Publication year 2022
Genre Graphic Novel/Book, Fiction
Themes Family, Friendship, Perseverance
Tags Sports, Realistic Fiction, African American Literature, Children`s Literature, Modern Classic Fiction
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.
Swim Team
Swing
Swing Time
Symptoms of Being Human
System Collapse
Table for Two
Talking As Fast As I Can
Tastes Like War
Tell Me What You Did
Tell the Wolves I'm Home
Tenth of December
Tex
Thank You for Smoking
The 1619 Project
The 5 Second Rule
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
The 80/20 Principle
The Address Book
The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi
The Adventures of Augie March
Publication year 2022
Genre Graphic Novel/Book, Fiction
Themes Family, Friendship, Perseverance
Tags Sports, Realistic Fiction, African American Literature, Children`s Literature, Modern Classic Fiction
Publication year 2018
Genre Novel/Book in Verse, Fiction
Themes Love, Coming of Age
Tags Realistic Fiction, Sports, Romance, Music
Publication year 2016
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Shame & Pride, Femininity, Coming of Age, Childhood & Youth, Mothers, Self Discovery, Colonialism, Art, Beauty, Loyalty & Betrayal
Tags Music, Realistic Fiction, British Literature, Arts & Culture, Social Class, Finance, Gender & Feminism, History: African , European History, Love & Sexuality, Race & Racism, Social Justice, Modern Classic Fiction
Swing Time (2016) is renowned author Zadie Smith’s fifth novel. Inspired by classic movie musicals and Smith’s childhood passion for musical theater, Swing Time is a story about women, how forms of privilege warp our worldviews, and the ways in which history informs our present. The novel is divided into seven parts, each narrated by the same unnamed protagonist sometimes as a child and sometimes as an adult.One of the most respected literary voices of... Read Swing Time Summary
Publication year 2016
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Gender Identity, Coming of Age, Safety & Danger
Tags Realistic Fiction, Bullying, LGBTQ+, Depression & Suicide, Relationships, American Literature, Modern Classic Fiction, Mental Illness
Published in 2016, the young adult novel Symptoms of Being Human by musician and author Jeff Garvin focuses on the coming of age of gender-fluid teenager Riley. In addition to other awards, the book was a Lambda Literary Award Finalist, was included on the 2017 Rainbow Book List, and was named the Nutmeg Book Award Winner.Note: Out of respect for the main character’s gender fluidity, Riley Cavanaugh is referred to with the singular pronouns they/them/theirs.Plot... Read Symptoms of Being Human Summary
Publication year 2023
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Space, Fear, Friendship, Teamwork, Self Discovery, Social Class, Colonialism, Justice
Tags Science Fiction, Fantasy, Humor
Published in 2023, Martha Wells’s science fiction novel System Collapse is the seventh installment in the critically acclaimed and bestselling series, The Murderbot Diaries. The story continues the journey of Murderbot, a rogue security android that has hacked its own control module. In this entry, Murderbot is struggling with the aftermath of a traumatic event that causes it to have system-crashing flashbacks. It must overcome this internal crisis to help its human allies rescue a... Read System Collapse Summary
Publication year 2024
Genre Short Story Collection, Fiction
Themes Joy, Femininity, Place, Teamwork, Social Class, Economics, Art, Beauty, Justice, Loyalty & Betrayal, Power & Greed
Tags Modern Classic Fiction, World History, Historical Fiction
Publication year 2016
Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction
Themes Femininity, Love, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Memory, Nostalgia, Coming of Age, Midlife, Self Discovery, Art
Tags Humor
Publication year 2021
Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction
Themes Mental Health, Family, Mothers, Colonialism
Tags Food, Colonialism & Postcolonialism, Trauma & Abuse, Military & War, World History, Mental Illness, Biography
Publication year 2025
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Fear, Grief, Revenge, Safety & Danger, Mental Health, Self Discovery, Good & Evil, Justice
Tags Mystery & Crime Fiction, Horror & Suspense
Publication year 2012
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Grief, Friendship, Conflict, Forgiveness, Family, Siblings, Art, Truth & Lies
Tags Realistic Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction, Historical Fiction, Coming of Age, LGBTQ+
Tell the Wolves I’m Home is the 2012 debut novel of author Carol Rifka Brunt. In it, 14-year-old narrator June Elbus wrestles with her grief over the death of her uncle Finn Weiss, who died of AIDS. Set in 1987 New York at the height of the AIDS crisis, the novel confronts the stigmas surrounding the disease through June’s parents and sister, who blame Finn’s long-term partner, Toby Aldshaw, for transmitting AIDS to Finn. As... Read Tell the Wolves I'm Home Summary
Publication year 2013
Genre Short Story Collection, Fiction
Themes Social Class, Science & Technology, Justice, Good & Evil, Community, Family, Death, Masculinity, Power & Greed
Tags Satirical Literature, Science Fiction, Relationships, American Literature, Modern Classic Fiction, World History
Tenth of December: Stories (2013) is American author George Saunders’s fourth short story collection. Saunders is widely regarded as one of the modern masters of the short story form, and this collection features stories written between 1995 and 2012, some of which were previously published in various literary outlets. The book was a bestseller and was widely praised on release, winning both the Story Prize and the Folio Prize. This guide refers to the 2013... Read Tenth of December Summary
Publication year 1979
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Siblings, Coming of Age, Fathers, Childhood & Youth, Family, Friendship, Social Class
Tags Realistic Fiction, Relationships, Animals
In small town Oklahoma during the 1970s, a rough-and-tumble teenager learns to navigate the world with his older brother and a mostly absent father in S. E. Hinton’s young adult fiction novel Tex. Published in 1979, the book was subsequently made into a popular movie starring young Matt Dillon in the title role. Hinton herself has written that Texas McCormick is the favorite of all her iconic characters, so good natured and even tempered that... Read Tex Summary
Publication year 1994
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Politics & Government, Power & Greed, Truth & Lies
Tags Humor, Satirical Literature, American Literature, Modern Classic Fiction, Politics & Government
Originally published in 1994, Thank You for Smoking is a political satire novel centered around Nick Naylor, a lobbyist for the fictional Academy of Tobacco Studies, an organization founded by the tobacco industry with the true purpose of countering negative scientific data and public condemnation of tobacco. Nick’s job has made him a pariah, as he has humiliated everyone from grieving relatives of cancer victims to federal employees. He also must watch his back, as... Read Thank You for Smoking Summary
Publication year 2019
Genre Essay Collection, Nonfiction
Themes Nation, Safety & Danger, Equality, Memory, Perseverance, Conflict, Hope
Tags US History, Race & Racism, Social Justice, Politics & Government, World History
Publication year 2017
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance
Tags Self-Improvement, Business & Economics, Psychology, Leadership, Inspirational, Psychology, Health
Publication year 1989
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Future
Tags Self-Improvement, Business & Economics, Leadership, Psychology, Psychology, Philosophy, Philosophy
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People (Aug 1989) by Stephen R. Covey is one of the most influential self-help books of the late twentieth century. To date, the title has sold over 40 million copies and has been a New York Times bestseller. Covey was named as one of Time Magazine’s 25 Most Influential Americans of 1996. His book is classified under the categories of Business Management, Organizational Behavior, and Personal Success in Business... Read The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People Summary
Publication year 1997
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Joy, Economics, Order & Chaos
Tags Business & Economics, Self-Improvement, Leadership, Psychology
Publication year 2020
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Community, Race, Justice, Economics, Power & Greed, Politics & Government
Tags World History, Politics & Government, Race & Racism, Social Justice, Science & Nature, Urban Development, Sociology
Publication year 2023
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Family, Mothers, Loyalty & Betrayal, Femininity, Gender Identity, Teamwork
Tags World History, Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Action & Adventure
Publication year 1953
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Fate, Social Class, Self Discovery
Tags Coming of Age, American Literature, Jewish Literature, World History, Historical Fiction, Classic Fiction
The Adventures of Augie March is a 1953 novel by Saul Bellow. In the novel, Bellow’s third, the eponymous title character chronicles his eventful life from an underprivileged childhood in Chicago to his waning wanderlust in Paris. The novel is critically acclaimed and won the 1954 National Book Award for Fiction. Bellow was a lauded author in his lifetime, winning prestigious awards like the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Foundation’s Medal for Distinguished Contribution... Read The Adventures of Augie March Summary