The Best of "Best Book" Lists

Clock Dance (2018) is Anne Tyler’s 22nd domestic literary fiction novel that explores the smaller details of the human condition. Clock Dance, which spans time periods from 1967 to 2017, follows Willa, a woman who’s always made herself useful to those around her without any regard for her own needs. Through Willa’s life, Clock Dance explores themes of self-fulfillment, appreciation, passivity, and community to show how people do (or don’t) change throughout time. This novel... Read Clock Dance Summary

Cloud Cuckoo Land

by Anthony Doerr

Publication year 2021

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Coming of Age, Literature, Truth & Lies

Tags Historical Fiction, Science Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction, World History, Fantasy

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Clues to the Universe

by Christina Li

Publication year 2021

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Friendship, Family, Science & Technology, Grief, Nostalgia, Childhood & Youth, Space

Tags Historical Fiction, Realistic Fiction

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Colored Television

by Danzy Senna

Publication year 2024

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Gender Identity, Race, Social Class, Art

Tags Humor, Satirical Literature, Literary Fiction, Race & Racism

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Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage

by Haruki Murakami

Publication year 2013

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Friendship, Memory, Appearance & Reality, Music, The Past, Coming of Age, Mental Health

Tags Coming of Age, Japanese Literature, Realistic Fiction, Grief & Death, Trauma & Abuse, Love & Sexuality, Modern Classic Fiction, Asian Literature, Magical Realism

Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage is a 2014 novel by renowned Japanese novelist Haruki Murakami. The novel tells the story of a man who attempts to overcome past emotional suffering to make his present life more rewarding. Through Tsukuru’s point of view, we see the ripple effects of rejection and the necessity of sometimes confronting the past to make sense of who we are in the present. After a group of friends... Read Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage Summary

Come and Get It

by Kiley Reid

Publication year 2024

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Education, Race, Sexual Identity, Coming of Age

Tags Relationships, LGBTQ+, Education, Education, Modern Classic Fiction

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Conclave

by Robert Harris

Publication year 2016

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Religion & Spirituality, Politics & Government, Trust & Doubt, Perseverance, Power & Greed, Sexual Identity, Good & Evil

Tags Horror & Suspense, Mystery & Crime Fiction

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Concrete Rose

by Angie Thomas

Publication year 2021

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Justice, Race, Immigration

Tags Historical Fiction, Coming of Age, Realistic Fiction, Race & Racism, Social Justice, Addiction & Substance Abuse, Black Lives Matter, American Literature, Modern Classic Fiction

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Conditional Citizens

by Laila Lalami

Publication year 2020

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Race, Immigration, Politics & Government, Equality

Tags Politics & Government, Social Justice, Race & Racism, World History, Biography

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Confessions of the Fox

by Jordy Rosenberg

Publication year 2018

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Gender Identity, Sexual Identity, Social Class, Colonialism, Community

Tags Historical Fiction, Coming of Age, LGBTQ+, Social Class, Incarceration, Gender & Feminism, Love & Sexuality, Social Justice, Colonialism & Postcolonialism, World History

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