Animal Farm by George OrwellThe Catcher in the Rye by J.D. SalingerSlaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut Jr.
Best Books of the 20th Century
7,886 books — 49,784 voters
Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel SilversteinShōgun by James ClavellSophie’s Choice by William StyronZen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert M. PirsigSong of Solomon by Toni Morrison
Best Books of the Decade: 1970s
1,956 books — 1,884 voters

All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony DoerrWonder by R.J. PalacioAnd the Mountains Echoed by Khaled HosseiniThe Art of Fielding by Chad HarbachState of Wonder by Ann Patchett
Best Books of the Decade: 2010s
7,700 books — 14,259 voters
The Kite Runner by Khaled HosseiniThe Help by Kathryn StockettA Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled HosseiniThe Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark HaddonMiddlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides
Best Books of the Decade: 2000s
7,187 books — 28,371 voters

Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur GoldenThe Giver by Lois LowryThe Golden Compass by Philip PullmanThe Subtle Knife by Philip PullmanSnow Falling on Cedars by David Guterson
Best Books of the Decade: 1990s
3,140 books — 3,678 voters
Speaker for the Dead by Orson Scott CardThe Cider House Rules by John IrvingThe Pillars of the Earth by Ken FollettThe Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan KunderaThe Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro
Best Books of the Decade: 1980s
2,259 books — 2,432 voters