In the top 20, Vex King’s latest guide to self-care and “overcoming toxic energy,” “Good Vibes, Good Life,” landed at number 18.
“Atomic Habits” by James Clear was a must-read, and further down the list is “12 Rules for Life” by Canadian author and commentator Jordan B. Peterson, which became popular with young men.
Some children’s stories have stood the test of time and are still on the shelves of adults who are still drawn to their humor. This is not least true of “The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole, Aged 13¾” by Sue Townsend.
Even more serious films like “Down by the River” by Richard Adams can be found on the list of lists.
JK Rowling’s first book in the ever-popular Harry Potter series, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, is at number 23 on the bestseller list. Its relatively low position may be due to the way children’s book bestseller lists are kept differently, according to The Sunday Times.
Laura Hackett, deputy literary editor of the Sunday Times, said of the compiled list of the biggest bestsellers: “We are delighted to celebrate the remarkable achievements of the authors who have featured in this list since 1974.”
“This top 100 list not only underlines the enduring popularity of timeless works, but also demonstrates the wide range of genres that have captivated British readers across generations.”
100. Life of Pi by Yann Martel
99. The Man Who Died Twice by Richard Osman
98. The book you wish your parents had read, by Philippa Perry
97. And away… by Bob Mortimer
96. The Power of Geography by Tim Marshall
95. Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha by Roddy Doyle
94. Rosemary Conley’s Plan to Lose Inches by Rosemary Conley
93. Schott’s Original Miscellany by Ben Schott
92. The Secret Lawyer by The Secret Lawyer
91. The Midnight Library by Matt Haig
90. Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman
89. Chronicle of the 20th Century, edited by Derrik Mercer
88. The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy
87. The Girl Who Played with Fire by Stieg Larsson
86. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson
85. First Man In by Ant Middleton
84. Eat, Shoot and Leave by Lynne Truss
82. McCarthy’s Bar by Pete McCarthy
82. High Fidelity by Nick Hornby
81. Down Under by Bill Bryson
80. The Dukan Diet by Pierre Dukan
79. A Man Called Dave by Dave Pelzer
77. Bridget Jones – The Edge of Reason by Helen Fielding
77. Life on Earth by David Attenborough
76. 12 Rules for Life by Jordan B Peterson
75. Eleanor Oliphant is perfectly fine by Gail Honeyman
74. Pinch of Nom: Everyday Light by Kate Allinson and Kay Featherstone
73. The Secret of Rhonda Byrne
72. The Crawdads Song by Delia Owens
71. The Horse Whisperer by Nicholas Evans
70. The World According to Clarkson by Jeremy Clarkson
69. Sophie’s World by Jostein Gaarder
68. Writing Home by Alan Bennett
67. The Complete Yes Minister by Jonathan Lynn and Antony Jay
66. Rosemary Conley’s Hip and Thigh Diet by Rosemary Conley
65. The Growing Pains of Adrian Mole by Sue Townsend
64. Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer
63. Some Other Rainbow by John McCarthy and Jill Morrell
62. The Lost Continent by Bill Bryson
61. Diana: Her True Story by Andrew Morton
60. Captain Corelli’s Mandolin by Louis de Bernières
59. Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer
58. New Moon by Stephenie Meyer
57. Neither Here Nor There by Bill Bryson
56. Illuminati by Dan Brown
55. An Evil Cradle by Brian Keenan
54. Down by the River by Richard Adams
53. Chemistry Class by Bonnie Garmus
52. The Lost Boy by Dave Pelzer
51. Surrounded by Idiots by Thomas Erikson
50. Let Sleeping Vets Lie by James Herriot
49. Why hasn’t anyone told me before? by Julie Smith
48. Fever Pitch by Nick Hornby
47. “James Herriot’s Yorkshire” by James Herriot and Derry Brabbs
46. Bridget Jones’s Diary by Helen Fielding
44. Wreck This Journal by Keri Smith
44. Homo Deus by Yuval Noah Harari
43. The driving manual
42. Twilight by Stephenie Meyer
41. Food Combination for Health by Doris Grant
40. The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris
39. Stupid White Men by Michael Moore
38. Toujours Provence by Peter Mayle
37. The Salt Trail by Raynor Winn
36. Alistair Cooke’s America by Alistair Cooke
35. Bob the Street Cat by James Bowen
34. It ends with us by Colleen Hoover
33. Seasons of My Life by Hannah Hauxwell
32. A Brief History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson
31. Around the World in 80 Days by Michael Palin
30. RHS Gardeners Encyclopedia of Plants and Flowers by Christopher Brickell
29. Complete theory test for cars and motorcycles
28. The Little Book of Rest by Paul Wilson
27. Longitude by Dava Sobel
26. The Ascent of Man by Jacob Bronowski
25. Bravo Two Zero by Andy McNab
24. The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins
23. Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone by JK Rowling
22. Pinch of Nom by Kate Allinson and Kay Featherstone
21. The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown
20. A Child Called It by Dave Pelzer
19. The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman
18. Good Vibes, Good Life by Vex King
17. The Secret Diary of 13¾-Year-Old Adrian Mole by Sue Townsend
16. Atomic Habits by James Clear
15. Delia Smith’s Complete Illustrated Cookery Course by Delia Smith
14. This is going to hurt by Adam Kay
13. A Year in Provence by Peter Mayle
12. The Diary of an Edwardian Lady by Edith Holden
11. Prisoners of Geography by Tim Marshall
10. Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari
9. Rosemary Conley’s Complete Hip and Thigh Diet by Rosemary Conley
8. Wild Swans by Jung Chang
7. Delia Smith’s Summer Collection by Delia Smith
6. The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse by Charlie Mackesy
5. My Mother’s Ashes by Frank McCourt
4. Notes from a Small Island by Bill Bryson
3. Delia Smith’s Complete Cooking Class by Delia Smith
2. Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus by John Gray
1. A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking
