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!

Left Behind

by Jerry B. Jenkins, Tim LaHaye

Publication year 1995

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Forgiveness, Regret, Self Discovery, Politics & Government, Religion & Spirituality, Trust & Doubt

Tags Christian, Science Fiction, Religion & Spirituality, Horror & Suspense, Fantasy

Left Behind (1995) is the first book in the series of the same name. It was co-authored by Tim LaHaye, a minister and prophecy scholar, and Jerry B. Jenkins, an author of mystery novels, biographies, and Christian fiction. The series is a work of speculative Christian fiction based on biblical prophecies related to the so-called “end times.” Its plot opens with “the Rapture,” a cataclysmic event discussed in biblical prophecy in which Jesus returns to... Read Left Behind Summary

Lessons

by Ian McEwan

Publication year 2022

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Memory, Family

Tags Historical Fiction, Relationships, Love & Sexuality, Trauma & Abuse, British Literature, Modern Classic Fiction, World History

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Liar & Spy

by Rebecca Stead

Publication year 2012

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Friendship, Mothers, Justice, Community, Self Discovery, Family

Tags Children`s Literature, Realistic Fiction, Bullying, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction

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Lila

by Marilynne Robinson

Publication year 2014

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Grief, Shame & Pride, Death, Love, Loneliness

Tags Historical Fiction, Relationships

Lila is a work of literary fiction by American novelist Marilynne Robinson. Originally published in 2014 by Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, the novel is set in Robinson’s fictional Gilead universe and tells the story of Reverend John Ames’s enigmatic wife, Lila Dahl. When Lila discovers that she is pregnant with the reverend’s child, she begins to reflect on her life. She is happy with John but still struggles to make sense of how much her... Read Lila Summary

Limitless

by Jim Kwik

Publication year 2020

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Science & Technology

Tags Self-Improvement, Psychology, Business & Economics, Education

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Lincoln in the Bardo

by George Saunders

Publication year 2017

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Grief, Death, Community, Forgiveness, Memory, Guilt, War, Fathers, Appearance & Reality

Tags Historical Fiction, Fantasy, Magical Realism, Grief & Death, American Civil War, Religion & Spirituality, US History, Race & Racism, American Literature, World History

The novel Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders, published by Random House in 2017, offers a portrait of an American legend in mourning, surrounded by a poignant but funny cast of 166 characters. It is Saunders’s debut novel, though he has been a notable author of short story collections for decades. The novel won the prestigious Man Booker Prize and was a New York Times best seller.Set in 1862, Lincoln in the Bardo is... Read Lincoln in the Bardo Summary

Little Brother

by Cory Doctorow

Publication year 2008

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Science & Technology, Politics & Government, Coming of Age, Love, Friendship, Power & Greed, Shame & Pride, Safety & Danger, Truth & Lies

Tags Science Fiction, Horror & Suspense, Leadership, Politics & Government, Science & Nature

Little Brother, a dystopian young adult novel written by Cory Doctorow, was published by Tor Teen books in 2008. The book debuted at number nine on The New York Times Bestseller list and was a finalist for the Hugo Award for Best Novel in 2009. Little Brother also won the 2009 White Pine Award, Prometheus Award, and John W. Campbell Memorial Award. The story takes place in the near future and chronicles the efforts of... Read Little Brother Summary

Look Both Ways: A Tale Told in Ten Blocks

by Jason Reynolds

Publication year 2019

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Friendship, Coming of Age, Family

Tags Realistic Fiction, Children`s Literature, Education, Education, Modern Classic Fiction

A National Book Award finalist, Look Both Ways: A Tale Told in Ten Blocks (2019) by Jason Reynolds chronicles 10 stories of adolescents attending Latimer Middle School. The stories take place within 10 blocks of the school as each character journeys homeward at the end of the school day. Look Both Ways follows the lauded Ghost and Long Way Down, both of which explore the experiences of Black young adults in America. In Look Both... Read Look Both Ways: A Tale Told in Ten Blocks Summary

Lore

by Alexandra Bracken

Publication year 2021

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Memory, Gender Identity, Teamwork

Tags Fantasy, Mythology, Action & Adventure, Trauma & Abuse, Gender & Feminism, Grief & Death, Love & Sexuality, American Literature, Romance

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Lost Roses

by Martha Hall Kelly

Publication year 2019

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Friendship, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Mothers, Social Class, War

Tags Historical Fiction, Life-Inspired Fiction, Poverty, World War I, Russian Literature, World War II, Military & War, World History

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Lovecraft Country

by Matt Ruff

Publication year 2016

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Race, Nation, Safety & Danger

Tags Fantasy, Horror & Suspense, Science Fiction, Action & Adventure, Race & Racism, Black Lives Matter, US History, Social Justice, American Literature, African American Literature, World History, Historical Fiction, Religion & Spirituality

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