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Summaries of 9,834 books.

  1. The Canterbury Tales

    Geoffrey Chaucer

    ★ 3.5 (189k) average on GoodreadsHistorical Fiction

    A diverse group of pilgrims travels to Canterbury, sharing tales of love, humor, and morality that reflect medieval English life.

  2. Hyperion

    Dan Simmons

    ★ 4.2 (188k) average on GoodreadsFantasy

    Seven pilgrims travel to Hyperion, a world guarded by a terrifying, time-traveling entity called the Shrike. They seek answers from the Shrike before galactic war begins, hoping its mysteries can save humanity.

  3. Patriot Games

    Tom Clancy

    ★ 4.1 (188k) average on GoodreadsThriller

    When a vacationing CIA analyst thwarts a terrorist attack on the British Royal Family, he unwittingly drags his own family into the crosshairs of a vengeful and ruthless IRA splinter group.

  4. The Pearl

    John Steinbeck

    ★ 3.5 (188k) average on GoodreadsHistorical Fiction

    A poor diver's discovery of a perfect pearl destroys his simple life, bringing greed and violence that tests his family's love and will to survive.

  5. The Hunger Games Trilogy Boxset

    Suzanne Collins

    ★ 4.5 (188k) average on GoodreadsFantasy

    In a dystopian future, a defiant teenage girl from the poorest district volunteers for a brutal televised death match, igniting a rebellion against the tyrannical Capitol.

  6. All Together Dead

    Charlaine Harris

    ★ 4.0 (186k) average on GoodreadsFantasy

    At a vampire summit in hurricane-damaged New Orleans, Sookie Stackhouse navigates shifting loyalties and a new shapeshifter love, all while trying to stop an undead political coup that could throw the supernatural world into chaos.

  7. 1776

    David McCullough

    ★ 4.1 (186k) average on GoodreadsPolitics

    In 1776, an untested George Washington and his Continental Army fought against the British Empire to turn the words of independence into a real nation.

  8. The Waste Lands

    Stephen King

    ★ 4.2 (186k) average on GoodreadsThriller

    Roland's quest for the Dark Tower is complicated by a paradox of erased memories and a descent into a ruined city where an insane, riddle-loving train offers their only escape.

  9. Along for the Ride

    Sarah Dessen

    ★ 4.1 (186k) average on GoodreadsYoung Adult

    An insomniac teen, always the 'perfect daughter,' finds freedom and a friend in a fellow night-owl during a long summer, discovering friendship, first love, and healing she never knew she needed.

  10. Death of a Salesman

    Arthur Miller

    ★ 3.5 (186k) average on GoodreadsFiction

    Willy Loman, an aging salesman, confronts his failures and inflated self-worth, searching for a final, meaningful act in a world that has left him behind.

  11. Franny and Zooey

    J.D. Salinger

    ★ 4.0 (186k) average on GoodreadsLiterary Fiction

    A young woman's spiritual crisis forces her brilliant, cynical brother to question his own wisdom and offer genuine comfort.

  12. Sabriel

    Garth Nix

    ★ 4.2 (185k) average on GoodreadsFantasy

    A young woman must cross into a land haunted by the Dead and ruled by rogue magic to rescue her father, the legendary Abhorsen, before darkness consumes them all.

  13. When You Are Engulfed in Flames

    David Sedaris

    ★ 4.1 (184k) average on GoodreadsBiography

    From a parasitic worm in his mother-in-law's leg to the struggles of quitting smoking in Tokyo, David Sedaris shows life's absurdities with his usual self-deprecating humor and sharp observation.

  14. The Sun Is Also a Star

    Nicola Yoon

    ★ 4.1 (184k) average on GoodreadsYoung Adult

    A practical, science-focused girl facing deportation has her carefully planned future disrupted by a poetic boy who believes in destiny, all in one life-changing day in New York City.

  15. Finding Me

    Viola Davis

    ★ 4.5 (184k) average on GoodreadsSelf-Help

    Viola Davis's journey from Central Falls to Broadway shows how she shed societal labels and embraced honesty to find her true voice and inspire others.

  16. Pretty Little Liars

    Sara Shepard

    ★ 3.9 (184k) average on GoodreadsThriller

    Four high school juniors, haunted by the disappearance of their manipulative best friend Alison, find their scandalous secrets exposed by an anonymous blackmailer who claims to know everything.

  17. Around the World in Eighty Days

    Jules Verne

    ★ 3.9 (184k) average on GoodreadsLifestyle

    Phileas Fogg bets his fortune he can circle the globe in 80 days, embarking on a rapid journey by train, elephant, and more, challenging Victorian expectations of time and travel.

  18. The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay

    Michael Chabon

    ★ 4.2 (184k) average on GoodreadsLiterary Fiction

    In 1940s New York, two Jewish cousins, one an escape artist refugee and the other a Brooklyn writer, create comic book heroes, confronting real-world problems and finding love during America's golden age.

  19. The Reptile Room

    Lemony Snicket

    ★ 4.0 (184k) average on GoodreadsFantasy

    In a house with many snakes and a kind herpetologist, the Baudelaire orphans soon discover their new guardian's happiness hides a plot involving a deadly viper and their worst enemy.

  20. The Giver of Stars

    Jojo Moyes

    ★ 4.3 (183k) average on GoodreadsHistorical Fiction

    In Depression-era Kentucky, an Englishwoman finds freedom and purpose alongside a band of female librarians who brave mountains and societal scorn to deliver books to isolated communities.

  21. The Circle

    Dave Eggers

    ★ 3.4 (183k) average on GoodreadsThriller

    A young woman's dream job at a powerful tech company spirals into a terrifying loss of privacy and identity as the corporation's quest for ultimate transparency consumes everything in its path.

  22. Smile

    Raina Telgemeier

    ★ 4.3 (183k) average on GoodreadsChildren's

    A middle schooler’s quest for normalcy is hilariously and painfully derailed by a traumatic dental injury, transforming braces, headgear, and fake teeth into unexpected symbols of resilience amidst earthquakes, boy crushes, and shifting friendships.

  23. Orange Is the New Black

    Piper Kerman

    ★ 3.7 (182k) average on GoodreadsBiography

    A privileged Smith College alumna trades her comfortable life for a fifteen-month sentence in a federal prison, offering a raw, often humorous, and deeply human look into the hidden world of women behind bars.

  24. The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals

    Michael Pollan

    ★ 4.2 (182k) average on GoodreadsPolitics
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