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The Most Read Books of the 2024 Reading Challenge (So Far)
It's time once again, gentle readers, for our midyear status check on the annual Goodreads Reading Challenge, in which members pledge to read a designated number of books before the calendar year is out. It’s a relatively straightforward process: Click on over to the 2024 Reading Challenge page, enter in the number of books you plan to devour, then get busy with page-turning.
The numbers are pretty astounding: As of this writing, more than 7 million Goodreads members have signed up for the Challenge, worldwide. Total books pledged: more than 295 million.
Below you will find the most popular books being read by Goodreads regulars who have signed up for this year’s Challenge. We’ve sorted the titles by genre, then ranked the titles by overall popularity within the genre. So, for instance, Bonnie Garmus’ Lessons in Chemistry is the most read Historical Fiction book among those taking the 2024 Reading Challenge.
Several of the books making the list are relatively recent releases that have crossed over into the general cultural conversation: James McBride’s The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store, say, or Barbara Kingsolver’s Pulitzer Prize winner, Demon Copperhead. You’ll also find a good cross section of Goodreads Choice Award winners, such as Emily Henry’s Happy Place, Nita Prose’s The Maid, and Gabrielle Zevin’s Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow.
Scroll around below to get a sense of it all, and click on the book cover images for more information about each title. You can also click the link below to check in on your own Reading Challenge progress, or to sign up if you haven’t already. It’s never too late, and the six-month Challenge is a perfectly honorable tradition.
Fiction
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Historical Fiction
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Mystery
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Fantasy
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Science Fiction
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Horror
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Romance
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Young Adult
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General Nonfiction
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How many of these books have you read? Let us know in the comments below!
Comments Showing 101-150 of 298 (298 new)
Cadáver exquisito el sexto más leído de terror 😎😎 aguante la literatura argentina viejaaa
It's Me - Yvette wrote: "I've read 41 (although I admit a few were DNF's for me). 10 are on my want to read or want it shelves so we'll see what happens -- if I'm actually able to get to these this year. I feel like I'm al..." What is a DNF?
pipsi wrote: "It's Me - Yvette wrote: "I've read 41 (although I admit a few were DNF's for me). 10 are on my want to read or want it shelves so we'll see what happens -- if I'm actually able to get to these this..." oh wait lol, is that did not finish? I'm so dumb ;P
Kristen wrote: "HUGE fan of Before the Coffee Gets Cold series! So happy to see it made the list!"Me too!
read 27, but only 2 were read this year so guess i knew what was up before everyone else
Jane wrote: "I am very happy to note that I haven't read a single one of the books which are 'trending'. Up to this point in time I have read 52 books this year. (My target was 50). Some have been outstanding..."
I've read 12 on this list, and only liked 2 of them ...
Otherwise I totally agree with you. Any of the books I haven't read on this list I have no interest in reading, and there are 10 that I've "had" to read from my 2 book clubs. There are *so* many good books out there, it would be nice if people challenged themselves to read books that weren't what everyone else reads.
I've read 12, liked 2 of them. No interest in reading any others. I'm so tired of seeing the same names everywhere. But then again if you actually go to a bookstore there are only certain books that you could even buy if you wanted to. It's super frustrating.
Law wrote: "I've read 11 from this list. Hello Beautiful, The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store, The Measure and Lessons in Chemistry are up next. I'm surprised The Women by Kristin Hannah isn't on this list. Whe..."Exactly what I was looking for - Middle Grade and Graphic Novels. I've read about a dozen, with 2 dozen more on my "to read" list. Good list!!
Daisy wrote: "ooo i love that circe is trending! coupled with hera's story in blood of zeus and medusa's portrayal in the percy jackson tv series, i'm so excited that the woman wronged in greek mythology are fin..."Circe (or mention of Circe? I don't really remember) will be in percy Jackson season 2
Pbbbbbbbffffft!Nothing in MY 2024 Reading Challenge is listed AT ALL! This list is an absolute JOKE…and not a particularly funny one, either.
Jane: I set a goal of 107 books to read for this year’s Challenge and I have just finished reading book 50.The only book I have read on this list was DUNE, but I read that for my 2023 Challenge!
Surprised to find I’ve read 11 of these books when I typically find random/unpopular ones to read.
Can't believe I read 8 out of these. I expected less. Not bad. -Normal people
-Chain-gang all-stars
-What moves the dead
-A good girl's guide to murder
-Powerless
-Atomic Habits
-The subtle art of not giving a fuck
-Cultish
Wow! Can't believe I've already read 32 of these. With 17 want to read. And 1 currently reading. Patting myself on the back....
I've read one on this list, want to read one this summer!
I'm very surprised that none of the ACOTAR books are on here?? I feel like everyone and their mother (myself included) has been reading those books this year!
Law wrote: "I've read 11 from this list. Hello Beautiful, The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store, The Measure and Lessons in Chemistry are up next. I'm surprised The Women by Kristin Hannah isn't on this list. Whe..."I agree the middle grade books should be on here
Law wrote: "I've read 11 from this list. Hello Beautiful, The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store, The Measure and Lessons in Chemistry are up next. I'm surprised The Women by Kristin Hannah isn't on this list. Whe..."The Women was amazing!!
Sophie wrote: "Jane wrote: "I am very happy to note that I haven't read a single one of the books which are 'trending'. Up to this point in time I have read 52 books this year. (My target was 50). Some have bee..."
Ditto to the ditto! Goal is 61 and I’ve read 21 books so far. I’m *not* likely to read most of the books on the list.
My reading goal for this year was very short to keep myself from reading whatever fell into my hands just to reach some number.This meant I've had such a great experience with historical/mystery books that I wanted to share some of my favs!
Death on Gokumon Island
Murder as a Fine Art
The Red Palace
33 including 6 I haven't rated plus I agree The Women belongs on the list.
I've read 6 on this list and 1 I might read, the rest don't interest me.
Great selecion! At least a great book from each genre. Circe remains my absolute favourite of all these.
Jane wrote: "I am very happy to note that I haven't read a single one of the books which are 'trending'. Up to this point in time I have read 52 books this year. (My target was 50). Some have been outstanding..."
I usually feel the same way. And I too have not read a single one on this list. I have read 44 so far this year and do not feel cheated in the slightest.
I have read 33 of them and 6 others were DNFs.
I'm actually rather surprised that two of the books in this list are in my 2024 Reading Challenge (I've read 12 of the books in total, but only two were read this year).I, like several other commenters, do not tend to read many of the major trending books...at least not at the time they are trending. And I find myself disappointed that neither Middle Grade nor Graphic Novels seemed to rate in the genre/category selection (and that all of nonfiction was lumped together) when this list was compiled. It seems like an oversight; surely there would be at least 12 books in each genre that could be considered trending.
Read: 1 (and as I said on my previous post that was LAST YEAR)TBR: 3
Re: Lisa: I agree about personal star ratings.
Elizabeth wrote: "I basically have most of these on want to read. I just don't know where to start!"Use the dart board method: select a couple random cover photos, get yourself a dart board and some darts. Hang the photos on the dart board, with the one that interests you the most as the bull's eye. Then throw darts at them. The picture that collects the most darts is the one you read first.
Sanaa ୨୧ wrote: "Can you suggest books that contains simple English? "Romantasy""
Unless you're into primary school books, it's been my experience that simple English doesn't make for a good story.
Re: your confusion about the so-called "Romantasy" genre: It's a book that is the illegitimate love child of a book from the "Romance" genre and a book from the "Fantasy" genre...a love child that is neither pure "Romance," nor pure "Fantasy" and so is treated like Cinderella was by her step family.
It's Me - Yvette wrote: "I’ve read 41 but admit that some are DNF’s. I don’t always love what everyone else seems to. And I’m ok with that!"Ditto about being OK with not always liking what everyone else does. (Bleep), my Currently reading list includes cookbooks, classic science fiction and a cozy murder mystery that actually gets solved by two pussycats and a Welsh Corgi bitch...even though their human gets the credit. (Cat's Eyewitness: A Mrs. Murphy Mystery. The tagline for the whole series: It takes a cat to write the Purrrfect murder mystery).. .
https://www.goodreads.com/review/list...
pipsi wrote: "It's Me - Yvette wrote: "I've read 41 (although I admit a few were DNF's for me). 10 are on my want to read or want it shelves so we'll see what happens -- if I'm actually able to get to these this..."DNF= Did Not Finish.
Of the list, I’ve read 10, want to read 12, and are currently reading 2!
The neat thing about lists like this is just seeing how terrible Kindle Unlimited is. Almost none of these are available on it.
Read 18; 5 want to read (3 were already on my own list. I added 2 more from the most read books list.) thanks 🙏🏼
Nice ! I’ve read 17 of them. Added a couple from this list. And had already had some on my TBR.
Read 5, want to read 10. Probably would want to read more but I have no time to research each one individually.
DNF'd -1
Want to Read - 22