Disclaimer: This was filmed before I reacted to the Goodreads Choice Awards of 2023. At this point, I’m more than skeptical of their recommendations and… kinda over it!
Where is Emily Henry? She has three books from the last 4 years with over 900k ratings... or "The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue" with also over 900k ratings...? That list is strange!
@@MegaChadAnakin Yes! StoryGraph is seriously a lot better. They listen to users when it comes to changes, and in general created something actually user friendly. Do give it a few weeks to get used to it, though.
As Someone who has a physical disability that is getting worse with time I actually liked the ending of “Me Before You” because I get it I felt it in my bones
"A Gentelman in Moscow" has been my favorite book since the first time I read it. And its main character, Count Rostov, is one of my favorite characters ever. I love how he maintains himself and his values in the worst of times, and I love how this book can uplift your spirit. I recommend checking it out :)
@@wasserman7273 looking this way, you cannot read or write books that are to some extent based on real wars, conflicts, disasters, which would be at least strange. This book does not focus so much on this specific historical event, but on the behavior of people in difficult situations. It's hard for me to see anything harmful in this story. Sure it's not perfect, but in my opinion and for me - it's great and it's important to me.
I’m not even an SJM fan, but it feels weird that there were three Taylor Jenkins Reid books and nothing from SJM when she’s so INSANELY popular. Also no Brando Sando? Really no fantasy at all? Weird.
I found Gentleman in Moscow not a hard read. though it felt a bit like classic fiction in style, so if that isn't your jam, maybe you won't enjoy it. I loved Dickens, Hardy, Bronte, Dostoyevsky etc and so loved this. It was like discovering a new old classic, it totally immersed me in another era and place. ❤
Hi Emily, as a French history teacher I sadly have to say that the Nightingale is also incredibly offensive, especially for the French Jew community, and contains many mistakes that range for ridiculous to infuriating.
For a similar and better book than Daisy Jones, The Final Revival of Opal and Nev, by Dawnie Walton, is written in the interview style too but it has more social commentary and substance. The audio book does it better as each character announces their name before speaking and each voice is unique, making it easier to tell one character from another.
I absolutely adored A Gentleman in Moscow, one of my favourite books, and I don't think it's a really difficult read. I feel like the writing is quite beautiful, and it just feels like one of those books that stays with you for a while after reading it in a good way
It's worth noting the controversies around the author of All the Crawdads Sing. There's alleged murder charges and her spinning it into her novel (also some racism)
I think it's irresponsible to suggest that there are murder allegations against the author. There are none. There are, however, some allegations involving her ex and/or her ex husband's son in connection with the killing of a poacher, captured on film during the making of an ABC special in 1995
As for the "racism" it was endemic to the time and place. The criticism was that the main Black character ("Jumpin'") was TOO heroic and therefore unrealistic. That may be, but he and his wife were two of my favorite characters.
@michaeldamen2946 Hi, thanks but what I actually said is that there are controversies around her and they affect the book contents. The internet is free and people can look up what's known and make an informed decision for themselves without me filtering it through my biases for them. (I also personally don't like 'time and place' justifications/apologists and feel it's valid to be upfront with other people who don't want to read that racism either-- especially since it's only 'time and place' to the privileged class anyway and the oppressed never shared their views.)
I agree with you, these lists must be influenced by Amazon and not actual readers. Dark Matter…I had to watch a comedic movie after I finished it to ground myself, he really messes with your reality while reading his books! Four Winds, I thought it was goodish, but it is the first book by her I have read, but if you want to read about the dust bowl age of America then it’s a good book. Thanks for the great video. 😊
The secret history was published in 1992, that's why it's not in the list... And I agree with you, this list is highly suspicious Plus I really didn't like Evelyn Hugo (it didn't age well, so I'm not sure you'd like it if you read it today) and was sooo disappointed with Before the coffee gets cold... So I distrust this list 😅
It's strange that before the war happened in my own country I hated reading anything about WW2, but now it kinda clicked and I actually enjoy reading such stories. I don't know, maybe because now I can relate to what's happening or because it kinda helps me work on my own trauma and let it go. Right now I'm reading Life after Life thanks to you. And I really realize like it!! Don't know if I'll ever read All the light we cannot see, because as I understand it's heavily focused on romance. And it's not really my thing.
All the Light We Cannot See is not really a love story. The two main characters are both children during the war, and when they meet yes you understand they like each other but they do not have a romance. They just meet for a really shortly time. No kiss scene or anything like that. For me all the light we cannot see is more about love for your family. The tv series made it more romantic. Book isn't.
This list is basically the book section of a Target store, so it does not surprise me, in that it's books that appeal to a wide audience. I'm really glad I'm not the only one who needs to take a break from WWII literature for a while.
The Alice Network is WW1 female spies and it was really eye opening. I loved it. Also i think you could do A Gentleman in Moscow. I read it last year and it was wonderful.
I read Before We Were Yours when it first came out and i loved it so much more than i was expecting to. What surprised me the most after i finished the book is that it is actually inspired by real historical events in Tennessee. This story is told in two time periods (present day and 1930's ish). The book is really beautifully written but the experiences depicted are quite horrifying and heart wrenching. If you change your mind about reading it, i think you would actually enjoy it as it's something a bit different to what you might be used to.
Maybe you Should Talk to Someone is an excellent book. I listened to it on audiobook. I got emotional plenty of times in my car due to this book. It's a very heartfelt read.
The subtle art of not giving a fuck is surprisingly not as bad as you'd think. It actually gets quite emotional / personal towards the end. I feel it's written for guys who don't usually read self help so that kind of 'packaging' was a bit annoying but underneath all that it's actually quite likeable. I don't regret reading it even though I'm not a self help book fan.
The Invisible Life of Addie Larue has over 900000 ratings... And The first Mistborn over 600000 and Way of Kings nearly 460000... Yeah, this is strange
@@BookswithEmilyFox oh dear, you are right... Now I feel old... And even if I don't really care for them, no Sarah J. Maas either and two of hers have over a Mio ratings! (And most newer releases by her still over 400000)
I really liked cloud cuckoo land. It is super intresting that it's combination of historical and science fiction. The themes and plot were also quite strong. I overall think you would enjoy it. Ps: I also think it's a big lie that Brandon Sanderson isn't on the list. He's the best author of the decade in my opinion!
I counted 24 books I actually own, but I have only read 7 of them. There are definitely some other books I would have put on this list. I did love Remarkably Bright Creatures - one of my favorites for 2023.
For me Goodreads has become book tok in written form. I stopped checking it and mostly rely on RUclipsrs that have similar taste as me and listen to their opinions and reviews. Also, where is N.K. Jemisin?!?!
I'm the wrong demographic for tiktok and all that sort of stuff so maybe I got that totally wrong but my gut feeling is that it's kind of going in circles nowadays. Whatever is the newest 'influencer' fad is going to end up as a bestseller just because of the amount of noise/hype that it generates on social media and then that spills over into places where it wouldn't have been seen back in the day
I think the “want to read” label played heavily into this list. These are all pretty middle of the road, wide audience books so it makes sense to me. I think the fantasy books you’re missing are maybe just more niche? Like I’m sure they have lots of ratings but probably aren’t getting as many new people clicking want to read. Honestly, even watching your channel all the time, I would be hard pressed to name a Brandon Sanderson title off the top of my head 😅
Im not surprised with the recent picks. The books on this list have been huge in my online book groups and many are books that are read by a wide range of reader, as well as many casual readers. Also if they are counting want to reads there is likely to be a lot of new books that people havent gotten to yet. Weird to count them honestly because who knows if they will rate them high once they do. Also not surprised about the non-fiction picks. To me these are the non-fiction to read when you aren't a non-fiction reader. And I say that as someone who doesn't read a lot of non-fiction. Hyped, easily accessible and often with a built in audience already.
The choices are definitely skewed to recent books, but you need to keep the audience in mind. The stats were collected from people who use Goodreads. I read tons of sci-fi, literature, classics, biography & nonfiction with a smattering of new books. I use Goodreads, but I'm definitely not in tune with most of the readers on that platform. (Their 2023 book award nominees are ridiculous in my opinion! Even considering newer releases, I can recommend so many well written books that were overlooked in favor of books no one will have heard of 10-15 years from now. It is what it is ... just don't let Goodreads tell you what to read! (...and "A Gentleman in Moscow" has joined my top favorites, though I've read & lived a lot of history, so it speaks to me at several different levels.)
I finished Sally Rodney’s book waiting to like it but it never happened….Tomorrow, and Tomorrow and Tomorrow I finished it but really did not like it. I left it in the break room at work with a note that said “good luck”. I donate my used books to nursing homes but could not inflect that book on them.
SPOILERS A woman has known that she cannot survive a pregnancy. She decides to keep her foetus anyway and leaves her baby with her now widowed husband...
@@BookswithEmilyFoxI hated this too OMG and the story portrays her as a selfless hero what the heck what did that give you you didn't even get to be a mother you just committed S and hurt 2 ppl in the process . And both the visitations went badly just pointless and dumb
@@BookswithEmilyFox oh god...no. I have this sitting in my library pile and havent picked it up yet but that is enough to know i will hate it just as much... i hate that so so much
I loved The Midnight Library up until the last... I'm not sure, 40 pages or so? When it started to get a little... toxic positivity-ish. Still, I loved the rest of the book so much that it'll always have a special place on my bookshelf. I know it's late, but I'd love to hear your spoiler thoughts on it!
I agree the ending is not the strongest! It almost went in a direction I would have hated. SPOILERS I was afraid he was going with the "marriage and babies will solve your depression" so by the end I was just happy he didn't go there XD
I am incredibly curious as to what you hated in the before your coffee gets cold series I personally found the first book boring so I wont be picking up the rest of the series so
SPOILERS I hate the trope “woman knows she won’t survive pregnancy since she was told by doctor years ago. She finds out she’s pregnant and decides to keep it. F her husband, f her future child” 🙄
Girl, Women, Other was really interesting to read and at the same time very emotional. Normally i don't like the story beeing told by to many different point of views but in this case it worked for me, although some characters are more likeable than others. I liked the way she portrays the women and how feminism influences them differently. The focus on black women feminism was educational and at the same time build in entertaining lifetime stories. The writing style was kinda weird tho (but maybe due to translation, i didn't read it in english)
I really liked the movie of Where the Crawdad Sings. I think it’s worth the watch. It was not what I expected. And you should def read Underground Railroad. Kate Quinn is also a really good writer. She has other books you might be interested in. I think you might like Historical Fiction if you find the ones that aren’t WWII focused.
This list is shady. What are they actually ranking? The amount of people that have shelved them? Their average rating? The proportion of read to want to read? It makes no sense
The list says "The books here are ranked in order of overall popularity, as determined by which titles Goodreads members have marked as Read, Currently Reading, or Want to Read." But it's definitely suspicious!
Watched wondering if A Little Life would be on the list. Finished it 2 days ago. I have never wanted so much to ask an author, "Who hurt you?" I overall enjoyed it (if enjoyed is even the right word); it was certainly compulsively readable, but I can't see recommending it to anyone! Without giving any spoilers, that transition from the 2nd-last chapter to the very last is what broke me. Goddamn it! Glad I'm reading Husband Material now, which is the sequel to Boyfriend Material by Alexis Hall, which I found laugh-out-loud funny, and I'm very near the top of the library wait list for Bookshops and Bonedust, so that will probably be next. I need the laughs and coziness after A Little Life!
I think a mistake you made was looking at it as best books list. It's most popular books which let's be honest is very different. As for Sanderson not being on there, I think booktube and fantasy spaces generally warped a bit the idea of Sanderson's popularity. He's very popular of course, but I checked and I don't think he broke 1 million ratings even on his most popular book. And the list being from last decade automatically takes first books of series out. That being said, not being a fan of her myself, the fact that Sarah J Maas isn't on the list is proof enough they didn't base it just on number of ratings because she has a lot. All of Court of something or other books are eligible if you look at release dates, and first one has almost 2 million ratings. They really skimped on fantasy on the list in general.
Yeah but like you mentioned there are plenty of authors I would have expected on here like Emily Henry. She’s definitely very popular outside of Booktube!
True, I feel like there's always something weird about their choices in everything. At this point I doubt these lists or even goodreads awards are decided by an algorithm. I don't like or read her but when there are new release lists and mystery/detective whatever lists, people always complain about Rowling and her detective series being excluded. So clearly these lists are curated because hate her or despise her, Rowling's books are still pretty popular. I'm curious if it's amazon trying to drive sales, publishers paying for spots or one of the two employees goodreads has making shit up lol
I would love to hear your thoughts on Cloud Cuckoo Land. The writing is beautiful, but I absolutely hated it. I am by far in the minority there though, and it'd be interesting to see what you think! PS - hope the kitties are doing well! 💖
I feel like I can’t trust any of these recommendations because Spanish Love Deception made it on the list. I forced myself to read the first maybe 70 pages… the writing was so bad it could have been written by a middle school girl. It made me question whether she even had an editor. How did it make this list?
No Sanderson, no John Boyne, no George Saunders, no Zadie Smith... I could go on. It IS very much a popularity contest like the name of the list warned (and what Goodreads is about anyways, let's be thankful for no ACOTAR at least). In answer to your questions, do read The Gentleman in Moscow if you're interested, though it's historical fiction? For sure one of my fave of the last 10 years by far and the English is not an issue (I'm Québécoise as well). I strongly recommend Americanah, The Dutch House narrated by Tom Hanks, The Four Winds starts strong then loses its way, The Alice Network is WWII heavy but the woman's perspective makes it very different, loved it. Underground Railroad I would listen to rather than read, it's fascinating but a little detached for me. Same with Crazy Rich Asians, I much preferred the book, unpopular opinion. Testaments was such a letdown!
SPOILERS There’s a woman who’s been told she won’t survive a pregnancy. When she gets pregnant she tells her husband she’s keeping it… then dies giving birth 🙄
I can find more than 10 books that released after 2013-2014 from My Tbr with close to millions of reviews and were not included on that list… they definitely getting paid from some authors to promote their books….
Definitely a bit of a hit and miss list! There's some here that I absolutely loved. But more that I thought were just fine or I have no interest in reading 😂
Ah, so someone else didn't like "Lessons in Chemistry"! I thought I was the only one who had trouble with it. "The Four Winds" is a straight up rip off of "The Grapes of Wrath" (which itself is based on stolen research) - hated it. I did like the "The Nightingale" and Doerr's book. However, I thought "Cloud Cuckoo Land" was better, but that's not a popular opinion.
When I first read Lessons in Chemistry, I thought it was ok, but the more I thought about it and reread certain passages, I realised I really hated it.
Killers of the Flower Moon put me in a reading slump. I really like the genre, had it on my shelf for years and finally read it so I can watch the movie. I was so disappointed, it was dry and had too many footnotes. I like the general story but how its told and written was not for me, it took me 3 weeks to finish it...
Crying in H Mart was intense because I read it shortly after finishing my own cancer treatments. And all I could think about was 1. This could have been me. and 2. This could still be me if my cancer comes back.
I read Crazy Rich Asians during cancer treatments, though, because I needed something fun to read. The whole series is just really good. If you pick up the audiobooks, try to find a version that reads the footnotes. Otherwise, read a physical copy so you can read the footnotes. They have good explanations and they're often very funny.
I never expected you loving a little life... I personally was so numb moving forward the end of the book. I felt nothing and I just want my time back lol
It feels a bit healing to hear a booktuber say that they loved A Little Life since so far I only heard people be incredibly negative about it in a way that makes me feel like they went into it wanting to dislike it and interpreting everything in bad faith
I didn´t like The Midnight library, it looked like a basic self help book to me. But I do agree with you on a lot of books. And The Secret history IS better than The Goldfinch (even tho I love that one too) but it was written in the 90´s so it makes sense it´s not on this list. Also, you said at the beginning of the video it´s a list of the most popular books, but the title of your video is "the best" and that´s a huge difference.
The Fact that books with actual popularity are not on the list is weird. The Cruel Prince has over a million ratings and was published in 2018 (?). Even The Unhoenymoners has more ratings than I'm glad my mom died. And when it comes to popularity you cannot disregard Fourth Wing whether you like it or not but it has over 748.000 ratings which is more than The Vanishing Half. Also I don't see a single Sarah J Maas book. Think of her what you want but ACOTAR (published in 2015) has nearly 2 Million ratings. There are so many books that come to mind when I think of really popular books from 2013-2023 like The Martian or The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue.
I don’t know where they got this list from! There are so many other books that should be on it. Just as an example, I know not everyone loves Fourth Wing but that is 700+K and a 4.5 or so rating.
Just a decade. Counting from 2023 backwards since that's the year of this video and of the statistics that she pulled up for the video. You can count a decade beginning anytime... You can do this statistic each year, include one new year and drop the oldest... 🤷🏻♀️
@@tarastreasure Usually when people refer to decades, historically it’s time periods like the 60s, 70s, 80s, etc. Otherwise they would word it “in the last 10 years, or 5 years, etc.” I know your explanation is the literal fact, but it’s strange to use “decade” in this way.
@@pennPi yeah, might be a bit weird. It's true that the 90s, 80s etc are usually decades. I just didn't feel anything was off when I heard this, I took it as 'the last ten years'. 😅
I’m calling bullshit on this list. You’re totally right, no Brandon Sanderson but also where is The Hunger Games or The Hate You Give? Definitely feels like a literary fiction heavy list.
I so agree about Red Rising! I'm reading it right now and it is sooooo inspired by Hunger Games (which I love), that it is almost on a verge of plagiarism or it seems so. I'm trying to get through it, hoping it becomes better. There should be a reason why people love it
I'm indeed shocked by these picks, and I've only read Black Matter (it was just ok for me -- liked the concept but didn't care for the plot conveniences/holes, character work and writing style 🤷) and Educated (loved that one -- I could relate a lot to the author's story in my own way) on that list. I'm only interested in Red Rising and some memoirs/non-fic on that list (but nothing's a priority). I've tried reading Before The Coffee Gets Cold but found the writing style way too simple and plain for my tastes, so put it down. Now I need all the spoilers for that one, please. :P I'm surprised you read Jane Austen and the Brontë sisters and are still intimidated by A Gentleman In Moscow. 🤪
Disclaimer: This was filmed before I reacted to the Goodreads Choice Awards of 2023.
At this point, I’m more than skeptical of their recommendations and… kinda over it!
I liked Project Hail Mary, but don't feel like reading most of these others.
Where is Emily Henry? She has three books from the last 4 years with over 900k ratings... or "The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue" with also over 900k ratings...? That list is strange!
why not try storygraph ? i really like it I've been using it for years
@@MegaChadAnakin Yes! StoryGraph is seriously a lot better. They listen to users when it comes to changes, and in general created something actually user friendly. Do give it a few weeks to get used to it, though.
Yeah... this list is all over the place.
I agree! The lack of Brandon Sanderson and Piranesi by Susanna Clarke is unfortunate!
Piranesi was such an unexpected surprise!
As Someone who has a physical disability that is getting worse with time I actually liked the ending of “Me Before You” because I get it I felt it in my bones
"A Gentelman in Moscow" has been my favorite book since the first time I read it. And its main character, Count Rostov, is one of my favorite characters ever. I love how he maintains himself and his values in the worst of times, and I love how this book can uplift your spirit. I recommend checking it out :)
Oh, but this is such fiction about those horrible times that it's insulting tbh fir those who survived it
@@wasserman7273 looking this way, you cannot read or write books that are to some extent based on real wars, conflicts, disasters, which would be at least strange.
This book does not focus so much on this specific historical event, but on the behavior of people in difficult situations. It's hard for me to see anything harmful in this story. Sure it's not perfect, but in my opinion and for me - it's great and it's important to me.
I’m not even an SJM fan, but it feels weird that there were three Taylor Jenkins Reid books and nothing from SJM when she’s so INSANELY popular. Also no Brando Sando? Really no fantasy at all? Weird.
Yeah acotar ,six of crows and cruel prince ruled booktok booktube for a good while
I found Gentleman in Moscow not a hard read. though it felt a bit like classic fiction in style, so if that isn't your jam, maybe you won't enjoy it. I loved Dickens, Hardy, Bronte, Dostoyevsky etc and so loved this. It was like discovering a new old classic, it totally immersed me in another era and place. ❤
Hi Emily, as a French history teacher I sadly have to say that the Nightingale is also incredibly offensive, especially for the French Jew community, and contains many mistakes that range for ridiculous to infuriating.
I agree, it's pretty bad. DNFd about 20% in.
It's a walking cliche. Obviously written by someone who has never met a French person in their life and took all their info from fashion magazines.
For a similar and better book than Daisy Jones, The Final Revival of Opal and Nev, by Dawnie Walton, is written in the interview style too but it has more social commentary and substance. The audio book does it better as each character announces their name before speaking and each voice is unique, making it easier to tell one character from another.
Killers of the Flower Moon is an absolutely amazing book! Highly recommend.
I read Remarkably Bright Creatures at the beginning of this month and it gave me all the feels.
I absolutely adored A Gentleman in Moscow, one of my favourite books, and I don't think it's a really difficult read. I feel like the writing is quite beautiful, and it just feels like one of those books that stays with you for a while after reading it in a good way
Since this includes “want to read” when considering popularity it seems like quality isn’t necessarily the main thing considered for this list 🤷♀️
I do wish they had considered the average rating instead of the "Want to Read" shelf.
It's worth noting the controversies around the author of All the Crawdads Sing.
There's alleged murder charges and her spinning it into her novel (also some racism)
I think it's irresponsible to suggest that there are murder allegations against the author. There are none. There are, however, some allegations involving her ex and/or her ex husband's son in connection with the killing of a poacher, captured on film during the making of an ABC special in 1995
As for the "racism" it was endemic to the time and place. The criticism was that the main Black character ("Jumpin'") was TOO heroic and therefore unrealistic. That may be, but he and his wife were two of my favorite characters.
@michaeldamen2946 Hi, thanks but what I actually said is that there are controversies around her and they affect the book contents. The internet is free and people can look up what's known and make an informed decision for themselves without me filtering it through my biases for them.
(I also personally don't like 'time and place' justifications/apologists and feel it's valid to be upfront with other people who don't want to read that racism either-- especially since it's only 'time and place' to the privileged class anyway and the oppressed never shared their views.)
Even though online book spaces are dominated by fiction, nonfiction is generally almost as popular as fiction with general readers
Yes! Definitely lots of "book club books" on here which isn't surprising
I agree with you, these lists must be influenced by Amazon and not actual readers. Dark Matter…I had to watch a comedic movie after I finished it to ground myself, he really messes with your reality while reading his books! Four Winds, I thought it was goodish, but it is the first book by her I have read, but if you want to read about the dust bowl age of America then it’s a good book. Thanks for the great video. 😊
Nailed it with every book recommendation!
I gave up on GR recommendations years ago, it’s good to check their popular books for “Not to Read List”😂
The secret history was published in 1992, that's why it's not in the list...
And I agree with you, this list is highly suspicious
Plus I really didn't like Evelyn Hugo (it didn't age well, so I'm not sure you'd like it if you read it today) and was sooo disappointed with Before the coffee gets cold... So I distrust this list 😅
You're right! I'm still very surprised by some of the books on there!
I loved the Beartown series! Fredrik Backman is one of my favorite writers.
I read it this year and did not expect to love it so much. Bear town will be one of, if not, my top read of 2023. I will never be over Benji😢
@@MizzInterpretedBenji is easily the most important and beloved character in my book life.
The thing that gets me is why do some authors have multiple books on the list? You're telling me they couldn't find another popular author 😅
And where is Emily Henry? I know SFF might not be as mainstream as other genres but romance books should be?? I can’t believe she’s not on there
It's strange that before the war happened in my own country I hated reading anything about WW2, but now it kinda clicked and I actually enjoy reading such stories. I don't know, maybe because now I can relate to what's happening or because it kinda helps me work on my own trauma and let it go.
Right now I'm reading Life after Life thanks to you. And I really realize like it!!
Don't know if I'll ever read All the light we cannot see, because as I understand it's heavily focused on romance. And it's not really my thing.
All the Light We Cannot See is not really a love story. The two main characters are both children during the war, and when they meet yes you understand they like each other but they do not have a romance. They just meet for a really shortly time. No kiss scene or anything like that. For me all the light we cannot see is more about love for your family. The tv series made it more romantic. Book isn't.
This list is basically the book section of a Target store, so it does not surprise me, in that it's books that appeal to a wide audience. I'm really glad I'm not the only one who needs to take a break from WWII literature for a while.
The Alice Network is WW1 female spies and it was really eye opening. I loved it. Also i think you could do A Gentleman in Moscow. I read it last year and it was wonderful.
I read Before We Were Yours when it first came out and i loved it so much more than i was expecting to. What surprised me the most after i finished the book is that it is actually inspired by real historical events in Tennessee. This story is told in two time periods (present day and 1930's ish). The book is really beautifully written but the experiences depicted are quite horrifying and heart wrenching. If you change your mind about reading it, i think you would actually enjoy it as it's something a bit different to what you might be used to.
Homegoing is so good!!!
Also American Dirt generated a ton of controversy when it came out, so not sure I’d recommend that one lol
First time I've watched you and I'll be back! Appreciate your honesty and presentation style
The first four books Taylor Jenkins Reid wrote are her best so far. Maybe in Another Life is AMAZING.
Maybe you Should Talk to Someone is an excellent book. I listened to it on audiobook. I got emotional plenty of times in my car due to this book. It's a very heartfelt read.
The subtle art of not giving a fuck is surprisingly not as bad as you'd think. It actually gets quite emotional / personal towards the end. I feel it's written for guys who don't usually read self help so that kind of 'packaging' was a bit annoying but underneath all that it's actually quite likeable. I don't regret reading it even though I'm not a self help book fan.
The Invisible Life of Addie Larue has over 900000 ratings... And The first Mistborn over 600000 and Way of Kings nearly 460000... Yeah, this is strange
The last two were published earlier than the last decade but I agree with Addie 100%! I want to see the stats 💅👀
@@BookswithEmilyFox oh dear, you are right... Now I feel old... And even if I don't really care for them, no Sarah J. Maas either and two of hers have over a Mio ratings! (And most newer releases by her still over 400000)
No worries I was wrong with the secret history too 🤦♀️ still I can’t believe “sea of tranquility” is more popular than “book lovers”
I really liked cloud cuckoo land. It is super intresting that it's combination of historical and science fiction. The themes and plot were also quite strong. I overall think you would enjoy it.
Ps: I also think it's a big lie that Brandon Sanderson isn't on the list. He's the best author of the decade in my opinion!
I counted 24 books I actually own, but I have only read 7 of them. There are definitely some other books I would have put on this list. I did love Remarkably Bright Creatures - one of my favorites for 2023.
Americanah is one of my favorite novels ever!! You gotta read it!
For me Goodreads has become book tok in written form. I stopped checking it and mostly rely on RUclipsrs that have similar taste as me and listen to their opinions and reviews. Also, where is N.K. Jemisin?!?!
I'm the wrong demographic for tiktok and all that sort of stuff so maybe I got that totally wrong but my gut feeling is that it's kind of going in circles nowadays. Whatever is the newest 'influencer' fad is going to end up as a bestseller just because of the amount of noise/hype that it generates on social media and then that spills over into places where it wouldn't have been seen back in the day
I keep hearing how much people loved the Secret History, and after trying to read it I need to ask...why?
I think the “want to read” label played heavily into this list. These are all pretty middle of the road, wide audience books so it makes sense to me. I think the fantasy books you’re missing are maybe just more niche? Like I’m sure they have lots of ratings but probably aren’t getting as many new people clicking want to read. Honestly, even watching your channel all the time, I would be hard pressed to name a Brandon Sanderson title off the top of my head 😅
Im not surprised with the recent picks. The books on this list have been huge in my online book groups and many are books that are read by a wide range of reader, as well as many casual readers. Also if they are counting want to reads there is likely to be a lot of new books that people havent gotten to yet. Weird to count them honestly because who knows if they will rate them high once they do. Also not surprised about the non-fiction picks. To me these are the non-fiction to read when you aren't a non-fiction reader. And I say that as someone who doesn't read a lot of non-fiction. Hyped, easily accessible and often with a built in audience already.
The choices are definitely skewed to recent books, but you need to keep the audience in mind. The stats were collected from people who use Goodreads. I read tons of sci-fi, literature, classics, biography & nonfiction with a smattering of new books. I use Goodreads, but I'm definitely not in tune with most of the readers on that platform. (Their 2023 book award nominees are ridiculous in my opinion! Even considering newer releases, I can recommend so many well written books that were overlooked in favor of books no one will have heard of 10-15 years from now. It is what it is ... just don't let Goodreads tell you what to read! (...and "A Gentleman in Moscow" has joined my top favorites, though I've read & lived a lot of history, so it speaks to me at several different levels.)
I finished Sally Rodney’s book waiting to like it but it never happened….Tomorrow, and Tomorrow and Tomorrow I finished it but really did not like it. I left it in the break room at work with a note that said “good luck”. I donate my used books to nursing homes but could not inflect that book on them.
Please, spoil me before the coffee gets cold ❤
SPOILERS
A woman has known that she cannot survive a pregnancy. She decides to keep her foetus anyway and leaves her baby with her now widowed husband...
@@BookswithEmilyFoxI hated this too OMG and the story portrays her as a selfless hero what the heck what did that give you you didn't even get to be a mother you just committed S and hurt 2 ppl in the process . And both the visitations went badly just pointless and dumb
@@BookswithEmilyFox oh god...no. I have this sitting in my library pile and havent picked it up yet but that is enough to know i will hate it just as much... i hate that so so much
That’s the moment I put the book down and looked up the author because I knew it was a man💀
@@BookswithEmilyFox thanks!
The ending of Me Before You was just has it had to be! Life doesn’t always tie up in a neat bow and it was refreshing not to guess the ending.
I think you’re really going to like Remarkably Bright Creatures. Love the characters in that one ♥️
I loved The Midnight Library up until the last... I'm not sure, 40 pages or so? When it started to get a little... toxic positivity-ish. Still, I loved the rest of the book so much that it'll always have a special place on my bookshelf. I know it's late, but I'd love to hear your spoiler thoughts on it!
I agree the ending is not the strongest! It almost went in a direction I would have hated.
SPOILERS
I was afraid he was going with the "marriage and babies will solve your depression" so by the end I was just happy he didn't go there XD
I am incredibly curious as to what you hated in the before your coffee gets cold series
I personally found the first book boring so I wont be picking up the rest of the series so
SPOILERS
I hate the trope “woman knows she won’t survive pregnancy since she was told by doctor years ago. She finds out she’s pregnant and decides to keep it. F her husband, f her future child” 🙄
Girl, Women, Other was really interesting to read and at the same time very emotional. Normally i don't like the story beeing told by to many different point of views but in this case it worked for me, although some characters are more likeable than others. I liked the way she portrays the women and how feminism influences them differently. The focus on black women feminism was educational and at the same time build in entertaining lifetime stories. The writing style was kinda weird tho (but maybe due to translation, i didn't read it in english)
Really liked it, and I also recommend Mr Loverman by her (the audiobook is great as well)
I am surprised that someone LIKE ME hates the book Befor the Coffee gets cold !! 🤗
Maybe best to break up with GR? It doesn't make you happy, and it doesn't care about you!
Yeah that’s why I added the disclaimer as a pinned comment. I’m feeling done with their recommendations!
😂😂
Ikr, it doesn't care abt her 😂😂
You should read Maybe You Should Talk to Someone and Girl, Woman, Other. Two of my favorite books. 🎉
Don’t think we have the most similar taste in books we love but we most certainly have more in common in books we hate 😂😂😂
I really liked the movie of Where the Crawdad Sings. I think it’s worth the watch. It was not what I expected. And you should def read Underground Railroad. Kate Quinn is also a really good writer. She has other books you might be interested in. I think you might like Historical Fiction if you find the ones that aren’t WWII focused.
This list is shady. What are they actually ranking? The amount of people that have shelved them? Their average rating? The proportion of read to want to read? It makes no sense
The list says "The books here are ranked in order of overall popularity, as determined by which titles Goodreads members have marked as Read, Currently Reading, or Want to Read." But it's definitely suspicious!
@@BookswithEmilyFox Even if this is the methodology... that doesn't seem like a good way to measure what books are the "best"!
Watched wondering if A Little Life would be on the list. Finished it 2 days ago. I have never wanted so much to ask an author, "Who hurt you?" I overall enjoyed it (if enjoyed is even the right word); it was certainly compulsively readable, but I can't see recommending it to anyone! Without giving any spoilers, that transition from the 2nd-last chapter to the very last is what broke me. Goddamn it! Glad I'm reading Husband Material now, which is the sequel to Boyfriend Material by Alexis Hall, which I found laugh-out-loud funny, and I'm very near the top of the library wait list for Bookshops and Bonedust, so that will probably be next. I need the laughs and coziness after A Little Life!
I think a mistake you made was looking at it as best books list. It's most popular books which let's be honest is very different. As for Sanderson not being on there, I think booktube and fantasy spaces generally warped a bit the idea of Sanderson's popularity. He's very popular of course, but I checked and I don't think he broke 1 million ratings even on his most popular book. And the list being from last decade automatically takes first books of series out.
That being said, not being a fan of her myself, the fact that Sarah J Maas isn't on the list is proof enough they didn't base it just on number of ratings because she has a lot. All of Court of something or other books are eligible if you look at release dates, and first one has almost 2 million ratings. They really skimped on fantasy on the list in general.
Yeah but like you mentioned there are plenty of authors I would have expected on here like Emily Henry. She’s definitely very popular outside of Booktube!
True, I feel like there's always something weird about their choices in everything. At this point I doubt these lists or even goodreads awards are decided by an algorithm.
I don't like or read her but when there are new release lists and mystery/detective whatever lists, people always complain about Rowling and her detective series being excluded. So clearly these lists are curated because hate her or despise her, Rowling's books are still pretty popular. I'm curious if it's amazon trying to drive sales, publishers paying for spots or one of the two employees goodreads has making shit up lol
I would love to hear your thoughts on Cloud Cuckoo Land. The writing is beautiful, but I absolutely hated it. I am by far in the minority there though, and it'd be interesting to see what you think!
PS - hope the kitties are doing well!
💖
Agree. I hated Cloud Cuckoo Land.
@@lilah5324 that is truly so refreshing to hear! I thought I was the only one 🙄
I have to listen to your recomendations more often, because every book you told us "it's just not for me" it has been the same for me hahah
I loved All the Light we Cannot See. But I’m really into WWII historical fiction.
Girl woman other was amazing, so worth it and totally deserves a spot!
I feel like I can’t trust any of these recommendations because Spanish Love Deception made it on the list. I forced myself to read the first maybe 70 pages… the writing was so bad it could have been written by a middle school girl. It made me question whether she even had an editor. How did it make this list?
Most of these that I have read are because of my in person book club. I haven't been attending because I haven't been loving the choices
I have also read the same books by Taylor Jenkins Reed and Carrie Soto was really good actually:)
No Sanderson, no John Boyne, no George Saunders, no Zadie Smith... I could go on. It IS very much a popularity contest like the name of the list warned (and what Goodreads is about anyways, let's be thankful for no ACOTAR at least). In answer to your questions, do read The Gentleman in Moscow if you're interested, though it's historical fiction? For sure one of my fave of the last 10 years by far and the English is not an issue (I'm Québécoise as well). I strongly recommend Americanah, The Dutch House narrated by Tom Hanks, The Four Winds starts strong then loses its way, The Alice Network is WWII heavy but the woman's perspective makes it very different, loved it. Underground Railroad I would listen to rather than read, it's fascinating but a little detached for me. Same with Crazy Rich Asians, I much preferred the book, unpopular opinion. Testaments was such a letdown!
I would love to hear your thoughts on Girl, woman, other. I liked it a lot ❤
20:26 Astrid was the best part of *_Crazy Rich Asians_* book , give it a try !
I loved her in the movie!
I would love to hear what you think about My Year of Rest and Relaxation
Me too!!
Before the coffee gets cold: what is the direction of the story that you don't like? I’m curious!
SPOILERS
There’s a woman who’s been told she won’t survive a pregnancy. When she gets pregnant she tells her husband she’s keeping it… then dies giving birth 🙄
Thanks! Yes, I also noticed that, but I wasn’t that bothered, don’t know why. But I also understand if someone is!
I really enjoyed Maybe You Should Talk to Someone even though it’s not something I would typically read.
Tomorrow, Tomorrow, and Tomorrow reminds me slightly of A Little Life) you should read it. I cried a few times during reading)
I can find more than 10 books that released after 2013-2014 from
My Tbr with close to millions of reviews and were not included on that list… they definitely getting paid from some authors to promote their books….
Yeah the list is really suspicious… so many books I would expect to see on there are nowhere to be seen 👀💀
Definitely a bit of a hit and miss list! There's some here that I absolutely loved. But more that I thought were just fine or I have no interest in reading 😂
Homegoing is one of my favorite books of all time!
Ah, so someone else didn't like "Lessons in Chemistry"! I thought I was the only one who had trouble with it. "The Four Winds" is a straight up rip off of "The Grapes of Wrath" (which itself is based on stolen research) - hated it. I did like the "The Nightingale" and Doerr's book. However, I thought "Cloud Cuckoo Land" was better, but that's not a popular opinion.
When I first read Lessons in Chemistry, I thought it was ok, but the more I thought about it and reread certain passages, I realised I really hated it.
what’s the beef with malcolm gladwell?
I loved Daisy Jones as the audio!!!
try Manson, it's not what you expect. also Towels. very good.
Killers of the Flower Moon put me in a reading slump. I really like the genre, had it on my shelf for years and finally read it so I can watch the movie. I was so disappointed, it was dry and had too many footnotes. I like the general story but how its told and written was not for me, it took me 3 weeks to finish it...
Nice video. What is your favorite genre?
Most of these are recs my mom gets off daytime TV, for example she's read Crawdads Sing 2 or 3 times.
Crying in H Mart was intense because I read it shortly after finishing my own cancer treatments. And all I could think about was 1. This could have been me. and 2. This could still be me if my cancer comes back.
I read Crazy Rich Asians during cancer treatments, though, because I needed something fun to read. The whole series is just really good. If you pick up the audiobooks, try to find a version that reads the footnotes. Otherwise, read a physical copy so you can read the footnotes. They have good explanations and they're often very funny.
I never expected you loving a little life... I personally was so numb moving forward the end of the book. I felt nothing and I just want my time back lol
That book definitely divides people! I was emotionally invested in the characters but Jules drove me crazy
Please give the heart stopper a try. 😢
Unpopular opinion but Carrie soto is better than the 7 husbands of EH. (Although I hated the 7husbands of eh so the bar was low?)
I was eyeing The Seven Hudbands of Evelyn Hugo, will check it out then❤
It feels a bit healing to hear a booktuber say that they loved A Little Life since so far I only heard people be incredibly negative about it in a way that makes me feel like they went into it wanting to dislike it and interpreting everything in bad faith
I didn´t like The Midnight library, it looked like a basic self help book to me.
But I do agree with you on a lot of books. And The Secret history IS better than The Goldfinch (even tho I love that one too) but it was written in the 90´s so it makes sense it´s not on this list.
Also, you said at the beginning of the video it´s a list of the most popular books, but the title of your video is "the best" and that´s a huge difference.
Carrie Soto Is Back is great!
I loved it too!!
The Fact that books with actual popularity are not on the list is weird. The Cruel Prince has over a million ratings and was published in 2018 (?). Even The Unhoenymoners has more ratings than I'm glad my mom died. And when it comes to popularity you cannot disregard Fourth Wing whether you like it or not but it has over 748.000 ratings which is more than The Vanishing Half. Also I don't see a single Sarah J Maas book. Think of her what you want but ACOTAR (published in 2015) has nearly 2 Million ratings. There are so many books that come to mind when I think of really popular books from 2013-2023 like The Martian or The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue.
I feel like there’s no genre fiction on here at all - mystery, sci fi, romance… wonder if they do separate lists for those?
That's not in theme of this video, but I hope you'll try The Will of the Many one day. It has some similar topics to Blood over Bright Haven!
I bought it for my next haul… the most expensive book I’ve bought this year so it better be good 😭
@@BookswithEmilyFox Ohhh okay, the stakes are high in that case 😅 I really hope you'll like it though!!
I will have to try it. I tried the Deep Sky and it was soooo bad. I am done with Goodreads suggestions.
I don’t know where they got this list from! There are so many other books that should be on it. Just as an example, I know not everyone loves Fourth Wing but that is 700+K and a 4.5 or so rating.
I feel exactly the same about Me Before You lmao
Why the apparent scorn for M Gladwell??
I REALLY disliked the Nightingale but i LOVED The Four Winds!
The list doesnt make sense. There are books published before 2020 and after 2020. So which decade?
Just a decade. Counting from 2023 backwards since that's the year of this video and of the statistics that she pulled up for the video. You can count a decade beginning anytime... You can do this statistic each year, include one new year and drop the oldest... 🤷🏻♀️
@@tarastreasure Usually when people refer to decades, historically it’s time periods like the 60s, 70s, 80s, etc. Otherwise they would word it “in the last 10 years, or 5 years, etc.” I know your explanation is the literal fact, but it’s strange to use “decade” in this way.
@@pennPi yeah, might be a bit weird. It's true that the 90s, 80s etc are usually decades. I just didn't feel anything was off when I heard this, I took it as 'the last ten years'. 😅
I’m calling bullshit on this list. You’re totally right, no Brandon Sanderson but also where is The Hunger Games or The Hate You Give? Definitely feels like a literary fiction heavy list.
You should read Americanah
Where is Say Goodbye For Now by Catherine Ryan Hyde animals and a peek into America pre-jim crow laws. Also Children of Time is an excellent series
Is it just me or there aren’t almost any fantasy books there..
I so agree about Red Rising! I'm reading it right now and it is sooooo inspired by Hunger Games (which I love), that it is almost on a verge of plagiarism or it seems so. I'm trying to get through it, hoping it becomes better. There should be a reason why people love it
I've only read Jennette McCurdy's book.
The Crawdad book should be given your time. Push through and then tell us what you think of the story.
I'm indeed shocked by these picks, and I've only read Black Matter (it was just ok for me -- liked the concept but didn't care for the plot conveniences/holes, character work and writing style 🤷) and Educated (loved that one -- I could relate a lot to the author's story in my own way) on that list. I'm only interested in Red Rising and some memoirs/non-fic on that list (but nothing's a priority). I've tried reading Before The Coffee Gets Cold but found the writing style way too simple and plain for my tastes, so put it down. Now I need all the spoilers for that one, please. :P
I'm surprised you read Jane Austen and the Brontë sisters and are still intimidated by A Gentleman In Moscow. 🤪