Amazon.com (NASDAQ: AMZN) today announced that the Amazon Books Editors have revealed the Best Books of the Year So Far, naming Percival Everett's novel, James, as the top choice. The Amazon Books Editors call it "a wildly entertaining and thought-provoking read that cements Percival Everett as one of the best modern-day writers." Other titles that rounded out the top five include The Women by Kristin Hannah, All the Worst Humans: How I Made News for Dictators, Tycoons, and Politicians by Phil Elwood, The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley, and Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar.
The Amazon Books Editors are on a mission to make it easy for customers to discover great reads from among the wide selection on Amazon through curated recommendations. They collectively read thousands of books per year to determine the Best Books of the Month, the Best Books of the Year So Far, and the Best Books of the Year, while writing regularly about books and interviewing authors on the Amazon Book Review. Comprised of books published between January and June, the Best Books of the Year So Far list features their top 20 book picks, as well as recommendations in popular categories, including literary fiction, mystery and thrillers, romance, history, biographies and memoirs, cookbooks, and children's books.
Percival Everett's James joins previous Best of the Year So Far No. 1 picks like Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano, Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt, The Girl with the Louding Voice by Abi Daré, and Educated by Tara Westover.
After being told James was the No. 1 pick, Everett said, "I'm always thrilled to hear that someone somewhere in this country is reading any book. I'm especially moved when I imagine that book might be mine. I love books. I sort of like writers. But none of this happens without readers. So, thank you."
"Like our year-end list, the Best Books of the Year So Far is a culmination of months of passionate debate and careful consideration by our team, and features our top picks across genres," said Sarah Gelman, editorial director, Amazon Books. "One pick that our entire team was in full agreement on was our top selection, James, which builds on the trend of re-imagining American classics. This re-telling of the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is a must-read for any type of reader."
Below are the top 10 picks of 2024 so far. To explore the full Best Books of the Year So Far list, visit www.amazon.com/bestbookssofar. Readers can also tune into an Amazon Live interview with Percival Everett, author of the No. 1 pick James, on June 18 at 11:30 am PDT/2:30 pm EDT.
About Amazon Books Editors
The Amazon Books Editors are a group of literary experts with extensive experience spanning publishing, journalism, and communications. They read thousands of books every year across genres to help customers discover their next favorite read, and put together Best Books of the Month, Best Books of the Year So Far, and Best Books of the Year lists on Amazon. To read Editor reviews, discover recommendations of new books in popular categories, and explore author interviews, visit the Amazon Book Review. You can also follow the Amazon Books Editors' recommendations and conversations @amazonbooks on Facebook and Instagram.
About Amazon
Amazon is guided by four principles: customer obsession rather than competitor focus, passion for invention, commitment to operational excellence, and long-term thinking. Amazon strives to be Earth's Most Customer-Centric Company, Earth's Best Employer, and Earth's Safest Place to Work. Customer reviews, 1-Click shopping, personalized recommendations, Prime, Fulfillment by Amazon, AWS, Kindle Direct Publishing, Kindle, Career Choice, Fire tablets, Fire TV, Amazon Echo, Alexa, Just Walk Out technology, Amazon Studios, and The Climate Pledge are some of the things pioneered by Amazon. For more information, visit amazon.com/about and follow @AmazonNews.