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!

The Burgess Boys

by Elizabeth Strout

Publication year 2013

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Guilt, Conflict, Forgiveness, Grief, Race, Siblings, Self Discovery, Immigration, Politics & Government, War, Justice

Tags American Literature

Elizabeth Strout’s novel The Burgess Boys, published in 2013, explores the relationships between adult siblings during a time of family crisis. It examines the ways that past events and traumas continue to shape one’s sense of self. Set amid a Somali refugee crisis in the state of Maine, it also explores the ways that identity forms community and the way that community can be affected by newcomers.The author of 10 novels, Strout is acclaimed for... Read The Burgess Boys Summary

The Celestine Prophecy

by James Redfield

Publication year 1993

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Religion & Spirituality, Future, Environment, Self Discovery

Tags Religion & Spirituality, Philosophy, Inspirational, Fantasy, Philosophy, Self-Improvement, Action & Adventure

The Celestine Prophecy: An Adventure is a 1993 novel by James Redfield. A bestseller, the novel is a compilation of New Age philosophical and spiritual concepts, which Redfield labels as insights, that are loosely connected by a plot that follows the narrator’s search for them in the Peruvian jungle. An ancient manuscript is rumored to have been discovered, and the insights in the Manuscript claim that the end of the 20th century will witness a... Read The Celestine Prophecy Summary

The Cellar

by Natasha Preston

Publication year 2014

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Perseverance, Good & Evil, Safety & Danger

Tags Horror & Suspense, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Psychological Fiction, Trauma & Abuse

... Read The Cellar Summary

The Chamber

by John Grisham

Publication year 1994

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Guilt, Death, Justice

Tags Horror & Suspense, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Dramatic Literature, Crime & Law

John Grisham’s 1994 legal thriller, The Chamber, follows Adam Hall, a young associate at a prestigious Chicago law firm who risks his career to take on a last-chance death-penalty case. His client is Sam Cayhall, an unrepentant former Klansman sentenced to die in Mississippi’s gas chamber for a fatal bombing he committed in 1967. With the execution just weeks away, Adam’s desperate legal battle is complicated by a deep personal secret: Sam is his estranged... Read The Chamber Summary

The Choice

by Nicholas Sparks

Publication year 2007

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Love, Fate, Grief, Marriage

Tags Romance, Love & Sexuality, Modern Classic Fiction, Dramatic Literature

Nicholas Sparks’s The Choice (2007) is a traditional romance novel that delves into the complexities of love, choices, and life’s unforeseen events. The story unfolds in the picturesque coastal town of Beaufort, North Carolina, where Travis Parker, an easygoing bachelor, encounters a life-changing series of events when Gabby Holland, a determined medical student, becomes his neighbor. The novel examines the themes of Coincidence Versus Destiny, Choices and Their Consequences, and Challenges to Romantic Relationships.Sparks is... Read The Choice Summary

The Christmas Box

by Richard Paul Evans

Publication year 1993

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Religion & Spirituality, Gratitude, Love, Friendship

Tags Inspirational, Special Occasions, Christian, Religion & Spirituality

The Christmas Box (1993) is a holiday-themed, loosely autobiographical novel by American author Richard Paul Evans. It tells the story of Richard, a workaholic who learns important lessons about the meaning of Christmas and the importance of family. He makes these discoveries with the help of an elderly widow and an angelic entity who visits Richard in his dreams. Evans was a 31-year-old advertising executive and had no formal writing experience when he self-published The... Read The Christmas Box Summary

The Cloisters

by Katy Hays

Publication year 2022

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Friendship, Religion & Spirituality, Truth & Lies, Education

Tags Mystery & Crime Fiction, Horror & Suspense, Fantasy, Gothic Literature, Religion & Spirituality, Modern Classic Fiction, Arts & Culture

... Read The Cloisters Summary

The Coming Wave

by Mustafa Suleyman

Publication year 2023

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Globalization, Science & Technology, Future, Politics & Government, Community

Tags Technology, Science & Nature, Business & Economics, Politics & Government, Technology, Sociology, Philosophy, Philosophy

... Read The Coming Wave Summary

The Confession

by John Grisham

Publication year 2010

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Power & Greed, Justice, Race, Politics & Government, Mothers, Death

Tags Mystery & Crime Fiction, Horror & Suspense, Crime & Law, Social Justice, Incarceration, Grief & Death, Trauma & Abuse, Realistic Fiction, Race & Racism

... Read The Confession Summary

The Corrections

by Jonathan Franzen

Publication year 2001

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family

Tags American Literature, Dramatic Literature, US History, Modern Classic Fiction

The Corrections is a 2001 novel by Jonathan Franzen that won the National Book Award. Franzen is the author of several essay collections and novels, including the novels Freedom, Purity, and Crossroads. He has received many awards for his work, including the Whiting Award in 1988 and a Guggenheim Fellowship in 1996.The main action of the novel takes place during the turn of the 21st century, a time of great financial prosperity in the United... Read The Corrections Summary

The Couple Next Door

by Shari Lapena

Publication year 2016

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Truth & Lies, Marriage, Fear, Mothers

Tags Mystery & Crime Fiction, Horror & Suspense, Psychological Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction

The Couple Next Door, Shari Lapena’s 2016 international best-seller, begins as a classic detective story. As the mystery deepens, the novel turns into a tense psychological study of a dysfunctional family, the calculating logic of emotional manipulation, the spiral of post-partum depression, and the corrupting power of greed. Paramount Television optioned the novel for a TV series adaptation in 2018. Shari Lapena is the author of eight novels for adults, including The Couple Next Door... Read The Couple Next Door Summary