The Most Read Book of 2017 Might Surprise You

What were people reading in 2017?

According to Amazon, a lot of old favourites.

The retailer has just released its list of the most popular fiction and non-fiction books in 2017.

Topping the list?

Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale.

Released in 1985, this wasn’t the only golden oldie to make the cut.

IT by Stephen King was in second place and the Harry Potter series dominated the rest of the top ten.

It seems this year’s readers were enjoying a moment of nostalgia, driven by glossy remakes.

Here are the top ten most read of 2017:

1. The Handmaid’s Tale – Margaret Atwood
2. IT – Stephen King
3. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone – J.K Rowling
4. A Game of Thrones – George R.R. Martin
5. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix – J.K Rowling
6. Beneath a Scarlet Sky – Mark Sullivan
7. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire – J.K Rowling
8. A Gentleman in Moscow – Amor Towles
9. Origin – Dan Brown
10. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – J.K Rowling

Amazon also measured Kindle reads per state and discovered that America’s reading hotspots include Vermont, Oregon, Utah and Colorado.

For more fascinating info from all the data Amazon mined this year, head here.

They looked at trends in audio books, cover design, read rates, most quoted and more.

It’s fascinating reading for bibliophiles (if you can ignore the sinister feeling that Amazon is tracking every word you read).