The Best of "Best Book" Lists

The Best of "Best Book" Lists Collection gathers together a selection of popular bestsellers and fan favorites that frequently appear on "Best of" lists. This diverse Collection includes picks to suit a range of age groups and genre preferences, from otherworldly fantasy to gripping crime thrillers.

Breakout

by Kate Messner

Publication year 2018

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Race, Good & Evil, Justice

Tags Realistic Fiction, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Incarceration, Race & Racism, Children`s Literature, Modern Classic Fiction

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Bride

by Ali Hazelwood

Publication year 2024

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Love, Sexual Identity, Marriage

Tags Fantasy, Romance, Science Fiction, Religion & Spirituality

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Brideshead Revisited

by Evelyn Waugh

Publication year 1945

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Memory, Nostalgia, Social Class, Religion & Spirituality

Tags Historical Fiction, World History, Classic Fiction, British Literature, LGBTQ+

Brideshead Revisited: The Sacred & Profane Memoirs of Captain Charles Ryder (1945) is the ninth published novel by British novelist Arthur Evelyn St. John Waugh, who published under “Evelyn Waugh.” It chronicles the life and relationships of Charles Ryder, particularly his complex friendship with the aristocratic Flyte family, during the interwar period in England. The novel was an immediate success, and, despite his later dislike, Waugh referred to it as his “magnum opus.” It has been... Read Brideshead Revisited Summary

Bridge of Clay

by Markus Zusak

Publication year 2018

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Love, Grief, Siblings, Conflict, Forgiveness, Guilt, Hate & Anger, Memory, Regret, Death, Order & Chaos, Loyalty & Betrayal, Literature, Mothers, Marriage, Daughters & Sons, Fathers, The Past

Tags Historical Fiction, Realistic Fiction, Grief & Death, Modern Classic Fiction

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Bridge of Sighs

by Richard Russo

Publication year 2007

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Forgiveness, Loneliness, Love, Memory, Nostalgia, Regret, Death, Social Class, Community

Tags Modern Classic Fiction

Richard Russo’s 2007 novel Bridge of Sighs is a work of literary fiction that became a national bestseller. The novel follows 60-year-old Louis “Lucy” Lynch, who has lived his entire life in the small, economically distressed town of Thomaston, New York. As Lucy and his wife, Sarah, prepare for their first trip abroad to Venice, he begins to write a history of his life, his family, and his hometown. This act of remembering frames the... Read Bridge of Sighs Summary

Bright Young Women

by Jessica Knoll

Publication year 2023

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Friendship, Justice, Loyalty & Betrayal, Good & Evil, Femininity, Perseverance, Safety & Danger, Truth & Lies

Tags Mystery & Crime Fiction, Historical Fiction, Horror & Suspense, Gender & Feminism, US History, Incarceration, Internet & Social Media, Journalism, LGBTQ+, Love & Sexuality, Politics & Government, Psychology, Relationships, Social Justice, Trauma & Abuse, Crime & Law, World History

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Brooklyn

by Colm Tóibín

Publication year 2009

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Love, Coming of Age, Immigration, Nostalgia, Family

Tags Romance, Historical Fiction, Irish Literature, American Literature, World History

Brooklyn is a 2009 historical fiction novel written by Colm Tóibín. The book follows Eilis Lacey as she emigrates from Ireland to Brooklyn in the 1950s, finding a job in a department store and falling in love with a young Italian man named Tony. Despite her new life in Brooklyn, Eilis makes a return to Enniscorthy, the same town Colm Tóibín was born and raised in, when her older sister Rose dies. While there, she... Read Brooklyn Summary

Bunny

by Mona Awad

Publication year 2019

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Friendship, Loneliness, Art, Appearance & Reality, Mental Health

Tags Horror & Suspense, Fantasy, Magical Realism, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction

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Butcher's Crossing

by John Edward Williams

Publication year 1960

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Nature Versus Nurture, Conflict, Perseverance, Fear, Hope, Loneliness, Memory, Indigenous Identity, Masculinity, Coming of Age, Death, Animals, Appearance & Reality, Environment, Food, Place, Teamwork, Self Discovery, Colonialism, Economics, Globalization, Nation, Beauty, Fate, Good & Evil, Justice, Literature, Order & Chaos, Power & Greed, Religion & Spirituality, Safety & Danger, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies, Wins & Losses

Tags Western, American Literature, Historical Fiction

Published in 1960, Butcher’s Crossing is a revisionist Western novel by American author John Williams. The book follows a young Harvard dropout who ventures into the Kansas wilderness in the 1870s on a buffalo-hunting expedition, confronting the brutal realities of the American frontier and the destruction of the natural world. The novel explores themes that include The Deconstruction of the American Frontier Myth, Human Arrogance Versus Nature’s Indifference, and Disillusionment and the Loss of Idealism.Williams... Read Butcher's Crossing Summary