The Goodreads Choice Awards are a lot like the People’s Choice Awards. At a time where many major publications are announcing their top books of the year, Goodreads turned to its readership to find out which books should be considered “The Best”. Take a look at the winners by category below. While we agree with some (Gone Girl for best Mystery & Thriller and Oregon author Cheryl Strayed’s, Wild for best Memoir) there are a few on the list that have left us scratching our heads.
Fiction
The Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling
Nonfiction
Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking by Susan Cain
Mystery & Thriller
Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
Historical Fiction
The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman
Memoir & Autobiography
Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed
History & Biography
Elizabeth the Queen: The Life of a Modern Monarch by Sally Bedell Smith
Poetry
A Thousand Mornings by Mary Oliver
Science Fiction
The Long Earth by Terry Pratchett
Horror
The Twelve by Justin Cronin
Young Adult Fiction
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
Fantasy
The Wind Through the Keyhole by Stephen King
Paranormal Fantasy
Shadow of Night by Deborah Harkness
Romance
Fifty Shades Freed by E.L. James
Young Adult Fantasy & Science Fiction
Insurgent by Veronica Roth
Humor
Let’s Pretend This Never Happened: A Mostly True Memoir by Jenny Lawson
Goodreads Author
Veronica Roth
Food & Cookbook
The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Recipes from an Accidental Country Girl by Ree Drummond
Graphic Novel & Comic
The Walking Dead, Vol 16: A Larger World by Robert Kirkman, Illustrated by Charlie Adlard
Children’s Book
The Mark of Athena by Rick Riordan
Picture Book
Olivia and the Fairy Princesses by Ian Falconer