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.

The Secrets We Kept

by Lara Prescott

Publication year 2019

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Gender Identity, Self Discovery, Sexual Identity, Politics & Government, Literature, Loyalty & Betrayal

Tags Historical Fiction, Horror & Suspense, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Russian Literature, World History

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The Shallows

by Nicholas Carr

Publication year 2010

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Science & Technology, Literature, Future, Memory

Tags Science & Nature, Technology, Sociology, Philosophy, Information Age, Education, Education, Technology, Psychology, Psychology, Self-Improvement

The Shallows: What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains (2011) is a nonfiction book by writer, editor, and media critic Nicholas Carr. Carr is a prolific nonfiction writer known for his analysis of cloud computing, artificial intelligence, and human society. A 2011 Pulitzer Prize Finalist, The Shallows combines elements of personal essay, journalism, and academic research to explore The Impact of the Internet on Cognitive Processes, The Nature of Learning and Media in the... Read The Shallows Summary

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 Spy and the Traitor

by Ben Macintyre

Publication year 2018

Genre Biography, Nonfiction

Themes Perseverance, Politics & Government, Loyalty & Betrayal, Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Family, Teamwork, Good & Evil, Justice, Safety & Danger, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies, Nation

Tags European History, Politics & Government, Military & War, World History, Russian Literature, Horror & Suspense, Biography

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The Stories Julian Tells

by Ann Cameron

Publication year 1981

Genre Short Story Collection, Fiction

Themes Coming of Age, Perseverance, Joy, Loneliness, Childhood & Youth, Animals, Appearance & Reality, Plants, Food, Nature Versus Nurture, Objects & Materials, Family, Fathers, Friendship, Mothers, Siblings, Self Discovery, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies

Tags Relationships, Coming of Age, Children`s Literature, Education, Education, Realistic Fiction, Humor

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The Story of a Shipwrecked Sailor

by Gabriel García Márquez

Publication year 1955

Genre Biography, Nonfiction

Themes Fear, Grief, Order & Chaos, Safety & Danger

Tags Creative Nonfiction, Action & Adventure

Gabriel García Márquez’s The Story of a Shipwrecked Sailor was first published in Spain in 1970 under the title Relato de un naufrago (“story of a castaway”). The nonfiction work relates Luis Alejandro Velasco’s 10-day survival adrift on a raft in the Caribbean after being thrown overboard from his Colombian destroyer in rough seas. While there had been a censored, government-backed version of Velasco’s story that was publicized, the uncensored story was first published in... Read The Story of a Shipwrecked Sailor Summary

The Strangers

by Margaret Peterson Haddix

Publication year 2019

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Childhood & Youth, Mothers, Coming of Age

Tags Mystery & Crime Fiction, Science Fiction, Technology, American Literature, Children`s Literature, Horror & Suspense, Fantasy, Action & Adventure

The Strangers is a young adult mystery novel published in 2019 by the American author Margaret Peterson Haddix. It tells the story of the three Greystone children who seek to unravel a kidnapping mystery. It is Volume 1 in the Greystone Secrets series, which Haddix returned to in 2020 with Volume 2, The Deceivers. Haddix is the author of more than 40 books for kids and teens, including the Shadow Children series, the Missing series... Read The Strangers 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

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The Tequila Worm

by Viola Canales

Publication year 2005

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Friendship, Education, Coming of Age, Family

Tags Poverty, Diversity, Realistic Fiction, Children`s Literature, Education, Education, Arts & Culture

The Tequila Worm, published in 2005 by Random House, (first edition) is a middle grade novel about a young Mexican American girl, Sofia, who comes from a family of storytellers. The tales Sofia hears strengthen her ties to her family and their traditions in the Texas barrio where they live. Though poor, the family does not struggle, finding riches in the practice of making Easter cascarones, (colored eggs) celebrating Dia de los Muertos, (Day of... Read The Tequila Worm Summary

The Theory of the Leisure Class

by Thorstein Veblen

Publication year 1899

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Economics, Power & Greed, Social Class

Tags Business & Economics, Education, Education, Social Science, World History, Philosophy, Classic Fiction, Sociology, Philosophy, Politics & Government

The Theory of the Leisure Class: An Economic Study of Institutions (1899), written by Norwegian-American sociologist and economist Thorstein Veblen, is a critique of consumerism and conspicuous culture promoted by the wealthy leisure class in America during the Industrial era. Veblen proposes that economics is not simply the study of markets and cash flow; it must include sociological analysis to accurately reflect a society’s consumption patterns and their cultural and economic repercussions. Though the book... Read The Theory of the Leisure Class Summary