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.

Our Souls At Night

by Kent Haruf

Publication year 2015

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Love, Aging, Conflict, Loneliness

Tags Romance, Modern Classic Fiction, Relationships

Our Souls at Night is Colorado author Kent Haruf’s last novel, and it was published in 2015, after his death. Like much of Haruf’s other writing, this novel is set in the fictional town of Holt, Colorado. The novel begins with 70-year-old Addie Moore making a proposition to her neighbor Louis Waters that they sleep together—literally, not sexually—in order to combat the loneliness that they often feel, especially at night. They have both lost their... Read Our Souls At Night Summary

Out of Darkness

by Ashley Hope Pérez

Publication year 2015

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Race, Social Class, Fear, Hate & Anger, Hope, Love, Family, Siblings, Community, Justice, Religion & Spirituality, Femininity, Masculinity

Tags Historical Fiction, Romance, Trauma & Abuse, Realistic Fiction, Gender & Feminism, Grief & Death, US History, Love & Sexuality, Race & Racism, Religion & Spirituality, American Literature, Social Class, World History

Out of Darkness is a young adult historical novel written by Ashley Hope Pérez and published in 2015 by Holiday House of New York. Pérez holds a PhD in Comparative Literature from Indiana University, where her research focused on Latin American literature. A professor of World Literatures at Ohio State University, she is also the author of What Can’t Wait (2011), The Knife and The Butterfly (2012), and Rural Voices: 15 Authors Challenge Assumptions about... Read Out of Darkness Summary

Pale Fire

by Vladimir Nabokov

Publication year 1962

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Literature, Death, Art

Tags Classic Fiction, Russian Literature, Postmodernism, American Literature, World History

Pale Fire is a 1962 experimental novel by Vladimir Nabokov, the author of seminal novels like Lolita and Pnin. The novel consists of a 999-line poem by a fictional poet and the accompanying notations by a fictional editor. Rather than analyze the poem, however, the notations create a new narrative. Pale Fire has been heralded as a landmark example of metafiction and one of the most important novels of the 20th century.This guide is written... Read Pale Fire Summary

Paradise on Fire

by Jewell Parker Rhodes

Publication year 2021

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Environment, Perseverance, Grief, Childhood & Youth, Friendship, Self Discovery, Safety & Danger

Tags Children`s Literature, Modern Classic Fiction, Realistic Fiction, Action & Adventure, Survival Fiction, Coming of Age

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Permanent Record

by Edward Snowden

Publication year 2019

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Tags Politics & Government, Science & Nature, World History, Biography

Permanent Record is the memoir of Edward Snowden, released in 2019. Snowden is a former intelligence contractor who worked for the CIA and NSA. In 2013, he became a world-famous whistleblower, leaking highly classified documents which detailed how American intelligence agencies were conducting secret mass surveillance of their own citizens. The book begins with a description of Snowden’s childhood. He is raised by parents who work for the government and eventually move to the Beltway... Read Permanent Record Summary

Phineas Gage

by John Fleischman

Publication year 2002

Genre Biography, Nonfiction

Themes Disability, Death, The Past, Science & Technology

Tags Children`s Literature, Science & Nature, World History, Psychology, Health

John Fleischman’s Phineas Gage: A Gruesome but True Story About Brain Science (2002) is a children’s narrative nonfiction book. It features biography, historical medicine, and introductory neuroscience. Fleischman tells the story of an 1848 railroad accident in which a man, Phineas Gage, survived after a large tamping iron went through his skull. Fleischman explains how physicians and researchers have used the case to debate how the brain functions. He illustrates the way evidence, myths, and... Read Phineas Gage Summary

Planet Earth Is Blue

by Nicole Panteleakos

Publication year 2019

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Siblings, Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Joy, Memory, Mental Health, Childhood & Youth, Death, Space, Family, Self Discovery, Community, Economics, Education, Beauty, Justice, Order & Chaos, Safety & Danger, Science & Technology, Trust & Doubt

Tags Children`s Literature, World History, Historical Fiction, Realistic Fiction, Disability

... Read Planet Earth Is Blue Summary