Sophie's Choice by William StyronShadow Country by Peter MatthiessenAll the Pretty Horses by Cormac McCarthyWhite Noise by Don DeLilloThe Corrections by Jonathan Franzen
National Book Award Winners
241 books — 205 voters
The Lonely Polygamist by Brady UdallWhite Noise by Don DeLilloSlaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut Jr.Ethan Frome by Edith WhartonJimmy Corrigan by Chris Ware
Midlife Crisis Novels
160 books — 120 voters

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark TwainThe Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. TolkienThe Odyssey by HomerAll the Pretty Horses by Cormac McCarthyThe Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
Road Trip
531 books — 271 voters
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas AdamsCandide by VoltaireThe Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark TwainThe Princess Bride by William Goldman
Best Humorous Books
4,444 books — 8,241 voters

Anna Karenina by Leo TolstoyLonesome Dove by Larry McMurtryInfinite Jest by David Foster WallaceShadow Country by Peter MatthiessenMoby-Dick or, The Whale by Herman Melville
Big Fat Books Worth the Effort
1,876 books — 7,000 voters
We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley JacksonOf Mice and Men by John SteinbeckThe Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-ExupéryThe Stranger by Albert CamusEthan Frome by Edith Wharton
World's Greatest Novellas
733 books — 1,468 voters

Othello by William ShakespeareBlood Meridian, or, the Evening Redness in the West by Cormac McCarthyDracula by Bram StokerMatilda by Roald DahlThe Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis
Best Villains
912 books — 286 voters
Blood Meridian, or, the Evening Redness in the West by Cormac McCarthySophie’s Choice by William StyronColumbine by Dave CullenWe Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley JacksonOuter Dark by Cormac McCarthy
The Most Disturbing Books Ever Written
3,299 books — 11,650 voters

War and Peace by Leo TolstoyDon Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes SaavedraUlysses by James JoyceOne Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García MárquezCrime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky
I Should Probably Read This Sometime...
12,294 books — 11,214 voters
The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay by Michael ChabonThe Road by Cormac McCarthyA Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius by Dave EggersAmerican Gods by Neil GaimanExtremely Loud & Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer
Best Books of the Decade: 2000s
7,263 books — 28,372 voters

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury1984 by George OrwellWe by Yevgeny ZamyatinThe Road by Cormac McCarthyThe Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood
Best Dystopian and Post-Apocalyptic Fiction
4,004 books — 26,673 voters
We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley JacksonHedda Gabler by Henrik IbsenThe Bell Jar by Sylvia PlathThe Complete Persepolis by Marjane SatrapiMatilda by Roald Dahl
Best Female Lead Characters
4,908 books — 5,973 voters

What Is the What by Dave EggersA Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius by Dave EggersPersepolis by Marjane SatrapiA Long Way Gone by Ishmael BeahMe Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris
Best Memoir / Biography / Autobiography
6,507 books — 7,723 voters
Bone by Jeff SmithHabibi by Craig ThompsonWatchmen by Alan MooreThree Shadows by Cyril PedrosaJimmy Corrigan by Chris Ware
Best Graphic Novels
3,475 books — 6,783 voters

The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. SalingerThe Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark TwainThe Grapes of Wrath by John SteinbeckThe Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay by Michael ChabonBlood Meridian, or, the Evening Redness in the West by Cormac McCarthy
The Great American Novel
670 books — 1,097 voters
The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. SalingerThe Lonely Polygamist by Brady UdallWe Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley JacksonAnna Karenina by Leo TolstoyHedda Gabler by Henrik Ibsen
Books With Unforgettable Characters
9,534 books — 8,851 voters

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury1984 by George OrwellThe Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret AtwoodLord of the Flies by William GoldingV for Vendetta by Alan Moore
Dystopia!
1,237 books — 2,800 voters
Anna Karenina by Leo TolstoyThe Odyssey by HomerA Midsummer Night’s Dream by William ShakespeareThe Princess Bride by William GoldmanHabibi by Craig Thompson
Best Love Stories
5,259 books — 9,797 voters