Every year Goodreads lets its users nominate and vote on their favorite books of the year. This is the only major book award that I know of which is decided by the public rather than publishing and the media. I will admit to being a member of Goodreads, and having voted for my favorites in a number of categories. I am happy to say that I voted for a few of the winners. Here is a list of the best books of 2013 according to Goodreads and its membership.
Fiction: And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini
Mystery & Thriller: Inferno (Robert Langdon #4) by Dan Brown
Historical Fiction: Life After Life by Kate Atkinson
Fantasy: The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Niel Gaiman
Paranormal Fantasy: Cold Days (The Dresden Files #14) by Jim Butcher
Science Fiction: MaddAddam (MaddAddam Trilogy #3) by Margaret Atwood
Romance: Lover At Last (Black Dagger Brotherhood #11) by J.R. Ward
Horror: Doctor Sleep (The Shining #2) by Stephen King
Memoir & Autobiography: I Am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban by Malala Yousafzai with Christina Lamb
History & Biography: Jim Henson: The Biography by Brian Jay Jones
Food & Cookbooks: Tequila Mockingbird: Cocktails with a Literary Twist by Tim Federle ; illustrated by Lauren Mortimer
Humor: Hyperbole and a Half: Unfortunate Situations, Flawed Coping Mechanisms, Mayhem, and Other Things That Happened by Allie Brosh
Graphic Novels & Comics: Beautiful Creatures: The Manga by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl; adaptation and illustration by Cassandra Jean and lettering by Abigail Blackman
Poetry: The Fall of Arthur by J.R.R. Tolkien; edited by Christopher Tolkien
Debut Goodreads Author: Tangled (Tangled, #1) by Emma Chase
Young Adult Fiction: Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell
Young Adult Fantasy: Allegiant (Divergent, #3) by Veronica Roth
Middle Grade & Children’s: The House of Hades (The Heroes of Olympus, #4) by Rick Riordan
Picture Books: The Day the Crayons Quit by Drew Daywalt, with pictures by Oliver Jeffers
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