Harry memoir Spare tops Amazon list of UK bestsellers
The Duke of Sussex’s memoir Spare was the best-selling book of 2023 in the UK, according to Amazon.
Harry’s controversial book, detailing his military career, his fractured relationship with his family, and his grief over the death of his mother, was published in January.
It pipped cookbooks for air fryers and slow cookers to the top spot of Amazon Books’ best-selling titles of the year.
Lessons In Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus was the best-selling fiction book of the year at fourth place in the list, ahead of Richard Osman’s fourth instalment in The Thursday Murder Club series, The Last Devil To Die.
The US novel about a scientist who takes a job on a cooking TV show, has recently been adapted for television, with Oscar-winner Brie Larson in the starring role.
Bored of Lunch: The Healthy Slow Cooker Book and Bored of Lunch: The Healthy Air Fryer Book, both by Nathan Anthony, took second and third place on the list, respectively.
Britney Spears’ memoir The Woman In Me, which details her years-long conservatorship, also features in the rankings at ninth place, while Matthew Perry’s book Friends, Lovers, And The Big Terrible Thing is at 20.
The Friends star, who died in October, used his memoir to outline his lengthy substance abuse issues and the work he had done to help others in a similar situation.
The list of Amazon’s top 20 most-read books in the UK is dominated by Harry Potter novels.
Two of Rowling’s books under her pseudonym Robert Galbraith are also on the most-read list.
The Amazon list of most sold ranks books according to the number of copies sold and pre-ordered in print and ebook, while the most read list ranks titles by the average number of daily Kindle readers and Audible listeners.
The e-commerce giant has also named its own best books of the year shortlist, curated by its editorial team, which is topped by Yellowface by Rebecca F Kuang. The novel is about a struggling author who passes off her friend’s work as her own after her death.
Lisa de Meyer, manager for UK books at Amazon.co.uk, said: “The bestselling books are always an interesting reflection of the year, and 2023 has given us an extremely eclectic mix.
“Whether people are looking for escapism through cosy crime, or rejoicing in how a remarkable woman takes on the world of science, or continuing to engage in conscious eating trends, our bestseller charts this year have it all.
“And that range was also reflected in our Best Books of the Year list where, for the first time, we chose an overall winner in the shape of the sublimely talented Rebecca F Kuang for Yellowface.”
Top 20 Amazon Books Most Sold (print and ebook)
1. Spare by Prince Harry, The Duke of Sussex
2. Bored Of Lunch: The Healthy Slow Cooker Book by Nathan Anthony
3. Bored Of Lunch: The Healthy Air Fryer Book by Nathan Anthony
4. Lessons In Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus
5. The Last Devil To Die: The Thursday Murder Club 4 by Richard Osman
6. Pinch Of Nom Enjoy by Kate and Kay Allinson
7. Guinness World Records 2024 by Guinness World Records
8. It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover
9. The Woman In Me by Britney Spears
10. Atomic Habits by James Clear
11. Verity by Colleen Hoover
12. Tomorrow, And Tomorrow, And Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin
13. The Bullet That Missed: The Thursday Murder Club 3 by Richard Osman
14. The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and The Horse by Charlie Mackesy
15. Where’s Spidey?; Marvel Entertainment International Ltd
16. Ultra-Processed People by Chris van Tulleken
17. Pinch Of Nom Budget by Kate and Kay Allinson
18. The Glucose Goddess Method by Jessie Inchauspé
19. Why Has Nobody Told Me This Before? by Julie Smith
20. Friends, Lovers And The Big Terrible Thing by Matthew Perry
Top 20 Amazon Most Read
1. Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix by JK Rowling
2. Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire by JK Rowling
3. Harry Potter And The Philosopher’s Stone by JK. Rowling
4. Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows by JK Rowling
5. Harry Potter And The Half-Blood Prince by JK Rowling
6. Spare by Prince Harry, The Duke of Sussex
7. Harry Potter And The Prisoner of Azkaban by JK Rowling
8. Harry Potter And The Chamber of Secrets by JK Rowling
9. Lessons In Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus
10. The Thursday Murder Club: The Thursday Murder Club 1 by Richard Osman
11. The Bullet That Missed: The Thursday Murder Club 3 by Richard Osman
12. The Ink Black Heart by Robert Galbraith
13. The Fellowship Of The Ring by JRR Tolkien
14. The Running Grave by Robert Galbraith
15. The Keeper of Stories by Sally Page
16. Atomic Habits by James Clear
17. The Last Devil To Die: The Thursday Murder Club 4 by Richard Osman
18. Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver
19. The Man Who Died Twice: The Thursday Murder Club 2 by Richard Osman
20. Atlas: The Story Of Pa Salt by Lucinda Riley and Harry Whittaker