3.93 avg rating — 69,020 ratings

"With almost 20,000 ratings, one could argue this book doesn't belong on this list. But that number's one half the number for The Cider House Rules and practically one fourth of A Prayer for Owen Meany. Though Irving can be inconsistent, when he's at his best, he's peerless. And this is one of his best."

3.85 avg rating — 5,163 ratings

"A completely unique book with a devastating ending."

3.68 avg rating — 17,361 ratings

"Before Sex and the City there was The Group."

4.30 avg rating — 45,590 ratings

"Michener does the impossible. He puts the history of the world from cavemen to modern times into one brilliant novel. (You just have to ignore the bookend chapters, which are of lesser quality than the rest.)"

really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 4,220 ratings

"Jon Stewart has nothing on Tony Horwitz's entertaining and enlightening depiction of countries like Iraq and Libya."

4.15 avg rating — 13,147 ratings

"This book brings the complicated politics of the Middle East down to human scale with deep insight and compelling storytelling."

4.39 avg rating — 1,561 ratings

"The world first ignored the Bosnian war -- and then mostly forgot it. Peter Maass displays a Hemingwayesque style as he uses his sharp reporter's eye to depict a surreal war zone in a city that hosted the Olympics Winter Games. This should be required reading for anyone who cares about history or the future of civilization."

4.11 avg rating — 2,636 ratings

"The best soap opera ever written. John Julius Norwich is an expert historian and a brilliant storyteller with a wry sense of humor. One of the best books I've ever read -- and one of the worst titles."

3.88 avg rating — 113 ratings

"Anyone who likes backstage stories or has an interest in theater will enjoy this riotous memoir by an author of the musical A Chorus Line. "

3.14 avg rating — 2,514 ratings

"The title is bland. The book is near perfect. Sarah Dunn seems to effortlessly inhabit an entire community of contemporary New Yorkers seeking love and, yes, "happiness.""

2.95 avg rating — 8,554 ratings

"If a quarter of the people who read The Nanny Diaries had read this book, it wouldn't belong on this list. But they didn't, and it's their loss. The authors are a decade older and in full command of their satirical skills. And the state of our education system is a perfect target for (with lax parenting also coming in for pitch-perfect lampooning). Reading this book I found myself getting angry (when not laughing out loud). I had to keep reminding myself it was a novel and not nonfiction. What better compliment can I bestow?"

3.90 avg rating — 46,701 ratings

"Sublime writing. Should be considered a 20th century classic."

3.48 avg rating — 23,542 ratings

"Before there was Bridget Jones there was Isadora Wing. One of the best-selling books of all time. And yet oddly unknown among many readers under 40."

3.99 avg rating — 9,347 ratings

"A heartbreaking, beautiful saga across decades and continents. Commercial, romantic fiction doesn't get any better."

3.62 avg rating — 1,072 ratings

"If you only read one book by Balzac, make it this one. If you don't plan on reading anything by Balzac, read it anyway. And try not to weep."