Books have been part of Amazon’s DNA since the beginning. We continually innovate the reading experience so customers have a never-ending bookshelf, from hardbacks to comic books and eBooks to audiobooks. It’s all in the spirit of helping customers find their next great read.
In time for World Book Day on 23 April, we’re taking a moment to celebrate some of the books and authors that bring our customers joy and inspire them to add books to their “Want to Read” list. We identified the titles that flew off our shelves from March 2020 to March 2021 and mapped them out. Read on to learn what books readers loved the most in Australia and in countries around the world—and maybe even pick up a recommendation or two for your World Book Day reading.
The most popular titles on Amazon.com.au
1. Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
2. The Survivors by Jane Harper
3. Atomic Habits by James Clear
4. Normal People by Sally Rooney
5. Boy Swallows Universe by Trent Dalton
6. American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins
7. Untamed: Stop Pleasing, Start Living by Glennon Doyle
8. All our Shimmering Skies by Trent Dalton
9. The Sentinel by Lee Child and Andrew Child
10. Grown Ups by Marian Keyes
A global perspective
The preferences of readers from around the world are as unique as the countries and cultures they represent, with a few similarities in between. Here are some of the trends and highlights, according to bestselling data of most sold books (inclusive of print and ebooks) on Amazon channels around the world:
· In Mexico, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), self-improvement reigned supreme. Mexico’s customers turned to The Subtle Art of not Giving a F*ck, and UAE customers tried to find joy and comfort with life’s every day moments by reading Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life.
· Turkey preferred classic works from Victor Hugo (The Last Day of a Condemned Man), while modern works of fiction topped the lists in Spain (Rey Blanco), Brazil (Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone), and Australia (Where the Crawdads Sing).
· As close neighbours, Canada and the U.S. were the only two countries that shared the same book preference. A Promised Land, the memoir of former U.S. President Barack Obama topped lists in both countries.
· The list rounded out with fun additions. Readers in Saudi Arabia preferred a book filled with brain puzzles; Italian customers loved an animated novel called Le Storie del Mistero, and the UK couldn’t get enough of the universal lessons found in The Boy, the Mole, the Fox, and the Horse.
Our methodology
We looked at Amazon’s Most Sold data for book sales across all formats from March 2020 to March 2021, in countries around the world, to assemble the list of most-loved books in each country.
View and download our most-loved books lists and the international map:
