What Has Everyone Been Reading?

Uncover the hottest books of the summer

There's something about summer reading. It's more than a pastime. It's an obsession. We want to get lost in our beach books and spend the lingering evening light eagerly turning pages in our backyard hammocks. Close out your Endless Summer with the season's hottest books. Btw: these rankings came straight from you! (That is, the loyal readers taking part in our 500 Billion Page Reading Challenge.) 

The 15 most-read books of the summer (so far)

1. Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman—The apocalypse is being televised. Coast Guard vet Carl and his ex-girlfriend's cat, Princess Donut, are fighting to survive the end of the world in a multilevel, video game-like dungeon being broadcast to countless viewers across the galaxy.  
2. Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke—In this debut novel, Natalie, a popular "tradwife" influencer, suddenly wakes up in the brutal reality of 1855. Is this living nightmare an elaborate hoax, a twisted reality show, or something far more sinister? Whatever it is, she wants out. 
3. Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir—Even though it came out in 2021, this interstellar journey is still flying off the shelves. The story of a reluctant astronaut trying to save Earth landed in theaters this year as blockbuster film starring Ryan Gosling. Maybe that has something to do with it? 
4. Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt—Marcellus is an octopus who forms an unlikely bond with Tova, the cleaning lady at the aquarium where it lives. This debut novel got a boost this summer when its film adaptation, starring Oscar winner Sally Field, came out on Netflix.   
5. Carl's Doomsday Scenario by Matt Dinniman—In book #2 of the Dungeon Crawler Carl series, Carl and Donut have made it to the third floor of the dungeon where they have to fight harder than ever. The viewers can't get enough. And the dungeon gets more dangerous every day. 
6. The Dungeon Anarchist's Cookbook by Matt Dinniman—On to book #3, where Carl and Donut have made it to the fourth level, an impossibly complex puzzle of a subway system where the cars are filled with monsters and the railway stations aren't always what they seem. 
7. The Correspondent by Virginia Evans—Hailed by author Ann Patchett as a "cause for celebration," this novel, written as a series of letters, traces the life of Sybil, a woman who relies on the power of the written word, both her own and those of others, to makes sense of the world.  
8. Theo of Golden by Allen Levi—A stranger arrives in Golden, a small Southern city. One by one, he purchases the portraits of townspeople hanging on the walls of the local coffeehouse and delivers each to the person depicted. In exchange, he asks only for the person's story. 
9. The Housemaid by Freida McFadden—Millie is a young woman with a shadowy past who gets a job as a live-in housemaid for a wealthy family. But things get dicey as Millie uncovers dark secrets within this seemingly perfect home. The film adaptation of this thriller came out last year. 
10. A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas—After young huntress Feyre kills a wolf in the woods, a terrifying creature appears and drags her to a treacherous, magical land. Thus begins the global bestselling fantasy phenomenon that is ACOTAR. A new book comes out in October. 
11. The Gate of the Feral Gods by Matt Dinniman—Now in book #4 Carl and Donut have learned that there's only one thing they can count on apart from each other: they never know what's coming next. Level five is a floating fortress. A castle of sand. A derelict submarine. A haunted crypt.
12. Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros—Fragile Violet has grown up thinking that she will pursue the life of a scribe. But after her father's death, Violet's mother orders her to enter the dangerous world of dragon riding. The first book in The Empyrean series kicks off a high-flying romantic fantasy. 
13. A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas—In the second installment of ACOTAR, Feyre's return to the Spring Court comes with a steep cost. Though she now has the powers of the High Fae, she can't forget the horrors she faced under the mountain. 
14. Dear Debbie by Freida McFadden—For years, Debbie has counseled downtrodden New England wives with her popular advice column. But now her own life is falling apart from her career to her teenage daughters and even her husband. It's time to take her own advice. 
15. Heated Rivalry by Rachel Reid—Publicly, pro-hockey players Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov are arch enemies. Privately, they can't get enough of each other. This book, the second in a spicy hockey romance series, inspired the massively popular HBO show of the same name. 

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Read more by Ashly Moore Sheldon