New York Times Best Sellers

Since 1931, the country's best-selling books have appeared on an authoritative weekly list in the New York Times, a list that has transformed into a resource for readers and booksellers alike. Read on to discover both past and present best sellers—you just might find your next book club pick!

If It Bleeds

by Stephen King

Publication year 2020

Genre Short Story Collection, Fiction

Themes Fear, Coming of Age, Midlife, Appearance & Reality, Family, Self Discovery, Good & Evil, Religion & Spirituality, Safety & Danger, Science & Technology

Tags Horror & Suspense, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Fantasy

... Read If It Bleeds Summary

I Know This Much Is True

by Wally Lamb

Publication year 1998

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Mental Health, Family, Forgiveness, Grief, Guilt, Coming of Age, Siblings, Self Discovery

Tags Mental Illness, Psychological Fiction

Wally Lamb’s I Know This Much Is True centers on the illness of Thomas Birdsey, a middle-aged man who has had schizophrenia for the previous 20 years. Narrated by Thomas’s twin brother, Dominick, the novel opens with Thomas having left the group home where he lives and him cutting off his hand with a knife he took from his stepfather’s weapon collection. Thomas performs this action after reading a Bible verse that commands the reader... Read I Know This Much Is True Summary

I'll Give You the Sun

by Jandy Nelson

Publication year 2014

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Art, Family, Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Fear, Forgiveness, Grief, Guilt, Hate & Anger, Loneliness, Love, Memory, Shame & Pride, Aging, Childhood & Youth, Coming of Age, Sexual Identity, The Past, Death, Daughters & Sons, Fathers, Mothers, Siblings, Fate, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies, Wins & Losses

Tags Coming of Age, Magical Realism, Romance, Realistic Fiction, LGBTQ+, Grief & Death, Love & Sexuality, Modern Classic Fiction

I’ll Give You the Sun (2015) is an award-winning novel penned by Jandy Nelson about relationships, art, and destiny. It follows the story of twins Noah and Jude Sweetwine who once shared a close relationship but find themselves barely speaking to each other two years after their mother’s death.Jandy Nelson is an American author who writes young adult fiction. I’ll Give You the Sun is her second novel, which won numerous awards and honors, including... Read I'll Give You the Sun Summary

Infidel

by Ayaan Hirsi Ali

Publication year 2006

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Femininity, Immigration, Politics & Government, Justice, Religion & Spirituality, Safety & Danger

Tags Gender & Feminism, Religion & Spirituality, Politics & Government

Infidel (2007) is an autobiographical memoir by Ayaan Hirsi Ali. She recounts her childhood and adolescence across Somalia, Saudi Arabia, Ethiopia, and Kenya, and her eventual flight to the Netherlands to seek asylum and escape a forced marriage. The narrative links intimate experiences of gender violence to larger arguments about religion, politics, immigration, and free speech, culminating in Hirsi Ali’s role in Dutch politics and the fallout after the murder of filmmaker Theo van Gogh... Read Infidel Summary

Inkheart

by Cornelia Funke

Publication year 2003

Genre Novel, Fiction

Tags Fantasy, Magical Realism, Coming of Age, Action & Adventure, German Literature, Children`s Literature

Cornelia Funke’s Inkheart (2003) is a novel of magical realism—the story takes place in the real world, but magic figures into the plot and character development. Funke went on to write other books in the Inkworld series: Inkspell (2005), and Inkdeath (2007). A fourth, The Colour of Revenge, will be released in October 2023. A movie adaption of Inkheart, produced by Funke, was released in 2008. Inkheart has received numerous literary accolades, including the 2004... Read Inkheart Summary

In Love

by Amy Bloom

Publication year 2022

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Marriage, Love, Grief, Disability, Death

Tags Grief & Death, Health, Biography

... Read In Love Summary

Interior Chinatown

by Charles Yu

Publication year 2020

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Race, Nation, Justice

Tags Realistic Fiction, Symbolic Narrative, Race & Racism, Arts & Culture, Diversity, US History, Asian Literature, American Literature, Modern Classic Fiction, Asian Literature, Humor

... Read Interior Chinatown Summary

Into Thin Air

by Jon Krakauer

Publication year 1997

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Safety & Danger, Perseverance, Place, Guilt, Death

Tags Travel Literature, Action & Adventure, Sports, Dramatic Literature, Natural Disaster, World History, Biography

Into Thin Air is American is authored by professional mountain climber Jon Krakauer. It is a personal account of attempting to ascend Mount Everest, prompted by an assignment from Outside magazine to cover the commercial development of the communities at the mountain’s base. Krakauer’s climbing attempt, which was fatal for several, became the deadliest expedition ever on the mountain. In the book, he reflects on his experience, reporting it as truthfully as possible.Krakauer recalls being... Read Into Thin Air Summary

Iron Widow

by Xiran Jay Zhao

Publication year 2021

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Gender Identity, Sexual Identity, Equality, Justice, Good & Evil

Tags Fantasy, Science Fiction, Action & Adventure, Historical Fiction, Romance, LGBTQ+

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Joyland

by Stephen King

Publication year 2013

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Coming of Age

Tags Horror & Suspense, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Religion & Spirituality

Joyland (2013) is the second in Stephen King’s hard-boiled detective collection published by Hard Case Crime.King has written more than 80 full-length novels in addition to 20 novellas, over 120 short stories, and 5 nonfiction books. He has won more than 30 awards for his fiction. His books and short stories have been made into 39 films and 13 television series (with more in planning).This guide references the 2013 paperback edition.Content Warning: The novel features... Read Joyland Summary

Jurassic Park

by Michael Crichton

Publication year 1990

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Science & Technology, Safety & Danger, Animals

Tags Science Fiction, Fantasy, Classic Fiction, Action & Adventure, Horror & Suspense, Animals

Jurassic Park is a science-fiction thriller novel written by American author Michael Crichton and first published in 1990. It chronicles the story of an eccentric genetics CEO who builds an amusement park containing live dinosaurs cloned from ancient DNA. The book was followed by a sequel in 1995, The Lost World. Jurassic Park has been adapted into one of the most successful movie franchises of all time, with the first movie released in 1993 and... Read Jurassic Park Summary