Goodreads is a popular book-tracking website where people can add friends, rate books,
Track their reading progress and make public reviews. Every year, Goodreads releases its top-rated and reviewed books for the public to vote on. It takes place over three rounds and there are 17 different categories the books fall into.
This year’s Best Fiction books all share a similar theme of learning, growth and finding
one’s own way. The covers are all bright and inviting. A good example of this is “The Collected Regrets of Clover” by Mikki Brammer. Brammer tells the story of Clover, who works as a guide to families experiencing a loss, also known as a death doula, in New York. Having experienced a tragedy at a young age, Clover feels a connection with the dead, wanting to make the end-of-life experience comfortable for them and their families. This causes her to have no life of her own until she is sent on a trip across the country. There, she finds herself. With the colorful flowers on the front and a touch of romance, this book fits right into the theme.
The topics discussed in this year’s Mystery and thriller books cover a wide range, but the
one thing shared among them is the spook factor. All of the covers have a similar eery
depiction of colors, letters and in some cases, photos. The book that encapsulates all three is “All the Dangerous Things” by Stacy Willingham. This book shares the story of Isabelle, a restless mom whose baby was stolen from her own home a year ago. Deciding to interview with a true-crime podcaster to get some answers hopefully, she becomes unnerved by his interest in her life and case. She starts to doubt her own memory, but will stop at nothing to get her son back. This book brings up the unsettling nature of the true-crime genre now popular online, something so many people take part in. The cover depicts a drop in a body of water, with the letters of the title disappearing into it.
The first thing that pops out in the Romance novels is the color pink. Many of
the covers present a shade of pink and really bring out the joy in these books, which all feature colorful covers and unique pieces of art that represent the story or characters. The most eye-popping is “Wildfire” by Hannah Grace. Grace is known for her book “Icebreaker,” which took the online book community by storm. Now, she brings a background character named Russ. This time, Russ is getting his happy ending. After reconnecting with Aurora at a summer camp as counselors, Russ and Aurora find it hard to leave each other to their own devices. The cover is a carton drawing of the couple with a pink camp background behind it, depicting the early sunset. Grace bringing back these characters and continuing this series is exciting, and the book has already garnered 3.95 stars.
If you’ve voted, or are interested in seeing the results, the top books have been announced
as of December 8th.
