Goodreads Choice Awards Are Not Choice

And I love them anyway, plus my Weekly What

Do you keep an eye on year-end “best of” lists?

I’m sure it comes as no surprise I enjoy reading through all the best books of the year lists. I use them for discovery (what have I managed to miss? Or what do I still need to prioritize?) and affirmation (I have good taste!) but I especially appreciate the discourse around these lists. People have feelings and sometimes even thoughtful insight, but somehow, most interesting to me is the way internet readers will throw down over the Goodreads Choice Awards.

The Goodreads Choice Awards are, in my estimation, simultaneously the lowest and highest stakes best of books list.

First, this award doesn’t claim to be the “best of”, it’s actually Goodreads readers favorite books of the year as voted on by members who choose to participate.

Second, the voting occurs among a selection of books chosen by Goodreads largely because they are popular, not necessarily because they are quality.

Here’s how the sausage is made:

For the opening round, through the opaque process outlined below, Goodreads selects a list of 20 trending books in each category.

We analyze statistics from the millions of books added, rated, and reviewed on Goodreads to nominate 20 books in each category. For the Audiobook category, nominations are based on the millions of titles added, rated, and reviewed both on Goodreads and Audible.

Opening round official nominees must have an average rating of 3.50 or higher at the time of launch. A book may be nominated in no more than one genre category, but can also be nominated in the Debut Novel and/or Audiobook categories. Only one book in a series may be nominated per category. An author may receive multiple nominations within a single category if they have more than one eligible series or more than one eligible stand-alone book.

Books published between Nov 16, 2023 and Nov 12, 2024 (including works in translation and other significant re-releases) in the United States and in English are eligible for the 2024 Goodreads Choice Awards. We limit eligibility to prevent books from being nominated in multiple award years.

After Goodreads “analyzes the statistics” the readers of Goodreads vote in an opening round choose their favorite for each category among the 20 books selected.

At end of the round selections are cut to the top 10 in each category. Wash, rinse, repeat for a final round of voting and a winner is announced for each category.

It’s a popularity contest.

Readers vote for books they’ve read (or at least for authors or covers they recognize). Rarely, if ever, have those voting read all the books being considered. Voters are not asked to consider anything specific when making their selection. They’re not even asked which is best, they’re just asked to select a favorite among the pre-chosen contenders.

The winners are always very predictably the books trending on social media and usually have a large marketing budget behind them. Obviously it’s all very subjective, as the value of art inherently is, but especially so when it’s just a popularity contest and not an evaluation of merit or impact.

The awards are arguably very low stakes in that these are already known, popular books and no prize is associated.

That said, it delights me when people have big feelings about this predicable, low stakes award. They feel slighted a book they hate wins, or a book they love doesn’t make the final round of voting (or isn’t even among the contenders in the first place!) People always complain about the basic selections (not unreasonable) the trending titles that really aren’t very good (sometimes fair) and lack of diversity (good point.)

But, for better or worse, this is probably the most prominent best of list/award chosen by a broad swath of readers alone, essentially free from the input of professionals and critics so I can’t help feeling invested. I’ve already written about my love/hate relationship with Goodreads and despite the platform’s shortcomings, and though there’s often far too much Colleen Hoover, readers’ opinions have value and I’m very much a part of the bookish community, so I’m always interested to see which books are in the mix and participate in choosing favorites, even though my own selections rarely win.

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Tell me:

• Do you vote on the Goodreads Choice Awards?

• Which “Best of” list is your favorite?

• Anything, let’s chat!

What I’m…

Reading

• Before the Mango Ripens by Afabwaje Kurian. This was the second book of my Aspen Longlist reading. A story of tensions between natives and white, American Christian missionaries in 1970s Nigeria. Nuanced, well written, and engaging, this is exactly the kind of book I love the Aspen Words to put on my radar! Bookshop | Libro.FM

• I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith. This was

  Novel Pairings
  November book club selection. I have actually only heard of this book referenced once before, which leads me to believe this is a lesser known classic. Written in the mid-20th century the story is told from the perspective of a seventeen-year-old girl recording daily life in her journal. She lives in a crumbling English castle with her colorful family in a sort of genteel poverty and their lives are upended when two American brothers inherit the estate and move in next door. There are not only parallels to Pride and Prejudice but outright allusions to this and Jane Austen more generally along with other beloved classic works. This coming-of-age story was so cozy and bookish in the absolute best way! It deserves a place alongside beloved classics such as those of Jane Austen, L.M. Montgomery, and Louisa May Alcott. Bookshop | Libro.FM

Listening

• How Democracies Die by Daniel Ziblatt and Steven Levitsky. This book published in 2018 fit the first election of Trump and erosion of democratic institutions and norms in broader context of history and other democracies who have trod similar paths. Horrifying and still relevant if needing a sort of stage 2 update. Bookshop | Libro.FM

• Anita de Monte Laughs Last by Xochitl Gonzalez. Another Aspen Longlist selection. I have a print copy, but ended up starting this on audio and I’m glad I did because the audiobook production is great! One of the narrators is Jessica Pimentel of Orange is the New Black. Set in the art world of the 80s and 90s this is a story about power dynamics, art, and identity. I saw this book making the rounds earlier this year, it’s a Reese’s Book Club pick, and though the description didn’t initially grab my attention I ended up quite appreciating the book. Another one I’m glad I picked up thanks to Aspen Words! Bookshop | Libro.FM

Watching

• Sweethearts (HBO). With obvious parallels and outright allusions to When Harry Met Sally, Sweethearts is a surprisingly cute, super watchable, modern take on a classic teen movie/romcom about two college freshman friends returning to their small, Ohio hometown on Thanksgiving break to end their high school relationships.

• Cold Case: Who Killed JonBenet Ramsey (Netflix). This 3 part doc is super biased in favor of the Ramseys in a way I didn’t entirely hate as they’re generally thought to be the culprits and there is plenty offering that POV, but in another way this was unsatisfying because it was not a comprehensive look at the case due to the bias. I’ll never not be interested in this case as pictures of JonBenet at the grocery checkout were my introduction to true crime at the ripe age of 10, also the entire case is just bananas weird.

• Industry (HBO). We watched a handful of episodes before moving on. This show has 3 seasons so there’s a viewership out there, but I was frustrated by the lack of character development when the characters are the focus of the show. Perhaps it gets better, let me know if I need to keep to watching.

• The Idol (HBO). This is a weird little show that a lot of the internet appears to hate, but I actually really appreciated it! Not perfect, but interesting and compelling; well worth a watch at just 5 episodes.

Eating & Drinking

The name of the game this post-Thanksgiving week was simple and easy

• Sausage and Bean Soup that was just ok (if you have a recipe you like, let me at it!)

• Johnny Marzetti in the Instant Pot

• Ranch Chicken Tacos in the Crock Pot

• Tomato Soup and Grilled Cheese was the perfect compliment to a chilly, drizzly night

• I’ve been drinking Celestial Seasonings Nutcracker Sweet tea on repeat, my favorite this time of year! I was actually introduced to this by way of a seasonal Trader Joe’s Vanilla and Cinnamon Black Tea years ago and was so bummed when they discontinued it! A little internet sleuthing led me to discover Nutcracker Sweet is the same tea. It’s just such a cozy, perfect blend. The vanilla and cinnamon are subtle and just right.

Links + Loves

• S/O Best of Books lists: The Atlantic dropped their Ten Books That Made Us Think the Most This Year and The New York Times made their 10 Best Fiction and Non-Fiction selection and Book Riot’s Best Books of 2024 have been named.

• I switched to this whitening toothpaste after my hygienist suggested I try to stay away from a common fluoride due to staining. It quickly and visibly brightened up my teeth. I love that it doesn’t require an extra step, it just whitens as I brush.

• I got these socks last year. Now that the weather has again turned cold I’m again reminded of how much I love them! They’re just the right thickness to be cozy and warm, but not too thick that they don’t easily fit inside my shoes and boots. Plus, they’re cute.

• Taylor Swift Is A Perfect Example of How Publishing is Changing (The Atlantic). “Her decision is less a bellwether for a big-name-oriented industry than a sign of the times—a symptom, not a cause, of a shift in the relationship between these businesses and the famous.” An interesting article especially considered in the context of authors and artists increasingly expected to be involved with marketing their art and brand online, and the impact of that on their work itself. Something I think about often.

• Appreciated

  Sara Hildreth
  ‘s thoughts on the Anatomy of a Best-of-the-Year List, what makes a list great and what makes them flop.

ICYMI

This week’s posts:

• November Reading Wrap-Up (AKA No Chill November)

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