The Most Read Books on Goodreads This Week
The top five most read books on Goodreads this week are identical to last week, so I thought I’d also take a look at the most popular books on the StoryGraph at the moment. These aren’t exactly the same feature: the most popular books on the StoryGraph includes books users have added as want to read, not just the books they’ve read. Still, it’s useful as a snapshot of the buzziest books. Usually, it overlaps considerably with the Goodreads list, but this time, there’s only one title in common in the top five.
Before we get into the most popular books, though, let’s take a moment to spotlight a couple of new books that deserve more attention. One thing the top five titles on Goodreads and the StoryGraph have in common is that they’re very white—and the Goodreads long list isn’t much better.
Two New Books Out This Week You Should Know About
Unfortunately, the most read books on Goodreads tend not to be diverse by any definition of the word. So, here are a couple of new books out this week that deserve wider readership.
Passing Through a Prairie Country by Dennis E. Staples
The author of This Town Sleeps is back with a new thriller. A mysterious deadly force known as the sandman haunts Hidden Atlantis Lake Resort and Casino. Queer aspiring documentarian Glenn Nielan hopes to capture the many sides of Ojibwe, including the thrills of the casino, but he doesn’t realize he’s being pulled into the sandman’s orbit. Meanwhile, cousins Marion, Alana, and Cherie prepare for a battle with the sandman that will determine the future of the reservation’s residents. —Danika Ellis
Theft by Abdulrazak Gurnah
This is Abdulrazak Gurnah’s first novel since his 2021 Nobel Prize win. In it, three young people—Karim, Fauzia, and Badar—come of age in Tanzania at the turn of the 21st century. Karim has returned home from college with new confidence, and Fauzia sees in him a chance for escape. Together, they help Badar see a life outside of poverty, even if he’s still uncertain about his future. Though they are together, they’ll have to determine what their ever-changing world has in store for each of them. —Erica Ezeifedi
The Most Read Books on Goodreads This Week
#5:
The Crash by Freida McFadden
Freida McFadden is a heavy hitter on the Most Read Books On Goodreads This Week chart, with many titles in the top 50. Her newest thriller is about a pregnant woman who crashes her car during a storm and is taken in by a couple in a remote cabin. It was read by over 19,000 users this week and has a 3.8 average rating.
The #5 most popular book on the StoryGraph this week is John Green’s new nonfiction book, Everything is Tuberculosis, which came out March 18th.
#4:
Iron Flame (The Empyrean, #2) by Rebecca Yarros
After the third book in the series came out, Iron Flame saw a bump in readership alongside Fourth Wing and Onyx Storm. Over 20,000 users read it this week, and it has a 4.4 average rating.
The #4 most popular book on the StoryGraph this week is Deep End by Ali Hazelwood, a romance between a diver and swimmer from the author of The Love Hypothesis.
#3:
Fourth Wing (The Empyrean, #1) by Rebecca Yarros
Unsurprisingly, book one in the Empyrean series also appears in the top five. Somehow, there are still readers discovering this series even now. Almost 21,000 users marked this dragon riding academy romantasy book as read this week. It has a 4.6 average rating.
The #3 most popular book on the StoryGraph this week is Careless People: A Cautionary Tale of Power, Greed, and Lost Idealism by Sarah Wynn-Williams, a tell-all about the early Meta/Facebook days, which hit the bestseller list after Meta tried to suppress it.
#2:
Wild Side by Elsie Silver
This is the third book in the Rose Hill romance series. It follows Tabitha, who marries her enemy to secure guardianship over her nephew. Rhys is secretive and infuriating, but Tabitha soon discovers a new side to her husband. It was read by almost 27,000 users and has a 4.3 average rating.
The #2 most popular book on the StoryGraph this week is the only one that also appears on the Goodreads list: Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros.
#1:
Onyx Storm (The Empyrean, #3) by Rebecca Yarros
Finally, to no one’s surprise, the #1 spot goes to the newest Empyrean book. It’s anyone’s guess how long this series can continue to find new readers, but it looks like we’re not at peak Empyrean yet. Onyx Storm was read by almost 40,000 Goodreads users this week and has a 4.3 average rating.
The #1 most popular book on the StoryGraph this week is also the newest book in an SFF series: it’s the Hunger Games prequel Sunrise On The Reaping by Suzanne Collins, which came out this week.
If you’re looking for more buzzy books, check out The Bestselling Books of the Week, According to All the Lists.
Find more news and stories of interest from the book world in Breaking in Books.
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