Books > Literature & Fiction > United States
Monthly median sales (top 30)
$103,365
The median book price
$9.49
Bestseller's daily sales
1,689
50th book's daily sales
143
Average number of pages per book
356
Monopoly/Olygopoly detected
Yes
Performance tracking
Competitiveness
Volume sales
Book price
Volatility
New releases
Self published
Matching KDP categories
juvenile > fiction > biographical > united states
77.46%
juvenile > fiction > historical > united states > general
70.71%
juvenile > fiction > people & places > united states > other
65.47%
juvenile > fiction > people & places > united states > general
65.47%
Keyword requirement
Best selling keywords
Median title & subtitle length is 7 words:
- The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store: A Novel
- Drop, Cover, and Hold On (The Improbable Meet-Cute collection)
- The Keeper of Stars: A Novel
- The Five Wishes of Mr. Murray McBride
- The Berry Pickers: A Novel
- Indie success
-
25%
- Volatility
- New releases
- KDP Select
100%
30%
30%
Extract of the best seller list's front page
Front-page bestsellers:
Book title | Author | Publisher | Absolute rank | Monthly sales volume | Price | Amazon stars | Amazon reviews | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store: A Novel | James McBride | Penguin Audio | 18 | $819,812 | $19.69 | 39,795 | |
2 | James: A Novel | Percival Everett | Self published | 23 | $628,172 | $18.48 | 226 | |
3 | The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store: A Novel | James McBride | Riverhead Books | 42 | $295,902 | $14.99 | 39,795 | |
4 | The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store: A Novel | James McBride | Riverhead Books | 122 | $221,010 | $17.98 | 39,795 | |
5 | The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store: A Novel (Random House Large Print) | James McBride | Random House Large Print; Large type / Large print edition | 129 | $202,180 | $16.99 | 39,795 | |
6 | This Could Be Us | Kennedy Ryan | Forever | 210 | $180,927 | $21.83 | 1,168 | |
7 | Drop, Cover, and Hold On (The Improbable Meet-Cute collection) | Jasmine Guillory | Self published | 264 | $7,234 | $0.99 | 8,141 | |
8 | The Keeper of Stars: A Novel | Buck Turner | (March 24, 2023) | 268 | $18,057 | $2.49 | 5,298 | |
9 | Yellowface: A Novel | R. F. Kuang | HarperAudio | 276 | $156,748 | $22.04 | 32,230 | |
10 | The Five Wishes of Mr. Murray McBride | Joe Siple | Self published | 291 | $48,147 | $6.99 | 25,713 | |
11 | Dune Messiah | Frank Herbert | Ace | 479 | $47,552 | $9.99 | 27,607 | |
12 | The Virgin Wife Of A Billionaire 2: An African American Romance | Taniece | Self published | 535 | $26,689 | $6.23 | 635 | |
13 | A Gangster's BBW Obsession 2 | Mz. Lady P | Literary Queen Publications | 570 | $23,983 | $5.99 | 865 | |
14 | The Berry Pickers: A Novel | Amanda Peters | Catapult | 648 | $51,625 | $14.99 | 8,848 | |
15 | Your Ex Ain't Me (Crenshaw Kings Book 4) | Shvonne Latrice | Self published | 875 | $22,906 | $8.99 | 1,187 |
The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store: A Novel
James McBride
AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER A NEW YORK TIMES NOTABLE BOOK NAMED A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR BY NPR/FRESH AIR, WASHINGTON POST, THE NEW YORKER, AND TIME MAGAZINE ONE OF BARACK OBAMA'S FAVORITE BOOKS OF 2023“A murder mystery locked inside a Great American Novel . . . Charming, smart, heart-blistering, and heart-healing.”—Danez Smith, The New York Times Book Review“We all need—we all deserve—this vibrant, love-affirming novel that bounds over any difference that claims to separate us.”—Ron Charles, The Washington PostFrom James McBride, author of the bestselling Oprah’s Book Club pick Deacon King Kong and the National Book Award-winning The Good Lord Bird, a novel about small-town secrets and the people who keep themIn 1972, when workers in Pottstown, Pennsylvania, were digging the foundations for a new development, the last thing they expected to find was a skeleton at the bottom of a well. Who the skeleton was and how it got there were two of the long-held secrets kept by the residents of Chicken Hill, the dilapidated neighborhood where immigrant Jews and African Americans lived side by side and shared ambitions and sorrows. Chicken Hill was where Moshe and Chona Ludlow lived when Moshe integrated his theater and where Chona ran the Heaven & Earth Grocery Store. When the state came looking for a deaf boy to institutionalize him, it was Chona and Nate Timblin, the Black janitor at Moshe’s theater and the unofficial leader of the Black community on Chicken Hill, who worked together to keep the boy safe.As these characters’ stories overlap and deepen, it becomes clear how much the people who live on the margins of white, Christian America struggle and what they must do to survive. When the truth is finally revealed about what happened on Chicken Hill and the part the town’s white establishment played in it, McBride shows us that even in dark times, it is love and community—heaven and earth—that sustain us.Bringing his masterly storytelling skills and his deep faith in humanity to The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store, James McBride has written a novel as compassionate as Deacon King Kong and as inventive as The Good Lord Bird. Read more
James: A Novel
Percival Everett
None
The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store: A Novel
James McBride
AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLERA NEW YORK TIMES NOTABLE BOOKNAMED A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR BY NPR/FRESH AIR, WASHINGTON POST, THE NEW YORKER, AND TIME MAGAZINEONE OF BARACK OBAMA'S FAVORITE BOOKS OF 2023“A murder mystery locked inside a Great American Novel . . . Charming, smart, heart-blistering, and heart-healing.” —Danez Smith, The New York Times Book Review“We all need—we all deserve—this vibrant, love-affirming novel that bounds over any difference that claims to separate us.” —Ron Charles, The Washington Post From James McBride, author of the bestselling Oprah’s Book Club pick Deacon King Kong and the National Book Award–winning The Good Lord Bird, a novel about small-town secrets and the people who keep themIn 1972, when workers in Pottstown, Pennsylvania, were digging the foundations for a new development, the last thing they expected to find was a skeleton at the bottom of a well. Who the skeleton was and how it got there were two of the long-held secrets kept by the residents of Chicken Hill, the dilapidated neighborhood where immigrant Jews and African Americans lived side by side and shared ambitions and sorrows. Chicken Hill was where Moshe and Chona Ludlow lived when Moshe integrated his theater and where Chona ran the Heaven & Earth Grocery Store. When the state came looking for a deaf boy to institutionalize him, it was Chona and Nate Timblin, the Black janitor at Moshe’s theater and the unofficial leader of the Black community on Chicken Hill, who worked together to keep the boy safe. As these characters’ stories overlap and deepen, it becomes clear how much the people who live on the margins of white, Christian America struggle and what they must do to survive. When the truth is finally revealed about what happened on Chicken Hill and the part the town’s white establishment played in it, McBride shows us that even in dark times, it is love and community—heaven and earth—that sustain us. Bringing his masterly storytelling skills and his deep faith in humanity to The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store, James McBride has written a novel as compassionate as Deacon King Kong and as inventive as The Good Lord Bird. Read more
The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store: A Novel
James McBride
AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLERA NEW YORK TIMES NOTABLE BOOKNAMED A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR BY NPR/FRESH AIR, WASHINGTON POST, THE NEW YORKER, AND TIME MAGAZINEONE OF BARACK OBAMA'S FAVORITE BOOKS OF 2023“A murder mystery locked inside a Great American Novel . . . Charming, smart, heart-blistering, and heart-healing.” —Danez Smith, The New York Times Book Review“We all need—we all deserve—this vibrant, love-affirming novel that bounds over any difference that claims to separate us.” —Ron Charles, The Washington Post From James McBride, author of the bestselling Oprah’s Book Club pick Deacon King Kong and the National Book Award–winning The Good Lord Bird, a novel about small-town secrets and the people who keep themIn 1972, when workers in Pottstown, Pennsylvania, were digging the foundations for a new development, the last thing they expected to find was a skeleton at the bottom of a well. Who the skeleton was and how it got there were two of the long-held secrets kept by the residents of Chicken Hill, the dilapidated neighborhood where immigrant Jews and African Americans lived side by side and shared ambitions and sorrows. Chicken Hill was where Moshe and Chona Ludlow lived when Moshe integrated his theater and where Chona ran the Heaven & Earth Grocery Store. When the state came looking for a deaf boy to institutionalize him, it was Chona and Nate Timblin, the Black janitor at Moshe’s theater and the unofficial leader of the Black community on Chicken Hill, who worked together to keep the boy safe. As these characters’ stories overlap and deepen, it becomes clear how much the people who live on the margins of white, Christian America struggle and what they must do to survive. When the truth is finally revealed about what happened on Chicken Hill and the part the town’s white establishment played in it, McBride shows us that even in dark times, it is love and community—heaven and earth—that sustain us. Bringing his masterly storytelling skills and his deep faith in humanity to The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store, James McBride has written a novel as compassionate as Deacon King Kong and as inventive as The Good Lord Bird. Read more
From James McBride, author of the bestselling Oprah’s Book Club pick Deacon King Kong and the National Book Award–winning The Good Lord Bird, a novel about small-town secrets and the people who keep themIn 1972, when workers in Pottstown, Pennsylvania, were digging the foundations for a new development, the last thing they expected to find was a skeleton at the bottom of a well. Who the skeleton was and how it got there were two of the long-held secrets kept by the residents of Chicken Hill, the dilapidated neighborhood where immigrant Jews and African Americans lived side by side and shared ambitions and sorrows. Chicken Hill was where Moshe and Chona Ludlow lived when Moshe integrated his theater and where Chona ran the Heaven & Earth Grocery Store. When the state came looking for a deaf boy to institutionalize him, it was Chona and Nate Timblin, the Black janitor at Moshe’s theater and the unofficial leader of the Black community on Chicken Hill, who worked together to keep the boy safe. As these characters’ stories overlap and deepen, it becomes clear how much the people who live on the margins of white, Christian America struggle and what they must do to survive. When the truth is finally revealed about what happened on Chicken Hill and the part the town’s white establishment played in it, McBride shows us that even in dark times, it is love and community—heaven and earth—that sustain us. Bringing his masterly storytelling skills and his deep faith in humanity to The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store, James McBride has written a novel as compassionate as Deacon King Kong and as inventive as The Good Lord Bird. Read more
This Could Be Us
Kennedy Ryan
“Heart-searing, sensual, and life affirming.”―EMILY HENRY, #1 New York Times bestselling authorSoledad Barnes has her life all planned out. Because, of course, she does. She plans everything. She designs everything. She fixes everything. She’s a domestic goddess who's never met a party she couldn't host or a charge she couldn't lead. The one with all the answers and the perfect vinaigrette for that summer salad. But none of her varied talents can save her when catastrophe strikes, and the life she built with the man who was supposed to be her forever, goes poof in a cloud of betrayal and disillusion.But there is no time to pout or sulk, or even grieve the life she lost. She's too busy keeping a roof over her daughters' heads and food on the table. And in the process of saving them all, Soledad rediscovers herself. From the ashes of a life burned to the ground, something bold and new can rise.But then an unlikely man enters the picture—the forbidden one, the one she shouldn't want but can't seem to resist. She's lost it all before and refuses to repeat her mistakes. Can she trust him? Can she trust herself?After all she's lost . . .and found . . .can she be brave enough to make room for what could be?For fans of Tia Williams and Colleen Hoover comes a deeply moving and personal novel about sacrifice, self-reliance, and finding true happiness from “one of the finest romance writers of our age.”―Entertainment WeeklyPLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio. Read more
Drop, Cover, and Hold On (The Improbable Meet-Cute collection)
Jasmine Guillory
It takes nothing less than a fateful natural disaster to throw two opposites together in a ground-shakingly charming short story by the New York Times bestselling author of Drunk on Love.This Valentine’s Day, Daisy Murray has her heart set on binge-watching rom-coms. Instead, an earthquake traps her inside a bakery with its impossibly rude and insufferably handsome owner and head baker. They already have a history: she’s always smiled, he’s always scowled. Where better to finally get to know each other than amid the disaster? Then again, they have no choice. Besides, it could have its sweet, undeniable, and unpredictable perks.Jasmine Guillory’s Drop, Cover, and Hold On is part of The Improbable Meet-Cute, irresistibly romantic stories about finding love when and where you least expect it. They can be read or listened to in one sitting. Let’s make a date of it. Read more
The Keeper of Stars: A Novel
Buck Turner
NOW A #1 BESTSELLERWho says you can’t rewrite the stars?1962—Twelve years removed from the summer when she first gave her heart away, Dr. Elizabeth (Ellie) Spencer, Professor of Astronomy at Indiana University, receives a mysterious package that has her asking that very question.Inside the unmarked box is a novel written by Ellie’s first love, Jack Bennett. It tells the story of a young man and woman who meet at the water’s edge and fall madly in love, only to have their romance cut short by forces beyond their control. Ellie quickly realizes this is no ordinary story; it’s their story. Captivated by Jack’s words, she immerses herself in the pages, reliving the adventures they shared that magical summer. To her astonishment, hidden among the tales of star-gazing and stolen kisses is a detail that has her questioning everything.Seeking answers, Ellie turns to her sister for help, but before they can get to the bottom of the mystery, news reaches them of their aunt’s death, sending Ellie back to the water’s edge with the hopes of finding the truth and rewriting the stars.Praise for The Keeper of Stars:"What a beautiful story!" - Tracy Thompson"I loved this book! Once I got started, I did not want to stop reading." - Evelyn Vazquez Read more
Yellowface: A Novel
R. F. Kuang
INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER A REESE'S BOOK CLUB PICK“Hard to put down, harder to forget.”—Stephen King, #1 New York Times bestselling authorWhite lies. Dark humor. Deadly consequences… Bestselling sensation Juniper Song is not who she says she is, she didn’t write the book she claims she wrote, and she is most certainly not Asian American—in this chilling and hilariously cutting novel from R.F. Kuang, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Babel.Authors June Hayward and Athena Liu were supposed to be twin rising stars. But Athena’s a literary darling. June Hayward is literally nobody. Who wants stories about basic white girls, June thinks.So when June witnesses Athena’s death in a freak accident, she acts on impulse: she steals Athena’s just-finished masterpiece, an experimental novel about the unsung contributions of Chinese laborers during World War I.So what if June edits Athena’s novel and sends it to her agent as her own work? So what if she lets her new publisher rebrand her as Juniper Song—complete with an ambiguously ethnic author photo? Doesn’t this piece of history deserve to be told, whoever the teller? That’s what June claims, and the New York Times bestseller list seems to agree.But June can’t get away from Athena’s shadow, and emerging evidence threatens to bring June’s (stolen) success down around her. As June races to protect her secret, she discovers exactly how far she will go to keep what she thinks she deserves.With its totally immersive first-person voice, Yellowface grapples with questions of diversity, racism, and cultural appropriation, as well as the terrifying alienation of social media. R.F. Kuang’s novel is timely, razor-sharp, and eminently enjoyable. Read more
The Five Wishes of Mr. Murray McBride
Joe Siple
Maxy Awards "BOOK OF THE YEAR" and USA Today BestsellerAt 100 years old, Murray McBride has outlived everyone he's ever loved. But when he meets Jason Cashman, a 10-year-old boy with a terminal illness, Murray may learn something about finding meaning in life as he helps his young friend fulfill his last wishes.With all his family and friends gone, one-hundred-year-old Murray McBride is looking for a reason to live. He finds it in Jason Cashman, a ten-year-old boy with a terminal heart defect and a list of five things he wants to do before he dies.Together, they race against the limited time each has left, ticking off wishes one by one. Along the way, Murray remembers what it's like to be young, and Jason fights for the opportunity to grow old. But when tragedy strikes, their worlds are turned upside-down, and an unexpected gift is the only thing that can make Jason's final wish come true.#1 Amazon Bestseller Coming of Age#1 Amazon Bestseller Literary Fiction#1 Amazon Bestseller Biographical Literary Fiction#1 Amazon Bestseller American Humorous Fiction#1 Amazon Bestseller Classic American Fiction Read more
Dune Messiah
Frank Herbert
Book Two in the Magnificent Dune Chronicles—the Bestselling Science Fiction Adventure of All TimeDune Messiah continues the story of Paul Atreides, better known—and feared—as the man christened Muad’Dib. As Emperor of the known universe, he possesses more power than a single man was ever meant to wield. Worshipped as a religious icon by the fanatical Fremen, Paul faces the enmity of the political houses he displaced when he assumed the throne—and a conspiracy conducted within his own sphere of influence.And even as House Atreides begins to crumble around him from the machinations of his enemies, the true threat to Paul comes to his lover, Chani, and the unborn heir to his family’s dynasty... Read more
A Gangster's BBW Obsession 2
Mz. Lady P
The Gangster’s and the BBW’s they’re obsessed with are back with more drama than ever.In part 1, there were secrets and revelations that changed the dynamic of The Prince Family. With his back against the wall. Draylon had no choice but to take out the family members that betrayed him. Getting rid of the problems only added more problems. The price just went up and somebody got to pay for it.Outside of standing on street business. Draylon, Horse, and Keizon are all basking in the essence of the women they love more than anything else in this world.Kateevah, LaTasia, and Belladonna all have to learn how to handle the men they’ve vowed to have forever with. The only problem is. Their men are built different so, they have to handle them with a different type of love they’ve never experienced.This love story will hit different cause this is a story built off real love within! Beautiful women embracing their size and the men who treat them like the Queens they are.Get lost within the pages of the highly anticipated installment to the Bestselling book A Gangster’s BBW Obsession. Read more
The Berry Pickers: A Novel
Amanda Peters
2023 Barnes & Noble Discover Prize WinnerWinner of the Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction A four-year-old Mi’kmaq girl goes missing from the blueberry fields of Maine, sparking a mystery that will haunt the survivors, unravel a family, and remain unsolved for nearly fifty years"A stunning debut about love, race, brutality, and the balm of forgiveness." —People, A Best New BookJuly 1962. A Mi’kmaq family from Nova Scotia arrives in Maine to pick blueberries for the summer. Weeks later, four-year-old Ruthie, the family’s youngest child, vanishes. She is last seen by her six-year-old brother, Joe, sitting on a favorite rock at the edge of a berry field. Joe will remain distraught by his sister’s disappearance for years to come. In Maine, a young girl named Norma grows up as the only child of an affluent family. Her father is emotionally distant, her mother frustratingly overprotective. Norma is often troubled by recurring dreams and visions that seem more like memories than imagination. As she grows older, Norma slowly comes to realize there is something her parents aren’t telling her. Unwilling to abandon her intuition, she will spend decades trying to uncover this family secret. For readers of The Vanishing Half and Woman of Light, this showstopping debut by a vibrant new voice in fiction is a riveting novel about the search for truth, the shadow of trauma, and the persistence of love across time."A harrowing tale of Indigenous family separation . . . [Peters] excels in writing characters for whom we can’t help rooting . . . With The Berry Pickers, Peters takes on the monumental task of giving witness to people who suffered through racist attempts of erasure like her Mi’kmaw ancestors." —The New York Times Book Review Read more
Your Ex Ain't Me (Crenshaw Kings Book 4)
Shvonne Latrice
Presley Evans has been labeled as promiscuous ever since she was a teenager and it has unfortunately followed her into adulthood. Being painted as someone she isn't, for as long as she can remember, has taken a toll on the young beauty, numbing her whole being. Couple that with the hurtful secrets she's harboring from the world, no one would blame her for her desensitized attitude. But when she meets a handsome NFL player who offers her an arrangement she can't turn down and one that would ignite the spark she's been missing for so long, Presley can't help but to oblige. She learns quickly though, that there are still pieces left of her heart that can be broken and he'll be the one to do it.Shakur Compton, the young, good-looking, rich and well-known wide receiver of the Los Angeles Gremlins is on top of the world. He's got everything a man his age could ask for, including a beautiful woman by his side. The fact that she used to belong to his older brother, and that his close knit family can't seem to accept her, are issues he feels are minuscule in the grand scheme of things. Life is good. But when the two learn of some life-altering news, the foundation of their relationship begins to crack and bleed in more ways than one. Shakur is unsure of who to trust after some startling information comes to light, all the while having to juggle several moving parts in his life. It becomes not only a lot for the young footballer, but for wifey by his side as well.Teyaira Harper has been unlucky in love ever since she laid eyes on Lequay Compton. Having bet everything on him, she was devastated to learn that she was never a part of his game plan. But when his younger brother Shakur swooped in to save the day, she couldn't have been happier having finally run into a man who valued the woman she's always portrayed herself to be. Right then and there, she vowed to protect this new love at all costs. What she didn't count on though, was that sometimes relationships are more than exotic trips, intimacy, and shopping sprees. There can also be trials, tribulations and tests. And when faced with the ultimate trial, Teyaira begins to lose her footing in a once stable union. However this time, she promises not to go down without a fight.In this love story saturated with secrets, lies, and betrayals, these lovers learn that some of the greatest loves can come from the strangest places, while others were never meant to bloom at all.*This is a standalone novel. However reading "Love Letters from a Gangsta" before this one is recommended for ultimate reading experience.* Read more
The Canopy Keepers (The Scorched Earth Book 1)
Veronica G. Henry
What happens when nature will no longer stand by and accept its destruction? A female fire chief discovers an ancient world rooted with secrets that can save—or destroy—in the newest fantasy by Veronica G. Henry, author of Bacchanal.Beneath the forest floor, they watch…Syrah Carthan doesn’t know why she accepted a job as the first female fire chief at Sequoia National Park, where, decades earlier, a forest fire killed her parents. That day, her brother, Romelo, disappeared, as if pulled into the scorched earth itself. Syrah has always had an uncanny affinity for the natural wonders of the park she protects, but after she sanctions a prescribed burn that goes terribly wrong, she quits her position in disgrace.However, when another devastating wildfire breaks out, Syrah, reluctantly pulled back into action, discovers an unknown world that has existed underground since the beginning of time. This secret society, built around the forest’s complex root system, is now divided into two factions. One is ruled by the Keeper, the giant sequoias’ benevolent caretaker. The other by a mysterious undoer, who’s determined to wage war on humanity. Through him, nature can retaliate and wipe out the earth’s careless ravagers for good.Torn between human loyalty and preserving the delicate balance of nature, Syrah must make a choice—one that will change both her destiny and that of the world above and below forever. Read more
Watch Where They Hide: A Jordan Manning Novel
Tamron Hall
From Emmy Award winner Tamron Hall comes an edge-of-your-seat thriller featuring journalist Jordan Manning as she delves into the case of a mother in danger and uncovers a dangerous web of secrets that could lead right to the missing woman—or put Jordan in the crosshairs of her abductors.“With Jordan Manning, Tamron Hall has given us a smart, empathetic heroine to cheer on for years to come.”—Alafair Burke,New York Times bestselling authorAfter dropping her child off at preschool, Marla Hancock, a stay-at-home mother, disappears. She had recently left her verbally abusive husband in rural Indiana and moved in with her sister, Shelly, who simply can’t believe that her sister would ever willingly vanish without her children. But with limited support from the town’s police department or media resources, Shelly fears that Marla’s disappearance won’t get the attention it deserves, or worse, will go unsolved. So, several weeks after filing a missing person’s report, she reaches out to TV journalist Jordan Manning for help.After her investigative and reporting skills helped solve multiple murders, Jordan Manning’s career in the newsroom is on the rise. She has gained a reputation as more than your typical news reporter: a “fixer” with a vigilante edge, dogged and undeterred to seek the truth. But even with this new status, Jordan still feels pressure to prove herself as a young Black professional. When Shelly reaches out, she feels compelled to do all she can to find Marla.Jordan’s search twists and turns in ways she could never have imagined, illuminating scandals and secrets that place her own life in grave danger. Read more
Hyperion (Hyperion Cantos, Book 1)
Dan Simmons
A stunning tour de force filled with transcendent awe and wonder, Hyperion is a masterwork of science fiction that resonates with excitement and invention, the first volume in a remarkable epic by the multiple-award-winning author of The Hollow Man. On the world called Hyperion, beyond the reach of galactic law, waits a creature called the Shrike. There are those who worship it. There are those who fear it. And there are those who have vowed to destroy it. In the Valley of the Time Tombs, where huge, brooding structures move backward through time, the Shrike waits for them all. On the eve of Armageddon, with the entire galaxy at war, seven pilgrims set forth on a final voyage to Hyperion seeking the answers to the unsolved riddles of their lives. Each carries a desperate hope—and a terrible secret. And one may hold the fate of humanity in his hands. Praise for Dan Simmons and Hyperion “Dan Simmons has brilliantly conceptualized a future 700 years distant. In sheer scope and complexity it matches, and perhaps even surpasses, those of Isaac Asimov and James Blish.”—The Washington Post Book World “An unfailingly inventive narrative . . . generously conceived and stylistically sure-handed.”—The New York Times Book Review “Simmons’s own genius transforms space opera into a new kind of poetry.”—The Denver Post “An essential part of any science fiction collection.”—Booklist Read more
A Prayer for Owen Meany: A Novel
John Irving
“A remarkable novel. . . . A Prayer for Owen Meany is a rare creation. ... An amazingly brave piece of work ... so extraordinary, so original, and so enriching. . . . Readers will come to the end feeling sorry to leave [this] richly textured and carefully wrought world.” —STEPHEN KING, Washington PostI am doomed to remember a boy with a wrecked voice—not because of his voice, or because he was the smallest person I ever knew, or even because he was the instrument of my mother's death, but because he is the reason I believe in God; I am a Christian because of Owen Meany.In the summer of 1953, two eleven-year-old boys—best friends—are playing in a Little League baseball game in Gravesend, New Hampshire. One of the boys hits a foul ball that kills the other boy's mother. The boy who hits the ball doesn't believe in accidents; Owen Meany believes he is God's instrument. What happens to Owen after that 1953 foul ball is extraordinary.A PBS Great American Read Top 100 Pick Read more