Amazon releases best-selling books of 2016, Harry Potter still favorite

It is the season for holiday gifting and the best-selling books of 2016 have been announced to give gift ideas to all. According to Amazon, both in the overall best-selling category and the best-selling children's and teens' books, "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child" by J.K. Rowling, Jack Thorne and John Tiffany ranks first. Rowling's bestseller also tops the lists for both the most gifted and most wished book of the year, confirming that "Harry Potter" continues to be a favorite for readers.

The 2016 list of best-selling books continue with "When Breath Becomes Air," a memoir by Paul Kalaniti and "The Whistler," a thriller by John Grisham making it in the top three. The top fourth and fifth best-sellers are "The Last Mile" by David Baldacci and "Killing the Rising Sun: How America Vanquished World War II Japan" by Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard. The list of best-sellers shows that thriller books continue to dominate among the different genres with nine thrillers in the top 20.

"This year's best-selling list showcases the variety of Amazon readers' tastes, from literary fiction to thrillers to memoirs," said Chris Schluep, an Amazon Senior Book Editor, in a press release. "The power of Potter is still strong, and readers of all ages can't get enough of Hogwarts. ‘Harry Potter and the Cursed Child' was the most anticipated book of the year, breaking pre-order records months before its release."