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The 144 Most Read Books of the 2024 Reading Challenge
Goodreads regulars will be aware that our 2024 Reading Challenge is coming to a glorious conclusion with the ringing in of the new year. This is, of course, our annual group reading exercise, in which members pledge to read a certain number of books over the course of the calendar year. Think of it as a fitness class for book nerds.
Well, the numbers are in, and they’re kind of eye-popping: More than 9 million readers signed up to read more than 356 million books in the year 2024. It’s inspirational! It’s aspirational! It’s amazing!
Perhaps you’re curious: Which books were the most popular in this year’s Reading Challenge? We were curious, too. Below are the top 12 books marked as Read by participants in this year’s challenge, sorted by genre.
Scroll around and you’ll see that several familiar names placed multiple books in the collection—some across different genres: R.F. Kuang, Alex Michaelides, Ali Hazelwood, Taylor Jenkins Reid, David Grann, Sarah J. Maas. Quite a few hugely popular recent books made the charts, too: Barbara Kingsolver’s Pulitzer Prize–winning Demon Copperhead and James McBride’s Kirkus Prize winner, The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store.
There’s also a fun scattering of old genre classics, high-school English class favorites, popular memoirs, modern queer fiction classics, deeply weird true stories, and even a bit of fan fiction. Plus, of course, you’ll find the enduring delights of hockey romance.
Click on the book cover images for more information about each title, and use the Want to Read button if you’re already thinking about 2025.
Fiction
#1
#2
#3
#4
#5
#6
#7
#8
#9
#10
#11
#12
Historical Fiction
#1
#2
#3
#4
#5
#6
#7
#8
#9
#10
#11
#12
Mystery & Thriller
#1
#2
#3
#4
#5
#6
#7
#8
#9
#10
#11
#12
Fantasy
#1
#2
#3
#4
#5
#6
#7
#8
#9
#10
#11
#12
Romantasy
#1
#2
#3
#4
#5
#6
#7
#8
#9
#10
#11
#12
Science Fiction
#1
#2
#3
#4
#5
#6
#7
#8
#9
#10
#11
#12
Horror
#1
#2
#3
#4
#5
#6
#7
#8
#9
#10
#11
#12
Romance
#1
#2
#3
#4
#5
#6
#7
#8
#9
#10
#11
#12
Young Adult
#1
#2
#3
#4
#5
#6
#7
#8
#9
#10
#11
#12
Memoirs
#1
#2
#3
#4
#5
#6
#7
#8
#9
#10
#11
#12
History & Biography
#1
#2
#3
#4
#5
#6
#7
#8
#9
#10
#11
#12
General Nonfiction
#1
#2
#3
#4
#5
#6
#7
#8
#9
#10
#11
#12
How many of these books have you read? Let us know in the comments below!
Comments Showing 51-100 of 250 (250 new)
message 51:
by
benita
(new)
Dec 09, 2024 07:34AM
I’ve read 18 of these!😱
flag
I have read 47 books on this list so far and still more of them on the TBR!
I have read 21 on the list/ lots more on tbr
Since when did the fantasy genre classification include literary books with a slight bit of magic or surrealism. Where are the high, low, epic, and war fantasy stories? If Sanderson doesn’t even make this list then it seems the classification is all wrong.
Well, that explains the lack of diversity in the year-end awards. Y'all claim to want to read diversely, but this proves otherwise. Also, really? A fanfic from an IP where the author is gleefully spreading hate?
I've read 23 of these!Tomorrow & Tomorrow & Tomorrow was amazing.
I've read 40 of these!Although not all this year.
There are many good books, but for me Manacled was the best.
12 read, mainly fiction and historical fiction 😁18 in my TBR or want to read 😌
What about stimulating readers to read great, but underrated books, instead of encouraging people to all read the same thing?
I've read 45, mostly in fiction and mystery/thriller and I have 59 additionally on my TBR list. Too many good books! I can't read them fast enough!🤓
I’ve read 29, with AT LEAST 2 (or more) to be read in each category except for romance, which I have no interest in reading. It’s not to say that I don’t want any romance in my books, but if the love interest is the only thing the protagonist thinks/talks about - then I’ve got to pass on that book or else stop reading. *ahem- Bella from twilight*
The Historical Fiction section I had the most reads (7), Horror (4), Fiction (4) Fantasy (4) & young adult (3) are the categories that I read the most from.
I had a couple of these books but the other sounds amazing
Apparently my tastes run different than the normal. I have read a few of the books featured but barely made it half way to my reading challenge goal. This year has been a struggle!
Audible lady here, listened to four of these books in the list and 30 for the year which is good for me. I do listen to books more than once especially chapters that give something to think about. Happy with my total here.
My 2024 was very YA driven!!!! 4/12 just this year!
I’ve read 24. I also have 15 more of these on my TBR list.
25…. I’d love to see lists of highest rated by category. A lot of books that appear in these lists get average ratings. I’m not interested in most read. I’d like to see highest rated. Please!
Goodreads - can y’all think about creating a second category apart from self-help? So there’s a category for non-fiction and then one for self-help. The non-fiction picks always get flooded with self-help and they’re really not the same thing.
We all did amazing and picking the white books and 2024
I’ve read 17 of these and it just occurred to me that I’m a fantasy reader more than a fiction reader. I suppose it’s sort of the same but not.
25 read, another handful on my TBR. I guess I’ve just never been that person reading what’s popular at the moment. Lots of BookTok darlings on here. Like it or not, it’s really reenergized reading and made it cool again!
I’ve read 32 of these, Frankenstein in high school, the rest in the last year!
14 read and so many more already in my Want to Read category. Great list!
I wish there were Children's books and True Crime lists too.
My TBR list is always long… 37. However, I’m happy to see I’ve read 18 of these books.
This list only says someone read the book. I read many here, but gave them 1 star. If you decide to do this again, show us the most read books in order of the number of stars.
A little surprised that I have only read 24 of these, but not at all surprised that 19 of them fall into the first 3 categories, and the rest into History & Biography. Somehow I just can’t get into the other 8 categories!
Your local cryptid wrote: "I am pleasantly surprised by Rashid Kaledi being a top read 🙏🏻"Same! Small miracles in these uncertain times.
I read 25 if these and most of them apart from romance are fantasy and romantasy… I never considered myself a fantasy lover so I’m in a bit of a shock
I read 6 on the list this year but I am mostly and Historical Fiction reader!!!
Only 17 out of the 144 have I read not a good number
Clearly, Historical Fiction is my genre as I've read nearly all listed.
I’ve read 32 of the books listed here .. with plenty more to read! I ❤️ Books!
I have read 10 I am very surprised that “The Third Gilmore Girl “ memoir by Kelly Bishop is not on here
It came in first in the other list
3 read and 3 to read. I guess I read outside of this particular box.
Love this list, read:10/12 Fiction
11/12 Historical F
7/12 Mystery
