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 Silent Wife

by A. S. A. Harrison

Publication year 2013

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Midlife, Marriage, Truth & Lies

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

The Silent Wife by A. S. A. Harrison is a psychological thriller about a failing marriage. Published in 2013, the novel is Harrison’s first entry into the genre, though she had previously published an erotic novel and a non-fiction book on the female orgasm in the 1970s. Harrison passed away from cancer weeks before the novel’s publication. The novel has been compared to Gillian Flynn’s Gone Girl in terms of both its content—the depiction of... Read The Silent Wife Summary

The Splendid and the Vile

by Erik Larson

Publication year 2020

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Tags Military & War, Politics & Government, World War II, European History, British Literature, World History, Biography

The Splendid and the Vile: A Saga of Churchill, Family, and Defiance During the Blitz is a bestselling 2020 work of narrative nonfiction by Erik Larson recounting Winston Churchill’s first year as prime minister of Great Britain—a year marked by the Blitz, or Nazi bombing of England. Britain’s top naval official, Churchill is chosen prime minister on May 10, 1940 amid widespread discontent with the current leader, Neville Chamberlain. Parliament revolts against Chamberlain because of... Read The Splendid and the Vile Summary

The Stolen Heir

by Holly Black

Publication year 2023

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Wins & Losses, Truth & Lies, Trust & Doubt, Safety & Danger, Power & Greed, Loyalty & Betrayal, Family, Appearance & Reality, Love, Hate & Anger

Tags Romance, Fantasy, Fairy Tale & Folklore

... Read The Stolen Heir Summary

The Story of Edgar Sawtelle

by David Wroblewski

Publication year 2008

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Loyalty & Betrayal, Fate

Tags Coming of Age, Animals, Modern Classic Fiction, Historical Fiction

The Story of Edgar Sawtelle (2008), American author David Wroblewski’s family epic set in 1970s rural Wisconsin, fuses elements of William Shakespeare’s Hamlet with the story of a gifted boy named Edgar who is mute. Initial critical reaction celebrated the reach of its intricate plot, its massive cast of characters, the audacity of its retelling of Hamlet, and its investigation into the dark dynamics of a dysfunctional family, particularly the complex relationship between feuding brothers.Plot... Read The Story of Edgar Sawtelle Summary

The Street Lawyer

by John Grisham

Publication year 1998

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Community, Social Class, Race, Justice

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

The Street Lawyer, by John Grisham, was originally published by Bantam Books in January 1998. Grisham’s ninth novel, The Street Lawyer occupied a spot in Grisham’s streak of top-ten bestselling novels, which began with the record-breaking success of his second novel, The Firm, and lasted over two decades. Prior to penning his first novel, A Time to Kill, Grisham earned a JD from University of Mississippi School of Law and practiced civil and criminal trial... Read The Street Lawyer Summary

The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*CK

by Mark Manson

Publication year 2016

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Apathy, Fear, Fate, Power & Greed, Science & Technology, Truth & Lies, Wins & Losses, Self Discovery, Death, Economics, Nation, Politics & Government

Tags Self-Improvement, Psychology, Philosophy, Business & Economics, Humor, Grief & Death, Psychology, Philosophy, Mental Illness

... Read The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*CK Summary

the sun and her flowers

by Rupi Kaur

Publication year 2017

Genre Poem, Fiction

Themes Love, Grief, Loyalty & Betrayal, Safety & Danger, Beauty, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies, Forgiveness, Memory, Guilt, Hate & Anger, Shame & Pride, Fear, Perseverance, Conflict, Loneliness, Hope, Environment, Family, Immigration

Tags Lyric Poem, Gender & Feminism, Relationships, Love & Sexuality, Women`s Studies, Modern Classic Fiction, Romance, Mental Illness

... Read the sun and her flowers Summary

The Sweetness of Water

by Nathan Harris

Publication year 2021

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Guilt, Memory, Masculinity, Race, Sexual Identity, The Past, Marriage, Daughters & Sons, Community, War, Safety & Danger, Plants

Tags Historical Fiction, LGBTQ+, Race & Racism, American Civil War, African American Literature, Grief & Death, US History, Love & Sexuality, Post-War Era, Military & War, World History

... Read The Sweetness of Water Summary

The Teenage Brain

by Frances E. Jensen, Amy Ellis Nutt

Publication year 2014

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Childhood & Youth, Safety & Danger, Education, Daughters & Sons

Tags Psychology, Parenting, Science & Nature, Education, Education, Psychology, Self-Improvement, Health

The Teenage Brain: A Neuroscientist’s Survival Guide to Raising Adolescents and Young Adults (2014) is by American neurologist Frances E. Jensen with journalist Amy Ellis Nutt. A New York Times bestseller, the book was nominated for the PEN/E.O. Wilson Prize for Literary Science Writing. The Teenage Brain is a guide to the workings of the adolescent brain aimed at parents. Using scientific research data combined with real-life stories and anecdotes, the author explains the changes... Read The Teenage Brain Summary

The Temple of My Familiar

by Alice Walker

Publication year 1989

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Forgiveness, Hate & Anger, Gender Identity, Race, Marriage, Colonialism

Tags Race & Racism, Historical Fiction, Magical Realism, African American Literature, Gender & Feminism, Classic Fiction

The Temple of My Familiar (1989) is a novel by Alice Walker. It follows the intersecting lives of multiple characters across countries and lifetimes, exploring the themes of The Feminine Experience, The Historical Trauma of Colonization, and Spirituality in the Diaspora.Alice Walker is an internationally acclaimed and celebrated writer, poet, and activist. Her novel The Color Purple won a National Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1983. Characters from this classic feature... Read The Temple of My Familiar Summary

The Tender Bar

by J.R. Moehringer

Publication year 2005

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Coming of Age, Masculinity, Fathers

Tags Relationships, Social Class, Addiction & Substance Abuse, Biography

J. R. Moehringer’s The Tender Bar (2005) is a sweeping memoir that brings the reader on a journey from his earliest childhood memories to his young adulthood. The bar in question, Publicans (previously known as Dickens), played an enormous role in the author’s childhood by introducing him to an array of men who helped fill the void left by his absent father. Moehringer paints a vivid picture of his childhood home in Manhasset, his colorful... Read The Tender Bar Summary

The Ten Thousand Doors of January

by Alix E. Harrow

Publication year 2019

Genre Novel, Fiction

Tags Historical Fiction, World History, Magical Realism, Fantasy, Action & Adventure

The Ten Thousand Doors of January (2019) is a fantasy novel by Alix E. Harrow. In this coming-of-age story, Harrow uses her background as a historian to recreate early 20th-century America, particularly its ways of thinking and societal rules. She employs magical realism to create new worlds alongside those of her eponymous main character, January, and to point out the relativity of societal laws and expectations. Harrow’s commentary on the past century’s political ideologies such... Read The Ten Thousand Doors of January Summary