Every week, I round up the top five most read books on Goodreads that week, and almost every time, they’re all by white authors. And that’s concerning. But this week, at a glance, the entire list of 50 books is by white authors, at least as far as I am aware. In previous weeks, James and Yellowface were usually on there somewhere, but not this time.
It’s easy to blame publishers, and they should increase their marketing budget for books by authors of color, but this is embarrassing for readers, too. There are so many incredible books by authors of color. There’s no excuse for the most read books on Goodreads to be so disproportionately by white authors.
I invite you to look at your own reading: when was the last time you picked up a book by an author of color? If it’s been a while, you’re missing out on some of the best writing out there. For recommendations of incredible books by diverse authors in your inbox every week, sign up for the In Reading Color newsletter.
As for the books that are on this list, one through four is the same as last week, but after many months, Sunrise On the Reaping has slipped from the top five. Instead, we have The Wedding People, which has been in the top ten for quite a while, but has finally broken through to the top five.
3 New Books Out This Week You Should Know About
Since the most read books on Goodreads tend not to be diverse by any definition of the word, here are a few new books out this week that deserve wider readership.
Necessary Fiction by Eloghosa Osunde
The author of Vagabonds! is back with an exploration of queer life in Nigeria today. It follows a rotating cast of dozens of queer people in Lagos as they navigate romantic, familial, friend, and sexual relationships. They find love even while dealing with bigotry. Kaveh Akbar, author of Martyr!, says: “I can’t believe how alive Eloghosa Osunde’s Necessary Fiction is, how supersaturated and smart… Hustle, heart, privacy, sex, yearning so strong it buckles you—it’s all here. The ink practically hovers off the page.” —Danika Ellis
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Love Is a War Song by Danica Nava
After the success The Truth According to Ember, fans have been eager to read Danica Nava’s next romance. And now you can! Pop star Avery Fox caused a stir posing for a Rolling Stone cover wearing a feather warbonnet. She is Muscogee, but has been ridiculed by the public, so she’s staying with her estranged grandmother on a ranch for a while. There, she meets Lucas Iron Eyes. The two strike up a deal where she helps fundraise for the ranch in exchange for more insight into her and Lucas’s shared heritage and culture. If you liked that Nava allowed her characters to be messy in her debut, you’ll love this book, too. —Isabelle Popp
The Library at Hellebore by Cassandra Khaw
Alessa is forced to attend the Hellebore Technical Institute for the Gifted. Most of her fellow students, who are divided into Anti-Christs (world-eaters) and Ragnaroks (apocalypse-starters), were also forced in. They’re promised that the school is their best chance of survival. Except that on graduation day, the faculty starts feasting on students… which puts the surviving thing into question. Khaw’s Nothing but Blackened Teeth and The Salt Grows Heavy were both knock-out novellas, and I can’t wait to see what bloody, monstrous, dreadful things they bring to the world of dark academia. —Liberty Hardy
The Most Read Books on Goodreads This Week
#5:
The Wedding People by Alison Espach
The Wedding People came out in July of last year, but it has had a long tail of popularity, helped out by being a Read With Jenna pick. It follows a suicidal main character, Phoebe, who checks into the Cornwall Inn to have one last splurge of a weekend. It turns out that the inn is hosting a wedding at the same time, and Phoebe finds herself swept up into it. It was read by 16,000 users this week and has a 4.1 average rating.
#4:
The Tenant by Freida McFadden
McFadden has been a familiar name in this feature ever since The Housemaid exploded onto the bestseller lists. In her newest thriller, Blake and his fiancée rent out a room in their house to a new tenant. Soon, strange things start happening around the house, and the neighbors begin treating them differently. This one was read by almost 17,000 Goodreads this week, and it has a 3.9 average rating.
#3:
One Golden Summer by Carley Fortune
Romance readers love a seasonal read, and this looks like it’s the summer romance of the year! It follows Alice, who spent a perfect summer at her Nan’s cottage when she was 17. Now an adult, she returns to take care of her injured Nan—only to run into the guy who she crushed on as a teen. But is this a summer fling or something more? This one was read by almost19,000 users this week and has a 4.4 average rating.
#2:
Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry
Emily Henry is a staple author on the bestseller lists and the Goodreads most read list, so it’s no surprise to see her newest title here. It follows two writers competing to write the official biography of a reclusive heiress. It was read by almost 20,000 users this week and has a 4.0 average rating.
#1:
Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Taylor Jenkins Reid is best known for The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo and Daisy Jones & The Six. Now, she’s back with a new novel about two women astronauts in the 1980s. It came out June 3rd and became an instant #1 New York Times bestseller. It’s also a Good Morning America Book Club Pick. 25,000 Goodreads users marked it read this week, and it has a 4.4 average rating.
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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