Book Blog Bestsellers

 

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If you've been on this blog before, then you've probably seen the Buy it on Amazon and Support Independent Bookstores buttons under whichever book I'm blathering about. Those are affiliate links. If someone clicks the link and buys the book, I earn a few pennies. I can't see who is buying the books, but I can see which books get purchased.

The most common question I get on Pinterest is "Do you actually make money from your affiliate links?" The answer is yes. I make money from them, but it's not a life-changing amount. There's no way I'm quitting my day job anytime soon.

Another common question is "Which books are people buying?" That's what we're talking about today! I crunched the numbers from last year and figured out the top 8 bestselling books on the blog. Why 8 and not 10 or another number? Because several books are tied for 9th place, and I have to draw the line somewhere.

Here's what bookworms are buying.

Funny Books About Distressing Subjects

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I regret to inform you that the title of this post may be a lie. "Funny" and "Distressing" are both highly subjective. These books may not be funny or distressing to you.

I guess a better post title would be "Authors Who Use A Light Tone To Write About Serious Subjects," but nobody would click on that. It has too many words.

These books are about gloomy things, but they won't make you feel too gloomy. I thought they were funny!

Books With Unique Settings

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I had to dig deep for this one. I've read thousands of books in my life. Which ones have the most unique, most memorable settings?

Here are ten books to read if you like a weird setting.

What Is Gothic Literature?

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Today, we're trying something different. Instead of giving you a list of ten books to read, we're going to learn ten things about gothic literature. I have a literature degree, and I'm not afraid to use it.

I Read 200+ "Best Books Of 2025" Lists

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It took over a month, but I have searched the Internet and read, watched, or listened to over 200 "Best Books Of 2025" lists. Why would I waste my time doing this? Because I'm insufferably nosy and want to know what everybody is reading. I also have a bad case of FOMO. What if there's an awesome book in the world that everybody knows about except me? I can't let that happen!

While I was perusing the lists, I jotted down the titles of books that sounded intriguing. That's what I'm going to show you today.

Which book did I see most often on the lists? My Friends by Fredrik Backman was popular. Sunrise On The Reaping by Suzanne Collins was definitely the darling of 2025. I saw it so many times! I also saw a lot of funny books. I'm highlighting a few of them in this post because we all need more humor in our lives.

Here's what I'll (hopefully) be reading in 2026.

2025 Reading Statistics

Welcome to my 2025 reading stats post! This is where I represent all the books I read in 2025 with pie (charts). Friends, last year kicked my ass. I only read 52 books, but that's okay because several of them were awesome. Here are the best books I read in 2025. You should read them in 2026.

Okay, let's make graphs. The color palette for my graphs is inspired by Pantone. I don't know if normal people pay attention to the Pantone color of the year, but 2026's color is Cloud Dancer, which is . . . white. Actually, it's off-white. Gray white? Beige white? It's boring white. It's giving "sad beige baby" vibes. I tried really hard to pair Cloud Dancer with colors that make it look less depressing.

Enough yapping. Here are my reading charts, inspired by off-white.

Quarter Year Reading Check In

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It's the final countdown! We're in the last quarter of the year. How did the previous quarter go for you? Did you accomplish anything awesome? Did you get a lot of reading done?

Let's talk about the best and worst books I've read in the past few months.

Books About Book Nerds

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I'm a book nerd! If you're reading this, I bet you are too. Let's celebrate our love of books by talking about books starring book lovers. Books, books, books, books.

Books Under 130 Pages (Convince Me To Read Them)

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The end of the year is creeping ever closer. Will you hit your Goodreads reading goal? I won't hit mine, but that won't stop me from trying. My strategy is to read a bunch of short books.* Here's what's on my to-be-read list. Now I need to work up the motivation to actually read them.

*Obviously, different editions of books will have different page counts. Trust me, these books are tiny!

The Oldest Books On My TBR (Convince Me To Read Them)

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In 2011, I started keeping a spreadsheet of books I want to read someday. A few times a year, I scroll through the spreadsheet and delete the books I've read and the books that no longer interest me.

The last time I scrolled through the sheet, I decided to sort it by the date I added the books to the list. Which ones have I neglected the longest?

I was shocked to discover that these books have been on the spreadsheet since 2015/2016. Oops. Why haven't I read them? Some of them are difficult to find. Some of them are expensive. Some are super depressing. I want to learn the information in the books, but I rarely have the mental capacity to handle it.

Convince me to read these. It's beyond time to read them!

Best Informative Books

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Do you enjoy learning things? Do you hate boring textbooks? Me too! Here are ten books that will teach you something new, but will not bring back high school nightmares. I promise there's no exam at the end of these books.

Most Mysterious Books

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I rarely read mysteries, but I often read mysterious books. What's a mysterious book? It's a book where you know that something bad is happening, but you don't know how bad it'll get. It's a story about morally gray characters with murky motives. You can't trust anybody in these novels.

Here are ten mysterious books for your to-be-read list.

Best Reflective Books

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I was tempted to make a list of books with shiny, reflective covers . . . .

Unfortunately, that's not what we're doing today. We're talking about books where the characters reflect on the past. They could be grappling with their own memories or engaging with a historical event. These are all books where the past influences the characters' present behavior.

Happy Books For Summer Reading

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Are you tired of things that suck? Me too! Summer is a perfect time to forget about your worries, so here are ten books to read in the sunshine.

Best Emotional Books

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I bet you never thought I'd make this list because I don't have emotions. I enjoy a good story, but it's rare that I feel anything while reading. That's why these books are special. They reminded me that I'm not dead.

Not all of these books are sad! Some of them are tense, or scary, or shocking, or completely traumatizing. I picked a variety for you. You're welcome.

Best Adventure Nonfiction Books

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Are you ready for an adventure (without leaving your couch or putting on your outdoor pants)? Here are 11 of my favorite adventure nonfiction books. Many of them are "ice books" because I have a never-ending obsession with cold places.

Would you rather read adventure fiction? I have a list of those too!

Best Darkly Atmospheric Books

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My favorite thing in books is creeping horror. The slow realization that everything is not okay. They don't even have to be horror books. You're just reading along, and the story's atmosphere keeps getting darker and darker. It's like a slow-motion train wreck. You know that something bad is going to happen, but you don't know how bad or when it's going to strike.

Yeah. That's what we're talking about today. Here are 10 darkly atmospheric books that will keep you on the edge of your seat.

Most Challenging Books

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Let's be controversial. What's the most challenging book you've ever read? Which book do you think is the densest, most confusing, most tedious book ever? It's probably a philosophy book. I had to read so much philosophy in college. I spent four years being chronically confused.

I was tempted to fill this list with philosophy books, but I decided to branch out a bit. Here are 10 books that forced me to ride the struggle bus. They're confusing, or boring, or rambling, or just really freakin' long!

Quarter Year Reading Check In

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I'm a bit late with this post, but the first quarter of the year is over! How'd it go for everybody? Have you accomplished anything awesome? Did you get a lot of reading done? I've read 19 books so far in 2025. Let's talk about the best and worst of them.

Get To Know My Tastes Tag

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Back in my day, book bloggers did tags! If you've been blogging for 10+ years, then you probably remember tags. One blogger comes up with a set of questions, and then other bloggers answer the questions, either in the comments section or on their own blogs. It was fun. It was a good way to make friends.

A few weeks ago, I was catching up on YouTube videos and saw that Marines @ MyNameIsMarines made a brand-new tag! I don't think I've seen a new tag in years. Maybe I'm not following the right people.

Anyway, I'm going to do the tag. For nostalgia.