Books from Top-Selling Authors on Well Read (64 books)

"Well Read" is a popular weekly public television series for people who love books. Like Goodreads, "Well Read" is all about the fun of discovering great new books to enjoy.

Through one-on-one interviews, each week host Terry Tazioli explores with authors the themes in their latest books. Guests include a mix of first-time and seasoned current best-selling authors and cover a wide range of topics and genres.

Following each interview, Mary Ann Gwinn of the National Book Critics Circle joins Terry to recommend related authors and books to viewers.

New episodes of “Well Read” are taped weekly and air nationally on local public television stations across the country.

To find specific viewing dates and times for "Well Read" in your area, go to www.wellreadtv.com/schedule.

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List Challenge
The average Goodreads member has read 2 out of 64 books on this list — how many have you read?

All Votes

1	Can't We Talk about Something More Pleasant? by Roz Chast 4.16 avg rating — 32,200 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
2	The Signature of All Things by Elizabeth Gilbert (Goodreads Author) 3.88 avg rating — 125,178 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
3	The Orenda (Bird Family Trilogy, #3) by Joseph Boyden 4.22 avg rating — 19,080 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
4	The Rise & Fall of Great Powers by Tom Rachman (Goodreads Author) 3.65 avg rating — 7,634 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
5	I Always Loved You by Robin Oliveira 3.67 avg rating — 5,695 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
6	The Tale of the Dueling Neurosurgeons: The History of the Human Brain as Revealed by True Stories of Trauma, Madness, and Recovery by Sam Kean (Goodreads Author) 4.25 avg rating — 13,785 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
7	All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr (Goodreads Author) 4.31 avg rating — 1,982,519 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
8	Gemini by Carol Cassella (Goodreads Author) 3.67 avg rating — 4,087 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
9	All Our Names by Dinaw Mengestu 3.61 avg rating — 4,943 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
10	The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History by Elizabeth Kolbert (Goodreads Author) 4.15 avg rating — 79,520 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
11	A Reader's Book of Days: True Tales from the Lives and Works of Writers for Every Day of the Year by Tom Nissley 3.79 avg rating — 386 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
12	Hild (The Hild Sequence, #1) by Nicola Griffith (Goodreads Author) 3.85 avg rating — 12,843 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
13	The Days of Anna Madrigal (Tales of the City, #9) by Armistead Maupin 4.11 avg rating — 6,633 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
14	A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki (Goodreads Author) 4.06 avg rating — 135,505 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
15	The Valley of Amazement by Amy Tan (Goodreads Author) 3.70 avg rating — 45,059 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
16	O, What a Luxury: Verses Lyrical, Vulgar, Pathetic & Profound by Garrison Keillor 3.50 avg rating — 199 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
17	Dissident Gardens by Jonathan Lethem 3.27 avg rating — 4,091 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
18	Starry Night by Debbie Macomber (Goodreads Author) 3.71 avg rating — 23,087 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
19	In Sunlight and in Shadow by Mark Helprin 3.56 avg rating — 4,196 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
20	The Mushroom Hunters: On the Trail of an Underground America by Langdon Cook (Goodreads Author) 3.90 avg rating — 1,414 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
21	Just One Evil Act (Inspector Lynley, #18) by Elizabeth George (Goodreads Author) 3.80 avg rating — 13,760 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
22	Enon by Paul Harding (Pseudonym) 3.41 avg rating — 3,182 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
23	The Woman Who Lost Her Soul by Bob Shacochis 3.54 avg rating — 2,030 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
24	The Bones of Paris (Harris Stuyvesant, #2) by Laurie R. King (Goodreads Author) 3.54 avg rating — 7,488 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
25	Making Masterpiece: 25 Years Behind the Scenes at Masterpiece Theatre and Mystery! on PBS by Rebecca Eaton 3.63 avg rating — 671 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
26	The Family: Three Journeys into the Heart of the Twentieth Century by David Laskin (Goodreads Author) 4.21 avg rating — 1,220 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
27	Sweet Thunder by Ivan Doig 3.77 avg rating — 2,681 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
28	Manson: The Life and Times of Charles Manson by Jeff Guinn 3.95 avg rating — 11,206 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
29	Never Go Back (Jack Reacher, #18) by Lee Child (Goodreads Author) 4.09 avg rating — 85,559 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
30	The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics by Daniel James Brown (Goodreads Author) 4.39 avg rating — 362,379 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
31	Her by Christa Parravani (Goodreads Author) 3.68 avg rating — 6,208 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
32	River of Stars (Under Heaven, #2) by Guy Gavriel Kay (Goodreads Author) 4.17 avg rating — 7,948 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
33	Stories for Boys: A Memoir by Gregory Martin (Goodreads Author) 3.68 avg rating — 339 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
34	Hull Zero Three by Greg Bear 3.40 avg rating — 6,710 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
35	The Burgess Boys by Elizabeth Strout (Goodreads Author) 3.65 avg rating — 71,257 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
36	Bunker Hill: A City, a Siege, a Revolution by Nathaniel Philbrick (Goodreads Author) 4.07 avg rating — 10,535 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
37	Rin Tin Tin: The Life and the Legend by Susan Orlean (Goodreads Author) 3.54 avg rating — 5,023 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
38	The Autistic Brain: Thinking Across the Spectrum by Temple Grandin 4.10 avg rating — 11,016 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
39	And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini (Goodreads Author) 4.08 avg rating — 405,238 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
40	The City of Devi (The Hindu Gods, #3) by Manil Suri 3.28 avg rating — 1,057 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
41	The Revised Fundamentals of Caregiving by Jonathan Evison (Goodreads Author) 3.78 avg rating — 11,322 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
42	The Buddha in the Attic by Julie Otsuka 3.71 avg rating — 64,150 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
43	The Bartender's Tale by Ivan Doig 4.07 avg rating — 10,117 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
44	Facing the Wave: A Journey in the Wake of the Tsunami by Gretel Ehrlich 3.78 avg rating — 568 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
45	The Mystery Woman (Ladies of Lantern Street, #2) by Amanda Quick (Goodreads Author) 3.95 avg rating — 7,289 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
46	Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter 3.68 avg rating — 185,530 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
47	Salt Sugar Fat: How the Food Giants Hooked Us by Michael Moss 4.01 avg rating — 32,899 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
48	The Twelve Tribes of Hattie by Ayana Mathis (Goodreads Author) 3.51 avg rating — 41,185 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
49	This Indian Country: American Indian Activists and the Place They Made by Frederick E. Hoxie 3.94 avg rating — 71 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
50	The Indigo Spell (Bloodlines, #3) by Richelle Mead (Goodreads Author) 4.35 avg rating — 106,950 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
51	Standing in Another Man's Grave (Inspector Rebus, #18) by Ian Rankin (Goodreads Author) 4.08 avg rating — 18,255 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
52	The World Until Yesterday: What Can We Learn from Traditional Societies? by Jared Diamond 3.78 avg rating — 11,061 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
53	The First Muslim: The Story of Muhammad by Lesley Hazleton (Goodreads Author) really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 5,011 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
54	Gold by Chris Cleave (Goodreads Author) 3.71 avg rating — 16,854 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
55	What It is Like to Go to War by Karl Marlantes 4.01 avg rating — 9,845 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
56	The Boy Kings of Texas: A Memoir by Domingo Martinez (Goodreads Author) 3.65 avg rating — 3,534 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
57	Alif the Unseen by G. Willow Wilson (Goodreads Author) 3.84 avg rating — 17,947 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
58	Spectrums: Our Mind-boggling Universe from Infinitesimal to Infinity by David Blatner (Goodreads Author) 4.18 avg rating — 101 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
59	The Woman Who Died a Lot (Thursday Next, #7) by Jasper Fforde (Goodreads Author) 4.08 avg rating — 15,145 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
60	The Finish: The Killing of Osama Bin Laden by Mark Bowden 3.85 avg rating — 3,435 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
61	Shall We Play That One Together?: The Life and Art of Jazz Piano Legend Marian McPartland by Paul de Barros 4.02 avg rating — 43 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
62	The Round House by Louise Erdrich 3.98 avg rating — 124,796 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
63	Escape from Camp 14: One Man's Remarkable Odyssey from North Korea to Freedom in the West by Blaine Harden (Goodreads Author) 4.01 avg rating — 72,155 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
64	Short Nights of the Shadow Catcher: The Epic Life and Immortal Photographs of Edward Curtis by Timothy Egan (Goodreads Author) 4.12 avg rating — 10,177 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars