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581 ratings | 478 reviews | avg rating:3.94

Richard’s Year In Books

Richard’s 2025 Year in Books

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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

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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

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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)

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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)

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Combine Editions
Richard R. Becker’s books

Average rating: 4.19 · 267 ratings · 146 reviews · 4 distinct works • Similar authors

	50 States: A collection of short short stories 3.98 avg rating — 103 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 4.45 avg rating — 73 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 4.33 avg rating — 57 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 4.06 avg rating — 34 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.

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Richard R. Becker's Blog

Book of the Day

My small town thriller Born on Monday is the Onlinebookclub.org Book of the Day!

A historic nor’easter. A relentless stalker.
Four estranged friends relive their darkest betrayals…

Visit Born on Monday by Richard R. Becker on Amazon and you'll find the e-book listed at special book of the day offer. If the book does well on June 15, the special offer will be extended for a week! Read more of this blog post »

1 like · Like • 0 comments • flag

Published on June 15, 2026 11:24 • Tags: book-of-the-day

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Richard is Currently Reading

Richard Becker is currently reading

The Correspondent

by Virginia Evans (Goodreads Author)

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Sep 29, 2026 07:14PM

Richard Becker is currently reading

Dead Mona

by D.J. Runnels (Goodreads Author)

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Sep 27, 2026 11:28AM

Richard Becker is currently reading

The Sword of Bheleu (The Lords of Dûs, #3)

by Lawrence Watt-Evans (Goodreads Author)

bookshelves: currently-reading

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Sep 27, 2026 11:28AM

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Richard’s Recent Updates

Richard Becker wants to read Solace House by Will Maclean	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
Sep 30, 2026 07:36PM · like
Richard Becker wants to read Please Enjoy Your Stay by Tara Goedjen (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
Sep 30, 2026 07:33PM · like
Richard Becker started reading The Correspondent by Virginia Evans (Goodreads Author) Goodreads Choice Awards Nominee in Readers' Favorite Fiction, Readers' Favorite Debut Novel, Readers' Favorite Audiobook	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
Sep 29, 2026 07:14PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Correspondent by Virginia Evans. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Correspondent by Virginia Evans <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Richard Becker wants to read Good Writing: 36 Ways to Improve Your Sentences by Neal Allen	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
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Richard Becker rated a book liked it The Cabin at the End of the World by Paul Tremblay (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
I almost feel bad about picking up The Cabin at the End of the World because I didn’t realize it was the source material for Knock at the Cabin, a forgettable low grade film that I didn’t much enjoy. So, almost immediately, I felt an annoying sense o ...more
Sep 27, 2026 12:04PM · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Cabin at the End of the World by Paul Tremblay. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Cabin at the End of the World by Paul Tremblay <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Richard Becker started reading Dead Mona by D.J. Runnels (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
Sep 27, 2026 11:28AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Dead Mona by D.J. Runnels. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Dead Mona by D.J. Runnels <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Richard Becker started reading The Sword of Bheleu (The Lords of Dûs, #3) by Lawrence Watt-Evans (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
Sep 27, 2026 11:28AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Sword of Bheleu by Lawrence Watt-Evans. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Sword of Bheleu by Lawrence Watt-Evans <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Richard Becker rated a book really liked it Deliverance by James Dickey	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
Having watched the film a few times, I decided to pick up James Dickey’s novel Deliverance and discover for myself why it remains one of the most unsettling American novels of the late twentieth century. Almost immediately, I was taken by a story wit ...more
Sep 27, 2026 11:26AM · like · see review
Richard Becker rated a book it was amazing East of Eden by John Steinbeck	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
East of Eden is even more remarkable when you consider that John Steinbeck thought of it as his training ground. Published in 1952, the book quickly gained attention as an American version of Genesis. This is the story of two families, the Trasks and ...more
Sep 27, 2026 10:55AM · like · see review
Richard Becker started reading Ghost Station by S.A. Barnes (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
Sep 27, 2026 12:15AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Ghost Station by S.A. Barnes. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Ghost Station by S.A. Barnes <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

6100 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

163 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

292 likes