--- title: The Most Read Books of 2017, According to Amazon description: Amazon has announced its most popular fiction and non-fiction books of 2017, and the lists represent a blend of timely stories and classics canonical: https://time.com/5059023/most-read-books-2017-amazon/ author: Sarah Begley article:opinion: true article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2017-12-12T14:00:32.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-23T18:31:41.676Z article:section: Ideas og:title: The Most Read Books of 2017, According to Amazon og:description: Including 'The Handmaid's Tale' to 'The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck' og:url: https://time.com/5059023/most-read-books-2017-amazon/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt58f4551b6c35dd6f/6988f4a522fb858b0ce2403a/kindle.jpeg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: Digital books og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: The Most Read Books of 2017, According to Amazon twitter:description: Including 'The Handmaid's Tale' to 'The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck' twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt58f4551b6c35dd6f/6988f4a522fb858b0ce2403a/kindle.jpeg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # _The Handmaid's Tale_ Was the Most Read Novel of 2017, According to Amazon by [Sarah Begley](https://time.com/author/sarah-begley/) ## Sarah Begley Dec 12, 2017 2:00 PM UTC  Selection of electronic books on digital tablet or e-reader. Selection of electronic books on digital tablet or e-reader.Getty Images by [Sarah Begley](https://time.com/author/sarah-begley/) ## Sarah Begley Dec 12, 2017 2:00 PM UTC Amazon has announced its [most popular fiction and non-fiction books of 2017](http://amazon.com/charts2017), and the lists represent a blend of timely stories and contemporary classics. [Margaret Atwood’s](http://time.com/collection/influencers-2017/4934668/margaret-atwood-and-elisabeth-moss-2/) 1985 novel [_The Handmaid’s Tale_](http://time.com/4826549/emma-watson-handmaids-tale-books/) came out on top among fiction books, having enjoyed newfound popularity thanks to [a new Hulu adaptation](http://time.com/4815007/handmaids-tale-season-finale-review/) and comparisons to contemporary threats to reproductive rights. Another 1980s book with a new adaptation, [Stephen King’s _It_](http://time.com/4941007/stephen-kings-september/), came in second place, and fantasy favorites by George R.R. Martin and J.K. Rowling populated much of the rest of the list. On the nonfiction side, Mark Manson’s _The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F\*ck_ ranked first with its edict that to be happier, you should try focusing less on happiness. The number two slot went to [J.D. Vance’s _Hillbilly Elegy_](http://time.com/4565491/jd-vance-white-working-class-voters/), which many readers turned to for an explanation of rural America following the 2016 presidential election. Memoirs, history books, and a hearty dose of self-help titles filled out the list. Here are the most read books of 2017, according to Amazon’s Kindle and Audible data: ## **Top 10 Most Read Fiction** 1. [_The Handmaid’s Tale_](https://www.amazon.com/dp/038549081X/?tag=timecom-20), by Margaret Atwood 2. [_It_](https://www.amazon.com/dp/1501175467/?tag=timecom-20), by Stephen King 3. [_Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone_](https://www.amazon.com/dp/059035342X/?tag=timecom-20), by J.K. Rowling 4. [_A Game of Thrones_](https://www.amazon.com/dp/0553593714/?tag=timecom-20), by George R.R. Martin 5. [_Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix_](https://www.amazon.com/dp/0439358078/?tag=timecom-20), by J.K. Rowling 6. [_Beneath a Scarlet Sky_](https://www.amazon.com/dp/1503943372/?tag=timecom-20), by Mark Sullivan 7. [_Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire_](https://www.amazon.com/dp/0439139600/?tag=timecom-20), by J.K. Rowling 8. [_A Gentleman in Moscow_](https://www.amazon.com/dp/0670026190/?tag=timecom-20), by Amor Towles 9. [_Origin_](https://www.amazon.com/dp/0385514239/?tag=timecom-20), by Dan Brown 10. [_Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows_](https://www.amazon.com/dp/0545139708/?tag=timecom-20), by J.K. Rowling ## **Top 10 Most Read Nonfiction** 1. [_The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F\*ck_](https://www.amazon.com/dp/0062457713/?tag=timecom-20), by Mark Manson 2. [_Hillbilly Elegy_](https://www.amazon.com/dp/0062300547/?tag=timecom-20), by J.D. Vance 3. [_Sapiens_](https://www.amazon.com/dp/0062316095/?tag=timecom-20), by Yuval Harari 4. [_Alexander Hamilton_](https://www.amazon.com/dp/0143034758/?tag=timecom-20), by Ron Chernow 5. [_Born a Crime_](https://www.amazon.com/dp/0399588175/?tag=timecom-20), by Trevor Noah 6. [_The 5 Second Rule_](https://www.amazon.com/dp/1682612384/?tag=timecom-20), by Mel Robbins 7. [_How To Win Friends and Influence People_](https://www.amazon.com/dp/0671027034/?tag=timecom-20), by Dale Carnegie 8. [_Al Franken, Giant of the Senate_](https://www.amazon.com/dp/1455540412/?tag=timecom-20), by Al Franken 9. [_The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People_](https://www.amazon.com/dp/1451639619/?tag=timecom-20), by Stephen R. Covey 10. [_I Can’t Make This Up_](https://www.amazon.com/dp/1501155563/?tag=timecom-20), by Kevin Hart ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"OpinionNewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5059023/most-read-books-2017-amazon/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5059023/most-read-books-2017-amazon/"},"headline":"The Handmaid's Tale Was the Most Read Novel of 2017, According to Amazon","datePublished":"2017-12-12T14:00:32.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-23T18:31:41.676Z","description":"From The Handmaid's Tale to The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck","url":"https://time.com/5059023/most-read-books-2017-amazon/","keywords":["Books"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt58f4551b6c35dd6f/6988f4a522fb858b0ce2403a/kindle.jpeg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Sarah Begley","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/sarah-begley/"}],"articleSection":"Ideas","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt58f4551b6c35dd6f/6988f4a522fb858b0ce2403a/kindle.jpeg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Digital books","caption":"Digital books","creditText":"Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/ideas/","name":"Ideas"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/books/","name":"Books"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/5059023/most-read-books-2017-amazon/","name":"The Handmaid's Tale Was the Most Read Novel of 2017, According to Amazon"}}]}] ```