Top Picks
TopPicks Index - page 3
Top 10 Native American Literature Books
These books collect the poems, short stories, essays, and memoirs from more than 200 years of Native American writing. Also find bibliographies and other critical resources.
Top 10 First Love Books
A person's first love is unforgettable... Read what classic writers have written about the first time characters fall in love.
Top 10 Zora Neale Hurston Books
Zora Neale Hurston was a novelist, folklorist, playwright, and anthropologist. Hurston is an important figure in Harlem Renaissance literature, and is famous for Their Eyes Are Watching God.
Top 10 James Joyce Books
James Joyce is considered one of the greatest writers of the 20th century, with works like Ulysses, Dubliners, and A Portrait of an Artist as a Young Man. Read more about the life and works of James Joyce.
Top 10 Holocaust Literature Books
Stories, poems, memoirs, and other writings came out of the Holocaust, representing those who survived as well as the many who died. Anne Frank is one of the most famous victims of the Holocaust, but there were many others. Read about their lives and works.
Top 10 Werewolf Literature
A werewolf is a person, who is transformed into a wolf. William of Palerne wrote, "The werwolf went about his prey." Longfellow wrote: "The brutes that wear our form and face, / The werewolves of the human race." Read more about werewolf literature: of the supernatural, myths, and more.
Top 10 Edith Wharton Collections
Famous for works like Age of Innocence, Ethan Frome, and The House of Mirth along with shorter works like Roman Fever and The Pelican. Read more of the famous works of Edith Wharton, Pulitzer Prize-winning American writer.
Top 10 Christmas Books
Christmas doesn't seem quite right without stories and carols around the tree, with remembrances of years past. It's the perfect time for stories, since it's already a time so full of magic, winter snow, and everything that reminds us that belief is still possible.
Top 10 Twas the Night Before Christmas
"'Twas the Night Before Christmas" is usually believed to have been written by Clement Clarke Moore, though some scholars now believe that the poem was actually written by Major Henry Livingston, Jr. Whatever the authorship controversy, this work has become a Christmas favorite. "'Twas the Night Before Christmas."
Top 10 Thomas Hardy
Thomas Hardy (1840-1928) is a British novelist and poet known for works like The Return of the Native, The Mayor of Casterbridge, and Tess of the D'Urbervilles. Often dark, his work influenced Dylan Thomas, Robert Frost and others. Read more about the life and works of Thomas Hardy.
Top 10 Edgar Allan Poe
Edgar Allan Poe is one of the most famous writers in American literary history. He was able to extend his writing into realms of literature never-before imagined. Read more about the life and works of Edgar Allan Poe.
Top 10 Anton Chekhov
(1860-1904) Russian writer. Anton Chekhov became famous for works like The Cherry Orchard (1904) and The Three Sisters (1901). Read more about the life and works of Anton Chekhov.
Top 10 Jewish American Literature
These books collect the voices from Jewish American writers like Tillie Olsen, Allen Ginsberg, and Cynthia Ozick. Find resources related to fiction, poetry, drama, essays, journals, autobiography, and more.
Top 10 Dragon Mythology
Dragons have appeared in some of our most ancient pieces of literature. Some of the most memorable encounters are the Beowulf's dragon and Tolkien's Smaug, but there are many more in world mythology and literature. Read on.
Top 10 William Butler Yeats
He was one of Ireland's greatest poets. Yeats once said, "Out of the quarrel with others, we make rhetoric; out of the quarrel with ourselves poetry." When he won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1923, he was recognized "for his always inspired poetry, which in a highly artistic form gives expression to the spirit of a whole nation."
Top 10 Oscar Wilde
Oscar Wilde was an Irish writer who created works like The Importance of Being Earnest, The Ideal Husband, De Profundis, and other works. His life was filled with controversy. Read more about Wilde's life.
Top 10 Pirate Literature
Pirates have captured our imaginations with their adventures at sea, with bloody battles and buried treasures. Read about pirate literature.
Top 10 On Reading Books
Do you want to read more, but you don't know where to start? Do you love reading, but can't quite understand why? These books talk about reading the great classics ... but they also talk about the the experience of reading.
Top 10 Books About Thanksgiving in Literature
Thanksgiving Day is an important part of American culture, and it has been depicted in many works of literature. One of the most notable stories of Thanksgiving is the one by Louisa May Alcott, but there are other tales, which involve the feast, Pilgrims, Native Americans, and other elements of the history (or mis-history). Read more about the day and the legends that have been developed in recognition of Thanksgiving Day.
Top 10 William Bradford - Books About William Bradford
William Bradford (1590-1657) was an important leader and writer, as part of the Plymouth colony of English Puritan Separatists. He wrote about his experiences in works, which are now among the earliest and most well-known works from American literature. Read more books about William Bradford.
Top 10 Don Quixote - Books About Don Quixote de la Mancha - Miguel de Cervantes
"Don Quixote," by Miguel de Cervantes, was the first European novel, published in two parts in 1605 and 1615. It was not the first work of Cervantes, nor was it his last... But, it was his best. The book was named the best work of fiction ever written by leading authors.
Top 10 Frankenstein - Books About Frankenstein - Mary Shelley
Mary Shelley wrote "Frankenstein" in 1816. The book was published in 1818. The story of Victor Frankenstein and his monster has been adapted into plays, films and comics. It has captivated our imagination, and affected our tales of monsters. Read more about "Frankenstein."
Top 10 Abelard and Heloise - Books About Abelard and Heloise
The story of Abelard and Heloise is one of the greatest love stories of all time. And, what makes it so interesting is the letters that these two lovers wrote to each other. Read more about their lives, works, and love...
Top 10 Aphra Behn - Books About Aphra Behn
Aphra Behn (1640-1689) is one of the most famous women writers, partly because she was one of the earliest women to make a living as a writer, but also because of the controversy surrounding her life and works. Read more about the life and words of Aphra Behn.
Top 10 Bloomsbury Group - Books About the Bloomsbury Group
The Bloomsbury Group was a group of artists and writers in the early 20th century. Ray Costelloe called them "very fascinating, queer, self-absorbed, fantastic set of people..." The group included: Vanessa (Stephen) Bell, Virginia (Stephen) Woolf, Leonard Woolf, Lytton Strachey, Duncan Grant, Adrian Stephen, Thoby Stephen, Clive Bell, Roger Fry, and E.M. Forster.