Amazon released its list of the best books of the year so far, with Ann Napolitano’s Hello Beautiful taking the No. 1 spot.
Napolitano’s novel, published in March by Dial Press, was a recent selection for Oprah Winfrey’s book club. It follows a man with a tragic past who falls in love with a college schoolmate; their relationship throws the woman’s relationship with her three sisters into disarray. A Kirkus critic wrote of the book, “Napolitano’s characters can break your heart as they work to mend their own.”
In a statement, Napolitano said, “I’m deeply grateful for this recognition of Hello Beautiful. I wrote this novel because I was looking for a glimmer of hope during a difficult time.…I’ve been so moved hearing from readers that the story has given them some of that same comfort.”
The No. 2 book on Amazon’s list was S.A. Cosby’s crime novel All the Sinners Bleed, followed by Jean M. Twenge’s Generations: The Real Differences Between Gen Z, Millennials, Gen X, Boomers, and Silents—and What They Mean for America’s Future.
At No. 4 was Emilia Hart’s novel Weyward. Paul Kix’s You Have To Be Prepared To Die Before You Can Begin To Live: Ten Weeks in Birmingham That Changed America took the No. 5 spot.
The top 10 was rounded out with Helen Elaine Lee’s Pomegranate; Deepti Kapoor’s Age of Vice; David Grann’s The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder; Abraham Verghese’s The Covenant of Water; and Emily Henry’s Happy Place.
Michael Schaub, a journalist and regular contributor to NPR, lives near Austin, Texas.
