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.

Deliverance

by James Dickey

Publication year 1970

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Shame & Pride, Masculinity, Appearance & Reality, Environment

Tags Action & Adventure, Survival Fiction, Horror & Suspense, Southern Literature, Classic Fiction

James Dickey’s 1970 novel Deliverance explores themes of masculinity, the relationship between images and reality, and ideas about civilization and nature through the experience of four urban men on a canoe trip gone awry. Dickey, an influential American poet and novelist, was born in 1923 in Atlanta, Georgia. His poetry is known for its vivid imagery and exploration of nature and the human condition. Before turning to writing full time, Dickey served in World War... Read Deliverance Summary

Disclaimer

by Renée Knight

Publication year 2015

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Fear, Grief, Guilt, Hate & Anger, Loneliness, Revenge, Femininity, Mental Health, Death, The Past, Daughters & Sons, Marriage, Mothers, Justice, Truth & Lies

Tags Horror & Suspense, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Psychological Fiction

... Read Disclaimer Summary

Displacement

by Kiku Hughes

Publication year 2020

Genre Graphic Novel/Book, Fiction

Themes Race, Community, Coming of Age, Memory

Tags Historical Fiction, LGBTQ+, Science Fiction, Fantasy, World War II, Children`s Literature, World History

... Read Displacement Summary

Doctor Sleep

by Stephen King

Publication year 2013

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Apathy, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Fear, Forgiveness, Grief, Guilt, Hate & Anger, Loneliness, Love, Memory, Regret, Revenge, Shame & Pride, Death, Family, Fathers, Teamwork, Good & Evil, Justice, Religion & Spirituality, Truth & Lies, Trust & Doubt, Safety & Danger, Order & Chaos, Community, Power & Greed, Self Discovery, The Past, Appearance & Reality, Mental Health

Tags Horror & Suspense, Fantasy, Addiction & Substance Abuse, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Religion & Spirituality

Doctor Sleep is a 2013 horror novel by Stephen King. It is a sequel to the events that occurred in King’s popular novel The Shining and features the return of Danny Torrance. Decades after the horrors at the Overlook Hotel, Dan Torrance must now reckon with the renewed threat of the spirits. When the novel begins, the dead woman from the Overlook’s Room 217 has returned and threatens Danny in his bathroom. King uses this... Read Doctor Sleep Summary

Domestic Manners of the Americans

by Frances Trollope

Publication year 1832

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Gender Identity, Race, Place, Politics & Government

Tags British Literature, American Literature, Sociology, World History, Classic Fiction, Travel Literature, Satirical Literature, US History

Frances (Fanny) Trollope, today best known as the mother of the popular Victorian author Anthony Trollope, was herself an extraordinarily productive writer in many genres. Her literary career began in middle age when, out of financial desperation, she wrote a travelog describing her impressions of America, gathered on a three-year excursion there. Published in 1832 in two volumes, Domestic Manners of the Americans was a runaway bestseller and a wildly controversial takedown of what Trollope... Read Domestic Manners of the Americans Summary

Down the Drain

by Julia Fox

Publication year 2023

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Fame, The Past, Mental Health, Coming of Age, Self Discovery

Tags Arts & Culture, Trauma & Abuse, Relationships, Gender & Feminism, Modern Classic Fiction, Biography

... Read Down the Drain Summary

Dragonkeeper

by Carole Wilkinson

Publication year 2003

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Perseverance, Femininity, Childhood & Youth, Coming of Age, Animals, Social Class, Politics & Government, Art, Good & Evil, Loyalty & Betrayal

Tags Historical Fiction, Fantasy, Action & Adventure, Children`s Literature

... Read Dragonkeeper Summary

Dragon Rider

by Cornelia Funke

Publication year 2004

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Loneliness, Environment, Friendship

Tags Fantasy, Children`s Literature, Action & Adventure, German Literature

Dragon Rider is the first installment in a middle grade fantasy trilogy by popular German children’s author Cornelia Funke. Funke is best known for her Inkheart fantasy series, which inspired the 2009 Inkheart film. Dragon Rider, first published in Germany in 1997, was published in the US by Chicken House, an imprint of Scholastic in 2004, with a translation by Anthea Bell.Dragon Rider follows the quest of a silver dragon named Firedrake, a household fairy—or... Read Dragon Rider Summary

Dreamland: The True Tale of America’s Opiate Epidemic

by Sam Quinones

Publication year 2015

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Tags Politics & Government, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Science & Nature, Sociology, World History, Health

Dreamland: The True Tale of America’s Opiate Epidemic (Bloomsburg Press, 2015) is a nonfiction book by American journalist and writer Sam Quinones. It won the NBCC Award for General Nonfiction and was on Amazon’s list of best books of the year in 2015 as well as Slate’s list of the 50 best books of the past 25 years. In the book Quinones charts the parallel rise of prescription opiates and black tar heroin, and describes... Read Dreamland: The True Tale of America’s Opiate Epidemic Summary