529 ratings | 426 reviews | avg rating:3.94

Richard’s Year In Books

Richard’s 2025 Year in Books

Take a look at Richard’s Year in Books, including some fun facts about their reading.

Go to Richard’s 2025 Year in Books

Richard R. Becker’s Followers (62)

Richard’s Bookshelves

to-read (481)
currently-reading (7)
read (530)
did-not-finish (0)
favorites (90)
my-books (7)

Richard’s Friends (192)

David Brown

181 books | 4,163 friends

Peter Topside

2,046 books | 2,786 friends

Mo Fanning

118 books | 866 friends

Zachary Nagy

296 books | 6 friends

James Wilcox

906 books | 2,213 friends

Te-ge Bramhall

3,860 books | 498 friends

Joseph

736 books | 324 friends

Dr. Jasmine

207 books | 154 friends

More friends…

Richard R. Becker

Goodreads Author

Born

in Milwaukee, The United States

Website

http://www.richardrbecker.com

Twitter

RichBecker

Genre

Fiction, Thriller, Suspense

Influences

Ernest Hemingway, John Updike, Russel Banks

Member Since

August 2014

URL

https://www.goodreads.com/richardrbecker

edit data

Richard R. Becker is an award-winning American author whose gripping stories blend resilience and moral complexity. His upcoming novel, Born on Monday (2025), promises a thrilling tale of small-town sins that will leave readers breathless.

His debut novel, Third Wheel (August 2023), soared into Amazon’s top 100 thriller and suspense literary fiction novels, earned a Kirkus Reviews feature, and won seven awards, including Literary Thriller of the Year by the Artisan International Book Excellence Awards. His debut collection, 50 States (2021), born from a challenge to write one story a week for 50 weeks, topped Amazon’s literary short story charts for three months and secured multiple honors, including first place in the Spring 2022 BookFest A ...more

Learn more
Ask the Author

To ask Richard R. Becker questions, please sign up.

Popular Answered Questions

What books are on your summer reading list this year?

Richard R. Becker I love this question, and don't have a traditional answer that includes 5 or 10 or even 20 books that will feel dated in a few months. What I have ins…moreI love this question, and don't have a traditional answer that includes 5 or 10 or even 20 books that will feel dated in a few months. What I have instead is a list of 195+ diverse titles and a method to read a fair amount of them every year. Feel free to check out my shelf. They are all here on Goodreads.

Generally, I'm reading four books at any given time. One with my daughter, one on my phone, one in print (often nonfiction), and one as an audiobook (yes, I think audiobooks count as long as they aren't abridged). To pick them: My daughter and I alternative between young adult and classic literature; my nonfiction picks generally alternate between enrichment and history; my other two picks alternate wildly different genres and authors mainly based on what I just read. I tend to look for something that contrasts preceding title.

For example, in 2021 on my phone, Normal People by Sally Rooney was preceded by Childhood's End by Arthur C. Clark, preceded by Eden Mine by S.M. Hulse, preceded by Go Tell It To The Mountain by James Baldwin, preceded by Rabbit is Rich by John Updike, preceded by Alas, Babylon by Pat Frank, preceded by Imaginary Friend by Stephen Chbosky, preceded by Blacktop Wasteland by S.A. Cosby, and so on. The same eclectic meandering happens with audiobooks (though narrators can play a factor in my picks).

How I chose books changed after joining Goodreads. This site gave me a tool to add dozens of "to read" (or read again) books. I look over all of them anytime I'm close to the end of a book, generally picking the next title because there is some contrast to what I just read or am reading — from contemporary to classic or horror fiction to literary fiction or science fiction to historical fiction — because I'm a great believer in diversity, especially for anyone who wants to be a writer. Diversity keeps it all interesting, which is why my own body of work spills over into everything.(less)

flag

4 likes · like
Comment

Where did you get the idea for your most recent book?

Richard R. Becker Two years ago, I committed to writing short short stories and sharing them on my Facebook author page. It was the first time in my life I treated writ…moreTwo years ago, I committed to writing short short stories and sharing them on my Facebook author page. It was the first time in my life I treated writing short stories like an assignment, with equal weight to any advertising/marketing deadlines I might have.

My immersion in the process of writing fiction opened up an entirely new world. After sharing the first few stories, I fell into a creative rhythm, and an overarching idea began to crystalize.

I was inspired to write about life-defining moments (or coping with life-defining moments) as experienced by different people in different places (50 States) — stories that could stand on their own but were also left open to be continued in unexpected ways or intersect with one another.

Individually, the spark for each story was unique. Some ideas seem to find me — something I happened to see while driving my daughter to practice. Other ideas had to be hunted down, especially as fewer states remained. In those situations, I made it a practice to follow the research until it led me somewhere or something else would find me along the way.(less)

flag

4 likes · like
Comment

See all 8 answers from Richard R. Becker…

Combine Editions
Richard R. Becker’s books

Average rating: 4.25 · 233 ratings · 127 reviews · 4 distinct works • Similar authors

	50 States: A collection of short short stories 4.03 avg rating — 99 ratings — 8 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Third Wheel 4.53 avg rating — 70 ratings — published 2023 — 5 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Born on Monday 4.48 avg rating — 33 ratings — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Ten Threads 4.10 avg rating — 31 ratings — published 2022 — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

* Note: these are all the books on Goodreads for this author. To add more, click here.

37 posts
Richard R. Becker's Blog

Book Review - Third Wheel

Plenty has happened in the last few weeks for 'Born on Monday' as it hit the Top 100 in psychological literary fiction on Amazon and gained a few more amazing editorial reviews. But what I really wanted to share is this surprise review of Third Wheel.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9QTXv...

What made this review so special is that I caught it after I had just woken up in the middle of the night to Read more of this blog post »

Like • 0 comments • flag

Published on January 16, 2026 09:31 • Tags: book-reviews

View all 37 posts »

Richard is Currently Reading

Richard Becker is currently reading

The Poppy War (The Poppy War, #1)

by R.F. Kuang (Goodreads Author)

bookshelves: currently-reading

Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

11 hours, 25 min ago

Richard Becker is currently reading

Earth Abides

by George R. Stewart

bookshelves: currently-reading

Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Feb 02, 2026 05:09PM

Richard Becker is currently reading

Not Stolen: The Truth About European Colonialism in the New World

by Jeff Fynn-Paul

bookshelves: currently-reading

Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Jan 23, 2026 04:17PM

rss
Richard’s Recent Updates

Richard Becker started reading The Poppy War (The Poppy War, #1) by R.F. Kuang (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
11 hours, 25 min ago · like
Richard Becker liked Marianne Williams's review of Born on Monday: "Billy’s sections hit hard because they’re rooted in grief and bad luck, and the suspense around him builds naturally. Jessica’s storyline brings a sharp, personal sense of threat that feels all too real, and Andrea’s investigative thread adds a wider" Read more of this review »
Feb 07, 2026 05:17AM · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Born on Monday by Richard R. Becker. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Born on Monday by Richard R. Becker <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Richard Becker liked Katie's review of Born on Monday: "Born on Monday is a masterfully crafted literary thriller that immerses readers in the turbulent lives of Augusta, Maine’s residents during a historic nor’easter. Richard R. Becker expertly interweaves suspense, character depth, and moral complexity," Read more of this review »
Feb 07, 2026 05:17AM · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Born on Monday by Richard R. Becker. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Born on Monday by Richard R. Becker <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Richard Becker liked Elina Vaysbeyn's review of Born on Monday: "Born on Monday is a tense, emotionally layered literary thriller that captures the weight of small town secrets and the moral ambiguity of survival. Richard R. Becker skillfully uses the backdrop of a historic nor’easter in Augusta, Maine, to mirror " Read more of this review »
Feb 07, 2026 05:17AM · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Born on Monday by Richard R. Becker. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Born on Monday by Richard R. Becker <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Richard Becker rated a book really liked it Disgrace by J.M. Coetzee	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
J.M. Coetzee's “Disgrace,” was the winner of the Booker Prize in 1999, and often stands out as one of the most unflinching and provocative novels of the late 20th century. Sparse and merciless, the novel follows an aging white South African professor ...more
Feb 05, 2026 03:00PM · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Disgrace by J.M. Coetzee. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Disgrace by J.M. Coetzee <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Richard Becker wants to read We Do Not Part by Han Kang	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Feb 04, 2026 10:19AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of We Do Not Part by Han Kang. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — We Do Not Part by Han Kang <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Richard Becker started reading Earth Abides by George R. Stewart	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Feb 02, 2026 05:09PM · like
Richard Becker rated a book it was amazing The Diamond Eye by Kate Quinn (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Kate Quinn's “The Diamond Eye” stands as one of the most compelling entries in her growing body of World War II historical fiction, and my first introduction to her work. In this novel, she peers into the life of Lyudmila "Mila" Pavlichenko, a real-l ...more
Feb 02, 2026 11:44AM · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Diamond Eye by Kate Quinn. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Diamond Eye by Kate Quinn <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Richard Becker rated a book liked it Lost Memory of Skin by Russell Banks	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Russell Banks has long held a special place in my literary heart. His unflinching portrayals of marginalized, everyday people those who are flawed, struggling, and deeply human — have shaped my own approach as a writer. Several of his books have showc ...more
Jan 30, 2026 11:42AM · like · see review
Richard Becker started reading Disgrace by J.M. Coetzee	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jan 30, 2026 11:00AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Disgrace by J.M. Coetzee. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Disgrace by J.M. Coetzee <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">

More of Richard's books…

Richard’s Quotes

“I like living. I have sometimes been wildly, despairingly, acutely miserable, racked with sorrow; but through it all I still know quite certainly that just to be alive is a grand thing.”
― Agatha Christie

tags: inspirational

6091 likes

“Simplicity, simplicity, simplicity! I say, let your affairs be as two or three, and not a hundred or a thousand; instead of a million count half a dozen, and keep your accounts on your thumb nail.”
― Henry David Thoreau, Walden

160 likes

“I had three chairs in my house; one for solitude, two for friendship, three for society.”
― Henry David Thoreau, Walden or, Life in the Woods

289 likes