Best-Selling Author’s Novel Ranked ‘Most Read Book’ in United States on Goodreads

Nina DerwinSun, March 29, 2026 at 11:22 PM UTC

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(Photo by Kristina Bumphrey/Variety via Getty Images)

Best-selling author Andy Weir is back in the spotlight as one of his most popular novels continues to resonate with readers.

His book, Project Hail Mary, has been ranked the most-read book in the United States on Goodreads over the past week, based on user activity. The distinction reflects how frequently readers are marking the book as "read," highlighting its continued popularity several years after its release.

Originally published in 2021, the novel also earned the Goodreads Choice Awards for Readers' Favorite Science Fiction Book of the Year, further cementing its status as a modern sci-fi favorite.

Project Hail Mary follows Ryland Grace, a man who wakes up alone aboard a spacecraft with no memory of who he is or how he got there. As his memories slowly return, he realizes he is on a critical mission: to save Earth from an extinction-level threat. With his crewmates dead and humanity's future at stake, Grace must rely on science, ingenuity and determination to solve an impossible problem while discovering he may not be as alone as he first believed.

"I just wanted to start right away with a mystery to grab the reader and pull them in," Weird told TheNew York Times. "One thing I've found is that if you start with a bunch of unknowns and make the reader curious, they get that satisfaction of having this thing answered, but then something else is asked and so on."

The novel has been widely praised for its blend of high-stakes storytelling, scientific detail and emotional depth, hallmarks of Weir's writing style, which first gained global attention with The Martian.

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Renewed interest in the book has also been fueled by its recent film adaptation, which brings the story to the big screen. The movie, starring Ryan Gosling, has introduced the story to a wider audience, sparking fresh enthusiasm among both longtime fans and new readers.

"He added a lot of nuance to the character, just via body language and alternate lines," Weir told USA Today of Gosling's performance. "He would come up with other lines. He got to ad lib, of course. So he ended up with a much deeper, more nuanced version of Ryland than I ever wrote,: Weir says.

With its continued popularity on Goodreads and growing attention from its film release, Project Hail Mary remains one of the most talked-about science fiction stories in recent years, proving its staying power well beyond its original debut.

"The best thing you can hope for as a writer, honestly, is to just write something that you yourself would enjoy reading," said Weir. "And so I try and put myself in my readers' shoes."

Related: Best-Selling Author’s Novel Ranked ‘Best Book of the Decade’ on Goodreads

This story was originally published by Parade on Mar 29, 2026, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”