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 Ex Hex

by Erin Sterling

Publication year 2021

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Forgiveness, Love, Family, Friendship, Self Discovery, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies

Tags Romance, Fantasy, Love & Sexuality, Relationships, Special Occasions, Science Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction, Religion & Spirituality

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The Exiles

by Christina Baker Kline

Publication year 2020

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Friendship, Gender Identity, Femininity, Race, Social Class, Colonialism, Loyalty & Betrayal, Equality

Tags Historical Fiction, Gender & Feminism, British Literature, World History

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The Eye of the World

by Robert Jordan

Publication year 1990

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Coming of Age

Tags Fantasy, Coming of Age, Action & Adventure, Narrative Poem

The Eye of the World is the first installment in the 14-volume high fantasy series The Wheel of Time by James Oliver Rigney Jr., who wrote under the pen name Robert Jordan (1948-2007). Rigney was born in Charleston, SC. He enlisted in the army after high school and served two tours of duty during the Vietnam War. In 1970, he enrolled in The Citadel, the Military College of South Carolina, earning a BS in physics... Read The Eye of the World Summary

The Family Remains

by Lisa Jewell

Publication year 2022

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Safety & Danger, Justice, Siblings, Family, Place, The Past, Mental Health, Memory

Tags Horror & Suspense, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Psychological Fiction, Realistic Fiction, Trauma & Abuse, Relationships, Modern Classic Fiction

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The Forest of Hands and Teeth

by Carrie Ryan

Publication year 2009

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Hope, Femininity, Coming of Age, Death, Environment, Family, Self Discovery, Community, Order & Chaos, Religion & Spirituality, Safety & Danger, Truth & Lies

Tags Horror & Suspense, Science Fiction, Fantasy, Romance

Carrie Ryan’s young adult novel The Forest of Hands and Teeth (2009) uses a literary voice to blend elements of several different genres, including horror, romance, and dystopian fiction. The story follows Mary, a teenage girl growing up in the aftermath of a world ravaged by hordes of the undead. As she struggles to defy her community’s rigid rules, she must also confront existential challenges like love, loss, and the constant threat of death at... Read The Forest of Hands and Teeth Summary

The Freedom Writers Diary

by Erin Gruwell and Freedom Writers

Publication year 1999

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Education, Family, Language

Tags Education, Education, Inspirational, Biography

The Freedom Writers Diary is a nonfiction book that collects the stories of English teacher Erin Gruwell and her students at Wilson High School in Long Beach, California, as they move from their freshman to senior years from 1994-1998. The book is divided into eight major sections, one for the fall and spring of each year, as well as a forward and epilogue. Each major section begins with an introductory entry from Ms. Gruwell, followed... Read The Freedom Writers Diary Summary

The Gene

by Siddhartha Mukherjee

Publication year 2016

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Family, Politics & Government, Fate, Science & Technology

Tags Science & Nature, Health, World History

The Gene: An Intimate History (2016) by Siddhartha Mukherjee weaves a family narrative with the tale of the evolution of genetics. Informed by Mukherjee’s experience as an oncologist and researcher, the book showcases both the life-changing potential, as well as danger, of gene-editing technologies. Mukherjee uses the cautionary tale of eugenics to examine what the power to change the genetic structure of human beings means in a fraught, fragmented world. Refuting notions such as biological... Read The Gene Summary

The Gift of Fear

by Gavin De Becker

Publication year 1997

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Fear, Self Discovery, Trust & Doubt, Safety & Danger

Tags Psychology, Self-Improvement, Trauma & Abuse, Crime & Law, Relationships, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Science & Nature, Sociology, Psychology, Mental Illness

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The Gifts of Imperfection

by Brené Brown

Publication year 2010

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Mental Health, Shame & Pride, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Joy

Tags Self-Improvement, Inspirational, Psychology, Religion & Spirituality, Psychology, Philosophy, Philosophy, Mental Illness, Health

The Gifts of Imperfection: Your Guide to Wholehearted Living (2022) by Brené Brown (originally published as The Gifts of Imperfection: Let Go of Who You Think You’re Supposed to Be and Embrace Who You Are in 2010) introduces the key concepts that have become a signature of Brown’s research, such as reclaiming the importance of vulnerability and defining shame as an obstacle to self-development and connection. The original book spent 75 weeks on The New... Read The Gifts of Imperfection Summary

The Gilded Ones

by Namina Forna

Publication year 2021

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Shame & Pride, Gender Identity

Tags Fantasy, Magical Realism, Action & Adventure, Coming of Age, Trauma & Abuse, Gender & Feminism, Diversity, Race & Racism, African Literature, Science Fiction, Romance

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The Girl On The Train

by Paula Hawkins

Publication year 2015

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Loneliness, Conflict, Fear, Guilt, Hate & Anger, Love, Memory, Masculinity, The Past, Appearance & Reality, Truth & Lies, Marriage

Tags Mystery & Crime Fiction, Psychological Fiction, Horror & Suspense, Trauma & Abuse, Addiction & Substance Abuse, Modern Classic Fiction

Paula Hawkins wrote The Girl on the Train over the course of six months in 2014. Hawkins, an Oxford-educated journalist and writer, drew on her experience as a reporter in London to structure the novel and describe its locations. Drawing immediate comparisons to Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn, The Girl on the Train had similar performance, debuting at #1 on the New York Times bestseller list in 2015, and remaining there for 13 consecutive weeks... Read The Girl On The Train Summary

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

by Stieg Larsson

Publication year 2005

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Gender Identity, Family, Social Class, Justice, Truth & Lies

Tags Mystery & Crime Fiction, Horror & Suspense, Psychological Fiction, Scandinavian Literature, Gender & Feminism, Trauma & Abuse, Modern Classic Fiction

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is an international bestseller by writer and journalist Stieg Larsson. The crime thriller was published in Sweden shortly after his death in 2005 with the original Swedish title, Män som hatar kvinnor, or Men Who Hate Women. The book won the 2006 Glass Key Award for best crime novel in its native Sweden, and after the English translation was released it received the 2008 Boeke Prize (South Africa), Crime... Read The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo Summary

The Giver of Stars

by Jojo Moyes

Publication year 2019

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family

Tags Historical Fiction, World History, Romance

The Giver of Stars (2019) by JoJo Moyes is a work of women’s fiction that can also be categorized as historical fiction. Not long after its publication, The Giver of Stars became embroiled in controversy when another author, Kim Michele Richardson, noted similarities between her book about the WPA Pack Horse Librarians, The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek, and Moyes’s novel. Moyes is the bestselling author of Me Before You, and The Giver of Stars... Read The Giver of Stars Summary