I had no idea the Amazon Charts existed up until recently. But the moment I learned about them, it became one of my new favorite things. I am a sucker for book data. I loved when everyone posted all of their Goodreads statistics for the year, especially when it came to seeing what books were popular and how much people enjoyed the act of reading. So when I found out there was a way to see what books were trending every week? Well, I had to jump at the opportunity to see the latest in book trends.
Here are the most read books for the week of December 29th:
- Wind and Truth by Brandon Sanderson
- Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros
- Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros
- How My Neighbor Stole Christmas by Meghan Quinn
- Quicksilver by Callie Hart
- Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling
- The Boyfriend by Frieda McFadden
- Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling
- Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling
- The Women by Kristin Hannah
It's important to note, that Amazon gets this data specifically from Kindle and Audible - as there's no way to judge how many physical books were read as so many people don't track them. And even if they did use Goodreads data, it's not completely accurate as there are so many other reading trackers out there.
The top five on this list didn't surprise me at all. Wind and Truth was such an anticipated book, I know multiple people who put down the other books they were reading in order to dive into it. And, it's an incredibly long one, so I figure most people are taking their time and savoring the ride. Fourth Wing and Iron Flame also don't surprise me, considering Onyx Storm comes out so soon - a lot of people I follow on both Instagram and TikTok have been doing a reread to prepare for the third book in the series. How My Neighbor Stole Christmas went viral this year, and I think most people are finishing up their Christmas reading, so I wouldn't be surprised if this one didn't last much longer. Meanwhile, Quicksilver is one I think a lot of people haven't heard of, but it's been huge on BookTok, that I'm not surprised to see it there at all.
However, it's the second half of the list that shocked me. I had no idea people were still reading the Harry Potter series this much. Between J.K. Rowling being a controversial author, and the books being twenty years old, I had assumed most people would have moved on by now. Whether or not it's people rereading for a hit of nostalgia, or they are sharing the stories with their kids, I have no idea. But the fact it's not only on the list but has been on it for so long was completely unexpected.
Overall, this is a solid list, and I'm fascinated by seeing how it changes over the year - and I can't help but wonder what new books are going to find their way onto it.