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.

Publication year 2012

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Love, Self Discovery, Family, Death

Tags Romance, Grief & Death, Love & Sexuality, Depression & Suicide, Realistic Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction, Dramatic Literature

Me Before You by Jojo Moyes chronicles the burgeoning romance between Will Traynor, a quadriplegic man, and Louisa Clark, his caregiver. Published in 2012, Me Before You is the first novel in Moyes’s trilogy and is followed by After You (2015) and Still Me (2018). The novel was adapted into a 2016 film starring Emilia Clarke and Sam Claflin. Written from various perspectives, Me Before You explores the complexities of disability, love, and euthanasia.This guide... Read Me Before You Summary

Publication year 2022

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Hate & Anger, Race, Art, Justice

Tags Historical Fiction, Race & Racism, African American Literature, Modern Classic Fiction, World History

Publication year 2020

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Hate & Anger, Femininity, Gender Identity, Masculinity, Nature Versus Nurture, Community, Equality, Science & Technology

Tags Gender & Feminism, Women`s Studies, Social Justice, Trauma & Abuse

Publication year 2023

Genre Graphic Memoir , Nonfiction

Themes Family, Language, Race, Coming of Age, Death, The Past, Immigration

Tags Children`s Literature, Humor, Biography

Publication year 2019

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Environment

Tags Science & Nature, Russian Literature, World History, Politics & Government

Midnight in Chernobyl: The Untold Story of the World’s Greatest Nuclear Disaster (2019) is a non-fiction book by the English author and journalist Adam Higginbotham. The book explores the causes and consequences of the 1986 explosion at the Soviet Union’s Chernobyl Atomic Energy Station in Ukraine, which killed at least 31 plant workers and firefighters and resulted in the evacuation of over 100,000 people. The radioactive fallout from the disaster ostensibly caused an unknown number... Read Midnight in Chernobyl Summary

Publication year 1981

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Colonialism, Family

Tags Magical Realism, Colonialism & Postcolonialism, Poverty, Social Class, World History, Religion & Spirituality, Asian Literature, Historical Fiction, Indian Literature, Fantasy, Classic Fiction

Midnight’s Children is a 1981 magical realism novel by British American novelist Salman Rushdie. The story follows Saleem, a child born at the moment of India’s independence who possesses strange powers. The novel won many awards, including the Booker of Bookers Prize, which was awarded to the best all-time winner of the Booker Prize on the award’s 40th anniversary. Midnight’s Children has been adapted for theater, radio, and film. This guide uses the 2006 Vintage... Read Midnight's Children Summary

Publication year 2020

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Race, Gender Identity, Daughters & Sons

Tags Race & Racism, Social Justice, Relationships, Gender & Feminism, American Literature, Korean Literature, Women`s Studies, Asian Literature, Biography

Publication year 2019

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Truth & Lies

Tags Asian Literature, Korean Literature, Horror & Suspense, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction

Angie Kim’s novel Miracle Creek (2019) is a courtroom drama and classic whodunit—during an alternative medical treatment, hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT), an explosion kills two people and injures six others. The fire that caused the explosion was set deliberately, and readers follow along as Kim weaves moments of drama set in the present with flashbacks to the past. Kim, a Korean immigrant who came to the United States as a child with her parents, is... Read Miracle Creek Summary

Publication year 2010

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes War, Love, Conflict, Guilt, Revenge, Truth & Lies, Power & Greed

Tags Science Fiction, Action & Adventure, Fantasy, Romance

Mockingjay, published in 2010 by Scholastic, is the third novel in Suzanne Collins’s bestselling Hunger Games series. The series follows the life of Katniss Everdeen, an adolescent girl living in the futuristic dystopia of Panem. Mockingjay focuses on the civil war between the 13 districts of Panem and the oppressive government of the Capitol. Through Katniss’s experiences in the war, Collins explores cycles of oppression, the meaning of love in wartime, and the power of... Read Mockingjay Summary

Publication year 2013

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Mothers, Daughters & Sons, Self Discovery, Family, Sexual Identity, Race, Coming of Age, Perseverance, Forgiveness, Guilt, Love

Tags Gender & Feminism, Race & Racism, Women`s Studies, Biography