I am always—and I mean always—surprised when I take a look at the New York Times bestseller list to see what books people are actually buying. Without a doubt, it will include books I’ve never heard of (see: Tricky Twenty-Two), and books that make me say that one’s still on there? (see: The Alchemist, currently enjoying it’s 381st week on the list. Speaking of which, I read that book for this category and I’m not convinced it’s worth the hype.)
Just because a book is a bestseller, that doesn’t mean it’s any good. These 9 titles are actually worth the hype.
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Go Set a Watchman
Humans of New York: Stories
Thinking, Fast and Slow
Nobel prizewinner Kahneman dives deeply into concepts I first encountered in Malcolm Gladwell's Blink. Fascinating theory plus practical implications on how to mitigate our inevitable mental errors make this a worthwhile read. This book will change the way you think about thinking. (98 weeks)
More info →Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear
Everything I Never Told You
The Martian: A Novel
The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics
The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing
All the Light We Cannot See
What are you reading for this category? I’d love to hear which bestselling novels YOU think are overrated, and which ones are actually worth the hype.
74 comments
I am just starting The Girl on The Train. I’ve seen some good reviews for it, so I have high hopes! I also just finished reading The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up and was inspired. Right now I’m not sure how to apply it to my family–3 kids. Anyone with children have suggestions? It seems like her client base is almost entirely single people or those who are married without children.
Yes! The Girl on the Train. I just finished it and definately worth the hype. I only disagree with the “Tidying Up” book. I found that one a little…strange. 🙂
I thought she was wacky too, but I will admit that my sock drawer has never looked better. She obviously has no kids. Many of my children’s belongings don’t “spark joy” for me and I can’t toss all of the things that they love.
“I thought she was wacky too, but I will admit that my sock drawer has never looked better.”
Ha! Yes. Exactly. 🙂
I haven’t read it yet but know the just lol … being the eldest of 8 siblings, all of us living in the same house with both our parents and two dogs and a cat and the youngest kid being 5 years old, I really haven’t found buying this really worth it for my current situation quite honestly
Absolutely loved this book. Listened to the audio version and couldn’t wait to get started. For once I have hope that I might get out from under the clutter in my home.
Jenny at Mama Needs Coffee wrote a post about this a few months ago:
http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/mamaneedscoffee/2015/06/how-to-hack-the-konmari-method-with-a-houseful-of-kids/
Hope that’s helpful!
Love this book.
I thought the book, “simplicity parenting” had some great ideas on how to simplify and declutter with kids. It has an entire chapter on which toys to keep and which to discard. As a mom of 4 kids under 8, it’s impossible for me to tidy “all in one go”, but I do find that the more stuff I throw away the less stuff there is for my kids to mess. Hope this helps! Thanks for the book reviews! I put a few on hold at the library.
Just start. It took me about six months, but it truly is life changing.
BelangerThats awesome. Look forward to seeing the photos.I am at this very moment sewing my new Bedouin tent based on the northern Algerian “Ouled Nail” style tents. Large square tarp were the side and front walls are part of the square, and all the strap work is on the inside of the tent.
Absolutely no! I’m a mother of four and read all the time. Another challenge, of couse but you can steal sleeping time, read in the subway, in the bathroom, while they take a nap or in the playground. Take your book everywhere you go. Wish you luck!
I don’t typically read the adult bestsellers-part of my strategy for keeping my “sensitive” self at equilibrium-but I read some of the teen bestsellers (although some of those are just as bad) when I was still working at a bookstore, and one that’s still on the list is Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. The pictures are fantastically creepy (but not scary, at least to me) and I remember the story being quite compelling (it’s been a few years).
I loved Miss P! And I agree…I find myself reading lots of YA books. Have you tried A Mango Shaped Space?
I agree with “keeping my “sensitive” self at equilibrium.” I am new to Modern Mrs. Darcy, so am hoping that her suggested reads hit that sweet spot.
I read All the Light We Cannot See earlier this year and was so impressed!! It’s so uniquely structured and the characterizations and tensions in the story are incredible. And I’m actually reading The Boys in the Boat right now and it’s already sucked me in – such an extraordinary story! Can’t wait to get further into it!
I knew All the Light We Cannot See would be on this list before I scrolled down. So beautifully written.
I also loved The Martian! That book sucked me in so fast I didn’t know what hit me and I was thoroughly disappointed when it ended, I wanted to stay on Mars with Watney a little longer.
I have a literary confession to make. I have never read To Kill a Mockingbird. *gasp* I don’t know how I skipped this one in school because I think it’s pretty much required reading, but my daughter has it this year and I think it’s long overdue for me to buckle down and read this. Go Set A Watchman is at my library. I feel like I shouldn’t read it until I’ve read the first.
I’m hoping someone buys me HONY for Christmas!
i too read The Alchemist and did not like it at all. I just never got it. Loved The Martian. Just finished People of the Book. A really good read that covers different points in history related to a book. Informative but also entertaining. I did the audio but do not recommend it, too confusing.
I’ll be listening to All the Light We Cannot See for this category this month. I already read Go Set a Watchman, The Boys in the Boat, The Martian, and The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up this year, but I’m only counting books when I read a specific one intended for the challenge. 🙂
I listen to a lot of audiobooks, but I read All the Light We Cannot see on paper because I’d read reviews that said the audio was hard to follow. They were right – it skips around in time periods constantly and could be easy to lose track of where you are supposed to be in the story.
It is a great story, I’m sure you will enjoy it either way!
Uhoh. I hope I can follow it well enough. I’ll be starting it tomorrow morning. 🙂
Thanks for the info on the audio version!
Anne, is this a guest post? Totally fine if it is of course! — but although it sounds like you, there is a different name/photo at the top of the post, so I’m confused.
Thanks for sharing this list. I’m usually WAY behind the times when it comes to catching up with popular books — though I did read All the Light We Cannot See this year 🙂 — so I’m always glad to get more good reading suggestions.
Whoops! No, I wrote it, I just didn’t catch that in wordpress! Thanks for letting me know—it’s fixed now.
I’m so glad you enjoyed All the Light!
I loved The Martian and Big Magic. Those were some of my favorite from 2015. I think I’d put Rising Strong by Brene Brown on that list, and also Better Than Before by Gretchen Rubin.
Sarah M
I loved All the Light, and thought Everything I Never Told You was so well done. (I had mixed feelings about Big Magic.) I also recently loved Kate Morton’s The Lake House – so immersive.
I loved The Martian and thought …”Tidying up” was a good read. I have “All the Light…” on my Kindle. That is what I am going to read for this month. I have Big Magic on my Christmas list. I could not get into Thinking Fast and Slow. I usually like books like that but not this time. I have still not read Go Set a Watchman. TKAM is my favorite book ever and I have been uneasy about Watchman. I decided not to buy it. I did see that my library now has copies available without a wait so I may pick it up there next week.
I think Boys in the Boat is going to be my top non-fiction book of the year. I read it and my husband listened to it on audio, and we both loved it. I concur with you on Go Set a Watchman, Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, and The Martian. I enjoyed All the Light We Cannot See, but I think I read it too close to a lot of hype-reading. Also, there were a couple of scenes towards the end that I felt like he could’ve left out without affecting the integrity of the story that kept me from handing it to my daughters. So, yes, I liked it, but I didn’t love it. Those are the only 5 of your 9 I’ve read. Big Magic is on my TBR, though as is the Ng title. Fun list!
I loved Go Set Watchman and The Nightingale. However, I could not get through the Art of Tidying Up. While I liked a few little quotes here and there, I could not get behind the overall concept.
Just read The Alchemist for book club and my “Originally Written in Another Language” entry. Hated it. So disappointed. Loved The Boys in the Boat.
I’m so with you on all of these (although I haven’t read “The Life-Changing yada yada yada” yet). I am so glad to hear that I’m not the only person not in love with “The Alchemist.” It’s so highly recommended, but I just don’t like it. At all. “The Fountainhead” is another book that I hate to admit hating (I didn’t even finish that one!). ?
Blech. The Alchemist. I didn’t like it either! Can’t believe it’s such a huge global bestseller
I really think the Alchemist is one of those books that you have to read a certain time in your life. As a college sophomore questioning my path in life, the Alchemist was the Best Thing I Ever READ! (ZOMG!).
If I were to read it (for the first time) now as an established adult who knows myself and is confident in my life’s vocation and my relationships with friends and family, I’m afraid that I would be sorely disappointed.
I appreciate the thoughts on this. Thanks for sharing.
I couldn’t get through the Alchemist the first three times I tried it. The fourth time I read it I loved it. It became my favorite book.
There are some books that are “good” depending on the time of life they are read. I loved “Jacob Have I Loved” as a 6th grader and told many people it was my favorite book. In my early twenties I read “The Alchemist” and “Atlas Shrugged” and loved them as well. In the last few years I tried reread these books that I loved and I could not understand what I had thought so wonderful about them in the first place. I realized that when I first read these books they “spoke” to me in a way that was relevant to that time in my life but now when I try to reread them I find them pedantic and trite.
I think Being Mortal was my book for this category. (Still haven’t gotten around to the Grisham my mom wants me to read…) I don’t think it had ENOUGH hype for how important it is.
I loved that book so much.
I loved All the Light We Cannot See and The Martian! I picked up The Girl on the Train last week because people kept recommending it.
About 20 pages in, I still wasn’t getting into it so I gave up. I’ve got a bunch of books on my fall reading list to get through.
This year, I’ve surpassed my reading goal! I’ve read sooo many incredible books.
For this challenge category, I read My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante. I also read Brooklyn by Colm Toibin which everyone needs to read! One of my favourite reads this year.
I started reading Benediction by Kent Haruf last night and I am already halfway through. It’s the perfect read to curl up with.
The Girl on the Train is definitely OVERRATED! It was okay but I kept wondering (as I did with Gone Girl) WHY is this #1 on the Bestseller List??
Agreed!
The Girl on the Train is what I chose for this category (although it turns out I read a few other bestsellers without realizing it). I thought it was AWFUL!!! There are badly written books that become bestsellers all the time, if they have clever plots or whatever, but I just don’t understand the appeal of this one at all.
I can’t argue with this. 🙂
I hear you on this one …
Totally AGREE! I finished it, just to get to the suspenseful ending, but I could NOT relate to any of the characters. Not a single one did I like or care about. For me, that will ruin a book!
I’ve had All The Light We Cannot See on my TBR read pile for weeks now. Feel like I’m ready to give it a go now! I also like the sound of Everything I Never Told You
You’ve never heard of Tricky 22??? Janet Evanovich — one of my absolute favorite authors! She’s so funny, I laugh out loud reading all her books! Easy reads, which I need every so often. The other books, I have several on my “to read” list. Looking forward to them. Thanks for your insights!!!
Nope, I hadn’t heard of it, but I was just at the library yesterday and of course I noticed it on the new releases shelf!
I loved “All The Light We Cannot See.” A friend recommended it and I read part of it while on vacation in Paris. Because the book is mostly set in France, it was perfect. I also happen to be a World War II history buff. This book is excellent for a book club discussion. You can look at the story from any number of angles.
A friend recently asked me how I come up with what books to read, since the topics and styles have been so varied lately. I immediately referred her to your blog, because lists like these and other recommendations have widened my scope significantly and I am the better for it! Thank you!
Thanks for that!
Hi Anne,
I am finally getting to Everything I Never Told You. It was on last winter’s reading list but the library waiting list for this one was always miles long. I decided to try it as an audio book. This will be my first audio book. Did you listen this one?
No, I read this one on paper. I’d love to hear what you think of the audiobook.
I’ll definitely let you know my thoughts! Side note: I finished reading Benediction by Kent Haruf today. If you haven’t read it yet, I highly recommend it. A great read to curl up with this winter.
a few books i enjoyed from this year: Room by Emma Donohue. Inside the O’briens by Lisa Genova. year of wonders by Geraldine Brooks. Wild by Cheryl sStrayed.
all of these books appealed to me as a psychology student. especially the book Room and inside the o’briens as it looked at the subject of trauma.
I did try “all the light we cannot see” but it didnt hold my attention. maybe i should try the audio version.
Not a newly-published book, but “The Chronology of Water” by Lidia Yuknavitch is a powerful memoir. I had to set it down after the first page, pull myself together, and then start reading again. Lidia’s story is masterfully written from the opening paragraph, which I memorized because I just couldn’t shake the impression it made on me.
I think the most overhyped book of last year was Kristin Hannah’s The Nightingale. I thought it was awful; full of clichés, historically inaccurate, and unrealistic too. People seem to love it, and I don’t know why. If you want a great novel set in WWII, try Marge Piercy’s Gone To Soldiers. It is ten times better than this sad offering.
I waited for months at the library for The Nightingale and when it was finally my turn, I was really disappointed. I tried mightily to get into it but it just didn’t grab me. I’m relieved to know I’m not the only one!
Great list. I’ve only read All The Light We Cannot See and The Life-changing Magic of Tidying Up. I thought All The Light We Cannot See was a great book. It’s one of those books that my mind just flicks back to every now and then, it really stays with you. I also rate The Life-changing Magic of Tidying Up – although I haven’t been brave enough to put it into practice yet! My review is here: http://moretimethanmoney.co.nz/2015/09/05/the-stuff-of-magic-a-review-of-the-the-life-changing-magic-of-tidying-up/
On reading this I am definitely going to have to check out The Boys In The Boat. It makes me think Unbroken – is it in that kind of league?
I couldn’t wait to read The Goldfinch. Got through a few chapters but it couldn’t hold my interest. Did anyone like/dislike it? I’m thinking it was just me.
You’re in good company, I think.
Listen to it as an audiobook. It will totally grab you. Didn’t want to sleep much during this “read”. Highly recommend going this route.
Could not agree more with Nancy who suggested listening to The Goldfinch on audio. It was so good, I couldn’t stop listening!
You’re not alone. I tried really hard – sometimes I force myself to finish just to see how it ends but this one, I didn’t care.
I’ve found that quite a few if the books recommended on Pinterest lists are not to my liking. I tried twice to read Tana French books and couldn’t get into them at all. I tried reading The Luckiest Girl Alive and thought it was one of the worst books I had read in years and quickly put it aside. same with one by someone called Megan Abbott , I think. They were both terribly written and if I want to hear people talk trash, I can go sit at a mall somewhere. I read mostly European myster writers and they are not only outstanding writers, but they also develop their characters beautifully and you learn about other cultures at the same time. I recommend Stephen Booth, Henning Mankell, Ruth Rendell, Karin Fossum, Ann Cleeves, Peter Robinson, Per Wahloo, Minette Walters, and Mari Jungstedt. Or just go to Amazon and do a search for British or Scandinavian mystery writers. They will all put books like The Girl on the Train to shame!!
I just started reading Life after Life. I started it and stopped. Reread what i had judt read. Still confused. Did a Google search for the New York Times review of the book.now I am on page 124 and working on “going with the flow.”
A Gentleman in Moscow is wonderful. It is thoughtful, subtle and multi-layered. Robin
The throne of glass series is definitely one of the best series I’ve read. Once you start it you won’t be able to put it down.
I have been really disappointed with some of the books I have read that were featured on best sellers lists and then raved about in book clubs or by influential people around the world. I know everyone is different and therefore it is difficult to please everyone. For me, a book that didn’t live up to the hype was Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine. I really wanted to enjoy it but struggled. I did however, enjoy What the Crawdads Sing which did live up to, and even exceeded my expectations.
Read Need to Know by Karen Cleveland
A very good list. I think Just Mercy should be included.