Booksology Amazon Reconsiders 25 Years of Best Books
Amazon was an early participant in the Internet-based book of the year trend. As we close out the first quarter of the 21st century, we’ve rounded up all the #1s and other highlights from 25 years of best lists. Amazon editors’ approach to Best Of is unique among online publications and retailers. Sure, the No. 1 book is often a well-known work of fiction, but sometimes it pays homage to a major political event, as in 2004 when it crowned “The 9/11 Commission Report” or in 2020 when a lesser-known memoir about race and criminal justice reform took the crown. Margaret Atwood’s Testament, the sequel to The Handmaid’s Tale, wasn’t the best or most beloved novel of 2019, but that was especially true. A freedom that resonated during the first Trump administration’s reproductive attacks. Some number one picks haven’t aged well for a variety of reasons. It’s a feature, not a bug. Best lists are snapshots of a moment in time, and it’s interesting to see the past 25 years captured this way.
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Barnes & Noble’s 2025 Book of the Year Finalist
Following last week’s announcement of the Best Books of 2025, Barnes & Noble has announced its 2025 Book of the Year finalists, and this one is certainly different. Introduced in 2019, the Book of the Year award is chosen by booksellers and tends to go to widely recommended titles that are as close to the fourth quadrant hits of the book world. This year’s list of 14 finalists ranges from Sunrise of the Reap to books. new york times This year’s biggest self-help book (I should point out that it was actually published in December 2024) puzzles, children’s books, cookbooks, katabasis, and more.
I’d bet on Thomas Schlesser’s Mona’s Eyes. That was basically until it appeared at the top of B&N’s Best Fiction of 2025 list for the week. The words “A heartwarming story that touches the soul and inspires the imagination” about a young girl’s adventures in a museum with her grandfather sound like they were made in a factory to ring the bell for Barnes & Noble’s Book of the Year.
read or not read
It’s Shakespeare Week, from zero to well-read. If you’ve known Bard for a while, or if you’ve never read one of his books, I think you’ll really enjoy our conversation. hamlet.
Making this podcast is the most fun I’ve ever had at work (and my work is usually pretty great). I’ve found that spending time on truly great work is exactly the antidote I need to dopamine-fueled algorithms. I plan to read a lot more books this year than I have in the past few years. That’s because the more time you spend on really good books, the more time you’ll want to spend reading (and the less time you’ll spend scrolling).
