The books everyone's talking about, read or listen?

Two ways. Big sellers are chosen for sustained sales in the UK or US charts, a publisher’s own sales figures, or years in the top sellers. Newer books are here because they are a release with a UK publicity push, a book club or prize pick, have a film or series coming, or are being requested through the search box on this site. The shelf is curated, not automatic, and every verdict is decided the same way as every other book, on the 13 published criteria.

17 books here score 100% for listening, including Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine, The Midnight Library, Catching Fire, Mockingjay, The Housemaid Is Watching, Sunrise on the Reaping and The Wedding People. None has anything confirmed that points to print, and each verdict page lists the recording features behind the score.

Circe has roughly fifty Greek names, and several of them differ by a single sound, so they are hard to tell apart when you hear them. The prose is also dense and literary, which points to reading too. One narrator counts toward audio, but the checks for reading outweigh it, which gives a leaning read verdict at 68%.

Listen, on our checks (70%). Julia Whelan reads Amy and Kirby Heyborne reads Nick, so when the story switches between the two timelines, you hear a different narrator. Read it if you want the dated diary headings in front of you.

Because the evidence is thin at launch or points both ways. For Murder at the Grand Alpine Hotel, The Love Hypothesis and Hollywood, Ending nothing could be confirmed either way, which leaves each at 50%. Peck & Peck (56%) and The Keeper (63%) are close calls for a different reason: each has points for audio and points for print. Their verdict pages say what would change the verdict.

No. The checks are about the book and its recording. Adaptations are noted on the page because people search for them, and release dates are kept current.

No. Every Harry Potter verdict scores the Full-Cast Edition led by Cush Jumbo, the highest-production recording, with Stephen Fry’s and Jim Dale’s readings shown alongside. The series guide compares the three.

Yes. Every page carries the date its editions were last checked, and books on this shelf are rechecked when they move to the backlist or when a new recording appears.