The Devil in the White City by Erik LarsonFreakonomics by Steven D. LevittA Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill BrysonGuns, Germs, and Steel by Jared DiamondOutliers by Malcolm Gladwell
Best Non-Fiction (no biographies)
6,264 books — 8,078 voters
A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill BrysonA Brief History of Time by Stephen W. HawkingCosmos by Carl SaganThe Selfish Gene by Richard DawkinsGuns, Germs, and Steel by Jared Diamond
Best Science Books - Non-Fiction Only
1,926 books — 3,621 voters

John Adams by David McCulloughThe Rise and Fall of the Third Reich by William L. Shirer1776 by David McCulloughTeam of Rivals by Doris Kearns GoodwinThe Guns of August by Barbara W. Tuchman
Best History Books
3,889 books — 3,934 voters
Ender’s Game by Orson Scott CardDune by Frank Patrick Herbert1984 by George OrwellFahrenheit 451 by Ray BradburyBrave New World by Aldous Huxley
Best Science Fiction & Fantasy Books
8,679 books — 25,214 voters

Ender’s Game by Orson Scott CardThe Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas AdamsDune by Frank Patrick Herbert1984 by George OrwellFahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
Best Science Fiction
3,801 books — 7,404 voters
City of Bones by Cassandra ClareMoon Called by Patricia BriggsHarry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. RowlingMagic Bites by Ilona AndrewsVampire Academy by Richelle Mead
The Best Urban Fantasy
4,414 books — 12,853 voters

A Game of Thrones by George R.R. MartinJ.R.R. Tolkien 4-Book Boxed Set by J.R.R. TolkienThe Name of the Wind by Patrick RothfussThe Way of Kings by Brandon SandersonThe Eye of the World by Robert Jordan
The Best Epic Fantasy (fiction)
4,555 books — 26,609 voters
The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood1984 by George OrwellThe New Jim Crow by Michelle AlexanderFahrenheit 451 by Ray BradburyBetween the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates
The Post-Trump Big Questions Canon
522 books — 276 voters