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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 251-300 of 688 (688 new)
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Maureen
(new)
Jun 20, 2023 09:32AM
I’ve read 19/40. I’ve surpassed my challenge goal. I have a few TBRs that I own that I really want to get to, but then a library book becomes available and I let that take priority because I only have it for a limited time. I need to stop requesting library books for a bit. So many books, so few hours to read! (Ah, for that to be my worst problem…)
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In this list, I only read The Song of Achilles a few years ago (and it was amazing) but I'm really not tempted by anything else.
I guess I read different books. Not one James Patterson or John Grisham made the list???
I do not usually prefer the steampunk genre, but after reading The Orb and the Airship, by Jenelle Leanne Schmidt, I find myself wanting to read more in this series called The Turrim Archive.
I also followed along reading this Book 1 as the audio version was being created, and grew to like it even more!
I highly recommend this book in all of the following Goodread categories:
Flying Ships and Air Pirates
YA Novels of 2023
Best Books of 2023
Gaslamp Fantasy
Most Anticipated Book Releases of 2023
I wonder if you did a list by gender of account holder, how the lists would differ? Also curious, of people who do a Reading Challenge, what is the % breakdown by gender. But I love seeing this type of reporting from Goodreads.
I've read 4 of them and have 7 on my TBR list. The ones I read are REMARKABLY BRIGHT CREATURES (great- loved all the characters), THE SILENT PATIENT (loved it- my eyes were glued to the pages), SEVEN HUSBANDS OF EVELYN HUGO (very good), and LESSONS IN CHEMISTRY (it was OK, but I didn't really connect to the main character and certain parts od the story).
Amber wrote “see above”…also 100%I have read 7 of these books, am reading another currently and then done with this group of books. A good list is also on indiebound.org for quality reading. By the way, Song of Achilles is terrific. Remarkably Bright Creatures is wonderful and Lessons in Chemistry is a wow. IMHO. Worth reading.
Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson, Horse by Geraldine Brooks and Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver all recommended😎❤️📚
Navid wrote: "I expected Tress of the Emerald Sea to be in this list."That one is at the top of Kirkus Reviews's 'Popular Kirkus Stars', which seems a much better list to peruse.
Neil wrote: "I wonder if you did a list by gender of account holder, how the lists would differ? Also curious, of people who do a Reading Challenge, what is the % breakdown by gender. But I love seeing this typ..."
Curious about that too... a lot of these (perhaps all except two or three) seem geared towards a female audience.
Julia wrote: "I swear to god, if there are no haters of The Silent Patient left, I'm dead."I am dead too. Cause how did this get so much hype? It's like the Colleen Hoover of mystery and thriller
I've never even heard of Colleen Hoover, let alone read any of her books (!). My favourites from my own reading challenge are:
The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese;
A History of Burning by Janika Oza
Glorious Misadventures by Owen Matthews
The Alexander Gregory thrillers by LJ Ross (Imposter, Hysteria, Bedlam, Mania)
L'Anomalie by Hervé Le Tellier
I've read 7 of the titles listed but not that many I'd seem to want to necessarily pick up, maybe one or two at most.
Dan wrote: "Does anyone else have the sinking feeling that since Amazon’s take over of Goodreads that it targets female readers with quick flip “thriller” reads, that have gaping plot holes, that are abominabl..."Maybe. Who knows. But what we know is that the majority of users on Goodreads are females under 35 years old. And that is the exact target audience of these books.
Have read zero of these, and that will remain true. Not a single one grabs my attention, sadly.
i’m so quirky! i’ve only read two of these! guess i’m just a silly lil guy who’s a bit different 🤪🤪
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 feel the same way. I'm about the same number of pages and have no idea why people like it. I'm struggling to get through it.
6/40 and some books I gave a really low rating (Verity, wasn't impressed with Midnight Library either). Most of these are hyped up by Booktop/Bookstagram and on this list because of a completely different demographic than I fit in, so I'm pretty fine with not having read so many of these ;-)
Wow... When I see this list I wonder why there are no dudes that read... almost all 'chick lit.'
17/40 read. Many of the remaining do not interest me. Tried Hoover one was too many.
For 2023 favourites so far aren't any new books. Finally got around to reading The Shining and Dr. Sleep by Stephen King. I Really enjoyed Plainsong by Kent Haruf and All Over but the Shoutin' by Rick Bragg. Currently reading Yellowface by R.F. Kuang and The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out The Window and Disappeared by Jonas Jonasson.
I've read 15 of those books. All great books. I have loved the Finlay Donovan series this year. Also, A Curse So Dark and Lonely, These Silent Woods and Hidden Pictures by Jason Rekulak. I never would have picked Hidden Pictures on my own, but my kids assured me I would like it and it wasn't really horror. More thriller. I loved it.
Deen wrote: "I've only read two books on here. I guess I've got a lot of catching up to do."No there's some hyper low brow stuff on this list that nobody needs to read unless addicted to it.
I have a read a few of these unfortunately a lot of them are by the same author I.e. Colleen Hoover which I am not a fan of …so I won’t be adding or reading many more of these ….oh well it’s always interesting to see what people are reading. I personally like finding the unpopular hidden gems. Or I guess I should say they usually find me.
15 read (all previous years) 13 want to read 😁 Some are good or okay and some.. hmhmm
I've read 10 and none of them are Colleen Hoover. She's not my favorite!
Sawyer wrote: "Aelin wrote: "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/..."OMG you do? I will read ACOTAR tho ToG is my fav and I will read crescent city soon
:D
So glad to find someone else who likes SJM
So this is the list of "things I usually avoid"! *LOL* Listen, I'm Team "Read What You Enjoy" all day, every day. So just because most of this list is of absolutely zero interest to ME, I'm happy that folks are reading. I've given up feeling bad about liking what I like to read because it's maybe not what fits somebody else's idea of what you "should read." So I don't ever want anyone else to feel that way.
What I will say is that maybe every now and again, it's great to step outside of your comfort zone. You like CoHo...read your CoHo! But maybe try something totally outside of your literary box every now and again...like some nonfiction or a scifi thriller or poetry or a YA story or a good old fashioned classic. Maybe you'll hate it, but maybe you'll discover a new genre or author or style that you absolutely love and you had no idea!
I think this list is intended to give folks a peek at what others might be reading right now (based upon GR stats or social media or a huge list of possible sources) and perhaps introduce someone to something new...and that being said, we all have different preferences and favorite authors or genres, and a list like this will never cover all of those bases in one swoop. If your favorite recent read isn't one here...like many of us reading this are thinking...just leave a comment with what YOU are reading and loving! What YOU have as your "Top Reading Challenge Books". That's kind of the point of the article, right?!? ;)
{Thanks to those who listed books they are loving this year...a bunch are ones I have never even heard of, which is what I always come to these lists looking for! <3 }
At the end of the day, just keep reading! And don't ever let anyone else tell you what you can or cannot read or enjoy reading. Long live books!!
Law wrote: "None of those books are on my TBR yet, but they do sound interesting, especially The Song of Achilles."it's fantastic!
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 I forced myself to read 50%. I had the exact same problem as you about it going nowhere and to be honest you didn't miss out on much (up to the 50% mark of course).
wayyyyy too much Colleen Hoover on here. i appreciate what booktok does for introducing people to reading but this is so lacking in genre diversity :/
I have read only 8 out of this list and honestly not very interested in the others. Have to say probably 3 or 4 (or more) were not that great.
I've only read one book on here, The Silent Patient. Ugh. I definitely can't recommend it.
23/40.. and another 5-6 on my TBR. A lot of fun great reads on this list.
Ugh, what is with Jenkins-Reid? Her books are terrible!
I'm all for some occasional fluff now and then, but this seems like a REALLY lightweight list, most of which hold no appeal at all for me. I'd really like to see a list of the "Literary Fiction" books that are most trending right now, so I can add to my Want to Read list.
Ann wrote: "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."
Sam wrote: "Read 10, only 2 of them this year and no Colleen Hoover I'm 48 books into this years challenge."
Susan wrote: "I loved Lessons in Chemistry!"
I agree. This list is abysmal.
Amber wrote: "Y’all need to read some non fiction like damn. And step away from the Colleen Hoover."I've never read a Colleen Hoover book but all I ever hear is bad things so I'm surprised by the amount of times she pops up on this list.
It'sMeMiana wrote: "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 peop..."
I totally agree that this list is the lowest common denominator of popular grocery store/airport fiction. I suppose I should be glad that people are actually reading, but I'd like goodreads to publish a list of trending books of a much higher quality.
I’ve read 12 of them. A few others are on my TBR. The rest I have 0 interest in
I’ve read four and Song of Achilles is the only one I really liked. Silent Patient was pretty dull and the two ‘Court of’ books were pretty much bodice rippers.
