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What were the most popular book club books in 2023? The results are in! Read on to see the titles our subscribers enjoyed discussing most with their book groups over the past year.
| Book | % of Respondents | |
| 1 | Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus (2022) | 18.6% |
| 2 | Horse by Geraldine Brooks (2022) | 12.9% |
| 3 | Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver (2022) | 11.2% |
| 4 | Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt (2022) | 8.6% |
| 5 | The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese (2023) | 7.8% |
| 6 | West With Giraffes by Lynda Rutledge (2021) | 5.5% |
| 7 | The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store by James McBride (2023) | 5.1% |
| 8 | Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano (2023) | 4.6% |
| 9 | Tom Lake by Ann Patchett (2023) | 3.7% |
| 10 | Lady Tan's Circle of Women by Lisa See (2023) | 3.4% |
The above information is based on a February 2024 survey of BookBrowse email subscribers. Only subscribers were eligible to take part so as to prevent the ratings being skewed by enthusiastic fan bases. Respondents were asked to name up to three favorites that they discussed in a book group setting in 2023; 3268 votes were cast.
Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus not only retains its #1 spot on the list from the previous year but claims an even larger percentage of the votes (up to 18.6% from 13.9%). That's not especially surprising, as this debut novel, a humorous and charming but substantial story exploring aspects of 1960s misogyny, was voted a BookBrowse Best Book of the Year in 2022 and is well established as a book club and reader favorite.
Interestingly, the two other books in our Top 10 of 2022 that have kept a place in the rankings are both historical novels featuring animals. Horse by Geraldine Brooks, centered on 19th-century thoroughbred racing, climbs up a spot (from #3 to #2), while West With Giraffes by Lynda Rutledge, based on the true story of two famous giraffes during the Depression era, holds steady at #6. Horse was our 2022 Award Winner in the Fiction category, and West With Giraffes was the subject of a 2023 BookBrowse Book Club discussion.
Also of note: 9 out of the Top 10 books were only available in hardcover last year, (the other was a dual release of paperback and hardcover), proving that book clubs aren't waiting to discuss books in paperback.
What debut authors will you discover in 2024? You may be excited about the latest work from writers you already adore, but this could very well be the year you find a new slew of first-time favorites. The march of excellent debut books has already begun, and there are many soon-to-be-established literary stars worth watching, both those who have been published recently and those with releases in the coming months. Keep an eye on who’s emerging and who’s waiting in the wings with our list of some of the most promising, intriguing, provocative debut authors working today.
Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus has been a big hit. This 2022 debut, following chemist Elizabeth Zott in the 1960s as she finds herself hosting a TV cooking show, has sold more than six million copies worldwide and has been translated into 42 languages. Praised for its wry, infectious humor and feminist voice, the novel is the recipient of a Goodreads Choice Award, was voted a BookBrowse Best Book of the Year by our subscribers and remains a popular book club pick beloved by readers. It's even been adapted into a TV series starring Brie Larson. But if you've already read it and loved it, where do you go from here? What are some books like Lessons in Chemistry, with a similar atmosphere or story? Below, we share our read-alikes for Garmus's novel, which we think would be perfect for you if you're a fan. We hope you enjoy them!
You can also check out other BookBrowse read-alikes (picked by our team, never by algorithm) available for more than 4,500 contemporary books and 3,500 authors. Head over now to easily find relevant recommendations based on the last great book you devoured, or a favorite writer.
Kelly and Zach Weinersmith's A City on Mars discusses what a space colony on that planet might look like. Science fiction authors, though, have been imagining life on the Red Planet for well over a century (some coming closer to reality than others).
The concept of intelligent life on Mars was likely sparked in the late 19th century. Improved telescopes allowed scientists to notice long, straight lines on its surface (first described by Italian astronomer Giovanni Schiaparelli in 1877). Some speculated that these channels or canals were engineered by some sort of native creature. Although this notion was debunked in the early 20th century, it triggered the idea that there could be intelligent life on Mars, which over the ensuing decades became a staple of science fiction.
Every year, we announce our annual Top 20 books, chosen by participating BookBrowse subscribers. But which are the cream of the crop, the favorites among favorites? From this year's list, we bring you the Award Winners for Top Fiction, Top Nonfiction, Top Debut and Top Young Adult, determined by the highest rated books in each category.
What better way to kick off the holiday season than by announcing our subscribers' best-loved books of 2023? The BookBrowse Top 20 are determined by a significant number of votes — maxing out at over 9,000 in recent years — and have become a treasured tradition through which we celebrate some of the most memorable books of one year before moving into the next. Scroll down to explore the finalists below.
We compile the Top 20 with the intention of reflecting authentic reader opinion, opening votes only to members and subscribers of our free newsletters to prevent vote-stuffing and promote balance between books with different degrees of marketing influence (see more). This gives us a true picture of the titles voters were most excited about. Thank you to everyone who participated this year!
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