The Most Popular Book Riot Posts of 2024 So Far
Book Riot has been on the internet since 2011, and a lot has changed since then. Digital media is a very different beast now than it was even a few years ago, and we’ve had to pivot — and pivot again, and pivot again — to keep up. (We’re even on TikTok now.) In order to keep up with what our readers are looking for, we took a look back at our most-viewed posts published in the first half of 2024 to see what’s trending, and we thought it was worth sharing with you. Here are the top ten most-viewed posts on Book Riot in 2024 so far.
#10: Louisiana HB 777 Would Criminalize Librarians and Libraries Who Join the American Library Association by Kelly Jensen
Kelly Jensen does tireless, essential work covering censorship with her Literary Activism newsletter. The extent to which book bans and censorship have skyrocketed in frequency and severity in recent years is often overlooked, but sometimes stories like this break out and find their audience, raising the alarm for how dire the situation has become.
#9: 25 Books to Read in 2024 by Emily Martin
Despite all of the creative spins we try to put on writing about books, sometimes the simplest approach is the most effective: just a big ol’ list of the best books to read this year. How many have you read so far?
#8: 1980s Sci-Fi Books That Aged Badly (And 4 Still Worth Reading) by Katie Moench
We’ve seen such a huge demand for science fiction content on Book Riot! Sci-fi and fantasy are both popular, but sci-fi is often collapsed into mostly-fantasy lists, so posts that give them the spotlight tend to do well — especially when they have a fun hook like this one.
#7: The 10 Absolute Best Science Fiction Books of 2023 by Chris M. Arnone
Speaking of sci-fi, here’s another example! While some of our most-viewed sci-fi posts are about the best sci-fi of all time or a look back at classic sci-fi, there’s also a big appetite for new titles.
#6: Must-Read Historical Fiction Set in Italy by Julia Rittenberg
Another genre we’ve seen a lot of interest in, especially recently, is historical fiction. We have an ongoing series of must-read historical fiction set around the world, including India, France, Mexico, China, Ireland, and more, and they consistently get good views.
#5: 7 Cozy Fantasy Books to Start 2024 Off On a Gentle Note by Danika Ellis
This one is a bit of a surprise, because it was primarily meant to be a newsletter for Read Harder subscribers; most of the recommendations are only viewable for paid subscribers. We also had several other (entirely free) lists of cozy fantasy books — 20 Must-Read Cozy Fantasy Books and 2024 Cozy Fantasy Books You Won’t Want To Miss — that came out around the same time and didn’t get as many clicks. The internet is a mysterious place!
#4: 8 Science Fiction Books that are Impossible to Adapt to the Screen by Chris M. Arnone
This is our third sci-fi book list in the top ten, despite it being a small fraction of what we write about! This one discusses the kind of cerebral, abstract sci-fi books that would not translate well as a movie or TV show.
#3: The Best Fantasy Series Books To Fill Your Life with Magic by Chris M. Arnone
While we’ve given sci-fi a lot of attention so far, fantasy definitely also has a dedicated audience. These sort of broad “best of” lists are so difficult to write — how do you narrow down the entirety of fantasy series to just ten? — but they get a lot of attention.
#2: The Best Book Club Books for 2024 by Courtney Rodgers
Book club content is something else we’ve noticed readers seeking out a lot lately. Combine that with “new books” and an ambitious “best of” list, and you have the recipe for a widely viewed post. If you want more book club recommendations, sign up for In the Club, our book club newsletter!
#1: The Thriller Writer Outselling James Patterson and John Grisham by Rebecca Joines Schinsky
Our most-viewed post of the year so far has only been out for a few weeks! This is another one that was primarily a newsletter, though without any paid content. This is an edition of Today in Books, our newsletter that highlights the biggest and buzziest book news of the day. In this one, Rebecca discusses Freida McFadden’s meteoric rise on the bestseller lists.
Of course, this is only a tiny glimpse of the hundreds of posts, newsletters, podcasts, and more Book Riot has put out so far in 2024, but it gives you an idea of the most popular genres and topics of the moment. The most-viewed posts tend to be the ones with the broadest topics, because they have more reach, but we’ll never stop posting niche book lists. They’re too much fun!
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