100 Great Children's Books

The New York Public Library (NYPL) (2013), 100 Books

This list was created by expert children’s librarians at The New York Public Library to celebrate 100 years of inspiring young readers. Curated in 2013, it highlights 100 beloved books published over the prior century that have stood the test of time—or are well on their way to becoming classics. The selection spans picture books, early readers, and middle-grade novels, representing a rich diversity of stories, authors, and cultural perspectives that continue to engage generations of children and their families.

Who voted?
100 Great Children’s Books was selected by The New York
Public Library’s Jeanne Lamb, Coordinator, Youth
Collections, and Elizabeth Bird, Supervising Librarian.

Baltic literature: the best contemporary fiction you need to read

New East Digital Archive (2017), 8 Books

A list of the eight best contemporary Baltic books available in English, by Will Mawhood.

#ThisBook

#ThisBook (2014), 20 Books

Back in May 2014, the Baileys Women's Prize for Fiction launched the #ThisBook campaign. The aim was simple: to find out which books, written by women, have had the biggest impact on readers.

Who voted?
19 named women

Horror Writer Association's Top 40 Horror Books of All Time

Horror Writer Association (1996), 40 Books

Here is the description of this list from the Horror Writer Association

The HORROR WRITERS ASSOCIATION was formed, in part, to foster a greater appreciation of dark fiction among members of the general public. Whether you are new to Horror, or simply want to become familiar with some of the classics and “bests” of dark fiction, the following books are a wonderful place to begin.

Like most “best of” lists, ours is somewhat quirky. The books that appear here were picked using a survey of HWA’s general membership in 1996, so many excellent books published more recently do not appear here, and some of those that do are now out of print. Most of the recognized classics of dark fiction do appear here, though.

Top 10 books about high-tech

Guardian (2017), 10 Books

"From histories of world-conquering innovations to fiction that explores their dark side, a leading chronicler of this giddying world chooses the best guides".
By Leslie Berlin, who is Project Historian for the Silicon Valley Archives at Stanford University. She has been a Fellow at the Center for Advanced Studies in the Behavioral Sciences and served on the advisory committee to the Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History. Leslie was a “Prototype” columnist for The New York Times and has commented on Silicon Valley for the Wall Street Journal, NPR, PBS, The Atlantic and Wired.Former Google chairman Eric Schmidt called publication of Troublemakers, her book exploring how Silicon Valley during the 1970s set the stage for our modern high-tech world, “a landmark event.”
She has a PhD in History from Stanford and her BA in American Studies is from Yale.

26 Must-Read Korean Novels in English Translation

Books & Bao (2024), 26 Books

These are 26 of the best Korean novels in English translation, including two novels by Han Kang, the first South Korean to win the Nobel Prize in Literature.

Dragon Awards

The Dragon Awards (Yearly Award), 30 Books

The Dragon Awards are a set of literary and media awards voted on by fandom and presented annually since 2016 by Dragon Con for excellence in various categories of science fiction, fantasy, horror novels, movies, television, and games.

Top 25 Best Fiction Books on China: Understanding Contemporary China through Modern Literary Fiction

What’s on Weibo (2018), 26 Books

The "Top 25 Modern Fiction Works on China" compiled by What’s on Weibo is a curated list designed to provide insights into modern-day China through contemporary literature. This selection follows a previous compilation of non-fiction works, now focusing on literary fiction that reflects the societal changes and cultural nuances of the People's Republic of China since the pivotal year of 1978, marking the start of China's "Reform and Opening Up." The list exclusively features works available in English, excluding those centered on Hong Kong and Taiwan due to space limitations. The selection emphasizes modern fiction rather than historical texts, aiming to enhance understanding of China's recent past and its rapid evolution. Notable older works by authors like Lu Xun and Eileen Chang are acknowledged as deserving their own focused list.

Entertainment Weekly's Top 100 Novels

Entertainment Weekly (2013), 111 Books

Entertainment Weekly’s Top 100 Novels (2013), as selected by the EW staff in its July 5th 2013 issue

100 Major Works of Modern Creative Nonfiction

ThoughtCo (2018), 100 Books

Essays, memoirs, autobiographies, biographies, travel writing, history, cultural studies, nature writing—all of these fit under the broad heading of creative nonfiction, and all are represented in this list of 100 major works of creative nonfiction published by British and American writers over the past 90 years or so. They're arranged alphabetically by author last name.

This list seems to have been created by 1 person: Richard Nordquist who is:
English and Rhetoric Professor
Education
Ph.D., Rhetoric and English, University of Georgia
M.A., Modern English and American Literature, University of Leicester
B.A., English, State University of New York

Our Users' Honorable Mention Favorite Books of All Time

The Greatest Books Users (2024), 6877 Books

The Honorable Mention Greatest Books determined by the users of this web site. There's another list for the Top 100. This is our user's favorite books starting at number 101.

This list has over 5000+ voters from all over the world

If you would like to contribute add your favorite books to your "My Favorite Books" user list.

The Experts' Suggested Titles

The Plain Dealer (2006), 22 Books

Children's author Jon Scieszka, with the help of librarians, compiled a list of books to get children (boys and girls) reading. Some of the books named on this list were entire book series, and so the first book in each series was chosen instead.

The Greatest Books of 2024 - Honorable Mention

The Greatest Books (2024), 1114 Books

This is honorable mention lists of greatest books of 2024. The original list of the top 100 is here: https://thegreatestbooks.org/lists/746. This list are the books ranked 101 and after.

This list is ranked

Top 10 books about tumultuous times

Guardian (2020), 10 Books

"From paranoid Roman emperors to Winston Churchill’s war cabinet, here are some outstanding history books and novels exploring era-defining decisions made under pressure".
Matthew Kneale is the author of seven novels and two works of non-fiction. His debut novel, Whore Banquets, won the Somerset Maugham Award, Sweet Thames won John Llewellyn Rhys, and English Passengers, shortlisted for the Man Booker and Miles Franklin, won the Whitbread Book of the Year Award in 2000. His latest non-fiction book, Rome: A History in Seven Sackings, was a Waterstones Book of the Month.

20th Century's Greatest Hits: 100 English-Language Books of Fiction

Larry McCaffery (1999), 116 Books

The 20th Century’s Greatest Hits: 100 English-Language Books of Fiction is a popular "best of" list compiled by Larry McCaffery largely in response to Modern Library 100 Best Novels list (1999), which McCaffery saw as being out of touch with 20th-century fiction. McCaffery writes that he sees his list "as a means of sharing with readers my own views about what books are going to be read 100 or 1000 years from now".

From Oedipus to The History Boys: Michael Billington's 101 greatest plays

The Guardian (2015), 102 Books

Michael Billington, In his new book, the Guardian’s theatre critic has selected what he thinks are the 101 greatest plays ever written, in any western language

72 Philosophy Books Everyone Should Read

The Institute of Art and Ideas (2018), 77 Books

The Institute of Art and Ideas asked experts across the philosophy discipline to put together a list of their recommended philosophy books that everyone should read.

The Modern Library: The Two Hundred Best Novels in English Since 1950

The Modern Library (Book) (2011), 209 Books

The authors have chosen the 200 books since 1950 that they consider to be the best. It includes some familiar names and some surprises. Witty and controversial, their aim is to encourage reading.

The Authors
- Dame Carmen Thérèse Callil, DBE, FRSL was an Australian publisher, writer and critic who spent most of her career in the United Kingdom. She founded Virago Press in 1973 and received the Benson Medal from the Royal Society of Literature in 2017
- Colm Tóibín FRSL is an Irish novelist, short story writer, essayist, journalist, critic, playwright and poet. His first novel, The South, was published in 1990. The Blackwater Lightship was shortlisted for the Booker Prize.

The 100 Best Books of the Decade(2000)

Times (2009), 100 Books

The Time's list of the 100 Best Books of the 2000s. It's a mix of fiction and nonfiction.

25 Novels to Understand Our Reality from 2000 to The Present

elDiario.es (2024), 25 Books

This book list recommends one novel published each year of the 21st century, starting from the year 2000. It offers a literary journey through the last quarter-century, featuring novels that speak to our experiences, realities, and ways of being in the world. These books raise questions, evoke emotions, and sometimes challenge the reader. The selection is diverse in terms of form, content, origin, and the author's background, reflecting the increasing awareness of diversity in contemporary society. The list focuses exclusively on novels, excluding short stories, poetry, theater, and non-fiction, and does not repeat authors. Each novel is available in Spanish, though the list considers the original publication year in the author's language. This compilation is not meant to be definitive or exhaustive, and readers are encouraged to suggest alternative titles.

One Hundred Best American Novels, 1770 to 1985

The American Scholar (2014), 100 Books

This list is by David Handlin, posted by The American Scholar, the quarterly literary magazine of the Phi Beta Kappa Society, established as far back as 1932.

David Handlin is an American architect and architectural historian. He presents it as 'A reading enthusiast’s list' but reading the intro
suggests a fair amount of scholarship went into it. It is what you might call a respectable list of the 100 Best American Novels, 1770–1985.

Best Books of the Decade(2010-2020)

Chicago Tribune (2019), 38 Books

John Warner of the Chicago Tribune lists his favorite books of the 2010s.

PEOPLE Picks the Best Books of the 2010s

PEOPLE Magazine (2024), 15 Books

In celebration of our 50th year, we're looking back at some of our favorite reads over the decades.

The 2010s presented a vast selection of award-winning, beloved books throughout the decade. From novels that helped to change the way we think to groundbreaking nonfiction books to help us better understand ourselves and the world around us, there was no shortage of incredible literature during this time, many of which could be considered new modern classics.

PEOPLE staffers have come together to select some of our favorite books of the decade, in celebration of the magazine’s 50th anniversary. Read on to see some of our picks.

Arthur C. Clarke Award

Arthur C. Clarke Award (Yearly Award), 38 Books

The Arthur C. Clarke Award is a British award given for the best science fiction novel first published in the United Kingdom during the previous year. It is named after British author Arthur C. Clarke, who gave a grant to establish the award in 1987. The book is chosen by a panel of judges from the British Science Fiction Association, the Science Fiction Foundation, and a third organisation, which as of 2019 is the Sci-Fi-London film festival. The award has been described as "the UK's most prestigious science fiction prize".

100 Books to Read in a Lifetime

Amazon.com (UK) (2014), 100 Books

Amazon UK editors select 100 books that they deem "essential".

100 Most Influential Books of the Century

Boston Public Library (2000), 100 Books

Boston Public Library's list of "The 100 Most Influential Books of the Century". A booklist for Adults.
Compiled by Dawn Cook, General Library, Adult Reader and Information Services, Boston Public Library, May 2000

13 Incredible Icelandic Books in Translation

Books and Bao! (2024), 13 Books

13 Incredible Icelandic Books in Translation

These are your essential Icelandic books, written by the finest Icelandic authors of the 20th and 21st Centuries.

The Indian Fiction Top 25

Jerry Pinto, Indian poet and novelist (2005), 25 Books

This is a list of the top 25 Indian fiction books by Jerry Pinto. Jerry is a Mumbai-based Indian-English poet, novelist, short story writer, translator, as well as journalist. Pinto's works include Helen: The Life and Times of an H-Bomb, which won the Best Book on Cinema Award at the 54th National Film Awards, Surviving Women and Asylum and Other Poems.

Boston Public Library: Top Fiction and Non-Fiction Books of the 2010s

Boston Public Library (2020), 20 Books

The top 10 books of the 2010s from the Reader Services Department at the Boston Public Library. Please note that this list only includes the fiction and non-fiction books. The genres are aggregated in a different list.

Britain's Favourite Ten Children's Books

Waterstone and BBC (1997), 10 Books

On September 1, 1997 the results of a poll to find the nation's favourite children's book were announced. The poll, sponsored by Waterstone's and the BBC, found Roald Dahl's Matilda to be the favorite. The top ten books from the poll are shown in the following table.

More details for it: "Over 10,000 children voted for more than
700 different titles by phoning or emailing
the BBC poll or voting at their local
Waterstone’s bookshop. The poll closed at
midnight on 27th August after a month’s

Women's Prize for Fiction

Women's Prize for Fiction (Yearly Award), 30 Books

The Women's Prize for Fiction (previously called Orange Prize for Fiction (1996-2006 & 2009-12), Orange Broadband Prize for Fiction (2007-2008) and Baileys Women's Prize for Fiction (2014-2017)) is one of the United Kingdom's most prestigious literary prizes, annually awarded to a female author of any nationality for the best original full-length novel written in English, and published in the United Kingdom in the preceding year.

Barack Obama's Reading Lists

Barack Obama (2025), 172 Books

This is every book that Barack Obama listed on his yearly reading lists since 2008 to 2015

110 Best Books: The Perfect Library

The Telegraph (2008), 112 Books

From classics and sci-fi to poetry, biographies and books that changed the world… we present the ultimate reading list.

The 50 Best Fantasy Books of All Time

Esquire Magazine (2022), 50 Books

This curated list of the 50 greatest fantasy books of all time showcases the most innovative and influential works in the genre. Spanning classic epics to modern masterpieces, these books transport readers to richly imagined worlds filled with magic, mythical creatures, and unforgettable characters. Each selection has shaped the fantasy landscape, offering groundbreaking storytelling, immersive world-building, and timeless themes of heroism, adventure, and transformation. Whether you're a lifelong fantasy fan or new to the genre, this collection highlights essential reads that continue to inspire and captivate readers around the world.

500 Must Read Books

The Daily Telegraph (2013), 497 Books

500 'must-read' books of all time as selected by The Telegraph's team of literary experts.

The 25 Best Mystery Novels of the Past 25 Years

Wall Street Journal (2025), 25 Books

This list shines a spotlight on the 25 best mystery novels of the past 25 years, emphasizing the emergence of new writers in the crime fiction genre while still acknowledging the contributions of seasoned authors. Curated by Tom Nolan for the Wall Street Journal, the selection prioritizes narratives that tell gripping stories in memorable ways, with a preference for those who have risen to prominence in recent decades. The methodology appears to focus on the storytelling prowess and impact of each novel rather than popularity or sales figures.

Who Voted: Tom Nolan

Tibor Fischer's Top 10 Eastern European Novels

The Guardian (2003), 12 Books

Tibor Fischer, author of the Booker-shortlisted Under the Frog and The Thought Gang, was selected as one of Granta's 20 best British young novelists in 1993. This is his list of the Top 10 Eastern European novels.

The 50 Books Everyone Needs to Read, 1963-2013

Flavor Wire (2013), 51 Books

The choices here are influenced by the following: the stipulation that any specific author should not be chosen for more than one year, a general focus on fiction over other genres, and the tastes/whims/glaring prejudices of Flavorwire’s literary editor.

PEN Translation Prize

PEN America (Yearly Award), 64 Books

The PEN Translation Prize is an annual award for book-length prose translations from any language into English, and published in the United States.

Who voted: Each year, the Awards Committee selects approximately four litterateurs to serve as judges. Nominations may come from members, anonymous nomination panels, or both. Judges are also encouraged to submit their own nominations.

The Librarians' Choice - Top 20 South African Books, 1994-2014

LISA (Library and Information Association of South Africa) (2014), 20 Books

"Library workers across South Africa have been requested to identify the top twenty South African books published during these 20 years that reflect South African life by South Africans... It must be written by a South African author in one of our official languages and must be published for the first time between 1994 and 2014".

70 Iconic Indian Books (India's 70th Independence Anniversary)

Hindustan Times (2017), 70 Books

This list in the Hindustan Times was for the 70th celebration of India's independence.
Created & curated by Chiki Sarkar, publisher and founder of Juggernaut Books.
"I consulted a diverse group of people for this list and came up with the following criteria apart from HT's own rule - that the books had to be written in English.

The books on my list had to meet one or more of the following:
1. A book that had social impact (Created a debate, a new readership or won a major prize).
2. One that stands the test of time for its superb quality.
3. Books a general reader can read. The only scholarly books that have been included are ones that have changed the way we see the world.
4. A few extraordinary translations from Indian languages to English- where we are recognising the translation, not the work itself.
5. Books by some foreigners on India of outstanding merit.
6. Only one book per author."

Potter, Pi, and Pilgrim: What any library of the aughts ought to contain (Honorable mention not from Canada)

The National Post (newspaper) (2010), 7 Books

The National Post, a famous and popular Canadian newspaper published an article in January of 2010 about the best books of the 2000s. They did both Canadian specific, International specific, as well as honorable mentions for both lists. This list is the honorable mention non-Canadian novels of the 2000s.

They asked a broad selection of Canadian writers, critics, editors, agents, bloggers, and others who work in the publishing industry.

50 Greatest Plays of The Past 100 Years (1913–2013)

Entertainment Weekly (2013), 50 Books

Entertainment Weekly lists the 50 greatest plays of the past 100 years. Here's the description from their website:

Stage plays can have the power to move us, make us laugh, and speak to the human condition more than most art forms. From Southern gothic character studies such as A Streetcar Named Desire to sprawling epics that encapsulate a specific place and time like Angels in America, the past century has seen some of our most defining stories originate on the stage for the benefit of rapt theatergoers.

Ahead, we've ranked what we believe to be the greatest plays of the past 100 years, with links to where you can purchase them all to read (though we encourage you to seek them out if any are being mounted on the stage in your area).

Top 10 Books about great thinkers (Guardian)

Guardian (2020), 10 Books

"The very best intellectual biographies enrich our understanding of great thinkers by situating them in a time and a place, and by exploring how they negotiate the difficult art of living through the products of their minds. Here are 10 wonderful books that thread together the lives and ideas of their thinkers in a way that intensifies our understanding of each."

By Peter Salmon, author of An Event, Perhaps: A Biography of Jacques Derrida. He has received the Writer's Awards from the Arts Council of England and teaches creative writing.

Best Books on Indian History

leverageedu.com (2023), 23 Books

Best Books on Indian History
This has both works of popular history as well as others being part of the history curriculum.

50 Books That Defined Their Era

Guardian (2011), 50 Books

Which of these books do you think best defines its era? The panel comprised Nic Bottomley, independent bookseller and Guardian blogger; Hazel Broadfoot, independent bookseller; Sarah Crown, editor of Guardian Unlimited Books; Alastair Giles, book publishing marketing consultant; Jo Henry, executive director of the Book Marketing Society; John Mullan, professor of English at University College London and Guardian contributor; Joel Rickett, deputy editor of the Bookseller and Guardian contributor; Gary Whitlie, managing director, Miller Brands (UK).

The complete list: 50 books that defined their era!

Locus Award for Best Science Fiction Novel

Locus Awards (Yearly Award), 43 Books

The Locus Award for Best Science Fiction Novel is one of the annual Locus Awards presented by the science fiction and fantasy magazine Locus. Awards presented in a given year are for works published in the previous calendar year. The award for Best Science Fiction Novel was first presented in 1980, and is among the awards still presented (as of 2022). Previously, there had simply been an award for Best Novel. A similar award for Best Fantasy Novel was introduced in 1978.[1] The Locus Awards have been described as a prestigious prize in science fiction, fantasy and horror literature

Top 100 Books of the 21st-Century

This House of Books (2024), 100 Books

This list aims to address perceived shortcomings in the New York Times' selection of the best 100 books published so far this century by offering an alternative list curated by the staff and board members of This House of Books. The selection criteria emphasize diversity, inclusivity, and enjoyment, contrasting with what they view as the NYT's focus on literary fiction and recurrent authors. The methodology involves polling the staff and board, and the list prioritizes books available through their distributor, reflecting the biases of the English-language publishing world. Notably, the selection process is transparent about personal connections and limitations, ensuring no titles from member-owners are included to avoid nepotism.

52 Award-Winning Titles Every Book Lover Should Read

Book (2021), 52 Books

This is a list from a book that the ALA, the American Library Association published. The ALA is a nonprofit organization based in the United States that promotes libraries and library education internationally. It is the oldest and largest library association in the world, with more than 57,000 members.

25 Memoirs to Read Before You Die

Powell's Books (2017), 25 Books

This list spotlights 25 memoirs chosen to surface powerful, overlooked reads, serving as the fourth installment in Powell’s ongoing “25 Books to Read Before You Die” series focused this time on memoir. The curators deliberately excluded widely taught, classroom staples to free up space for underappreciated titles, and they selected works that share two defining qualities: exceptional writing and an unflinching willingness to reveal both the beauty and the ugliness of lived experience. Compiled and annotated by Powell’s booksellers, the picks reflect an internal, editorial selection process rather than a public vote, with no rankings or numeric scoring disclosed—just thoughtful staff notes accompanying each choice to explain why it deserves a place on the list.

Who Voted: Powell's Staff. 12 people are listed to have contributed. Renee P.
Gigi L.
Jennifer H.
Jill O.
Mary Jo S.
Aubrey W.
Tim B.
Jeremy G.
Miranda G.
Rhianna W.
Britt A.
Kate L.