As the year winds down, we love reading best-of lists to remember our favorite things from the last 12 months. Which is why we’re so excited about the 2017 Goodreads Choice Awards.
The Goodreads Choice Awards is the only major book awards decided by readers. There are 19 categories ranging from horror to humor, poetry to picture books, and every literary genre in between. Almost 4 million votes were cast this year! And this week, the winners were announced.
You might glance at the list and ask, But didn’t that book come out last year? Or, Why wasn’t this incredible book nominated? And here’s why: It all has to do with eligibility. In order to be eligible for the 2017 Goodreads Choice Awards, a book had to be published between November 16, 2016 and November 15, 2017. Any book published between November 16, 2017 and December 31, 2017 will be eligible for next year’s awards. It’s similar to how Taylor Swift didn’t get nominated for a Grammy for Reputation this year, or how Game of Thrones got no Emmy nominations. Rules are rules.
The readers have spoken. Here are the winners of the 2017 Goodreads Choice Awards. How many of the titles have you read?
Best Fiction: Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng
Beautiful story. Gorgeous cover. Glowing reviews. Little Fires Everywhere is perfect in so many ways.
Runner-up: Beartown by Fredrik Backman
Best Mystery & Thriller: Into the Water by Paula Hawkins
Just two years after winning Best Mystery & Thriller for The Girl on the Train, Hawkins brought home the same award for her sophomore novel, Into the Water. We detect a pattern here.
Runner-up: Origin by Dan Brown
Best Historical Fiction: Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate
If you can’t even with 2017, step back in time with this historical fiction novel.
Runner-up: Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders
Best Fantasy: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them: The Original Screenplay by J.K. Rowling
You saw the movie starring Eddie Redmayne, but did you read the screenplay?
Runner-up: Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman
Best Romance: Without Merit by Colleen Hoover
This is Hoover’s third consecutive year winning Best Romance, so yeah, she knows a thing or two about writing a steamy story.
Runner-up: Come Sundown by Nora Roberts
Best Science Fiction: Artemis by Andy Weir
If you enjoyed Weir’s The Martian, you’ll definitely love Artemis.
Runner-up: Waking Gods by Sylvan Neuvel
Best Horror: Sleeping Beauties by Stephen King and Owen King
Naturally, Stephen King has won many Goodreads Choice Awards through the years. But this is his son’s first win!
Runner-up: Final Girls by Riley Sager
Best Humor: Talking as Fast as I Can: From Gilmore Girls to Gilmore Girls, and Everything in Between by Lauren Graham
You know you read it. You know you loved it.
Runner-up: I Can’t Make This Up: Life Lessons by Kevin Hart
Best Nonfiction: How to Be a Bawse: A Guide to Conquering Life by Lilly Singh
Lilly Singh is our Superwoman.
Runner-up: Dear Ijeawele, or A Feminist Manifesto in Fifteen Suggestions by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Best Memoir & Autobiography: What Happened by Hillary Rodham Clinton
We’re still #WithHer.
Runner-up: Hunger: A Memoir of (My) Body by Roxane Gay
Best History & Biography: The Radium Girls: The Dark Story of America’s Shining Women by Kate Moore
This inspiring true story follows the lives of the young women who worked in radium-dial factories during the first World War.
Runner-up: Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI by David Grann
Best Science & Technology: Astrophysics for People in a Hurry by Neil deGrasse Tyson
His passion for science and the cosmos is seriously contagious.
Runner-up: Inferior: How Science Got Women Wrong — and the New Research That’s Rewriting the Story by Angela Saini
Best Food & Cookbooks: The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Come and Get It! Simple, Scrumptious Recipes for Crazy Busy Lives by Ree Drummond
Love to cook, but don’t have tons of time to spend whipping up gourmet meals in the kitchen? Ree Drummond to the rescue.
Runner-up: 5 Ingredients — Quick & Easy Food by Jamie Oliver
Best Graphic Novels & Comics: Big Mushy Happy Lump by Sarah Andersen
This is Sarah Andersen’s second win in two years! Big Mushy Happy Lump is packed with illustrated essays about her experiences with work, relationships, and anxiety. Hashtag relatable content.
Runner-up: Wonder Woman Vol. 1: The Lies (Rebirth) (Wonder Woman DC Universe Rebirth) by Greg Rucka
Best Poetry: The Sun and Her Flowers by Rupi Kaur
She’s everyone’s favorite Instapoet, and she’s back with another Goodreads win.
Runner-up: Depression & Other Magic Tricks by Sabrina Benaim
Best Young Adult Fiction: The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
We can’t say enough good things about The Hate U Give or Angie Thomas, who also won the bonus category, Best Debut Goodreads Author. She also took home a third unofficial-but-still-incredibly-impressive accolade: Beating John Green.
Runner-up: Turtles All the Way Down by John Green
Best Young Adult Fantasy & Science Fiction: A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J. Maas
Bow down, because Maas has been nominated in this category every year since 2012.
Runner-up: Lord of Shadows by Cassandra Clare
Best Middle Grade & Children’s: The Ship of the Dead by Rick Riordan
The real honor here is that Riordan came in both first and second place.
Runner-up: The Dark Prophecy by Rick Riordan
Best Picture Books: We’re All Wonders by R.J. Palacio
It was inspired by her book Wonder, which also just so happens to be a movie starring Julia Roberts and Owen Wilson that’s out in theaters right now.
Runner-up: Malala’s Magic Pencil by Malala Yousafzai
