The 20 best books of the year, according to readers

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A good book is like a good friend. 

Book recommendation sharing website Goodreads just released its 2016 Goodreads Choice Awards, the only major book awards chosen by readers themselves.

Goodreads users rated books that were published this year in a number of genres; the highest-voted book in each was declared the winner.

Keep scrolling to see the 20 best books from 2016.

FANTASY: "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child" by Jack Thorne

Amazon

Harry Potter returns! Garnering more votes than any other nominee in Goodreads Choice Awards history, this original play conceived by J.K Rowling, John Tiffany, and playwright Jack Thorne, has taken both the UK (where the play is sold out through February 2018) and the world (Cursed Child is Amazon’s best selling book of 2016) by storm. As for the plot: The action takes place nineteen years after Deathly Hallows and follows Harry’s son, Albus Severus Potter, as he navigates Hogwarts and life under Harry’s spotlight. Is he, too, cursed?

Read reviews on Goodreads here »

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FICTION: "Truly Madly Guilty" by Liane Moriarty

Amazon

Though she’s been nominated before for "Big Little Lies" and "The Husband’s Secret," Liane Moriarty scored her first Goodreads Choice Award win this year with "Truly Madly Guilty" —narrowly beating out Bryn Greenwood’s debut novel, "All the Ugly and Wonderful Things." It’s been a big year for Moriarty, as "Truly Madly Guilty" rose to the top of "The New York Times" bestseller list and the "Big Little Lies" miniseries (starring Nicole Kidman and Reese Witherspoon) began filming. "Truly Madly Guilty" portrays the impact an invitation to an old friend’s barbecue has on a newlywed couple.

Read reviews on Goodreads here »

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NONFICTION: "Hamilton: The Revolution" by Lin-Manuel Miranda

Amazon

The blockbuster musical and cultural phenomenon "Hamilton" has won both a Pulitzer Prize and a Grammy Award. And the book about the musical, "Hamilton: The Revolution," from creator Lin-Manuel Miranda and co-writer Jeremy McCarter, is also a smash hit (its initial publication sold out on Amazon and second-hand copies were selling for hundreds of dollars) and is the clear winner in the Goodreads Choice Awards for best nonfiction book of the year.

Read reviews on Goodreads here »

Buy the book here »

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