Amazon Just Announced Its 10 Best Books of the Year So Far List & It’s Topped By This Oprah-Approved Pick

‘Hello Beautiful’ by Ann Napolitano

Hello Beautiful, by author Ann Napolitano, tops Amazon’s list and was Winfrey’s book club selection in March 2023. “Inspired, kind of an homage to Little Women, it follows a family of four sisters over three decades only it’s set in modern times in a city that’s so close to me, Chicago,” Winfrey said in the announcement. “The family’s bonds are tested when there’s a rift between the sisters and it changes their relationship forever. There’s drama, there’s love, there’s grief – and I urge you just to get a copy of this extraordinarily moving book.”

‘All the Sinners Bleed’ by S.A. Cosby

In the gripping novel All the Sinner Bleed, author S.A. Cosby tells the fictional story of Titus Crown, the first Black sheriff in the history of Charon County, Virginia. A year into the role, the town suffers two homicides that change everything. “As Titus investigates the shootings, he unearths terrible crimes and a serial killer who has been hiding in plain sight, haunting the dirt lanes and woodland clearings of Charon,” the description reads.

‘Generations: The Real Differences Between Gen Z, Millennials, Gen X, Boomers, and Silents—and What They Mean for America’s Future’ by Jean M. Twenge

Taking a break from fictional novels, the third pick of this list is the data-backed study Generations: The Real Differences Between Gen Z, Millennials, Gen X, Boomers, and Silents—and What They Mean for America’s Future by Jean M. Twenge. In the book, Twenge breaks down all the generations currently living in the U.S. and discusses their similarities and major differences, from the impact of 9/11 to the undeniable impact of the rise in technology. 

“I love sociology and this is the most modern and clear description of American humanity I’ve ever read,” wrote one reviewer. “If read with an open mind, you cannot help but become a more insightful and empathetic human.”

‘Weyward’ by Emilia Hart

Weyward, by Emilia Hart, is a novel that weaves together the stories of three separate women across five centuries in their relationships with witchcraft and the natural world. One story, set in 2019, follows Kate, a woman who escapes her abusive partner to live in her great aunt’s abandoned and mysterious Weyward Cottage. The second story, set in 1619, follows Altha, a young woman who learned magic from her mom but is trying her best to keep it hidden not to raise any eyebrows. The third story, set in 1942, follows Violet, a woman who tries tracing her mom magical past after her passing. 

‘You Have to Be Prepared to Die Before You Can Begin to Live: Ten Weeks in Birmingham That Changed America’ by Paul Kix

In You Have to Be Prepared to Die Before You Can Begin to Live: Ten Weeks in Birmingham That Changed America, journalist Paul Kix takes a never-seen-before deep dive into the Southern Christian Leadership Conference’s pivotal 10-week campaign to end segregation in Birmingham, Alabama in 1963. The book, which gives a chronological timeline of the  developments of the time, also serves as a reminder of the ongoing injustices in the U.S. and of the ultimate power of activism. 

‘Pomegranate’ by Helen Elaine Lee

Pomegranate, by author Helen Elaine Lee, is a story about a queer Black woman going against the odds to find herself and her purpose in life. The novel follows Ranita, a Black woman who’s about to face the reality of the world after being released from her four-year prison sentence. 

‘Age of Vice’ by Deepti Kapoor

Age of Vice, by Deepti Kapoor, follows the separate lives of three members of the Wadia family: Ajay, a poor watchful servant, Sunny, the playboy heir, and Neda, a “journalist caught between morality and desire.” “Deftly shifting through time and perspective in contemporary India, Age of Vice is an epic, action-packed story propelled by the seductive wealth, startling corruption, and bloodthirsty violence of the Wadia family — loved by some, loathed by others, feared by all,” the description reads.

‘The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder’ by David Grann

Written by nonfiction author David Grann, The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder tells the true story of The Wager, a British vessel that had left England in 1740 on a secret mission during an imperial war with Spain. In 1742, the patched-up vessel washed up on the coast of Brazil with survivors that were close to death, but had plenty of stories to tell. 

‘The Covenant of Water’ by Abraham Verghese

Making this the second book recommended by Winfrey in her book club, The Covenant of Water, by Abraham Verghese, follows three generations of a family from 1900 to 1977 in a Christian community in Kerala, India. “It’s set in another land at another time,” Winfrey described in her announcement. “It is one of the most transportive, one of the most deeply felt novels I have ever experienced.”

‘Happy Place’ by Emily Henry

Emily Henry’s long-awaited new book, Happy Place, follows Harriet and Wyn, a couple who look perfect on the outside but are actually hiding from everyone that they actually broke up. During a friend’s getaway to Maine, the truth, and their true feelings for one another, finally comes out.