Jonathan Swift (Gulliver’s Travels, A Modest Proposal) wrote A Tale of a Tub (published in 1704) not only to expound upon the hypocrisy of religion in early 18th century England, but to explore ideas about critics, oration, ancient and modern philosophies, digressions, and the nature of writing itself. These themes are all underscored with a satirical tone that takes religion, authors, and critics to task. The title refers to the tub that sailors used to... Read A Tale Of A Tub Summary

At Swim-Two-Birds (1939) is an experimental comic novel, with elements of magical realism, written by Irish author Brian O’Nolan under the pseudonym Flann O’Brien. The novel portrays an interconnected series of plots in which a group of fictional characters conspire against the author who created them, all as part of a story written by a lazy student in Dublin. Many have heralded the novel as one of the most important of the 20th century, and... Read At Swim-Two-Birds Summary

A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail is a 1998 travel book by American-British author Bill Bryson. The book was a New York Times bestseller, and a 2014 Cable News Network (CNN) poll named it the funniest travel book ever written. In addition, it inspired the 2015 film A Walk in the Woods starring Robert Redford as Bryson, Nick Nolte as Stephen Katz (his primary hiking companion), and Emma Thompson as... Read A Walk in the Woods Summary

A Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking (2020) is a young adult fantasy novel by prolific American author T. Kingfisher (the pseudonym for Ursula Vernon). The novel tells the story of 14-year-old Mona who possesses a minor magical ability to manipulate bread. Though many others in her city possess far greater magical powers, she suddenly finds herself left to defend her home and her city against assassins and invaders using nothing but her minor magic, her... Read A Wizard's Guide to Defensive Baking Summary

A Woman of No Importance is a play by Oscar Wilde that was first performed in 1893. It is one of Wilde’s four drawing room plays, which satirize English high society, but critics often consider this play to be his least successful. The action of the play takes place at a party held at Lady Hunstanton’s English country estate and depicts the conflict that arises when Lord Illingworth, a wealthy and charming aristocrat, encounters his... Read A Woman of No Importance Summary

A Year Down Yonder by Richard Peck was published in 2000 by Puffin. Written for middle grade readers, the novel revisits the Great Depression, documenting its impact on the rural Midwest with a seriocomic account of 15-year-old Mary Alice Dowdel, who is forced to leave her home in Chicago and live in the country with her eccentric grandmother for a year. By turns farcical, romantic, satirical, and somber, Peck’s novel explores themes including The Challenges... Read A Year Down Yonder Summary

Bad Monkey (2013) by American journalist and author Carl Hiaasen, combines the author’s signature humor with mystery. Known for his satirical take on environmental and political issues, Hiaasen delivers a story set in the Florida Keys and the Bahamas that centers on a disgraced detective turned health inspector as he navigates a tangled web of greed, corruption, and murder. The book, along with its sequel, Razor Girl, were optioned into a TV series.A native of... Read Bad Monkey Summary

Barefoot in the Park is a 1963 play by Pulitzer Prize-winning American playwright Neil Simon (The Odd Couple, Lost in Yonkers). Born in the Bronx in 1927, Simon grew up during the Depression. Financial strains characteristic of the time caused tension in his parents’ marriage, and Simon sought escape at the movies, with comedic films in particular. Laughter and comedy served as emotional balms for him, as they do in his semi-autobiographical plays. His plays... Read Barefoot In The Park Summary

Battle of the Bookstores (2025), by Ali Brady, is a contemporary romance that follows rival bookstore managers Josie Klein and Ryan Lawson as the owner of both their businesses states that he will be combining their stores and the local coffee shop but will hire only one manager to run it. Josie’s store specializes in literary fiction and nonfiction, while Ryan’s specializes in romance fiction. As the two compete to bring in the highest profits... Read Battle of the Bookstores Summary

The award-winning 1982 novel Be a Perfect Person in Just Three Days! is by Stephen Manes, an American author, journalist, columnist, and screenwriter. It was adapted to film in 1984 as part of a series called WonderWorks on PBS. Manes has published more than 30 children and young adult books, including this novel’s bestselling sequel, Make Four Million Dollars by Next Thursday!” (1996). One of his more recent books is a nonfiction exploration into the workings of... Read Be a Perfect Person in Just Three Days! Summary

Written by Fredrik Backman in 2017, Beartown is the first of a trilogy and is followed by the similarly hockey-themed novels, Us Against You (2017) and The Winners (2021). All three novels are set in the town of the same name, and Beartown focuses on the local junior hockey team, the in-game success or failure of which deeply impacts the economy of the town as a whole. As the town's intense focus on the sport... Read Beartown Summary

Beezus and Ramona, written in 1955 and published by Harper Collins, is a middle-grade novel and the first in the Ramona series by author Beverly Cleary. The original publication includes illustrations from Louis Darling. Later editions feature updated illustrations by different artists. The novel has 99 editions and has been translated into six different languages.Ramona was introduced in Cleary’s first novel, Henry Huggins, published in 1950. Tracing the antics of Ramona Quimby and her family... Read Beezus and Ramona Summary

Being Henry: The Fonz … and Beyond (2023) is a memoir by Henry Winkler published by Celadon Books, a division of Macmillan Publishers. The book explores Henry Winkler’s life, his fame and legacy as Arthur “the Fonz/Fonzie” Fonzarelli on the sitcom Happy Days, his other work in the entertainment industry, and his struggles with dyslexia, insecurities, anxiety, and perfectionism. The memoir explores The Impact of Learning Disabilities, Navigating the Entertainment Industry, and The Importance of... Read Being Henry Summary

Polish-born author Jerzy Kosiński (1933-1991) wrote Being There, published in 1970. The novella satirizes mid-20th-century politics and culture, focusing on the twin pillars of bureaucracy and the media as vehicles for the deterioration of modern thought. Kosiński grew up in Soviet-controlled Poland and came to the United States in 1957. In 1958, he was awarded a Ford Foundation fellowship. He studied at the New School and Columbia University in New York, where he received a... Read Being There Summary

Stuart Gibbs’s Belly Up (2010) is a middle grade mystery novel and the first book in the FunJungle series. The story’s protagonist and narrator is 12-year-old Teddy Fitzroy, who lives in a massive zoo and amusement park called FunJungle. When the park’s mascot, Henry the Hippopotamus, mysteriously dies, Teddy embarks on a daring and adventurous investigation to find the truth behind his death. Along the way, he makes allies and enemies, uncovers secrets, and faces... Read Belly Up Summary

Be More Chill (2004) by Ned Vizzini is a young adult novel about a teenage boy trying to increase his social status in high school. The work employs humor and a science fiction premise to satirize the absurdity of social norms in contemporary youth culture. The main character, Jeremy Heere, is a socially awkward high school student who ingests a pill that contains a quantum supercomputer that advises him on how to modify his behavior... Read Be More Chill Summary

Ben Yokoyama and the Cookie of Doom is a middle-grade graphic novel written by Matthew Swanson and illustrated by Robbi Behr. It was originally published in 2021. The story explores the day that Ben’s life is changed after getting a fortune cookie that urges him to live each day like his last. Throughout the day, Ben and his loved ones do things they’ve always wanted to do, foregrounding Having the Courage to Try New Things... Read Ben Yokoyama and the Cookie of Doom Summary

Be Prepared (2018) is Vera Brosgol’s second graphic novel for young adults. The text is a fictionalized account of the author’s own experiences at a summer camp for Russian and Russian American youth. It depicts the challenges that young Vera faces as she tries to fit in with her peers, encounters a variety of wildlife, and learns more about her culture and identity. Brosgol’s first graphic novel, Anya’s Ghost (2011), won an Eisner Award. Be... Read Be Prepared Summary

Content Warning: Better Nate Than Ever contains sensitive material, such as bullying and LGBTQ-related slurs.Better Nate Than Ever (2013) is the first book in a trilogy about Broadway hopeful Nate Foster; the next two titles in the series are Five, Six, Seven, Nate! (2014) and Nate Expectations (2018). The novel is intended for middle grade and young adult readers but may also appeal to adult fans of theater-related fiction. Author Tim Federle and the fictional... Read Better Nate Than Ever Summary

Better Than the Movies is a young adult romantic comedy by Lynn Painter (2021). The novel tells the story of Liz Buxbaum, a senior in high school with a passion for romance movies inherited from her late mother. This coming-of-age story references classic romantic comedy tropes and films as Liz eventually discovers that “happily ever after” is not what or who she expects.Painter is the author of other bestselling romantic comedies, both for teens and... Read Better Than the Movies Summary