How many books are published in the USA every year: hundreds, thousands, or millions? There is no doubt that no one has read all the books which were created just during the last year, not to mention over the past centuries! Thus, there are lots of arguments and discussions among book lovers about which ones are the best among the others, especially when it comes to the variety of genres and authors.
However, there is a list of the top 100 masterpieces which are well-known in the world and are read by billions in lots of countries. Would you like to find out which ones are the top-rated and the greatest manuscripts ever before you die? So you don’t waste your lifetime in vain, you need to fill your knowledge with great authors’ masterpieces of all time. This article reveals all the best world’s thrillers, comedies, and science fiction novels that have been created.
Top Books Ever Written in the World
Title | Author | Genre | Published | Country |
---|---|---|---|---|
1984 (Nineteen Eighty-Four) | George Orwell | Dystopian, Political & Social Science Fiction | 1949 | United Kingdom |
A Confederacy of Dunces | John Kennedy Toole | Comedy, Tragicomedy | 1980 | United States |
A Prayer for Owen Meany | John Irving | Bildungsroman | 1989 | United States |
A Separate Peace | John Knowles | Naturalism | 1959 | United States |
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn | Betty Smith | Semi-Autobiographical Novel | 1943 | United States |
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer | Mark Twain | Bildungsroman, Satire, Children's Literature | 1876 | United States |
The Alchemist | Paulo Coelho | Adventure Fantasy | 1988 | Brazil |
Alex Cross (series) | James Patterson | Crime, Mystery, Thriller | 1993 – 2017 | United States |
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland | Lewis Carroll | Fiction | 1865 | United Kingdom |
Americanah | Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie | Fiction | 2013 | Nigeria |
And Then There Were None | Agatha Christie | Mystery Novel | 1939 | United Kingdom |
Anne of Green Gables | Lucy Maud Montgomery | Novel | 1908 | United States |
Another Country | James Baldwin | Novel | 1962 | United States |
Atlas Shrugged | Ayn Rand | Romance Novel, Philosophical, Science and Mystery Fiction | 1957 | United States |
Beloved | Toni Morrison | Magic Realism | 1987 | United States |
Bless Me, Ultima | Rudolfo Anaya | Fiction | 1972 | United States |
The Book Thief | Markus Zusak | Historical Novel | 2005 | Germany |
The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao | Junot Diaz | Novel | 2007 | United States |
The Call of the Wild | Jack London | Adventure Fiction | 1903 | United States |
Catch 22 | Joseph Heller | Satire | 1961 | United States |
The Catcher in the Rye | J.D. Salinger | Realistic & Coming-of-Age Fiction | 1951 | United States |
Charlotte's Web | E. B. White | Children's Novel | 1952 | United States |
The Chronicles of Narnia (series) | C.S. Lewis | Fantasy, Children's Literature | 1950 – 1956 | United Kingdom |
The Clan of the Cave Bear | Jean M. Auel | Prehistoric Fiction | 1980 | United States |
The Coldest Winter Ever | Sister Souljah | Literary & Urban Fiction | 1999 | United States |
The Color Purple | Alice Walker | Epistolary Novel | 1982 | United States |
The Count of Monte Cristo | Alexandre Dumas | Historical Novel, Adventure | 1844 | France |
Crime and Punishment | Fyodor Dostoyevsky | Philosophical Novel, Psychological Fiction | 1866 | Russian |
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time | Mark Haddon | Mystery Novel | 2003 | United Kingdom |
The Da Vinci Code | Dan Brown | Mystery, Detective & Conspiracy Fiction, Thriller | 2003 | United States |
Don Quixote | Miguel de Cervantes | Novel | 1605 | Spain |
Doña Bárbara | Romulo Gallegos | Novel | 1929 | Spain |
Dune | Frank Herbert | Science Fiction | 1965 | United States |
Fifty Shades of Grey (series) | E.L. James | Erotic Romance | 2011 – 2017 | United Kingdom |
Flowers in the Attic | V.C. Andrews | Gothic Horror, Family Saga | 1979 | United States |
Foundation (series) | Issac Asimov | Science Fiction | 1942 – 1993 | United States |
Frankenstein | Mary Shelley | Gothic Novel, Horror & Science Fiction | 1818 | United Kingdom |
Game of Thrones (series) | George R. R. Martin | Epic Fantasy | 1996 – present | United States |
Ghost | Jason Reynolds | Young Adult | 2016 | United States |
Gilead | Marilynne Robinson | Novel | 2004 | United States |
The Giver | Lois Lowry | Young Adult & Science Fiction | 1993 | United States |
The Godfather | Mario Puzo | Crime Novel | 1969 | United States |
Gone Girl | Gillian Flynn | Thriller | 2012 | United States |
Gone With the Wind | Margaret Mitchell | Historical Fiction | 1936 | United States |
The Grapes of Wrath | John Steinbeck | Realist Novel | 1939 | United States |
Great Expectations | Charles Dickens | Novel | 1861 | United Kingdom |
The Great Gatsby | F. Scott Fitzgerald | Novel | 1925 | United States |
Gulliver's Travels | Jonathan Swift | Satire, Fantasy | 1726 | Ireland |
The Handmaid's Tale | Margaret Atwood | Literary | 1985 | Canada |
Harry Potter (series) | J.K. Rowling | Fantasy Novel | 1997 – 2007 | United Kingdom |
Hatchet (series) | Gary Paulsen | Adventure, Young Adult | 1987 | United States |
Heart of Darkness | Joseph Conrad | Novella | 1902 | United Kingdom |
The Help | Kathryn Stockett | Historical | 2009 | United States |
Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (series) | Douglas Adams | Comedy, Science Fiction | 1979 – 2009 | United States |
The Hunger Games (series) | Suzanne Collins | Young Adult Novel, Dystopian | 2008 – 2010 | United States |
The Hunt for Red October | Tom Clancy | Techno-Thriller, Military & Spy & Historical Fiction | 1984 | United States |
On the Road | Jack Kerouac | Adventure | 1957 | United States |
Invisible Man | Ralph Ellison | Bildungsroman | 1953 | United States |
Jane Eyre | Charlotte Bronte | Novel | 1847 | United Kingdom |
The Joy Luck Club | Amy Tan | Fiction | 1989 | United States |
Jurassic Park | Michael Crichton | Science Fiction | 1990 | United States |
The Green Mile | Stephen King | Novel | 1996 | United States |
The Little Prince | Antoine de Saint-Exupery | Novella | 1943 | France |
Little Women | Louisa May Alcott | Bildungsroman | 1868 | United States |
Lonesome Dove | Larry McMurtry | Western | 1985 | United States |
Looking for Alaska | John Green | Young Adult | 2005 | United States |
The Lord of the Rings (series) | J.R.R. Tolkien | Fantasy, Adventure | 1954 | United Kingdom |
The Lovely Bones | Alice Sebold | Novel | 2002 | United States |
The Martian | Andy Weir | Science Ffiction | 2014 | United States |
Memoirs of a Geisha | Arthur Golden | Historical Fiction | 1997 | United States |
Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption | Stephen King | Crime Fiction | 1982 | United States |
Moby-Dick | Herman Melville | Adventure Fiction | 1851 | United States |
The Notebook | Nicholas Sparks | Romance | 1996 | United States |
One Hundred Years of Solitude | Gabriel Garcia Marquez | Magic Realism | 1967 | Argentina |
Outlander (series) | Diana Gabaldon | Historical Fiction, Science Fantasy | 1991 | United States |
The Outsiders | S.E. Hinton | Young Adult Fiction | 1967 | United States |
Picture of Dorian Gray | Oscar Wilde | Gothic and Philosophical Novel | 1890 | United States |
The Pilgrim's Progress | John Bunyan | Religious Allegory | 1678 | United Kingdom |
Pillars of the Earth | Ken Follett | Historical Fiction | 1989 | United Kingdom |
Pride and Prejudice | Jane Austen | Romantic Novel | 1813 | United Kingdom |
Ready Player One | Ernest Cline | Dystopian, LitRPG, Science Fiction | 2011 | United States |
Rebecca | Daphne du Maurier | Gothic Novel | 1938 | United Kingdom |
The Shack | William P. Young | Fiction | 2007 | United States |
Siddhartha | Hermann Hesse | Novel | 1922 | Germany |
The Sirens of Titan | Kurt Vonnegut | Fantasy, Science Fiction | 1959 | United States |
The Stand | Stephen King | Post-Apocalyptic Horror & Fantasy | 1978 | United States |
The Sun Also Rises | Ernest Hemingway | Novel | 1926 | United States |
Swan Song | Robert R. McCammon | Horror | 1987 | United States |
Tales of the City (series) | Armistead Maupin | Novel | 1978 – 2014 | United States |
Their Eyes Were Watching God | Zora Neale Hurston | Novel | 1937 | United States |
Things Fall Apart | Chinua Achebe | Classic | 1958 | Nigeria |
This Present Darkness | Frank E. Peretti | Christian Novel | 1986 | United States |
To Kill a Mockingbird | Harper Lee | Southern Gothic, Bildungsroman | 1960 | United States |
Twilight (series) | Stephanie Meyer | Romance, Fantasy, Young Adult Fiction | 2005 – 2008 | United States |
War and Peace | Leo Tolstoy | Historical Novel | 1869 | Russia |
Watchers | Dean Koontz | Suspense Horror | 1987 | United States |
The Wheel of Time (series) | Robert Jordan | Fantasy | 1990 – 2013 | United States |
Where the Red Fern Grows | Wilson Rawls | Children's Novel | 1961 | United States |
White Teeth | Zadie Smith | Literary | 2000 | United Kingdom |
Wuthering Heights | Emily Bronte | Tragedy, Gothic | 1847 | United Kingdom |
How Many Books Does the Average American Read?
Nowadays, it’s hard to believe that people read books in this age of technology. Watching people listening to music through their headphones, speaking on their phones, or just surfing on the Internet and tapping a screen makes everyone doubt if books are still relevant for humanity. In addition, the government has decreased financial support to public libraries, and lots of bookstores are closed.
But here is a thing: everyone should hear about regular upcoming bestsellers, because it means that they are readable!
The Pew Research Center has launched a survey which was particularly designed to reveal people’s interests in reading. The first survey was held in 2011, and it showed that the average quantity of books read by Americans is about 12 books, while the median value is 4. There is an interesting fact that these indices haven’t changed significantly in the last 7 years.
However, the popularity of preferred resources, where users read opuses, has changed. Despite printings still being the favorite and being 65% of the overall resources, adults also prefer electronic books, which take second place and make up 28%. Audiobooks are twice less popular than the previous information carrier and took third place (14%). The other popular information carriers are cellphones, tablets, and desktop/laptop.
This definitely shows that the reading population still exists, and even more, it increases its popularity.
Do All Americans Read Books?
Despite the high results of reading people, there remains a quarter of people who aren’t keen on reading, though. Here the quantity of non-readers is divided into these sections: high-school alumni or lower education – 37%, and college alumni – 7%. Even the percentage for those who gave up on college is less than those who haven’t been there at all.
Speaking about income, people who have an annual income equaling $30,000 or less (36%) are twice as inclined to neglect reading than whose income is higher (18%). However, the status of living doesn’t influence noble habits, and stats shows that urban (24%), suburban(21%), or rurals (26%) are almost the same at planning their leisure time – and, there is no surprise, it won’t be related to books.
Why Are Religious Books Not Included in Bestseller List?
Religion has always been quite an intimate topic. In some countries, it’s not permissible to discuss politics, religion, and compensation. Thus, religious books would be an abuse for some people.
Another thing is, as a matter of fact, that the Bible and Quran are sold in phenomenal quantities, but users hardly can find any selling statistics for them. Probably, this is because churches and governmental institutions hand out these sacraments, and nobody knows exactly how many were already spread.
Interesting Facts About Books
Every masterpiece has its own history, the same as its master. Sometimes, the history of creating a masterpiece can obscure the plot’s success. Here are some interesting facts related to the 100 best books:
- The idea of creating The Stand by Stephen King occurred after a blatant incident of the death of 6,000 sheep, which was caused by accidental nerve gas leakage.
- The well-known To Kill a Mockingbird was supposed to be called Atticus Finch, however Harper Lee changed the name due to the likely situation where the reader’s would assume there should be special attention on the main character.
- Oscar Wilde is an English author of only one masterpiece. He didn’t publish any books except Picture of Dorian Gray since he received not only one negative review from critics.
- Orwell finished his 1984 while he was struggling against tuberculosis.
- The Adventures of Tom Sawyer was the first copy printed with printing machinery.
- The author of Alchemist, Paulo Coelho, is superstitious. He can’t start writing his new manuscript without a sign, and usually it is a white feather.
- The prototype of Alice in Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland was a real little girl named Alice, but she had brown hair. The tree where the Cheshire cat lived was a real tree in front of Alice’s window.
- The prototype of Buck in Call of the Wild was a real dog, Jack, who belonged to brothers Bond in Alaska. Jack London met them when he came to Klondike Gold Rush.
- The Catcher in the Rye was withdrawn from American schools because of Holden’s behavior.
- The Chronicles of Narnia was in the process of being written for 10 years, even through World War II.
That’s not the limit for interesting facts, but for sure, anyone who becomes addicted to a novel wants to find out as much information as possible. These facts just show you what interesting stories are behind the world-known novels.
TOP Book Bestsellers of 2020
Every year, new books are published. Thus, readers are usually really puzzled with the next thing to read. If you are among searchers and are looking for a new novel, thriller, detective, or any wonderful manuscript which allures you while you are reading, you are in the right place. This is the recommended list of the most popular new books of 2020! Don’t miss your chance to be the first to check out the bestsellers.
Title | Author | Genre | Country |
---|---|---|---|
The Vanishing Half | Brit Bennett | Historical fiction/Family saga | USA |
The Midnight Library | Matt Haig | Science fiction/Time travel | United Kingdom |
American Dirt | Jeanine Cummins | Literary fiction/Psychological thriller | USA |
The Guest List | Lucy Foley | Psychological thriller/Murder mystery | United Kingdom |
Deacon King Kong | James McBride | Historical fiction | USA |
Hamnet | Maggie O’Farrell | Biographical historical fiction | United Kingdom |
The Girl with the Louding Voice | Abi Daré | Cultural heritage fiction | Nigeria/United Kingdom |
Clap When You Land | Elizabeth Acevedo | Teen & young adult fiction | USA |
Midnight Sun | Stephenie Meyer | Teen & young adult vampire fiction | USA |
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes | Suzanne Collins | Teen & young adult fiction/Adventure | USA |
Do you think that’s all? Of course not! Follow this link⬅ and you will see a list of the 35 best books of 2020 that everyone should read!
TOP Book Bestsellers of 2019
In 2019 there were no less interesting masterpieces, which are worth reading in the near future. About these new books are spoken all over the world and their popularity is growing every day! Well, we invite you to find out which bestsellers of 2019 can be seen in every bookstore.
Title | Author | Genre | Country |
---|---|---|---|
The Starless Sea | Erin Morgenstern | Romantic fantasy | USA |
Gideon the Ninth | Tamsyn Muir | Sci-fi/fantasy/horror | New Zealand |
A Memory Called Empire | Arkady Martine | Science fiction/fantasy | USA |
The Winter of the Witch | Katherine Arden | Fantasy/historical fiction/folk tale | USA |
This Is How You Lose the Time War | Amal El-Mohtar, Max Gladstone | Romantic science fiction/fantasy | Canada/USA |
The Testaments | Margaret Atwood | Speculative fiction/dystopian fiction | Canada |
The Dutch House | Ann Patchett | Historical novel | USA |
City of Girls | Elizabeth Gilbert | Historical novel/romance | USA |
Catch and Kill | Ronan Farrow | Non-fiction | USA |
Three Women | Lisa Taddeo | Non-fiction | USA |
That’s not all! BooKKooks has prepared for you a complete list of 30+ popular books of 2019, which you can see by clicking on the link⬅ Enjoy reading!
TOP Book Bestsellers of 2018
This is the highly recommended list of best books selling in 2018, you’ll definitely find your perfect match.
Title | Author | Genre | Country |
---|---|---|---|
Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House | Michael Wolff | Non-Fiction | United States |
Fear: Trump in the White House | Bob Woodward | Non-Fiction | United States |
Girl, Wash Your Face | Rachel Hollis | Non-Fiction | United States |
12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos | Jordan Bernt Peterson | Non-Fiction | Canada |
A Higher Loyalty: Truth, Lies, and Leadership | James Comey | Non-Fiction | United States |
The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck | Mark Manson | Non-Fiction | United States |
A Ladder to the Sky | John Boyne | Novel | United Kingdom |
Restore Me | Tahereh Mafi | Science Fiction | United States |
Crazy Rich Asians | Kevin Kwan | Novel | United States |
The Woman in the Window | A.J. Finn | Novel | United States |
Still not finding exactly what you were looking for? Oh, ok! Don’t be upset! For sure, you must read these bestselling manuscripts in 2018. And BooKKooks will provide you with 50 top rated books sold in 2018 in America, so just follow this link ⬅ So, come on, don’t waste your precious time!