r/books

Community Overview

About r/books

This is a moderated subreddit. It is our intent and purpose to foster and encourage in-depth discussion about all things related to books, authors, genres, or publishing in a safe, supportive environment. If you're looking for help with a personal book recommendation, consult our Weekly Recommendation Thread, Suggested Reading page, or ask in r/suggestmeabook.

The community at a glance

r/books is a Subreddit for Reading and Readers with roughly 27.2M members. It has been around since 2008. It uses a forum format for communication. On the Hive Index it ranks #1 in the Reading communities list and #8 in the Books communities list.

Roughly 440K members have joined in the past year. Popular discussion topics include Books, Reading, and Book. Common discussion themes are Advice Requests and Pain & Anger. Product recommendations often mention books, textbooks, and e-readers.

On Reddit
Established 2008
27.2M Members

Subreddit Analysis

via GummySearch
Yearly: +440K members
Growth: +1.6% / year

Member growth over time

All time (yearly)

  • 2013: 1.1M members
  • 2014: 2.5M members
  • 2015: 2.7M members
  • 2016: 4.6M members
  • 2017: 3.1M members
  • 2018: 1.5M members
  • 2019: 1.8M members
  • 2020: 1.4M members
  • 2023: 4.6M members
  • 2024: 2.1M members
  • 2025: 1.4M members
  • 2026: 202K members

Past year (monthly)

  • Jul: 83K members
  • Aug: 63K members
  • Sep: 0 members
  • Oct: 0 members
  • Nov: 28K members
  • Dec: 31K members
  • Jan: 39K members
  • Feb: 29K members
  • Mar: 27K members
  • Apr: 32K members
  • May: 36K members
  • Jun: 38K members

Themes

  • Advice Requests
    6 posts in the past month
    1. How has grief impacted your reading habits?
    2. Genuine question about why Beartown by Fredrik Backman is so popular **SPOILERS**
    3. Review of Healing the Oppressed Body
    #1
    Advice Requests
    How has grief impacted your reading habits? · Genuine question about why Beartown by Fredrik Backman is so popular **SPOILERS** · Review of Healing the Oppressed Body
    6
  • Pain & Anger
    1 post in the past month
    1. Boys' reading remains in crisis as gender gap widens, report shows
    #2
    Pain & Anger
    Boys' reading remains in crisis as gender gap widens, report shows
    1
  • News
    1 post in the past month
    1. Massachusetts may soon join a dozen other US states in enacting a law aimed at standardizing the process for removing books from a public or school library known as an anti-book ban law
    #3
    News
    Massachusetts may soon join a dozen other US states in enacting a law aimed at standardizing the process for removing books from a public or school library known as an anti-book ban law
    1

Topics

  • Books
    67 posts in the past month
    1. This year, 53 men work at the Jefferson City Correctional Cent inmates spend their sentences making Braille books for the blind
    2. Booker prize launches new Quick Read in effort to boost adult reading rates as research finds that more than a third of UK adults find it hard to read books through to the end
    3. Phantom Tollbooth was my intro to Hitchhiker’s Guide-style humor and one of my favorite children’s books
    #1
    Books
    This year, 53 men work at the Jefferson City Correctional Cent inmates spend their sentences making Braille books for the blind · Booker prize launches new Quick Read in effort to boost adult reading rates as research finds that more than a third of UK adults find it hard to read books through to the end · Phantom Tollbooth was my intro to Hitchhiker’s Guide-style humor and one of my favorite children’s books
    67
  • Reading
    48 posts in the past month
    1. Uptick in children and teenagers enjoying reading for first time in 5 years
    2. Boys' reading remains in crisis as gender gap widens, report shows
    3. Just finished reading Lolita. Where's the sympathetic narrator?
    #2
    Reading
    Uptick in children and teenagers enjoying reading for first time in 5 years · Boys' reading remains in crisis as gender gap widens, report shows · Just finished reading Lolita. Where's the sympathetic narrator?
    48
  • Book
    31 posts in the past month
    #3
    Book
    31
  • Looking For
    26 posts in the past month
    #4
    Looking For
    26
  • Struggling
    25 posts in the past month
    1. Where the world ends: Paul Tremblay's "The Cabin at the End of the World".
    #5
    Struggling
    Where the world ends: Paul Tremblay's "The Cabin at the End of the World".
    25

Flair

  • WeeklyThread
    6 posts in the past month
    1. What Books did You Start or Finish Reading this Week?: June 15, 2026
    2. Simple Questions: June 16, 2026
    3. Simple Questions: June 09, 2026
    #1
    WeeklyThread
    What Books did You Start or Finish Reading this Week?: June 15, 2026 · Simple Questions: June 16, 2026 · Simple Questions: June 09, 2026
    6
  • meta
    1 post in the past month
    1. Weekly Calendar - June 15, 2026
    #2
    meta
    Weekly Calendar - June 15, 2026
    1

Product recommendations

  • books
    110 posts in the past month
    1. Recommend me BOOK!!! pls
    2. I am a stranger walking by you and you have two seconds, recommend me a book off the top of your head no context or description just title and authors name plz
    3. Recommend any clean soulful romance books with a female protagonist
    #1
    books
    Recommend me BOOK!!! pls · I am a stranger walking by you and you have two seconds, recommend me a book off the top of your head no context or description just title and authors name plz · Recommend any clean soulful romance books with a female protagonist
    110
  • textbooks
    4 posts in the past month
    1. Textbooks - what to do with them? Best options?
    2. Textbooks - what to do with them? Best options?
    3. What are the best textbooks of all time?
    #2
    textbooks
    Textbooks - what to do with them? Best options? · Textbooks - what to do with them? Best options? · What are the best textbooks of all time?
    4
  • e-readers
    1 post in the past month
    1. Best E-readers for romance/spicy and horror books?
    #3
    e-readers
    Best E-readers for romance/spicy and horror books?
    1

Frequently asked questions

Who is r/books for?
Best for Reading and Readers enthusiasts looking for a Reddit-based community with forum discussion.
Is r/books free to join?
This listing is not marked as paid-only. Access rules and any fees are decided by the community.
How many members does r/books have?
Roughly 27.2M members, based on figures reported by the community or its host. Member counts are approximate and change over time.
What platform is r/books on?
r/books runs on Reddit. Reddit communities (or "subreddits") are forum-based groups on the popular social news aggregation, web content rating, and discussion website Reddit. Reddit is commonly known as "the front page of the internet". Users submit content to the site such as links, text posts, and images, which are then voted up or down and discussed by other members. From investing Reddit communities, to professional ones, to ones just for laughs, you're likely to find a community for you on Reddit.
What topics does r/books cover?
On the Hive Index, r/books is organized under Reading, Readers.
How do I join r/books?
You can join r/books by clicking this link, or pressing the "Go to community" button above.
What are the Reading communities like?
Communities for readers to share recommendations, discuss books, and participate in reading challenges. Reddit has massive subreddits for book suggestions and genre discussions, with Discord servers running read-alongs and buddy reads. Good for finding your next book, talking through what you just finished, or connecting with readers who share your tastes.