1984 by George OrwellAnimal Farm by George OrwellThe Diary of a Young Girl by Anne FrankGoodnight Moon by Margaret Wise BrownStuart Little by E.B. White
Best Books of the Decade: 1940s
821 books — 1,145 voters

The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. SalingerOn the Road by Jack KerouacHowl and Other Poems by Allen GinsbergCharlotte’s Web by E.B. WhiteThe Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
Best Books of the Decade: 1950s
1,183 books — 1,509 voters
The Outsiders by S.E. HintonThe Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath
Best Books of the Decade: 1960s
1,362 books — 1,777 voters

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S. ThompsonTuck Everlasting by Natalie BabbittWhere the Sidewalk Ends by Shel SilversteinThe Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas AdamsAre You There God? It’s Me, Margaret by Judy Blume
Best Books of the Decade: 1970s
1,955 books — 1,881 voters
The Giver by Lois LowryThe Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen ChboskyFight Club by Chuck PalahniukThe Secret History by Donna TarttHoles by Louis Sachar
Best Books of the Decade: 1990s
3,130 books — 3,678 voters

Looking for Alaska by John GreenMe Talk Pretty One Day by David SedarisWorld War Z by Max BrooksThe Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John BoyneNaked by David Sedaris
Best Books of the Decade: 2000s
7,187 books — 28,372 voters
1984 by George OrwellThe Catcher in the Rye by J.D. SalingerThe Giving Tree by Shel SilversteinOf Mice and Men by John SteinbeckNight by Elie Wiesel
Books That Everyone Should Read At Least Once
31,846 books — 121,001 voters

Ariel by Sylvia PlathHowl and Other Poems by Allen GinsbergWhere the Sidewalk Ends by Shel SilversteinLeaves of Grass by Walt WhitmanDuino Elegies by Rainer Maria Rilke
Best Poetry Books
2,996 books — 2,446 voters
Crush by Richard SikenBluets by Maggie NelsonCitizen by Claudia RankinePlace by Jorie GrahamThe Wild Iris by Louise Glück
Best Collection of Poems by Living Authors
1,010 books — 905 voters

The Giving Tree by Shel SilversteinThe Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar WildeThe Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen ChboskyCrime and Punishment by Fyodor DostoevskyDracula by Bram Stoker
Best Books Ever
76,742 books — 285,489 voters