The 25 most-read and best-loved books first published in 2013, with the numbers behind each one.
The best books first published in 2013, ranked by what readers actually do: how many shelved them, how they rate them, and how many are reading them now. 2013 is complete, so this list updates only when reader numbers move meaningfully.
For the books readers love across all years see the Top 100. For the hottest brand-new releases see Rising.
← Best Books of 2012Best Books of 2014 →
Rick Riordan · 2013
Hazel and the Argo II crew must choose between heading home to stop a war or pressing on to the House of Hades. Meanwhile Percy and Annabeth struggle through Tartarus, while Gaea's deadline for her rise to power draws near.
Why it’s here: 1,141 readers have shelved it on Open Library; readers rate it 4.3 out of 5 (125 ratings); 64 are reading it right now.
Best for: Heroes of Olympus fans eager for the series' high-stakes penultimate chapter
Jeff Kinney · 2013
Greg Heffley is on a losing streak after his best friend Rowley ditches him, and making new middle school friends proves hard. He decides to let chance guide his choices, but may just end up with another hard-luck story.
Why it’s here: 1,068 readers have shelved it on Open Library; readers rate it 4.1 out of 5 (87 ratings); 65 are reading it right now.
Best for: Middle schoolers and reluctant readers who like funny diary-style stories
Sarah J. Maas · 2013
Celaena Sardothien has won the king's contest and become his royal assassin, yet she secretly refuses loyalty to the crown. Pretending to obey tests her in new ways as larger threats gather and force her to choose a side.
Why it’s here: 765 readers have shelved it on Open Library; readers rate it 4.4 out of 5 (47 ratings); 41 are reading it right now.
Best for: Fans of fantasy featuring a conflicted assassin, intrigue, and divided loyalties
Jonathan Stroud · 2013
In a London plagued by deadly ghosts that only children can see, a teen-run agency hunts down the objects spirits cling to. Part creepy adventure, part look at a society reshaped by the haunting, it keeps you reading past bedtime.
Why it’s here: 557 readers have shelved it on Open Library; readers rate it 4.5 out of 5 (24 ratings); 29 are reading it right now.
Best for: Young readers and parents who enjoy being creeped out by ghost stories
Tahereh Mafi · 2013
Juliette has reached Omega Point, a rebel haven for people with abilities like hers, and has escaped The Reestablishment's plan to use her as a weapon. Her former captor Warner is not ready to let her go. This second book contains profanity and sexual violence.
Why it’s here: 1,567 readers have shelved it on Open Library; readers rate it 3.9 out of 5 (41 ratings); 96 are reading it right now.
Best for: Older teen readers of dystopian series who are comfortable with mature content
Donna Tartt · 2013
Thirteen-year-old Theo Decker survives an accident that kills his mother and clings to a small, captivating painting that reminds him of her. As an adult he is drawn into the art underworld, where danger closes in around him.
Why it’s here: 889 readers have shelved it on Open Library; readers rate it 4 out of 5 (74 ratings); 47 are reading it right now.
Best for: Readers who like long, immersive literary novels with suspense, art, and emotional depth
Colleen Hoover · 2013
High school senior Sky is both frightened and drawn to Dean Holder, a boy with a reputation as wild as hers. As he pursues her and the bond deepens, his secrets surface and shake her ability to trust.
Why it’s here: 1,068 readers have shelved it on Open Library; readers rate it 3.9 out of 5 (20 ratings); 68 are reading it right now.
Best for: Readers who like intense, secret-laden romances between high school students
Colleen Hoover · 2013
This companion to Hopeless retells events through Holder's eyes, revealing the guilt and mystery of his past. He has spent his life searching for a little girl he lost, and reuniting brings regret instead of closure.
Why it’s here: 542 readers have shelved it on Open Library; 31 are reading it right now.
Best for: Readers of Hopeless who want to see the story from Holder's side
Kiera Cass · 2013
Only six girls remain in the Selection, and America must decide between Prince Maxon and her memories of Aspen. As rival contestants push harder and violent rebels grow stronger, a devastating loss shakes her certainty again.
Why it’s here: 789 readers have shelved it on Open Library; readers rate it 4 out of 5 (36 ratings); 61 are reading it right now.
Best for: Readers following The Selection series who enjoy palace competitions and love triangles
Malala Yousafzai · 2013
When the Taliban took over Pakistan's Swat Valley, Malala Yousafzai spoke up for girls' education and was shot in the head at fifteen. Her recovery led her to the United Nations and made her a global symbol of peaceful protest.
Why it’s here: 512 readers have shelved it on Open Library; readers rate it 4.3 out of 5 (38 ratings); 37 are reading it right now.
Best for: Readers drawn to true stories of courage, family, and the fight for education
Stephen King · 2013
Decades after surviving the Overlook Hotel, Dan Torrance, now sober and working at a nursing home, meets twelve-year-old Abra, whose shining is extraordinary. Together they face the True Knot, a murderous band feeding on children's gifts.
Why it’s here: 562 readers have shelved it on Open Library; readers rate it 4.2 out of 5 (47 ratings).
Best for: Horror fans who loved The Shining and want to follow Dan's story
Kevin Kwan · 2013
Rachel Chu expects a quiet summer in Singapore meeting her boyfriend Nick's traditional family. Instead she finds a palatial home, a lavish wedding and a formidable mother who doubts she is good enough.
Why it’s here: 528 readers have shelved it on Open Library; readers rate it 4.1 out of 5 (39 ratings); 26 are reading it right now.
Best for: Readers who enjoy glamorous, funny stories of wealth and family expectations
Neil Gaiman · 2013
A man returning for a funeral recalls his seventh year, when a girl named Lettie Hempstock promised to protect him from a frightening darkness. It is a haunting fable about memory, stories and the dangers hiding nearby.
Why it’s here: 634 readers have shelved it on Open Library; readers rate it 4 out of 5 (122 ratings).
Best for: Adults who enjoy dark, dreamlike fables about childhood and memory
Penelope Douglas · 2013
Tate was once best friends with the boy who now torments her with pranks and rumors. Back from a year away, she is done hiding and determined to fight back during her senior year.
Why it’s here: 352 readers have shelved it on Open Library; readers rate it 4.6 out of 5 (11 ratings); 22 are reading it right now.
Best for: Readers who like high school enemies-to-more stories with a fierce heroine
Dan Brown · 2013
Symbology professor Robert Langdon wakes up in Italy tangled in a puzzle built around Dante's Inferno. He moves through classic art and secret passageways, unsure whom to trust as a dangerous clock ticks.
Why it’s here: 712 readers have shelved it on Open Library; readers rate it 3.7 out of 5 (69 ratings); 32 are reading it right now.
Best for: Fans of fast-paced puzzle thrillers mixing art, history and codes
Khaled Hosseini · 2013
Two motherless siblings growing up in poverty in 1952 Afghan village life set off a chain of events that ripples outward. Across generations and from Afghanistan to the United States, Paris, and Greece, the story explores love, sacrifice, and moral complexity.
Why it’s here: 385 readers have shelved it on Open Library; readers rate it 4.1 out of 5 (25 ratings); 29 are reading it right now.
Best for: Readers who like multigenerational stories about family bonds and difficult moral choices
Jonah Berger · 2013
Drawing on research and vivid stories, Berger explains why some ideas, products, and videos spread while others fade. He lays out six core principles and practical techniques for crafting messages that people want to share.
Why it’s here: 337 readers have shelved it on Open Library; readers rate it 4.4 out of 5 (13 ratings); 20 are reading it right now.
Best for: Marketers, managers, and business owners who want their message or product to catch on
George R. R. Martin · 2013
Set roughly a century before A Game of Thrones, this collection gathers three prequel novellas about Ser Duncan the Tall, a towering and good-hearted hedge knight, and his small squire Egg. Expect royal intrigue, dangerous foes, and wild adventures.
Why it’s here: 354 readers have shelved it on Open Library; readers rate it 4.2 out of 5 (20 ratings).
Best for: Fans of A Song of Ice and Fire who want earlier Westeros tales
Drew Daywalt · 2013
Duncan finds a pile of letters waiting for him at school, and each one comes from a different crayon with a complaint about how he has been treating it. A funny picture book premise built around colorful grievances.
Why it’s here: 291 readers have shelved it on Open Library; readers rate it 4.4 out of 5 (29 ratings).
Best for: Young children and parents who enjoy playful, humorous picture books about everyday objects
Josh Kaufman · 2013
Kaufman presents a step-by-step method for picking up new skills quickly. By breaking skills into parts, practicing smartly, and clearing away obstacles, you can move from complete beginner to noticeably capable in about twenty hours.
Why it’s here: 324 readers have shelved it on Open Library.
Best for: Curious people who want to learn new skills fast without years of study
Rachel Renée Russell · 2013
Middle-school drama queen Nikki Maxwell frets over whether to ask a boy to the school's sweetheart dance. Her dramatic, relatable worries drive this lighthearted tale of tween social life.
Why it’s here: 271 readers have shelved it on Open Library; readers rate it 4.5 out of 5 (22 ratings).
Best for: Middle-grade readers who enjoy funny, dramatic stories about school and crushes
Christina Lauren · 2013
Ambitious intern Chloe Mills and her exacting, blunt boss Bennett Ryan trade insults while resisting an undeniable pull. As the tension builds, both must weigh what they would risk to be together. It began as online fan fiction.
Why it’s here: 321 readers have shelved it on Open Library; readers rate it 4.1 out of 5 (13 ratings); 24 are reading it right now.
Best for: Readers who enjoy steamy workplace romances with sparring, enemies-to-lovers energy
Rainbow Rowell · 2013
Cath is devoted to the Simon Snow series and its fan fiction, but starting college without her twin sister Wren pushes her far from her comfort zone. She must decide whether she can build her own life and write her own stories.
Why it’s here: 282 readers have shelved it on Open Library; readers rate it 4.2 out of 5 (18 ratings); 22 are reading it right now.
Best for: Teens and adults who love fandom, fan fiction, and coming-of-age college stories
Richard Yancey · 2013
After four waves of alien devastation, a teenage girl survives alone on an empty highway, trusting no one. Then she meets a mysterious boy who may help her save her brother, if she dares trust him.
Why it’s here: 409 readers have shelved it on Open Library; readers rate it 3.7 out of 5 (46 ratings); 21 are reading it right now.
Best for: Teen and adult readers who like tense alien-invasion survival stories
Chris Colfer · 2013
Twins Alex and Conner return to the fairy-tale world to rescue their kidnapped mother from the vengeful Enchantress. They must defy their grandmother to do it, in this sequel to The Wishing Spell.
Why it’s here: 257 readers have shelved it on Open Library; readers rate it 4.6 out of 5 (26 ratings).
Best for: Young fans of fairy-tale adventures who have read The Wishing Spell
← Best Books of 2012Best Books of 2014 →
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We start with every book first published in 2013 on Open Library, then keep the ones with real evidence behind them: at least 300 readers and at least 3 editions, with a cover, in English. 45 books cleared that bar for 2013, and the 25 below scored highest. No author appears more than twice. We publish a year only when at least 15 books clear the bar, so no list is thin.
| Signal | Weight | What it captures |
|---|---|---|
| Reach | 55% | How many readers have shelved the book on Open Library (want to read, reading, or read). |
| Reader love | 25% | Average reader rating, adjusted so a handful of ratings cannot inflate it. |
| Being read right now | 20% | How many Open Library readers are in the middle of it. |
Each signal is scored from 0 to 100 against the other 2013 books and blended with the weights above. The “why it’s here” line on each book is built from its real numbers. Descriptions are paraphrased from real source text.
This list reflects reading interest on public data, not quality, sales or awards, and it can be affected by data gaps. Open Library counts grow over time, so older books have had longer to gather readers; every book on this page is compared only against books from the same year.
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