Books from a series, fiction for a youth audience and titles with religious themes were popular with readers in the United States last year. Here are the ten bestselling books in USA for 2013:

10. Happy, Happy, Happy by Phil Robertson

Described as a ‘no-holds-barred autobiography chronicling the remarkable life of Phil Robertson, the original Duck Commander and Duck Dynasty star, from early childhood through the founding of a family business.’

9. The Third Wheel by Jeff Kinney

This is the first of two Wimpy Kids titles to make 2013’s top 10 list. The seventh book in the series,The Third Wheel was first released in November 2012 and also featured in the top 10 bestselling books of 2012.

8. Sycamore Row by John Grisham

Sycamore Row is Grisham’s sequel to his first ever novel, A Time to Kill (published in 1989). This novel is set three years after the trial of Carl Lee Hailey and again features Jake Brigance as the lead character.

7. Jesus Calling by Sarah Young

This collection of daily devotionals and Bible passages has sold over nine million copies since it was first published in 2004. Missionary Sarah Young’s work has caused controversy in some circles because it is written in the first-person voice of Jesus.

6. Divergent by Veronica Roth

Often referred to as ‘the next Hunger Games’, Divergent is the first instalment in Veronica Roth’s three-part series. The film adaptation of the novel is due in cinemas in March 2014 and stars Shailene Woodley, Theo James, Zoë Kravitz, Ansel Elgort, Maggie Q, Jai Courtney, Miles Teller and Kate Winslet.

5. The House of Hades by Rick Riordan

The House of Hades is the fourth book in the Heroes of Olympus series. In addition to being published in both hardcover and paperback, special edition versions were also released which were signed and contained exclusive drawings.The Blood of Olympus, the fifth and final book in the Heroes of Olympus series, will be released on 7 October 2014.

4. Proof of Heaven by Eben Alexander

Eben Alexander is an American neurosurgeon. This book describes his 2008 near-death experience and asserts that science can and will determine that heaven really does exist. An article titled ‘The Prophet’ in the August issue of Esquire Magazine claimed to have found a number of inaccuracies in Alexander’s autobiographical story.

3. Killing Jesus by Bill O’Reilly and Martin Dugard

Killing Jesus by ’emphatically opinionated’ talk show host Bill O’Reilly and historian Martin Dugard is the duo’s follow-up to Killing Kennedy and Killing Lincoln. It details the events leading up to the crucifixion of Jesus of Nazareth. According to The Guardian, the book gives its readers ‘salacious gossip, gory details and a Tea Party Son of God’.

2. Inferno by Dan Brown

The fourth book in Dan Brown’s Robert Langdon series was released in May 2013. For eleven consecutive weeks it was number one on the New York Times Best Seller lists for hardcover fiction and combined print and eBook fiction. Prior to the book’s release, a team of translators were reportedly sequestered in a publisher’s basement to work simultaneously on the book’s international translations.

1. Hard Luck by Jeff Kinney

This eighth instalment of Jeff Kinney’s series sold over 1.3 million copies worldwide in its first week and there are reportedly over 115 million copies of the titles in the series in print worldwide. According to a Publishers’ Weekly report, Kinney may be planning to add bookseller to his resume in the not too distant future, with plans to open a bookstore in Plainville, Massachusetts.

Source: The Age

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