{"id":5578,"date":"2026-06-09T11:44:51","date_gmt":"2026-06-09T09:44:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/libribookline.com\/kiaradt-melissa-da-costas-new-bestseller-and-a-new-book-on-the-balaton-underworld-top-booklines-may-bestseller-list\/"},"modified":"2026-06-09T11:53:20","modified_gmt":"2026-06-09T09:53:20","slug":"kiaradt-melissa-da-costas-new-bestseller-and-a-new-book-on-the-balaton-underworld-top-booklines-may-bestseller-list","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/libribookline.com\/en\/kiaradt-melissa-da-costas-new-bestseller-and-a-new-book-on-the-balaton-underworld-top-booklines-may-bestseller-list\/","title":{"rendered":"Ki\u00e1radt, M\u00e9lissa da Costa\u2019s New Bestseller, and a New Book on the Balaton Underworld Top Bookline\u2019s May Bestseller List"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In May, books on public affairs, investigative accounts of organized crime, crime fiction, and romance novels proved especially popular among Hungarian readers, while several new titles also entered the top twenty. As always, Bookline\u2019s Top 50 bestseller list brought a few surprises.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

At the top of the Bookline Top 50 bestseller list was Ki\u00e1radt \u2013 A Tisza \u00fatja a gy\u0151zelemig<\/em>, a book chronicling the rise of the Tisza Party. Papp Gerg\u0151\u2019s volume was followed by M\u00e9lissa da Costa\u2019s Visszat\u00e9r\u00e9s<\/em>, a psychological novel exploring loss, grief, and the possibility of new beginnings. The novel had led the rankings in April.<\/p>\n\n

M\u00e9lissa da Costa remains one of the most popular authors among Hungarian readers. Two of her earlier books, Az \u00e9g minden k\u00e9kje<\/em> and Manon vir\u00e1gai<\/em>, also secured places in the Top 50.<\/p>\n\n

Debuting in third place was journalist Dezs\u0151 Andr\u00e1s\u2019s latest investigative work, A magyar tenger kal\u00f3zai \u2013 Alvil\u00e1g \u00e9s felvil\u00e1g a Balaton partj\u00e1n<\/em>. The book examines the lesser-known side of Lake Balaton in the years following the regime change, using the stories of notorious underworld figures, gangland feuds, and business networks of the 1990s to reveal how organized crime evolved into a far more sophisticated system that often operates under the appearance of legality.<\/p>\n\n

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New Favorites in the Top 20<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n

One of the biggest surprises among the top-ranked titles was L\u00e1z\u00e1r<\/em> by Nelio Biedermann, which finished in fourth place in May. The young Swiss author of Hungarian descent portrays the major historical turning points of the first half of the twentieth century through the story of a Hungarian aristocratic family. Spanning several generations, the novel follows the tradition of great European family sagas while creating a uniquely ominous atmosphere.<\/p>\n\n

Another notable newcomer was David Szalay\u2019s Test<\/em>, which quickly climbed the rankings and reached 15th place shortly after publication. Through the story of a young Hungarian man, the novel explores identity, social mobility, and the consequences of personal choices. The book has received significant international attention, and Szalay was awarded the Booker Prize last year.<\/p>\n\n

Public Affairs and Psychology Among the Front-Runners<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n

Books dealing with public and political issues also performed strongly. The V\u00e1lasz Offline Bookazine<\/em> finished in 8th place, while Orb\u00e1n kora<\/em> by T\u00f6r\u00f6k G\u00e1bor and Z\u00e1rug P\u00e9ter Farkas ranked 9th. The works of Hungarian-born Holocaust survivor and psychologist Edith Eva Eger returned to the spotlight following her recent passing. A d\u00f6nt\u00e9s<\/em> ranked 7th, while Az aj\u00e1nd\u00e9k<\/em> finished 39th on the May bestseller list.<\/p>\n\n

Crime Fiction, Thrillers, and Dark Stories Dominated the Month<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n

Crime fiction and thrillers were undoubtedly the strongest genres on May\u2019s bestseller list. Freida McFadden\u2019s psychological thriller A fogoly<\/em> reached 5th place, jumping 38 positions in a single month. Zaj\u00e1cz D. Zolt\u00e1n\u2019s K\u00f6d\u00f6s Balaton<\/em> improved by three places compared to April and finished 6th, while Borsa Brown\u2019s dark romantic suspense novel Jakuza \u2013 Fest\u00e9k a b\u0151r\u00f6n<\/em> claimed 10th place.<\/p>\n\n

The middle section of the list also featured numerous suspenseful and chilling reads. Shortly after publication, Sz\u00e1nt\u00f3 D\u00e1niel\u2019s mystical novel K\u00f6dhalom gyermekei<\/em> entered the Top 50 and finished in 26th place. International authors were equally well represented: Steve Cavanagh\u2019s Gyilkos idegenek<\/em> ranked 29th, Dan Brown\u2019s A titkok titka<\/em> 30th, and Christopher Berry-Dee\u2019s Pszichopata sorozatgyilkosok<\/em> 31st. Stefan Ahnhem\u2019s \u00c9jjeli lepk\u00e9k<\/em> reached 33rd place, Alice Feeney\u2019s Higgy nekem<\/em> ranked 36th, while Robin Cook\u2019s medical thriller Bellevue<\/em> finished 42nd. The Top 50 was rounded out by Tess Gerritsen\u2019s spy novel Nyaral\u00f3vend\u00e9gek<\/em> in 50th place.<\/p>\n\n

Is May Also the Month of Romance?<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n

Romance novels continue to be among Bookline readers\u2019 favorites. Interestingly, several representatives of the increasingly popular \u201chockey romance\u201d subgenre appeared on the list this month. Elle Kennedy\u2019s The Score \u2013 A pont<\/em> debuted in 11th place, while two of her other novels, The Mistake \u2013 A bakl\u00f6v\u00e9s<\/em> and The Deal \u2013 Az \u00fczlet<\/em>, also made it into the Top 50. Becka Mack\u2019s Fall with Me \u2013 Zuhany velem!<\/em> likewise represents the hockey romance genre and finished 35th in May.<\/p>\n\n

Among the returning favorites from previous months were Anne L. Green\u2019s T\u00f6visek a toszk\u00e1n liliomok k\u00f6z\u00f6tt<\/em> (23rd place), Bauer Barbara\u2019s historical romance A h\u00edd\u00e9p\u00edt\u0151 2.<\/em> (24th place), and Eva-Maria Bast\u2019s A Notre-Dame asszonyai<\/em>. Karen Swan\u2019s series finale \u00c9jf\u00e9li titok<\/em> ranked 44th.<\/p><\/p>\n\n

No Bestseller List Without Lifestyle and Children\u2019s Books<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n

Lifestyle titles once again played an important role in the Bookline Top 50. In May, Az eg\u00e9szs\u00e9g tanulhat\u00f3<\/em> by Gergely Anna and Makra Mil\u00e1n finished in 12th place, offering practical health and lifestyle advice based on the latest scientific research. James Clear\u2019s Atomi szok\u00e1sok<\/em> also remained highly popular, reaching 13th place, while Giulia Enders\u2019s Test\u00fcnk jelz\u00e9sei<\/em> ranked 41st.<\/p><\/p>\n\n

In the children\u2019s category, Bartos Erika continued to be a dominant presence, with her books appearing in four separate positions on the list. One standout title was Bajz\u00e1th M\u00e1ria\u2019s Kert\u00fcnk n\u00e9pmes\u00e9i<\/em>, which ranked 16th. Through folktales, legends, and myths, the book introduces young readers to the wonders of the natural world. In 20th place was Minden gyerek kicsi kincs<\/em>, a collaborative work by Palya Bea, Szab\u00f3 T. Anna, and Gyurk\u00f3 Szilvia, which uses poems, songs, and rhymes to help children develop a healthy and secure body image. Another potential summer favorite for beginning readers is Bella Swift\u2019s Csipesz, a tacsi sz\u00f6rf\u00f6zik<\/em>, which finished the month in 47th place.<\/p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In May, books on public affairs, investigative accounts of organized crime, crime fiction, and romance novels proved especially popular among Hungarian readers.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":5576,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[44],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5578","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/libribookline.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5578","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/libribookline.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/libribookline.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/libribookline.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/libribookline.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5578"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/libribookline.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5578\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5587,"href":"https:\/\/libribookline.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5578\/revisions\/5587"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/libribookline.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5576"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/libribookline.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5578"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/libribookline.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5578"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/libribookline.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5578"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}