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.

Freshwater

by Akwaeke Emezi

Publication year 2018

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Mental Health, Gender Identity, Religion & Spirituality

Tags Magical Realism, LGBTQ+, Fantasy, Modern Classic Fiction, Mental Illness

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Full of Beans

by Jennifer L. Holm

Publication year 2016

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Coming of Age, Friendship, Family, Truth & Lies, Guilt, Community

Tags Children`s Literature, Realistic Fiction, World History, Humor, Historical Fiction, Great Depression

Jennifer L. Holm’s Full of Beans is a 2016 middle-grade historical novel set in 1934. Main character and first-person protagonist Beans Curry is a 10-year-old boy born and raised in Key West, Florida. The Great Depression causes difficulties for the locals of the dilapidated town, including Beans’s family. “New Dealer” Mr. Julius Stone, Jr. arrives with the plan to boost Key West’s failing economy by recreating it as a tourist destination, but Beans decides that... Read Full of Beans Summary

Furia

by Yamile Saied Méndez

Publication year 2020

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Equality, Family, Femininity

Tags Romance, Sports, Race & Racism, Gender & Feminism, Social Class, Latin American Literature, Realistic Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction

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Gilded

by Marissa Meyer

Publication year 2021

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Loneliness, Love, Revenge, Appearance & Reality, Self Discovery, Community, Good & Evil, Justice, Power & Greed

Tags Fantasy, Romance, Fairy Tale & Folklore

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Girls & Sex

by Peggy Orenstein

Publication year 2016

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Sexual Identity, Femininity, Coming of Age

Tags Gender & Feminism, Parenting, Psychology, Love & Sexuality, LGBTQ+, Women`s Studies, Sociology, Psychology, Self-Improvement

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Give and Take

by Adam Grant

Publication year 2013

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Teamwork, Power & Greed, Self Discovery

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

Give and Take: Why Helping Others Drives Our Success, by Adam Grant, explores the concept of reciprocity in the workplace and how it can lead to personal and professional success. First published in 2013, the book bridges the genres of business psychology and self-help, providing readers with actionable strategies to enhance their careers and professional relationships. Grant, an organizational psychologist and professor, draws on his extensive research and real-world examples to demonstrate the power of... Read Give and Take Summary

Glass Sword

by Victoria Aveyard

Publication year 2016

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Loyalty & Betrayal, Conflict, Fear, Hate & Anger, Revenge, Power & Greed

Tags Fantasy, Science Fiction, Romance, Action & Adventure

Glass Sword by Victoria Aveyard (Harper Teen, 2016) is the second installment of the New York Times bestselling Red Queen YA fantasy series and follows a group of fugitives and rebels as they work to build an army to take on the powerful ruling class. Glass Sword follows Red Queen and is the prequel to King’s Cage. Aveyard grew up in western Massachusetts before moving to Los Angeles, California where she received her degree in... Read Glass Sword Summary

Glorious Exploits

by Ferdia Lennon

Publication year 2024

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Grief, Hate & Anger, Revenge, Death, The Past, Food, Place, Colonialism, Community, War, Art, Equality, Literature, Order & Chaos

Tags Ancient Rome, Irish Literature, Historical Fiction

Set in Syracuse during the Peloponnesian War, a decades-long conflict between the Greek city-states of Athens and Sparta and their respective allies, the novel follows two unemployed Syracusan potters who attempt to stage the plays of the Athenian dramatist Euripides using prisoners of war as actors. The story is narrated in the first person by Lampo, a sharp-tongued, self-deprecating man with a lifelong limp.After Athens's catastrophic failed invasion of Sicily, the Syracusan assembly imprisoned roughly... Read Glorious Exploits Summary