525 ratings | 422 reviews | avg rating:3.94

Richard’s Year In Books

Richard’s 2025 Year in Books

Take a look at Richard’s Year in Books, including some fun facts about their reading.

Go to Richard’s 2025 Year in Books

Richard R. Becker’s Followers (60)

Richard’s Bookshelves

to-read (482)
currently-reading (8)
read (526)
did-not-finish (0)
favorites (90)
my-books (7)

Richard’s Friends (192)

1,176 books | 83 friends

Constantine

2,735 books | 978 friends

Colin Baldwin

751 books | 1,376 friends

Dr. Jasmine

205 books | 152 friends

Te-ge Bramhall

3,848 books | 498 friends

Kate

2,667 books | 31 friends

Akarshita

516 books | 98 friends

Daniel Mihai Popescu

953 books | 3,113 friends

More friends…

2026 Reading Challenge

2026

READING

CHALLENGE

Richard Becker has read 4 of 50 books.

Richard R. Becker

Goodreads Author

Born

in Milwaukee, The United States

Website

http://www.richardrbecker.com

Twitter

RichBecker

Genre

Fiction, Thriller, Suspense

Influences

Ernest Hemingway, John Updike, Russel Banks

Member Since

August 2014

URL

https://www.goodreads.com/richardrbecker

edit data

Richard R. Becker is an award-winning American author whose gripping stories blend resilience and moral complexity. His upcoming novel, Born on Monday (2025), promises a thrilling tale of small-town sins that will leave readers breathless.

His debut novel, Third Wheel (August 2023), soared into Amazon’s top 100 thriller and suspense literary fiction novels, earned a Kirkus Reviews feature, and won seven awards, including Literary Thriller of the Year by the Artisan International Book Excellence Awards. His debut collection, 50 States (2021), born from a challenge to write one story a week for 50 weeks, topped Amazon’s literary short story charts for three months and secured multiple honors, including first place in the Spring 2022 BookFest A ...more

Learn more
Ask the Author

To ask Richard R. Becker questions, please sign up.

Popular Answered Questions

What books are on your summer reading list this year?

Richard R. Becker I love this question, and don't have a traditional answer that includes 5 or 10 or even 20 books that will feel dated in a few months. What I have ins…moreI love this question, and don't have a traditional answer that includes 5 or 10 or even 20 books that will feel dated in a few months. What I have instead is a list of 195+ diverse titles and a method to read a fair amount of them every year. Feel free to check out my shelf. They are all here on Goodreads.

Generally, I'm reading four books at any given time. One with my daughter, one on my phone, one in print (often nonfiction), and one as an audiobook (yes, I think audiobooks count as long as they aren't abridged). To pick them: My daughter and I alternative between young adult and classic literature; my nonfiction picks generally alternate between enrichment and history; my other two picks alternate wildly different genres and authors mainly based on what I just read. I tend to look for something that contrasts preceding title.

For example, in 2021 on my phone, Normal People by Sally Rooney was preceded by Childhood's End by Arthur C. Clark, preceded by Eden Mine by S.M. Hulse, preceded by Go Tell It To The Mountain by James Baldwin, preceded by Rabbit is Rich by John Updike, preceded by Alas, Babylon by Pat Frank, preceded by Imaginary Friend by Stephen Chbosky, preceded by Blacktop Wasteland by S.A. Cosby, and so on. The same eclectic meandering happens with audiobooks (though narrators can play a factor in my picks).

How I chose books changed after joining Goodreads. This site gave me a tool to add dozens of "to read" (or read again) books. I look over all of them anytime I'm close to the end of a book, generally picking the next title because there is some contrast to what I just read or am reading — from contemporary to classic or horror fiction to literary fiction or science fiction to historical fiction — because I'm a great believer in diversity, especially for anyone who wants to be a writer. Diversity keeps it all interesting, which is why my own body of work spills over into everything.(less)

flag

4 likes · like
Comment

Where did you get the idea for your most recent book?

Richard R. Becker Two years ago, I committed to writing short short stories and sharing them on my Facebook author page. It was the first time in my life I treated writ…moreTwo years ago, I committed to writing short short stories and sharing them on my Facebook author page. It was the first time in my life I treated writing short stories like an assignment, with equal weight to any advertising/marketing deadlines I might have.

My immersion in the process of writing fiction opened up an entirely new world. After sharing the first few stories, I fell into a creative rhythm, and an overarching idea began to crystalize.

I was inspired to write about life-defining moments (or coping with life-defining moments) as experienced by different people in different places (50 States) — stories that could stand on their own but were also left open to be continued in unexpected ways or intersect with one another.

Individually, the spark for each story was unique. Some ideas seem to find me — something I happened to see while driving my daughter to practice. Other ideas had to be hunted down, especially as fewer states remained. In those situations, I made it a practice to follow the research until it led me somewhere or something else would find me along the way.(less)

flag

4 likes · like
Comment

See all 8 answers from Richard R. Becker…

Combine Editions
Richard R. Becker’s books

Average rating: 4.27 · 229 ratings · 127 reviews · 4 distinct works • Similar authors

	50 States: A collection of short short stories 4.06 avg rating — 98 ratings — 8 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Third Wheel 4.52 avg rating — 69 ratings — published 2023 — 5 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Born on Monday 4.52 avg rating — 31 ratings — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Ten Threads 4.10 avg rating — 31 ratings — published 2022 — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

* Note: these are all the books on Goodreads for this author. To add more, click here.

37 posts
Richard R. Becker's Blog

Book Review - Third Wheel

Plenty has happened in the last few weeks for 'Born on Monday' as it hit the Top 100 in psychological literary fiction on Amazon and gained a few more amazing editorial reviews. But what I really wanted to share is this surprise review of Third Wheel.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9QTXv...

What made this review so special is that I caught it after I had just woken up in the middle of the night to Read more of this blog post »

Like • 0 comments • flag

Published on January 16, 2026 09:31 • Tags: book-reviews

View all 37 posts »

Richard is Currently Reading

Richard Becker is currently reading

Not Stolen: The Truth About European Colonialism in the New World

by Jeff Fynn-Paul

bookshelves: currently-reading

Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

1 hour, 19 min ago

Richard Becker is currently reading

The Diamond Eye

by Kate Quinn (Goodreads Author)

bookshelves: currently-reading

Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Jan 22, 2026 11:53AM

Richard Becker is currently reading

Lost Memory of Skin

by Russell Banks

bookshelves: currently-reading

Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Jan 20, 2026 02:33PM

rss
Richard’s Recent Updates

Richard Becker started reading Not Stolen: The Truth About European Colonialism in the New World by Jeff Fynn-Paul	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
1 hour, 19 min ago · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Not Stolen by Jeff Fynn-Paul. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Not Stolen by Jeff Fynn-Paul <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Richard Becker started reading The Diamond Eye by Kate Quinn (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jan 22, 2026 11:53AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Diamond Eye by Kate Quinn. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Diamond Eye by Kate Quinn <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Richard Becker rated a book liked it The Lure of the Basilisk (The Lords of Dûs, #1) by Lawrence Watt-Evans (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
In the late 1970s and early 1980s, the fantasy genre was a bubbling cauldron of influences. Most notably: Robert E. Howard's Conan stories, Michael Moorcock's Eternal Champion series, Fritz Leiber's Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser. Combined with Dungeons ...more
Jan 21, 2026 09:44AM · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Lure of the Basilisk by Lawrence Watt-Evans. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Lure of the Basilisk by Lawrence Watt-Evans <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Richard Becker is currently reading Lost Memory of Skin by Russell Banks	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jan 20, 2026 02:33PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Lost Memory of Skin by Russell Banks. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Lost Memory of Skin by Russell Banks <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Richard Becker rated a book liked it The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Ursula K. Le Guin's “The Left Hand of Darkness” (1969) stands as one of science fiction's most enduring and influential works, but not because it’s a dazzling space opera or futuristic adventure. No, this novel is both quiet and introspective, a clea ...more
Jan 20, 2026 02:31PM · 1 like · like · see review
Richard Becker entered a giveaway Nash Falls (Walter Nash, #1) by David Baldacci (Goodreads Author) 20 copies available, ends on February 15, 2026 Enter to win »
Jan 16, 2026 04:10AM · like · see giveaway · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Nash Falls by David Baldacci. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Nash Falls by David Baldacci <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Richard Becker started reading Three-Inch Teeth (Joe Pickett, #24) by C.J. Box	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jan 13, 2026 12:20PM · 1 like · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Three-Inch Teeth by C.J. Box. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Three-Inch Teeth by C.J. Box <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Richard Becker wants to read The Seven Altars of Dûsarra (The Lords of Dûs, #2) by Lawrence Watt-Evans (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jan 13, 2026 12:15PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Seven Altars of Dûsarra by Lawrence Watt-Evans. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Seven Altars of Dûsarra by Lawrence Watt-Evans <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Richard Becker started reading The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jan 09, 2026 04:40PM · like
Richard Becker started reading The Women by Kristin Hannah (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jan 08, 2026 11:55AM · 1 like · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Women by Kristin Hannah. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Women by Kristin Hannah <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">

More of Richard's books…

Richard’s Quotes

“I like living. I have sometimes been wildly, despairingly, acutely miserable, racked with sorrow; but through it all I still know quite certainly that just to be alive is a grand thing.”
― Agatha Christie

tags: inspirational

6088 likes

“Simplicity, simplicity, simplicity! I say, let your affairs be as two or three, and not a hundred or a thousand; instead of a million count half a dozen, and keep your accounts on your thumb nail.”
― Henry David Thoreau, Walden

160 likes

“I had three chairs in my house; one for solitude, two for friendship, three for society.”
― Henry David Thoreau, Walden or, Life in the Woods

289 likes

“I can write anywhere… Or not, as the case may be, which is not the case.”
― Hank Moody writer on Showtime's "Californication"

tags: not-writing, writing

3 likes

Richard’s Friend Comments

No comments have been added yet.

Richard’s Year In Books

Richard R. Becker’s Followers (60)

Add New
Videos

Richard’s Bookshelves

Richard’s Friends (192)

2026 Reading Challenge

Richard R. Becker

Goodreads Author

Learn more
Ask the Author

Popular Answered Questions

Combine Editions
Richard R. Becker’s books

37 posts
Richard R. Becker's Blog

Book Review - Third Wheel

Richard is Currently Reading

rss
Richard’s Recent Updates

See a Problem?

Preview — Not Stolen by Jeff Fynn-Paul

See a Problem?

Preview — The Diamond Eye by Kate Quinn

See a Problem?

Preview — The Lure of the Basilisk by Lawrence Watt-Evans

See a Problem?

Preview — Lost Memory of Skin by Russell Banks

See a Problem?

Preview — Nash Falls by David Baldacci

See a Problem?

Preview — Three-Inch Teeth by C.J. Box

See a Problem?

Preview — The Seven Altars of Dûsarra by Lawrence Watt-Evans

See a Problem?

Preview — The Women by Kristin Hannah

Richard’s Quotes

recent posts
Richard’s Groups

Richard’s Friend Comments

Richard R. Becker’s Followers (60)

Richard R. Becker

Goodreads Author

Popular Answered Questions

rssRichard’s Recent Updates

See a Problem?

Preview — Not Stolen by Jeff Fynn-Paul

See a Problem?

Preview — The Diamond Eye by Kate Quinn

See a Problem?

Preview — The Lure of the Basilisk by Lawrence Watt-Evans

See a Problem?

Preview — Lost Memory of Skin by Russell Banks

See a Problem?

Preview — Nash Falls by David Baldacci

See a Problem?

Preview — Three-Inch Teeth by C.J. Box

See a Problem?

Preview — The Seven Altars of Dûsarra by Lawrence Watt-Evans

See a Problem?

Preview — The Women by Kristin Hannah

rss
Richard’s Recent Updates