Most Read Books of the 2023 Reading Challenge

Posted by Cybil on December 4, 2023


With the 2023 Goodreads Reading Challenge in its final lap, the time has come for a sneak peek at this year’s page-turning action. For instance, which books have been most popular with readers in this year’s challenge? It’s pretty fascinating, actually.
 
But first, some raw numbers. According to our latest count, more than 7.6 million readers across the globe participated in this year’s challenge, pledging to read more than 330 million books. Wow. We tried to calculate the total number of pages read, using average book length, but it crashed the supercomputer here at Goodreads World Headquarters.  
 
As for the books themselves, we’ve listed below the top titles marked as Read (as opposed to Want to Read) by those who signed up for the challenge. Some takeaways: Rebecca Yarros’ surprise sensation Fourth Wing took the top overall spot, highlighting a big year for fantasy-romance novels in general. You’ll also find a lot of familiar author names haunting the top side of the list: Hoover and Henry, Maas and Michaelides.
 
Click around and you’ll find a little bit of everything—from mysteries to memoirs, queer fantasy to insightful contemporary fiction. And, of course, plenty of romance, with everyone from book nerds to hockey players finding love and/or lust. Oh, also: magical realism concerning octopi.
 
Check out this year’s list, add anything promising to your Want to Read shelf, and feel free to continue the conversation in the comments section. Congratulations to all of this year’s participants! Book nerds, assemble!



 


What were some of your favorite books you read this year? Tell us all about it in the comments below!


Comments Showing 251-294 of 294 (294 new)

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message 251: by Taylor (new)

Taylor I’m at 14 of these for 2023 🙃


message 252: by Cicci (new)

Cicci Harström I have read 8 and my favorite is ”The Songs of Acilles”. 😍


message 253: by Hannah (new)

Hannah I’ve read 15 of these. Want to read 12 more. Currently reading one. This is fun!


message 254: by Laura (new)

Laura I loved Book Lovers and Happy Place! I read It Ends With Us in 2022 and did really enjoy it, but It Starts With Us was not that great. I have been a bit disappointed in some of my Colleen Hoover reads after really liking Regretting You and It Ends With Us. Reminders of Him and It Starts With Us were just okay for me. Trying to decide if I want to read All Your Perfects since it addresses infertility- I loved What Alice Forgot which had her sister be the one with infertility and was quite relatable since my sister did not have trouble conceiving, and we have one daughter (who took 3.5 years to conceive) and have been trying to conceive our second child since 2020 (with 2 miscarriages along the way).


message 255: by Shruthi (new)

Shruthi Maniraj I’ve read almost 28 of the books from this list. Yayy


message 256: by Michelle (new)

Michelle Read 27 of them, not all this year. Favorite out of that grouping was probably The Song of Achilles


message 257: by Lyn (new)

Lyn Jensen I'm looking for the 2024 Reading Challenge and haven't see anything about it.


message 258: by Tanikasbooksx (new)

Tanikasbooksx I’ve read 19 of these and in the middle of reading another 2 😅🤭


message 259: by Marla (new)

Marla I read 24 of them


message 260: by Cathy (new)

Cathy MacCloud I read 9 of the above, books I loved this year were The Bee Sting, The Fraud, Wellness and The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store. A good year for readers! Looking forward to what is new in 2024.


message 261: by Kati (new)

Kati Hagerty I’ve read 9!


message 262: by Xochilt (new)

Xochilt Hawks I’ve read 19 of these!


message 263: by Destiny (new)

Destiny Graham read 16 of these! YAY!!


message 264: by Carla (new)

Carla I have read 3 of these.


message 265: by Candace (new)

Candace Arnold 17


message 266: by Mario (new)

Mario Mirabelli I read 4 of these out of 100 books this year. The list looks like a list of the cool kids in high school. 2 of the 4 I read were bad at best. The NYT top 10 list is not the arbiter of books to read. NPR, Powell Books staff picks in Portland Oregon and even the NYT general reviews are just a few of the places I check for ideas. I will admit I read all genres from historical non-fiction (Horse) to science fiction (Mickey 7) and everything in-between. Please stray.


message 267: by ¬hbs♥ (new)

¬hbs♥ Haven't read any of them 😂😭


message 268: by shania (hiatus) (new)

shania  (hiatus) 25!!


message 269: by bookhugger (new)

bookhugger 14 IN 2023! And 1 in 2024!


message 270: by DarkLioness22 (new)

DarkLioness22 read 9 of them yay me!


message 271: by Litjoyreads ✨ (new)

Litjoyreads ✨ Wow! I’ve read 13 of these and so many more in Want to Read List! 😊


message 272: by Shamell (new)

Shamell Klinger My. Books are never on this list. PNR and Fantasy Romance just don't make the charts it seems.


message 273: by Valeriia Diop (new)

Valeriia Diop I’ve read 11 of these!


message 274: by Natalie (new)

Natalie I’ve read 2. That’s an all-time record for me


message 275: by Ahima (new)

Ahima Booklover Finally I managed to read at least any of the most read books of the year. 3 in total


Elita ₊✩ˎˊ˗ Surprisingly, I've managed to read 21


message 277: by Ray (new)

Ray 19


message 278: by Alyssa (new)

Alyssa Ive read 5 of these but not all this year


message 279: by Ana O. ⭐ (new)

Ana O. ⭐ 17 for me!! Over the last 2-3 years


message 280: by Mimona (new)

Mimona Masarwa Read about 14 of these! the rest are in my tbr. hope I get to them this year.


message 281: by Andrew (new)

Andrew Despite reading 44 books lat year, only one of them is on this list


message 282: by Marie (new)

Marie I read none of these books. However, if you posted a blog featuring peoples' 2023 reading challenges which featured the least read books, I'm sure at least a few of my 103 read books would appear. Yours in sincere obscurity, Marie..


message 283: by Cheryl (new)

Cheryl Barnes Read 22 of these but not all in 2023


message 284: by benita (new)

benita I’ve read 13 of these and a lot more on my TBR 😍


message 285: by Nyssa (new)

Nyssa I read 4 in 2023 and 1 in 2024, with three more scheduled as buddy-reads this year. I also have three on my tbr (meaning I have copies but have no plans to read them yet) and five on my wishlist ( to borrow or purchase at some point) - that equals 16 titles from the list.


message 286: by Storm (new)

Storm Savage Wow, I have read 14 of these. Am I basic?


message 287: by Emina (new)

Emina I've read 11 of these (:


message 288: by Vicky (new)

Vicky Fortier can't believe I read 14 of those! and there's a lot that are on my TBR....


message 289: by Vin (new)

Vin I've only read two of these lol. What that says about me IDK but I did read a lot of Agatha Christie last year so lol


message 290: by Alyssa (new)

Alyssa 7 for me!


message 291: by Celeste (new)

Celeste Read 8. Proud of myself!


message 292: by Luna (new)

Luna  Bear I read 12! Yay!


message 293: by haegle (new)

haegle I've read 12 from this list <3


message 294: by Nasja (new)

Nasja i read 14!


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