In honor of the first quarter of the 21st century, I selected one best-selling book from each year from 2000 through 2024.

During my search, I looked for patterns. Which genres were most represented? Which authors were popular?

I tried to vary the list to include as many authors and genres as possible.

I consulted Goodreads to see what people were reading and reviewing each year, and I didn’t always select the most popular book (most read and reviewed each year). I also looked at the cumulative score of the ratings and the genre.

Did any of your favorite reads from the last twenty-five years make our list? Can you believe the years these books were published and how old it makes them? Enjoy!

2000: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling

2001: The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Mink Kidd

2002: Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami

2003: The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

2004: Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow

2005: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson

2006: The Road by Cormac McCarthy

2007: Call Me By Your Name by André Aciman

2008: The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

2009: The Help by Kathryn Stockett

2010: The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing by Marie Kondo

2011: Bossypants by Tina Fey

2012: I Am Malala: The Story of the Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by  the Taliban by Malala Yousafzai

2013: The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman

2014: All the Kight We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

2015: The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah

2016: A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas

2017: The Hate You Give by Angie Thomas

2018: Becoming by Michelle Obama

2019: Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid

2020: The Midnight Library by Matt Haig

2021: The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave

2022: Reminders of Him by Colleen Hoover

2023: The Woman in Me by Britney Spears

2024: The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Caused an Epidemic of Mental Illness by Jonathan Haidt