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Every week here at Book Riot, we share the top five most read books on Goodreads, and at the end of the month, we report the most read books over the entire month. If you’ve been keeping track of the weekly lists, this one will not be a surprise. In fact, the titles and order are identical to last week’s. To keep it interesting, I’ve also added the top five most read books in October in three countries across the globe. This time, we’re featuring Germany, Malaysia, and Puerto Rico.
I’m not saying the Malaysia has better reading taste than the rest of us, but they have both Welcome to the Hyunam-Dong Bookshop by Hwang Bo-Reum and Days at the Morisaki Bookshop by Satoshi Yagisawa in their top five, and everyone knows that books about books are reader catnip. It’s also always interesting to see the titles popular in one country that haven’t been translated yet. In Germany, 22 Bahnen by Caroline Wahl is one of the most read books of the month, despite being published in 2023. Unfortunately, there doesn’t appear to be an English translation yet.
The Goodreads most read list continues to be not very diverse in any sense of the word, so I’ve added a couple of great October new releases by authors of color at the end. Now, let’s dive into the top five most read books on Goodreads this week!
#5:
The Women by Kristin Hannah
This book club favorite author has been a mainstay on the most read list since The Women released in February. In October, it was read by over 49,000 users, with a 4.6 average rating.
Germany: The Housemaid by Freida McFadden
Malaysia: Welcome to the Hyunam-Dong Bookshop by Hwang Bo-Reum
Puerto Rico: Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros
#4:
Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros
Book one in the Empyrean series is still getting plenty of new readers, likely because of its September paperback release. It was read by almost 57,000 users last week, and it has a 4.6 average rating.
Germany: Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros
Malaysia: Intermezzo by Sally Rooney
Puerto Rico: Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros
#3:
The Housemaid by Freida McFadden
Freida McFadden continues to be the biggest name in thrillers at the moment: she has two books in the top five this month! The first book in the Housemaid series was read by over 63,000 Goodreads users this month, with a 4.3 average rating.
Germany: Powerless by Lauren Roberts
Malaysia: Days at the Morisaki Bookshop by Satoshi Yagisawa
Puerto Rico: The Pumpkin Spice Café by Laurie Gilmore
#2:
The Pumpkin Spice Café by Laurie Gilmore
The perfectly seasonal romance The Pumpkin Spice Café is enjoying a boost in popularity during October. More than 77,000 Goodreads users read it this month, and it has a 3.4 average rating.
Germany: 22 Bahnen by Caroline Wahl
Malaysia: The Boyfriend by Freida McFadden
Puerto Rico: The Housemaid by Freida McFadden
#1:
The Boyfriend by Freida McFadden
McFadden’s newest thriller, which came out in October, takes the #1 spot. It had more than 150,000 readers on Goodreads this month—almost double the readers of the title in spot #2—and it has a 4.1 average rating.
Germany: The Pumpkin Spice Café by Laurie Gilmore
Malaysia: The Housemaid by Freida McFadden
Puerto Rico: The Boyfriend by Freida McFadden
Two October Book Releases You Should Know About
Given how white the most read books on Goodreads list is, I wanted to highlight a couple of the most exciting new releases by authors of color that came out this month, recommended by a couple of my fellow Book Rioters. These both have October vibes—there’s a cozy fantasy about a witch and a haunted house horror novel—but they’re excellent reads any time of year.
House of Frank by Kay Synclaire
Cozy fantasy fans will want to pick up this hopeful story about a grieving witch at a magical arboretum. Saika has lost her connection to her powers ever since her sister died. Now, she’s been offered a job as a caretaker at a magical arboretum by the cardigan-wearing mythical beast named Frank. She’s secretly using a fragment of a star to cast the spells needed for her job. Slowly, she grows closer to the menagerie of staff members—including cherubs, elves, and half-witches—and begins to heal through community. —Danika Ellis
Model Home by Rivers Solomon
When Rivers Solomon offers their take on a haunted house novel, we have to drop everything and read it immediately, right? This book follows siblings Ezri, Eve, and Emanuelle Maxwell. Years ago, the Maxwells moved into a gated community outside of Dallas, Texas. Their white neighbors seemed welcoming enough, but immediately upon moving in, strange things began happening all around their house. Now, years later, Ezri, Eve, and Emanuelle’s parents have died, and the Maxwell children are forced to return back to the home that always terrified them growing up. —Emily Martin
If you’re looking for more buzzy books, check out The Bestselling Books of the Week, According to All the Lists.
Find more news and stories of interest from the book world in Breaking in Books.