Winners of the Goodreads Choice Awards

This year’s 13^th Annual Goodreads Choice Awards results was announced on the 8^th of December 2021, in which more than 4.75 million people voted; first launched in 2009, the Goodreads Choice Awards honour the best books decided by readers themselves. There were multiple close calls, such as author Rick Riordan winning the Best Middle Grade & Children’s book for ‘Daughter of the Deep’, making him the most “decorated author in Goodreads Choice Awards history with 11 wins.”

There are 17 amazing books to go through, from 17 categories and 17 winners, so make sure you have your reading list ready because there are some incredible story plots coming up!

Best Fiction: Beautiful World, Where Are You by Sally Rooney

“’Beautiful World, Where Are You’ is about two Irish friends, Alice and Eileen. Alice is a writer who attains success with her last book but is tired of fame; she’s also just out of psychiatric care. Eileen works for a literary magazine in Dublin and is recovering from heartbreak.”

Best Mystery & Thriller: The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave

“A gripping mystery about a woman who thinks she’s found the love of her life—until he disappears. Before Owen Michaels vanishes, he smuggles a note to his beloved wife of one year: Protect her.”

Best Historical Fiction: Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid

“A story about one unforgettable night in the life of a family: the night they each have to choose what they will keep from the people who made them… and what they will leave behind.”

Best Fantasy: A Court of Silver Flames by Sarah J. Maas

“A Court of Silver Flames follows Nesta and Cassian as they deal with the blazing fire between them while they face their haunting pasts, battle monsters and find acceptance and healing in each other’s arms, amidst battle and betrayal.”

Best Romance: People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry

“Poppy has everything she should want, but she’s stuck in a rut. When someone asks when she was last truly happy, she knows, without a doubt, it was on that ill-fated, final trip with Alex. And so, she decides to convince her best friend to take one more vacation together—lay everything on the table, make it all right.”

Best Science Fiction: Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir

“’Project Hail Mary’ follows the story of a junior school teacher–turned–astronaut Ryland Grace, who is the only survivor from his space mission. With two of his crew-members now dead and a fuzzy memory, all Grace remembers is that he had been asleep for a very long time and that he is hundreds of miles away from home.”

Best Horror: The Final Girl Support Group by Grady Hendrix

“Lynnette Tarkington is a real-life final girl who survived a massacre. For more than a decade, she’s been meeting with five other final girls and their therapist in a support group for those who survived the unthinkable, working to put their lives back together.”

Best History & Biography: Empire of Pain by Patrick Radden Keefe

“’Empire of Pain’ is the story of a dynasty: a parable of 21st century greed. The award-winning author of Say Nothing turns his penetrating gaze to the stupendously wealthy and influential Sackler family, probing the dark and murky methods they have employed to amass their fortune.”

Best Memoir & Autobiography: Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner

“An unflinching, powerful memoir about growing up Korean American, losing her mother, and forging her own identity. In this exquisite story of family, food, grief, and endurance, Michelle Zauner proves herself far more than a dazzling singer, songwriter, and guitarist.”

Best Graphic Novel: Lore Olympus by Rachel Smythe

“’Lore Olympus’ is a romance webcomic created by New Zealand artist Rachel Smythe. The comic is a modern retelling of the relationship between the Greek goddess and God Persephone and Hades. It began publishing weekly on the platform Webtoon in March 2018.”

Best Poetry: The Hill We Climb by Amanda Gorman

“Amanda Gorman wrote and performed ‘The Hill We Climb’ to celebrate the 2021 inauguration of Joe Biden as 46th President of the United States. The poem celebrates the U.S. not as a ‘perfect union’, but as a country that has the grit to struggle with its all-too-real problems.”

Best Young Adult Fiction: Firekeeper’s Daughter by Angeline Boulley

“Eighteen-year-old Daunis’s mixed heritage has always made her feel like an outsider, both in her hometown and on the nearby Ojibwe reservation. When she witnesses a shocking murder, she reluctantly agrees to be part of a covert FBI operation into a series of drug-related deaths.”

Best Young Adult Fantasy & Sci-Fi: Rule of Wolves by Leigh Bardugo

“Deep undercover, Nina Zenik risks discovery and death as she wages war on Fjerda from inside its capital. But her desire for revenge may cost her country its chance at freedom and Nina the chance to heal her grieving heart.”

Best Debut: The Spanish Love Deception by Elena Armas

“This book is about Catalina Martin who moved from a small Spanish town to New York City. When she tells her mother she will be bringing her American boyfriend home to her sister’s wedding, there is only one small problem… She doesn’t actually have an American Boyfriend. This is where Aaron Blackford enters.”

Best Middle Grade & Children’s: Daughter of the Deep by Rick Riordan

“After losing both of her parents on a scientific expedition, her older brother Dev is now the only family she has. Ready to prove herself, Ana and her class are off to a top-secret weekend trial at sea.”

Best Nonfiction: The Anthropocene Reviewed by John Green

“A deeply moving collection of personal essays from John Green, the author of ‘The Fault in Our Stars’ and ‘Turtles All the Way Down’. ‘The Anthropocene’ is the current geologic age, in which humans have profoundly reshaped the planet and its biodiversity.”

Best Humour: Broken by Jenny Lawson

“Hilarious, heart-warming and honest, ‘Broken’ (in the best possible way) is about living, surviving, and thriving with anxiety. The instant New York Times Bestseller from the author of ‘Furiously Happy’ and ‘Let’s Pretend This Never Happened’. As Jenny Lawson’s hundreds of thousands of fans know, she suffers from depression.”

Congratulations to all the nominees, the voters, and most importantly, the winners! We cannot wait to see what next year will have in store for us. Follow Goodreads for further updates and news on the greatest books and reviews online, and check out the official Goodreads website for a scroll through the amazing books aforementioned.