard of most of them. I’m four books ahead on my reading challenge and trying to mix it up with non fiction and classic.
I've read 19 of 40. We'll see what I finish before the years up. 2023 is... lackluster. We need some better reads!
I've read 1/40, with about four on my TR list. I only read Kindle Unlimited books. Freida McFadden is my new favorite author.
He leido 6/40 pero de este año solo han sido 3 ._.
I haven’t ready any and have none on my tbr. I don’t know whether I should feel good or bad.
19/40 and not interested of the rest 😂 I do know them all at least
I'm interested in exactly ONE of these books: Matt Haig, The Midnight Library. I knew my reading was outside the Goodreads "usual" and that just confirms it for me.
Sarah wrote: "Side eye to everyone criticizing what people are reading. This is a hobby not homework. Let people read what they want!"Preach!!
Lots of judgemental comments. Clearly people like these books or they wouldn't be as popular as they are. I can say each one of these on the list that I have read has been 5 stars from me.
10 out of 40. Not too bad. Wondering what to read next on vacation-thoughts??
really cool! i'm anticipating reading tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow
I've read 23 of these book! And almost every other is on my TBR
I've read three on this list, and have one still on my TBR. But not interested in the others! To each his/her own. I've read 85 books so far this year, out of my goal of 160.
This list is for people trying to get into reading which isn’t me but I hope you find something 😁
I've only read 7/40 of these, and tbh, none of the other books on this list interest, me, except for "I'm glad my mom died" which I will read in the future.
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... 😅😬"Same! Although, you made it further than I did.
I've done 11. I tried reading Colleen Hoover but I gave up 20 pages into the second one after slogging through the first one.
Outside of the three I have, none of these are inspiring me to add these because I have been exposed to them fifty-eleven times on this site in so many other of these "need some inspiration to read" lists.Yes, they are popular but it becomes a circular thing if you only recommend popular books they remain the only books that can get popular.
Any way the algorithm could find some underrated gems?
Not read a single one. Not even heard of a single one. Ah well.
I’ve read 0/40… help… with 5 (the ACOTAR series) on my TBRSeriously is no one an SJM fan here? I am in love with Aelin Ashryver Whitethorn Galathynius of the Throne of Glass series and we share a name :)
I have read 45/75 books for my challenge
I've only read one of these (last year), but have a few others on my want to read list and I'll probably check out some others (don't think I've read Colleen Hoover in the past, but would be interested to know why some people are mad that others are reading her books...). I've already crushed my challenge for the year though. (I guess reading a lot of short novels around 220 pages is helpful for that!)
Only one in my to read of this year... I thought I was a bit more of a follower, but guess I'm not.
I've read 15 of these books, but somehow none of them this year...
I have a few of these on my tbr list, but I'm working through a stack of books from my local library's lists as well which don't include many if the hot new releases.
Yess wrote: "That's a lot of Colleen Hoover, a little too much actually." ITS LITERALLY OVERWHELMING
Not all of the ACOTAR books being on here and my want to read….. Song of Achilles, ayyyyyy
I've read 10 of these. And Colleen Hoover books are terrible!
I've read 16 of these and feeling really good about them. Wasn’t expecting that
