As the Fourth of July holiday approaches, Facebook offered some statistics pulled from three of the more social applications on its app center to help their users plan their holiday soundtracks, menus, and beach reading lists.

The five most shared songs about the U.S. by Spotify users on Facebook:

  1. “American Pie,” Don McLean
  2. “American Soldier,” Toby Keith
  3. “The Star Spangled Banner,” Whitney Houston and the Florida Orchestra
  4. “Letters from Home,” John Michael Montgomery
  5. “Born in the U.S.A.,” Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band

The 15 most-shared recipes leading up to July 4, from Foodily:

  1. Grilled Bruschetta with Asparagus and Parmesan Cheese
  2. Honey Ginger Grilled Salmon
  3. Tom Yum Grilled Shrimp
  4. Grilled Salmon with Lime Butter Sauce
  5. Kickin’ Barbecue Style French Fries
  6. Grilled Watermelon Salad with Feta, Mint, and Lime
  7. Soy Ginger Grilled Chicken
  8. Grilled BBQ Potato Skins
  9. BBQ Chicken Satays
  10. Grilled Artichokes with Olive Oil, Lemon, and Mint
  11. Grilled Marinated Skirt Steak
  12. Grilled Potato Salad
  13. BBQ Beef Ribs with Molasses Bourbon Sauce
  14. Sliders with Chipotle Mayonnaise
  15. Spicy Whiskey BBQ Sliders

Top-rated books published in 2012, via Goodreads:

FICTION:

  1. Gone Girl, Gillian Flynn, 4.27 average rating
  2. Bared to You (Crossfire, No. 1), Sylvia Day, 4.23
  3. Home Front, Kristin Hannah, 4.16
  4. The Shoemaker’s Wife, Adriana Trigiani, 4.13
  5. The Snow Child, Eowyn Ivey, 4.03

NONFICTION:

  1. Let’s Pretend This Never Happened: A Mostly True Memoir, Jenny Lawson, 4.27
  2. Drift: The Unmooring of American Military Power, Rachel Maddow, 4.24
  3. Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail, Cheryl Strayed, 4.12
  4. Steal Like an Artist: 10 Things Nobody Told You About Being Creative, Austin Kleon, 4.07
  5. Behind the Beautiful Forevers: Life, Death, and Hope in a Mumbai Undercity, Katherine Boo, 4.04

YOUNG ADULT FICTION:

  1. The Fault in Our Stars, John Green, 4.60
  2. Under the Never Sky (Under the Never Sky, No. 1), Veronica Rossi, 4.15
  3. Cinder (Lunar Chronicles, No. 1), Marissa Meyer, 4.08

Image courtesy of Shutterstock.