Welcome to The Best of Book Riot. These are the most popular pieces from our newsletters, website, and podcasts this week.
In science fiction, the array of possible worlds is as numerous as the stars. You see the whole spectrum. There are utopias, dystopias, galaxy-wide federations, empires, independent worlds of autonomy and choice — you name it. There are beautiful worlds and flawed worlds. Worlds with stunning flora and fauna, with scenery and structures you dream about. Some worlds you might wish you could live in.
Then there are science fiction worlds that are just the worst.
On the latest episode of the Book Riot Podcast, a discussion of the most-hyped book of the fall.
Obviously, many writers wrote contemporary works during the 1990s. Those books reflect that time through the eyes of people living through it. Nowadays, writers can turn to the 1990s as a historical setting. These writers will have the benefit of hindsight, if they were around back then. Those past events will inform the contemporary context of their work. No matter when writers hail from, they also have the body of 1990s media to draw from, reference, and comment on.
After a string of nearly identical weekly bestseller lists, this one is looking fresh and interesting! We have six titles making their debuts on this list, which might be a record. In fiction, there are new titles by beloved authors Elizabeth Strout and Liane Moriarty. There’s also a new TJ Klune book, which personally I haven’t been able to get on board with, ever since I found out his “cozy” fantasy novel was inspired by the horrific history of residential schools and the ’60s scoop. (If you’re interested, this Reddit thread has a good discussion about the topic.)
We stay booed up with Goodreads. Despite its flaws, it’s such a treasure trove of self-reported information on readers, and with its more than 100 million members, it’s still the biggest book-focused social site. What’s more, its editors love to crunch numbers.
Their latest stat pulling has come in the form of the most popular books published in the last five years. To assemble the list, which is ranked in order, they looked at the books added to Goodreads members’ Want to Read, Currently Reading, or (already) Read lists, and tallied up the results.