Hit of the Lits – FRA Top 40
Every month we run a poll on site asking you for your favourite reads for the previous month, a kind of bookish top of the pops. This month we were inundated with over 500 replies and from them over 150 book suggestions. As always, according to your votes we’ve whittled that down to a Top 40 Hit of the Lits, and we have that here for you now!
I love to read old favourites as Autumn rolls in, and it would seem I’m not the only one as this month’s chart is full of old favourites! Here they all are, including all the ‘movers and shakers’ from last month, so without further ado, here’s the Hit of the Lits, top 40 for September.
1
The Girl on the Train – Paula Hawkins
Hitting cinema’s this month, and top of the bestsellers chart for several weeks is the psychological thriller, Girl on the Train up from 36 in our charts last month.
2
A Man Called Ove – Fredrick Backman
A Man Called Ove has been a favourite on this page for months now, and the grumpy sod has made it into the top ten yet again, up seven places to number 2 this month.
3
The Kite Runner – Khaled Hosseini
Another favourite with fans of our page, The Kite Runner is a tale of two boys growing up in an ever changing Afghanistan. It’s a beautiful tale, and is up from number 36 in last month’s chart.
4
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child – J. K Rowling, Jack Thorne, John Tiffany
It was at the number one spot last month but for September the eight instalment of the Harry Potter Story, drops into fourth place in our charts.
5
Night – Elie Wiesel
The world lost a great man this year with the death of Elie Wiesel, but one positive is that his death is putting his books on lots of TBR piles. Straight in at number 5 this month is Night by Elie Wiesel, a beautiful and tragic Holocaust memoir.
6
The Book Thief – Markus Zusak
I think at any given moment, a handful of people from our community will be reading, or rereading The Book Thief! It didn’t make the top 40 last month but the beautiful WWII story is back in the top ten this month!
7
A Gentleman in Moscow – Amor Towles
A brand new entry this week is a Gentleman in Moscow. Published just a few weeks ago tells the story of a Russian aristocrat who is sentenced to house arrest.
8
The Nightingale – Kristin Hannah
Another regular in our top 40 now with The Nightingale, the World War II fiction down from the 6th spot two players to number 8 this month.
9
The Handmaid’s Tale – Margaret Atwood
We always get a few classics in our top 40 each month and these perennial books are always great reads! At number 9 this week, and a new entry is the chilling dystopian novel, The Handmaid’s Tale.
10
Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children – Ransom Riggs
After the movie opened this month, we’re not at all surprised to see the magical Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children in the top ten this month! Down from number 3 last month into 10th place this September.
Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children US
Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children UK
12. The Light Between the Oceans – M. L Stedman (New)
13. Everything, Everything – Nicola Yoon (New)
14. Lilac Girls – Martha Hall Kelly (new)
15. The Passage – Justin Cronin (New)
16. A Great Reckoning – Louise Penny (New)
17. Dark Matter – Blake Crouch (New)
18. Me Before You – Jojo Moyes (+22)
19. The Kept Woman – Karin Slaughter (New)
20. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn – Betty Smith (New)
21. The Outsiders – S. E. Hinton (New)
22. Empire of Storms – Sarah J. Maas (New)
23. Shantaram – David Gregory Roberts (+12)
24. Discovery of Witches Trilogy – Deborah Harkness (New)
25. 1984 – George Orwell (New)
26. Lolita – Vladimir Nabokov (New)
27. Burial Rights – Kristin Hannah (New)
28. Nine Women, One Dress – Jane L. Rosen (New)
29. To Kill a Mockingbird – Harper Lee (New)
30. Pillars of the Earth – Ken Follett (New)
31. Home – Harlan Coben (New)
32. The Blind Assassin – Margaret Atwood (New)
33. The Taming of the Queen – Phillipa Gregory (New)
34. The Stand – Stephen King (New)
35. Fallen – Lauren Kate (New)
36. How to Be a Woman – Caitlin Moran (New)
37. The Great Gatsby – F. Scott Fitzgerald (-14)
38. Butterfly Garden – Dot Hutchinson (New)
39. The London Eye Mystery – Siobhan Dowd (New)
40. A Hundred Names – Cecilia Ahern (New)
FRA Readers’ Choice Top 20 – March 2022
FRA Choice Top 20: all of 2021
FRA Readers’ Choice Top 20 – December 2021
FRA Readers’ Choice Top 20 – November 2021
FRA Readers’ Choice Top 20 – October 2021
FRA Readers’ Choice Top 20 – September 2021