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.

Empire of Pain

by Patrick Radden Keefe

Publication year 2021

Genre Biography, Nonfiction

Themes Loyalty & Betrayal, Social Class, Siblings, Art, Trust & Doubt, Economics, Justice, Power & Greed

Tags Health, Politics & Government, US History, Addiction & Substance Abuse, Business & Economics, Crime & Law, Finance, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Science & Nature, World History, Biography

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Empire of the Summer Moon

by S.C. Gwynne

Publication year 2010

Genre Biography, Nonfiction

Themes Indigenous Identity

Tags US History, Military & War, World History, Western, Biography

First published in 2010, Empire of the Summer Moon: Quanah Parker and the Rise and Fall of the Comanches, the Most Powerful Indian Tribe in American History is a work of historical nonfiction by S.C. Gwynne and was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in General Nonfiction. The book narrates a history of the Comanche Nation through the lens of the Parker family, from whom the book’s central figure, Quanah Parker, descends. It explores themes... Read Empire of the Summer Moon Summary

Erasure

by Percival Everett

Publication year 2001

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Literature, Language, Race

Tags Humor, Race & Racism, Arts & Culture, African American Literature, Modern Classic Fiction

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Essentialism

by Greg McKeown

Publication year 2011

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Economics, Science & Technology, Self Discovery

Tags Business & Economics, Self-Improvement, Psychology, Leadership, Psychology, Philosophy, Philosophy

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Eternal

by Lisa Scottoline

Publication year 2021

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Love, Hate & Anger, Family, Friendship, War, Race, Loyalty & Betrayal, Fear, Food, Literature

Tags Historical Fiction, Romance, World War II, Military & War, Italian Literature, World History

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Every Day Is for the Thief

by Teju Cole

Publication year 2007

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Good & Evil, Race, Order & Chaos

Tags Immigration & Refugeeism, African Literature, Black Lives Matter, Business & Economics, African American Literature, Modern Classic Fiction, World History, Travel Literature

Nigerian author Teju Cole’s Every Day Is for the Thief is a work of autofiction originally published in Nigeria in 2007 and published in the US in 2014. The novel unfolds in picaresque style from the first-person perspective, as a narrator who closely resembles the author returns to Nigeria after 15 years in the US to reckon with Nigerian national identity and his own legacy. Surprised to find that he feels less comfortable in his... Read Every Day Is for the Thief Summary

Everything Sad Is Untrue

by Daniel Nayeri

Publication year 2020

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Religion & Spirituality, Immigration, Place, Coming of Age, Siblings, Memory, Daughters & Sons, Mothers, Fathers, Childhood & Youth, Animals, The Past, Love, Shame & Pride, Education, Marriage, Perseverance, Politics & Government, Nation, Truth & Lies, Nostalgia, Hope, Loneliness, Grandparents

Tags Life-Inspired Fiction, Realistic Fiction, Immigration & Refugeeism, Middle Eastern History, Children`s Literature, Modern Classic Fiction

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Evil Eye

by Etaf Rum

Publication year 2023

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Mothers, Mental Health, Self Discovery, Immigration

Tags Realistic Fiction, Gender & Feminism, Modern Classic Fiction, Mental Illness

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Exhalation

by Ted Chiang

Publication year 2019

Genre Short Story Collection, Fiction

Themes Grief, Fate, Forgiveness

Tags Chinese Literature, Asian Literature, Science Fiction, Fantasy, Philosophy, Philosophy

Ted Chiang’s Exhalation is a collection of nine science fiction short stories. Published in 2019, the stories feature time travel, robots, artificial intelligences, and human beings grappling with an everchanging world. Seven of the nine stories appeared in previous publications, going on to win multiple Hugo, Nebula, and Locus awards. Through the science fiction/dystopian genre, Exhalation explores forgiveness, parenting, technology ethics, free will, and climate change. This is Ted Chiang’s second collection, following Stories of... Read Exhalation Summary