Popular Study Guides

The Popular Study Guides Collection brings together a selection of our most-visited Guides in one convenient place. Featuring titles ranging from classic literature with enduring appeal to popular book club picks, this Collection represents a diverse array of literature readers can't get enough of.

Publication year 1999

Genre Short Story Collection, Fiction

Themes Immigration, Family, Coming of Age

Tags Realistic Fiction, Indian Literature, Education, Education, Modern Classic Fiction, Asian Literature

Interpreter of Maladies is a 1999 short story collection by Jhumpa Lahiri, who is an American of Indian (specifically Bengali) heritage. Lahiri’s publishing debut, the collection was well-received and garnered many awards, including the 2000 Pulitzer Prize in Fiction and the PEN/Hemingway Prize. Its nine stories are works of literary realism that consider the immigrant experience in the United States and contemporary Indian life. They have been held up as a model for high cultural... Read Interpreter of Maladies Summary

Publication year 2021

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Loneliness, Friendship, Self Discovery, Politics & Government, Art, Good & Evil, Justice

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

Publication year 2001

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Perseverance, Childhood & Youth, Truth & Lies, Justice

Tags Historical Fiction, Realistic Fiction, Social Justice, Poverty, Children`s Literature, Education, Education, World History, Arts & Culture

Publication year 2025

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Grief, Love, Perseverance, Gender Identity, Death, Nature Versus Nurture, Social Class

Tags Historical Fiction, Survival Fiction

Publication year 1992

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Race, Marriage, Family, Conflict

Tags Historical Fiction, African American Literature, Coming of Age, Race & Racism, Trauma & Abuse, American Literature, World History, Classic Fiction

Jazz by Toni Morrison is the second installment of the Beloved trilogy. Morrison outlines the entirety of the plot in the first paragraph of the novel, allowing the rest of the text to explore the histories and emotional landscapes of the characters. Set in Harlem in the 1920s, Joe Trace has an affair with a young woman named Dorcas. When Dorcas later rejects Joe, he relentlessly searches for her. Joe sees Dorcas dancing with another... Read Jazz Summary

Publication year 1864

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Science & Technology, Place

Tags Science Fiction, Classic Fiction, French Literature, Fantasy, Action & Adventure

Journey to the Center of the Earth was written by the French writer Jules Gabriel Verne (1828-1905), who is best known for Extraordinary Voyages, a series of science fiction/dystopian adventure stories that includes Journey to the Center of the Earth (1864) as well as Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea (1870) and Around the World in Eighty Days (1872). Verne was born in the French port city of Nantes and from a young age was... Read Journey To The Center Of The Earth Summary

Publication year 1994

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Indigenous Identity, Environment, Colonialism

Tags Coming of Age, Education, Education, Modern Classic Fiction, Historical Fiction, Philosophy, Philosophy

Publication year 1998

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Fear, Forgiveness, Hate & Anger, Shame & Pride, Justice, Religion & Spirituality, Family, Childhood & Youth, Colonialism

Tags Realistic Fiction, Coming of Age, Trauma & Abuse, Animals, Love & Sexuality, LGBTQ+, World History, Historical Fiction, Canadian Literature

Publication year 2002

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Religion & Spirituality, Friendship, Coming of Age, Community

Tags Historical Fiction, Humor, Fantasy, Absurdism, Religion & Spirituality, World History