The Best New Books Of The Year, According To Goodreads
Every year, the book recommendation site asks its users to vote for the best new book across 20 genres, from historical fiction to horror.
Goodreads editors first analyze statistics from the 250 million titles that were added, rated, and reviewed on the site in 2013 to nominate 15 books in each category. Readers are also encouraged to write-in nominations if their favorite didn't make the cut.
The final winners this year were then based on almost 2 million reader votes. See if your favorite book is on the list below.
FICTION: "And the Mountains Echoed" by Khaled Hosseini. From the author of "The Kite Runner" and "A Thousand Splendid Suns" comes the tale of an Afghanistan family separated by dire circumstances who struggle over half a century to find one another from Kabul to Paris to San Francisco to Greece.
MYSTERY/THRILLER: "Inferno" by Dan Brown. Robert Langdon is back again with more riddles, secret passageways, and classic art as he sets out to reveal the mystery behind Dante's epic poem.
HISTORICAL FICTION: "Life After Life" by Kate Atkinson. What if you could die and be reborn again? That's the question in this brilliant, multi-layered novel set in 20th century London that is as funny as it is philosophical.
FANTASY: "The Ocean at the End of the Lane" by Neil Gaiman. An adult fairy tale at its finest, a middle-aged man remembers his magical childhood, proving that sometimes stories are able to shelter us from the harsh realities of life.
PARANORMAL FANTASY: "Cold Days" by Jim Butcher. The 14th in the Dresden Files series, Dresden is back from the dead, but beset by magical enemies both old and new as he is forced to do the impossible: Assassinate an immortal.
SCIENCE FICTION: "MaddAddam" by Margaret Atwood. The third of her MaddAddam series, only a small group of humans survive after a man-made plague sweeps the earth. Now they must work together when the planet is attacked.
ROMANCE: "Lover At Last" by J.R. Ward. Long-time fans of the Black Dagger Brotherhood series are finally rewarded for their patience when the unrequited love of two of Ward's best characters is finally realized.
HORROR: "Doctor Sleep" by Stephen King. Dan Torrance from "The Shining" is now a middle-aged man who must protect a 12-year-old girl against a quasi-immortal tribe that feed off the children with the "shining" in King's latest thriller.
MEMOIR/AUTOBIOGRAPHY: "I Am Malala" by Malala Yousafzai. The highly acclaimed memoir of the young Pakistani girl who stood up to the Taliban for every girls' right to an education, was shot at point-blank range - and miraculously survived.
HISTORY/BIOGRAPHY: "Jim Henson: The Biography" by Brian Jay Jones. Kermit the Frog, Bert and Ernie, Miss Piggy, Big Bird. Jim Henson was the man behind The Muppets, but Jay Jones proves he was also much more in this comprehensive biography.
NONFICTION: "The Autistic Brain: Thinking Across the Spectrum" by Temple Grandin. From a scientist on the forefront of the "autism revolution," Grandin weaves together her own experiences with new theories on what causes autism and how we can best diagnose and treat it.
FOOD/COOKBOOKS: "Tequila Mockingbird: Cocktails with a Literary Twist" by Tim Federle. A cocktail book for the literary obsessed, Federle combines witty names and classic books with 65 cocktails, such as the Vermouth the Bell Tolls.
HUMOR: "Hyperbole and a Half" by Allie Brosh. Out of her viral blog comes Brosh's first book that make use of her deceptively simple illustrations to tell stories that belie a dark humor and striking wit, with topics ranging from dogs to depression.
GRAPHIC NOVELS/COMICS: "Beautiful Creatures: The Graphic Novel" by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl. Based on the young adult novel of the name name, the manga version of "Beautiful Creatures" is filled with stark black and white images that will satisfy and intrigue fans.
POETRY: "The Fall of Arthur" by J.R.R. Tolkien. This is the world's first publication of a previously unknown work by Tolkien from the '30s which tells of the final days of King Arthur in verse alongside essays from his son Christopher.
DEBUT AUTHOR: "Tangled" by Emma Chase. This is a romance novel that revolves around New York's elite who strive for both success and love in the hilarious premier book from author Emma Chase.
YOUNG ADULT FICTION: "Eleanor & Park" by Rainbow Rowell. This novel about two misfit teenagers who fall in love on a bus is sweet without being saccharine. It's also a story adults can love, too.
YOUNG ADULT FANTASY/SCI FI: "Allegiant" by Veronica Roth. The third in the dystopian Divergent series comes "Allegiant," the most outward-looking of the books that battles to comprehend the complexities of human nature in the ultimate finale for fans.
CHILDREN'S: "The House of Hades" by Rick Riodan. Filled with Olympian gods and folklore, this book follows Percy Jackson in his latest - and most dangerous - quest in The Heroes of Olympus series.
PICTURE BOOKS: "The Day the Crayons Quit" by Drew Daywalt. This delightful and imaginative story about crayons who have had enough will make children both laugh and color in a whole new way.
See the runners up in each category over at Goodreads.