What's the "It" Book of 2014?

In 2013, it was arguably The Goldfinch.

In 2012? Gone Girl, for sure.

"It" books. They're the ones that we pass along, that we hope our friends have read so that we can discuss and debate. Love them or hate them, we can't stop talking about them!

So we had to find out: What is this year's "It" book?

The best part of being book nerds here at Goodreads is that we have the data to answer these sorts of questions!

We set a few limitations:

• To account for the fact that interest statistically skews high in the first couple of months after publication, we only looked at books published between January and August.
• To ensure that we identified the books with the most sustained buzz, we looked at the average number of searches per month.
• To ensure that we weren't just seeing books that were benefiting from being part of a popular series, we only looked at standalone titles.

From there, we looked at the most-searched books on Goodreads and, after much number crunching, here's the top "It" book candidate for 2014 … so far!


We Were Liars by 2008 National Book Award finalist, E. Lockhart, reminds us a little of Gone Girl (the "It" book for 2012). With an unreliable narrator and a story full of secrets, it's a book that you can only discuss with people who have already read it! Goodreads member, Giselle, describes it as "an incredible, heartbreaking read that really messes with your mind until the very end."






Of course, the year is not yet over and there are several other contenders for the crown!

Fresh off her success with Best Young Adult Fiction in last year's Goodreads Choice Awards, Rainbow Rowell switched to a more adult theme for Landline – a story about a marriage in trouble. Goodreads member, Ariel, says "This was a really different read, and I realized when finishing it that a big part of that is because it is NOT Young Adult. The cover looks it, Rainbow Rowell writes young adult, but this is adult and it shows. It's darker, it's more realistic, and it's less idealistic. And that's not bad at all, but it's sadder. The book started off harsher and the pay off wasn't as extravagant. All of that in mind, this book was wonderful."




According to Anthony Doerr, the title of his book, All the Light We Cannot See, "is a metaphorical suggestion that there are countless invisible stories still buried in World War II." Shortlisted for the 2014 National Book Awards, it follows the lives of a young, blind French girl and a young German soldier. Goodreads member, LeeAnne, says, "This book has the most hauntingly beautiful prose I've ever read. It is brimming with rich details that fill all five senses simultaneously. It is full of beautiful metaphors that paint gorgeous images. I didn't want this book to end, but I couldn't put it down."




Continuing with the theme of lies that runs through several of the other contenders this year, Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty somehow manages to make you laugh out loud while dealing with some very serious issues. Goodreads member, Nancy, says "Liane Moriarty has done it again – written a book that kept me up way too late because I couldn't put it down. She has a knack for creating characters who are so believable they could easily be someone you know. Big Little Lies is a story of parents acting badly. It is also a smart and witty story about the real lives of children, teens, friends, husbands, wives, second wives, and exes. … Along the way you discover some of the dangerous little lies that people tell just to be able to face the day."



And, finally, a shout out goes to a book that came out in January but just keeps on going strong in searches on Goodreads:

Being selected as an Oprah's Book Club pick clearly gave The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd a major push early on, but this book has continued to stay in our top searches month after month thanks to a high average rating of 4.23 stars. In some ways, this has the makings of another The Help, which stayed on the bestseller lists for years. Goodreads member, Britany, says "I was not expecting this book to grab my heartstrings and pull the way it did. It was unexpected, fresh, and interesting. I literally read this book in two sittings and wasn't ready for it to end when it did."




Any other contenders? We're so glad you asked. Out of the books published in September, these four are off to an amazing start in searches on Goodreads:



Looking for more ideas? We'll get an even clearer answer about the best books of 2014 with this year's Goodreads Choice Awards. Voting opens on Monday, November 3rd and we're looking forward to seeing which books you loved the most this year!

Which book is the "It" book of 2014 for you and your friends?