Goodreads, the bookish social network that allows users to catalog their reads and snoop on those of their friends, has announced the winners of its fourth annual Goodreads Choice Awards, which are voted on by readers. Writers who have a foot in the online world proved popular: Jenny Lawson‘s Let’s Pretend This Never Happened and Ree Drummond’s The Pioneer Woman Cooks both began as blogs; Cheryl Strayed’s Tiny Beautiful Things, which was a finalist in the nonfiction category, got its start as The Rumpus’s online advice column; John Green is backed by his famous internet-based Nerdfighter fanbase, and E.L. James got her start in other, less savory corners of the online world. The full list of winners are below!
- Best Fiction
The Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling
- Best Nonfiction
Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking by Susan Cain
- Best Goodreads Author
Veronica Roth
- Best Mystery
Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
- Best Historical Fiction
The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman
- Best Memoir
Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed
- Best History & Biography
Elizabeth the Queen: The Life of a Modern Monarch by Sally Bedell Smith
- Best Fantasy
The Wind Through the Keyhole by Stephen King
- Best Paranormal Fantasy
Shadow of Night by Deborah Harkness
- Best Romance
Fifty Shades Freed by E.L. James
- Best Science Fiction
The Long Earth by Terry Pratchett
- Best Horror
The Twelve by Justin Cronin
- Best Young Adult Fiction
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
- Best Young Adult Fantasy & Science Fiction
Insurgent by Veronica Roth
- Best Humor
Let’s Pretend This Never Happened: A Mostly True Memoir by Jenny Lawson
- Best Poetry
A Thousand Mornings by Mary Oliver
- Best Food & Cookbook
The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Recipes from an Accidental Country Girl by Ree Drummond
- Best Graphic Novel & Comic
The Walking Dead, Vol 16: A Larger World by Robert Kirkman, Illustrated by Charlie Adlard
- Best Children’s Book
The Mark of Athena by Rick Riordan
- Best Picture Book
Olivia and the Fairy Princesses by Ian Falconer
Keep an eye out for LJ‘s Ten Best Books of 2012, which will be released on December 20th. In the meantime, check out LJ’s choices for the best genre fiction of the year.
About Molly McArdle