2. The Boys in the Boat
by: Daniel James Brown
Daniel James Brown’s robust book tells the story of the University of
Washington’s 1936 eight-oar crew and their epic quest for an Olympic
gold medal, a team that transformed the sport and grabbed the attention
of millions of Americans. The sons of loggers, shipyard workers, and
farmers, the boys defeated elite rivals first from eastern and British
universities and finally the German crew rowing for Adolf Hitler in the
Olympic games in Berlin, 1936.
The emotional heart of the story lies with one rower, Joe Rantz, a teenager
without family or prospects, who rows not for glory, but to regain his
shattered self-regard and to find a place he can call home. The crew is
assembled by an enigmatic coach and mentored by a visionary, eccentric
British boat builder, but it is their trust in each other that makes them a
victorious team. They remind the country of what can be done when
everyone quite literally pulls together—a perfect melding of commitment,
determination, and optimism.
416 pages
3. We Were Liars
by: e. lockhart
A beautiful and distinguished family.
A private island.
A brilliant, damaged girl; a passionate, political boy.
A group of four friends—the Liars—whose friendship turns destructive.
A revolution. An accident. A secret.
Lies upon lies.
True love.
The truth.
We Were Liars is a modern, sophisticated suspense novel from New York Times
bestselling author, National Book Award finalist, and Printz Award honoree E. Lockhart.
Read it.
And if anyone asks you how it ends, just LIE.
240 pages
4. Shine
by: Lauren Myracle
When her best guy friend falls victim to what seems like a
vicious hate crime, 16-year-old Cat sets out to discover
who in her small town did it. Richly atmospheric, this
daring mystery mines the secrets of a tightly knit Southern
community and examines the strength of will it takes to go
against everyone you know in the name of justice.
Against a backdrop of poverty, clannishness, drugs, and
intolerance, Myracle has crafted a harrowing coming-of-
age tale couched in a deeply intelligent mystery. Smart,
fearless, and compassionate, this is an unforgettable work
from a beloved author.
376 pages
5. Go Set a Watchman
by: Harper Lee
Originally written in the mid-1950s, Go Set a Watchman was the novel
Harper Lee first submitted to her publishers before To Kill a Mockingbird.
Assumed to have been lost, the manuscript was discovered in late 2014.
Go Set a Watchman features many of the characters from To Kill a
Mockingbird some twenty years later. Returning home to Maycomb to visit
her father, Jean Louise Finch—Scout—struggles with issues both personal
and political, involving Atticus, society, and the small Alabama town that
shaped her.
Exploring how the characters from To Kill a Mockingbird are adjusting to the
turbulent events transforming mid-1950s America, Go Set a Watchman casts
a fascinating new light on Harper Lee’s enduring classic. Moving, funny and
compelling, it stands as a magnificent novel in its own right.
288 pages
6. The Things They Carried
by: Tim O’Brien
The Things They Carried depicts the men of Alpha Company: Jimmy Cross, Henry
Dobbins, Rat Kiley, Mitchell Sanders, Norman Bowker, Kiowa, and of course, the
character Tim O'Brien who has survived his tour in Vietnam to become a father and
writer at the age of forty-three. They battle the enemy (or maybe more the idea of the
enemy), and occasionally each other. In their relationships we see their isolation and
loneliness, their rage and fear. They miss their families, their girlfriends and buddies;
they miss the lives they left back home. Yet they find sympathy and kindness for
strangers (the old man who leads them unscathed through the mine field, the girl who
grieves while she dances), and love for each other, because in Vietnam they are the
only family they have. We hear the voices of the men and build images upon their
dialogue. The way they tell stories about others, we hear them telling stories about
themselves.
With the creative verve of the greatest fiction and the intimacy of a searing
autobiography, The Things They Carried is a testament to the men who risked their
lives in America's most controversial war. It is also a mirror held up to the frailty of
humanity. Ultimately The Things They Carried and its myriad protagonists call to
order the courage, determination, and luck we all need to survive.
233 pages
7. The Book of the Unknown Americans
by: Cristina Henriquez
A boy and a girl who fall in love. Two families whose hopes collide with destiny. An
extraordinary novel that offers a resonant new definition of what it means to be
American.
Arturo and Alma Rivera have lived their whole lives in Mexico. One day, their beautiful
fifteen-year-old daughter, Maribel, sustains a terrible injury, one that casts doubt on
whether she’ll ever be the same. And so, leaving all they have behind, the Riveras come
to America with a single dream: that in this country of great opportunity and resources,
Maribel can get better.
When Mayor Toro, whose family is from Panama, sees Maribel in a Dollar Tree store, it
is love at first sight. It’s also the beginning of a friendship between the Rivera and Toro
families, whose web of guilt and love and responsibility is at this novel’s core.
Woven into their stories are the testimonials of men and women who have come to the
United States from all over Latin America. Their journeys and their voices will inspire
you, surprise you, and break your heart.
Suspenseful, wry and immediate, rich in spirit and humanity, The Book of Unknown
Americans is a work of rare force and originality.
304 pages
8. Ready Player One
by: Ernest Cline
In the year 2044, reality is an ugly place. The only time
teenage Wade Watts really feels alive is when he's jacked
into the virtual utopia known as the OASIS. Wade's devoted
his life to studying the puzzles hidden within this world's
digital confines—puzzles that are based on their creator's
obsession with the pop culture of decades past and that
promise massive power and fortune to whoever can unlock
them.
But when Wade stumbles upon the first clue, he finds himself
beset by players willing to kill to take this ultimate prize. The
race is on, and if Wade's going to survive, he'll have to win—
and confront the real world he's always been so desperate to
escape.
384 pages
9. Saint Anything
by: Sarah Dessen
Sydney has always felt invisible. She's grown accustomed to her
brother, Peyton, being the focus of the family’s attention and, lately,
concern. Peyton is handsome and charismatic, but seems bent on
self-destruction. Now, after a drunk-driving accident that crippled a
boy, Peyton’s serving some serious jail time, and Sydney is on her
own, questioning her place in the family and the world.
Then she meets the Chatham family. Drawn into their warm, chaotic
circle, Sydney experiences unquestioning acceptance for the first
time. There’s effervescent Layla, who constantly falls for the wrong
guy, Rosie, who’s had her own fall from grace, and Mrs. Chatham,
who even though ailing is the heart of the family. But it’s with older
brother Mac—quiet, watchful, and protective—that Sydney finally
feels seen, really seen, at last.
Saint Anything is Sarah Dessen’s deepest and most psychologically
probing novel yet, telling an engrossing story of a girl discovering
friendship, love, and herself.
432 pages
10. A God In Ruins
by: Kate Atkinson
Kate Atkinson's dazzling Life After Life explored the possibility of
infinite chances and the power of choices, following Ursula Todd as
she lived through the turbulent events of the last century over and
over again.
A God in Ruins tells the dramatic story of the 20th Century through
Ursula's beloved younger brother Teddy--would-be poet, heroic pilot,
husband, father, and grandfather-as he navigates the perils and
progress of a rapidly changing world. After all that Teddy endures in
battle, his greatest challenge is living in a future he never expected to
have.
An ingenious and moving exploration of one ordinary man's path
through extraordinary times, A GOD IN RUINS proves once again that
Kate Atkinson is one of the finest novelists of our age.
480 pages
11. Into Thin Air
by: John Krakauer
A bank of clouds was assembling on the not-so-distant
horizon, but journalist-mountaineer Jon Krakauer,
standing on the summit of Mt. Everest, saw nothing that
"suggested that a murderous storm was bearing down."
He was wrong. The storm, which claimed five lives and
left countless more--including Krakauer's--in guilt-
ridden disarray, would also provide the impetus for Into
Thin Air, Krakauer's epic account of the May 1996
disaster.
332 pages
12. The Ocean at the End of the Lane
By: Neil Gaiman
A brilliantly imaginative and poignant fairy tale from
the modern master of wonder and terror, The Ocean
at the End of the Lane is Neil Gaiman’s first new novel
for adults since his #1 New York Times bestseller
Anansi Boys.
This bewitching and harrowing tale of mystery and
survival, and memory and magic, makes the
impossible all too real…
(181 pages)
13. All the Light We Cannot See
by Anthony Doerr
Marie-Laure lives with her father in Paris near the Museum of Natural
History, where he works as the master of its thousands of locks. When she
is six, Marie-Laure goes blind and her father builds a perfect miniature of
their neighborhood so she can memorize it by touch and navigate her way
home. When she is twelve, the Nazis occupy Paris and father and daughter
flee to the walled citadel of Saint-Malo, where Marie-Laure’s reclusive
great-uncle lives in a tall house by the sea. With them they carry what might
be the museum’s most valuable and dangerous jewel.
In a mining town in Germany, the orphan Werner grows up with his
younger sister, enchanted by a crude radio they find. Werner becomes an
expert at building and fixing these crucial new instruments, a talent that
wins him a place at a brutal academy for Hitler Youth, then a special
assignment to track the resistance. More and more aware of the human cost
of his intelligence, Werner travels through the heart of the war and, finally,
into Saint-Malo, where his story and Marie-Laure’s converge.
14. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
by: Mary Ann Shaffer & Annie Barrows
As Juliet and her new correspondent exchange letters, Juliet is drawn
into the world of this man and his friends—and what a wonderfully
eccentric world it is. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie
Society—born as a spur-of-the-moment alibi when its members were
discovered breaking curfew by the Germans occupying their island—
boasts a charming, funny, deeply human cast of characters, from pig
farmers to phrenologists, literature lovers all.
Juliet begins a remarkable correspondence with the society’s members,
learning about their island, their taste in books, and the impact the
recent German occupation has had on their lives. Captivated by their
stories, she sets sail for Guernsey, and what she finds will change her
forever.
Written with warmth and humor as a series of letters, this novel is a
celebration of the written word in all its guises, and of finding
connection in the most surprising ways.
290 pages
15. #Girlboss by: Sophia Amoruso
The first thing Sophia Amoruso sold online wasn’t fashion—it was a stolen book. She
spent her teens hitchhiking, committing petty theft, and dumpster diving. By twenty-two,
she had resigned herself to employment, but was still broke, directionless, and working a
mediocre day job she’d taken for the health insurance.
It was there that Sophia decided to start selling vintage clothes on eBay. Eight years later,
she is the founder, CEO, and creative director of Nasty Gal, a $100 million plus online
fashion retailer with more than 350 employees. Sophia’s never been a typical CEO, or a
typical anything, and she’s written #GIRLBOSS for outsiders (and insiders) seeking a
unique path to success, even when that path is winding as all hell and lined with
naysayers.
#GIRLBOSS includes Sophia’s story, yet is infinitely bigger than Sophia. It’s deeply
personal yet universal. Filled with brazen wake-up calls (“You are not a special
snowflake”), cunning and frank observations (“Failure is your invention”), and behind-
the-scenes stories from Nasty Gal’s meteoric rise, #GIRLBOSS covers a lot of ground. It
proves that being successful isn’t about how popular you were in high school or where
you went to college (if you went to college). Rather, success is about trusting your
instincts and following your gut, knowing which rules to follow and which to break.
256 pages
16. What is the What by: Eggers
What Is the What is the epic novel based on the life of
Valentino Achak Deng who, along with thousands of other
children —the so-called Lost Boys—was forced to leave his
village in Sudan at the age of seven and trek hundreds of
miles by foot, pursued by militias, government bombers, and
wild animals, crossing the deserts of three countries to find
freedom. When he finally is resettled in the United States, he
finds a life full of promise, but also heartache and myriad
new challenges. Moving, suspenseful, and unexpectedly
funny, What Is the What is an astonishing novel that
illuminates the lives of millions through one extraordinary
man.
560 pages
17. The Hour I First Believed
By: Wally Lamb
When high school teacher Caelum Quirk and his wife,
Maureen, a school nurse, move to Littleton, Colorado,
they both get jobs at Columbine High School. In April
1999, while Caelum is away, Maureen finds herself in the
library at Columbine, cowering in a cabinet and expecting
to be killed. Miraculously, she survives, but at a cost: she
is unable to recover from the trauma. When Caelum and
Maureen flee to an illusion of safety on the Quirk family's
Connecticut farm, they discover that the effects of chaos
are not easily put right, and further tragedy ensues.
768 pages
18. Leaving Time
by: Jodi Picoult
For more than a decade, Jenna Metcalf has never stopped thinking about her
mother, Alice, who mysteriously disappeared in the wake of a tragic accident.
Refusing to believe she was abandoned, Jenna searches for her mother
regularly online and pores over the pages of Alice’s old journals. A scientist
who studied grief among elephants, Alice wrote mostly of her research
among the animals she loved, yet Jenna hopes the entries will provide a clue
to her mother’s whereabouts.
Desperate to find the truth, Jenna enlists two unlikely allies in her quest:
Serenity Jones, a psychic who rose to fame finding missing persons, only to
later doubt her gifts, and Virgil Stanhope, the jaded private detective who’d
originally investigated Alice’s case along with the strange, possibly linked
death of one of her colleagues. As the three work together to uncover what
happened to Alice, they realize that in asking hard questions, they’ll have to
face even harder answers.
As Jenna’s memories dovetail with the events in her mother’s journals, the
story races to a mesmerizing finish. A deeply moving, gripping, and intelligent
page-turner, Leaving Time is Jodi Picoult at the height of her powers.
416 pages
19. Green Intelligence
By: John Wargo
We live in a world awash in manmade chemicals, from the pesticides on our front
lawns to the diesel exhaust in the air we breathe. Although experts are beginning
to understand the potential dangers of these substances, there are still more than
80,000 synthetic compounds that have not been sufficiently tested to interpret
their effects on human health. Yale University professor John Wargo has spent
much of his career researching the impact of chemical exposures on women and
children. In this book, he explains the origins of society’s profound
misunderstanding of everyday chemical hazards and offers a practical path toward
developing greater “green intelligence.”
Despite the rising trend in environmental awareness, information about synthetic
substances is often unavailable, distorted, kept secret, or presented in a way that
prevents citizens from acting to reduce threats to their health and the
environment. By examining the histories of five hazardous technologies and
practices, Wargo finds remarkable patterns in the delayed discovery of dangers
and explains the governments’ failures to manage them effectively. Sobering yet
eminently readable, Wargo’s book ultimately offers a clear vision for a safer future
through prevention, transparency, and awareness.
400 pages
20. The World Without Us
By: Weisman
If human beings disappeared instantaneously from the
Earth, what would happen? How would the planet
reclaim its surface? What creatures would emerge from
the dark and swarm? How would our treasured
structures--our tunnels, our bridges, our homes, our
monuments--survive the unmitigated impact of a planet
without our intervention? In his revelatory, bestselling
account, Alan Weisman draws on every field of science to
present an environmental assessment like no other, the
most affecting portrait yet of humankind's place on this
planet.
432 pages
21. Good Omens
By: Neil Gaiman & Pratchett
According to The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch (the
world's only completely accurate book of prophecies, written in 1655, before
she exploded), the world will end on a Saturday. Next Saturday, in fact. Just
before dinner.
So the armies of Good and Evil are amassing, Atlantis is rising, frogs are
falling, tempers are flaring. Everything appears to be going according to
Divine Plan. Except a somewhat fussy angel and a fast-living demon—both of
whom have lived amongst Earth's mortals since The Beginning and have
grown rather fond of the lifestyle—are not actually looking forward to the
coming Rapture.
And someone seems to have misplaced the Antichrist . . .
432 pages
22. Friday Night Lights
By: H.G. Bissinger
Return once again to the timeless account of the Permian Panthers of
Odessa--the winningest high-school football team in Texas history.
Odessa is not known to be a town big on dreams, but the Panthers help
keep the hopes and dreams of this small, dusty town going. Socially and
racially divided, its fragile economy follows the treacherous boom-bust
path of the oil business. In bad times, the unemployment rate barrels out
of control; in good times, its murder rate skyrockets. But every Friday
night from September to December, when the Permian High School
Panthers play football, this West Texas town becomes a place where
dreams can come true. With frankness and compassion, H. G. Bissinger
chronicles a season in the life of Odessa and shows how single-minded
devotion to the team shapes the community and inspires--and
sometimes shatters--the teenagers who wear the Panthers' uniforms.
367 pages
23. The Devil in the White City
By: Larson
Erik Larson—author of #1 bestseller In the Garden of
Beasts—intertwines the true tale of the 1893 World's
Fair and the cunning serial killer who used the fair to
lure his victims to their death. Combining meticulous
research with nail-biting storytelling, Erik Larson has
crafted a narrative with all the wonder of newly
discovered history and the thrills of the best fiction.
447 pages
