Just in time for summer reading, the Amazon Books editorial team has announced their picks for the 20 best books of the first almost-six months of the year.
Their number-one pick is “City of Girls: A Novel” by Elizabeth Gilbert, the story of a “frivolous and fun-loving” young woman who comes to New York in the 1940s. Gilbert is the author of the best-selling 2006 romantic memoir, “Eat, Pray, Love.” Second place is held by a psychological thriller set in London, “The Silent Patient,” by Alex Michaelides.
The next eight choices encompass four more novels as well as three more memoirs and one other book of non-fiction.
In descending order, they are “Once More We Saw Stars: A Memoir” by Jayson Greene; “Mrs. Everything: A Novel” by Jennifer Weiner; “The Night Tiger: A Novel” by Yangsze Choo; “Daisy Jones & the Six: A Novel” by Taylor Jenkins Reid; “Underland: A Deep Time Journey” (about catacombs, caves, and other subterranean spaces and what they’ve meant to us) by Robert MacFarlane; “The Unwinding of the Miracle: A Memoir of Live, Death, and Everything That Comes After” by Julie Yip-Williams; “Save Me the Plums: My Gourmet Memoir” by Ruth Reichl; and “Cari Mora: A Novel” by Thomas Harris.
Amazon also calls out “The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise” by Dan Gemeinhart as the top pick in the children’s category.
Amazon has an estimated 3.4 million books on its virtual bookshelves at any given time, with a new title added about every five minutes, and is the world’s largest retailer of ebooks — as well as one of the fastest-growing retailers in general.
The company says that its “best books” recommendations are based on its Books editorial team’s readings of “hundreds of thousands of pages of new releases.” Many people trust the team considering Amazon, which actually started as an online marketplace for books, is among the companies with the best reputations in the world.
Get Ready To Retire (Sponsored)
Start by taking a quick retirement quiz from SmartAsset that will match you with up to 3 financial advisors that serve your area and beyond in 5 minutes, or less.
Each advisor has been vetted by SmartAsset and is held to a fiduciary standard to act in your best interests.
Here’s how it works:
1. Answer SmartAsset advisor match quiz
2. Review your pre-screened matches at your leisure. Check out the advisors’ profiles.
3. Speak with advisors at no cost to you. Have an introductory call on the phone or introduction in person and choose whom to work with in the future
Have questions about retirement or personal finance? Email us at [email protected]!
By emailing your questions to 24/7 Wall St., you agree to have them published anonymously on a673b.bigscoots-temp.com.
By submitting your story, you understand and agree that we may use your story, or versions of it, in all media and platforms, including via third parties.
Thank you for reading! Have some feedback for us?
Contact the 24/7 Wall St. editorial team.
Latest from 24/7
Our expert who first called NVIDIA in 2009 is predicting 2025 will see a historic AI breakthrough.
You can follow him investing $500,000 of his own money on our top AI stocks for free.