Books about Desperation

  1. The Grapes of Wrath

    by John Steinbeck
    A family's struggle to survive the Great Depression, their journey in search of a new life.

    The narrative begins just after Tom Joad is paroled from McAlester prison , where he had been incarcerated after being convicted of homicide in self-defense. While hitchhiking to his home near ... (Wikipedia)

  2. The Road

    by Cormac McCarthy
    A father and son journey through a post-apocalyptic landscape, facing the harsh realities of survival.

    A father and his young son journey on foot across the post-apocalyptic ash-covered United States some years after an extinction event . The boy's mother, pregnant with him at the time of the ... (Wikipedia)

  3. Fahrenheit 451

    by Ray Bradbury
    A dystopian society where books are outlawed, and a fireman's search for freedom and truth.

    Fahrenheit 451 is set in an unspecified city (likely in the American Midwest ) in the year 2049 (according to Ray Bradbury's Coda), though it is written as if set in a distant future. ,[note 1], The ... (Wikipedia)

  4. Angela's Ashes

    by Frank McCourt
    A memoir of poverty and hardship in 1930s Ireland, and a family's struggle to survive.

    Imbued on every page with Frank McCourt's astounding humor and compassion. This is a glorious book that bears all the marks of a classic. "When I look back on my childhood I wonder how I managed to ... (Goodreads)

  5. Allegiant

    by Veronica Roth
    A teenage girl's struggle to save the people she loves, while confronting a dangerous and oppressive regime.

    A future dystopian Chicago has a society that defines its citizens by strict conformity to their social and personality-related affiliations with five different factions . That removes the threat of ... (Wikipedia)

  6. The Metamorphosis

    by Franz Kafka
    A man's transformation into an insect and the surreal journey that follows.

    Gregor Samsa wakes up one morning to find himself transformed into a "monstrous vermin". He initially considers the transformation to be temporary and slowly ponders the consequences of this ... (Wikipedia)

  7. Life of Pi

    by Yann Martel
    A spiritual journey of a young man who is stranded in the Pacific Ocean with a Bengal tiger.

    Life of Pi is a fantasy adventure novel by Yann Martel published in 2001. The protagonist, Piscine Molitor "Pi" Patel, a Tamil boy from Pondicherry, explores issues of spirituality and practicality ... (Goodreads)

  8. East of Eden

    by John Steinbeck
    Exploration of the timeless struggle between good and evil, set against a backdrop of a family saga.

    In his journal, Nobel Prize winner John Steinbeck called East of Eden “the first book,” and indeed it has the primordial power and simplicity of myth. Set in the rich farmland of California’s Salinas ... (Goodreads)

  9. Lord of the Flies

    by William Golding
    A group of boys stranded on an island, struggling to develop a functioning society.

    In the midst of a wartime evacuation, a British aeroplane crashes on or near an isolated island in a remote region of the Pacific Ocean. The only survivors are boys in their middle childhood or ... (Wikipedia)

  10. Salt to the Sea

    by Ruta Sepetys
    Vivid tale of a group of refugees struggling to survive in WWII Europe.

    New York Times, Bestseller and winner of the Carnegie Medal! ,"Masterfully crafted",—,The Wall Street Journal,For readers of, Between Shades of Gray, and, All the Light We Cannot See, Ruta Sepetys, ... (Barnes & Noble)

  11. The Solitude of Prime Numbers

    by Paolo Giordano
    A poignant story of two strangers struggling to find a connection in a world of loneliness.

    As a seven-year-old girl, Alice Della Rocca is forced by her father to take skiing lessons, although she hates the ski school and has no particular aptitude for the sport. One morning, Alice is ... (Wikipedia)

  12. Steppenwolf

    by Hermann Hesse
    The inner struggles of a tortured soul as he searches for redemption.

    The book is presented as a manuscript written by its protagonist , a middle-aged man named Harry Haller, who leaves it to a chance acquaintance, the nephew of his landlady. The acquaintance adds a ... (Wikipedia)

  13. The Plague

    by Albert Camus
    A small town in Algeria is struck by a deadly plague, testing the courage and faith of its citizens.

    The book begins with an epigraph quoting Daniel Defoe , author of, A Journal of the Plague Year, . In the town of Oran, thousands of rats, initially unnoticed by the populace, begin to die in the ... (Wikipedia)

  14. Bleak House

    by Charles Dickens
    A social commentary on the English legal system, exploring themes of inequality, injustice and corruption.

    Bleak House opens in the twilight of foggy London, where fog grips the city most densely in the Court of Chancery. The obscure case of Jarndyce and Jarndyce, in which an inheritance is gradually ... (Goodreads)

  15. The Invisible Man

    by H.G. Wells
    A scientist's journey to invisibility which leads to a descent into madness.

    A mysterious man, Griffin, referred to as 'the stranger', arrives at the local inn owned by Mr. and Mrs. Hall of the English village of Iping , West Sussex, during a snowstorm. The stranger wears a ... (Wikipedia)

  16. City of Lost Souls

    by Cassandra Clare
    A group of friends must protect the world from a powerful demon in a race against time.

    The book opens with Simon returning home, where he finds out that there are a lot of symbols that form a barrier so he can't enter the house. He speaks to his mother, only to feel more rejected when ... (Wikipedia)

  17. Play It As It Lays

    by Joan Didion
    A woman's search for identity amidst the glamour and emptiness of 1960s Hollywood.

    The novel begins with an internal monologue by the 31-year-old Maria Wyeth, followed by short reminiscences of her friend Helene, and ex-husband, film producer Carter Lang. The further narration is ... (Wikipedia)

  18. Madame Bovary

    by Gustave Flaubert
    A woman's struggles to find meaning in her life, leading to tragic consequences.

    Madame Bovary is the debut novel of French writer Gustave Flaubert, published in 1856. The character lives beyond her means in order to escape the banalities and emptiness of provincial life. When ... (Goodreads)

  19. Of Human Bondage

    by W. Somerset Maugham
    A young man's struggles to find a sense of purpose, despite a series of catastrophic misfortunes.

    The book begins with the death of Helen Carey, the much beloved mother of nine-year-old Philip Carey. Philip has a club foot and his father had died a few months before. Now orphaned, he is sent to ... (Wikipedia)

  20. Requiem for a Dream

    by Hubert Selby Jr.
    A tale of four characters and their struggles with addiction, leading to a devastating climax.

    This story follows the lives of Sara Goldfarb, her son Harry, his girlfriend Marion Silver, and his best friend Tyrone C. Love, who are all searching for the key to their dreams in their own ways. In ... (Wikipedia)

  21. On the Island

    by Tracey Garvis Graves
    A story of survival, friendship, and love between two people stranded on a desert island.

    When thirty-year-old English teacher Anna Emerson is offered a job tutoring T.J. Callahan at his family's summer rental in the Maldives, she accepts without hesitation; a working vacation on a ... (Goodreads)

  22. The Good Earth

    by Pearl S. Buck
    A story of humble farmers facing the struggles of poverty and the upheaval of social change.

    The story begins on Wang Lung 's wedding day and follows the rise and fall of his fortunes. The House of Hwang, a family of wealthy landowners, lives in the nearby town, where Wang Lung's future ... (Wikipedia)

  23. Infinite Jest

    by David Foster Wallace
    A journey through the absurdist world of entertainment, drugs, addiction & death.

    There are four major interwoven narratives: , These narratives are connected via a film, Infinite Jest , also referred to in the novel as "the Entertainment" or "the samizdat ". The film is so ... (Wikipedia)

  24. The Tale of the Body Thief

    by Anne Rice
    A vampire navigates the dark underworld, seeking to reclaim his stolen humanity.

    At the beginning of the story, Lestat grows depressed and becomes remorseful because of his vampiric nature. Although he tries to limit his victims to murderers, serial killers and other criminals, ... (Wikipedia)

  25. Faust, First Part

    by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
    A timeless story of a man's struggle between the forces of good and evil.

    Goethe’s masterpiece and perhaps the greatest work in German literature, Faust has made the legendary German alchemist one of the central myths of the Western world. Here indeed is a monumental ... (Goodreads)

  26. Code Name Verity

    by Elizabeth Wein
    Two female spies' harrowing mission during WWII and the secrets they discover.

    In 1943 Nazi-occupied France, a British Lysander spy plane crashes in the fictional town of Ormaie. On board are two best friends, a pilot (Maddie, code name: Kittyhawk) and a spy (Julie, code name: ... (Wikipedia)

  27. Edgedancer

    by Brandon Sanderson
    A young woman's journey of redemption, as she learns to control her magical powers.

    From #1, New York Times, bestselling author Brandon Sanderson, a special gift edition of, Edgedancer, a short novel of the Stormlight Archive., Three years ago, Lift asked a goddess to stop her from ... (Goodreads)

  28. Leaving Time

    by Jodi Picoult
    A young girl's quest to uncover the truth behind her mother's disappearance.

    For more than a decade, Jenna Metcalf has never stopped thinking about her mother, Alice, who mysteriously disappeared in the wake of a tragic accident. Refusing to believe she was abandoned, Jenna ... (Goodreads)

  29. Heart of Darkness

    by Joseph Conrad
    A journey into the depths of the human psyche, exploring the darkness of colonialism.

    Aboard the Nellie , anchored in the River Thames near Gravesend , Charles Marlow tells his fellow sailors how he became captain of a river steamboat for an ivory trading company. As a child, Marlow ... (Wikipedia)

  30. Trainspotting

    by Irvine Welsh
    An exploration of the gritty underworld of drug addiction, told through the eyes of a group of characters.

    The Skag Boys, Jean-Claude Van Damme and Mother Superior - Narrated by Renton. Mark and Simon (a.k.a. Sick Boy) are watching a Jean-Claude Van Damme video when they decide to go buy heroin from ... (Wikipedia)

  31. Blindness

    by José Saramago
    A society is plunged into chaos when everyone suddenly loses their sight.

    Blindness is the story of an unexplained mass epidemic of blindness afflicting nearly everyone in an unnamed city, and the social breakdown that swiftly follows. The novel follows the misfortune of a ... (Wikipedia)

  32. Intensity

    by Dean Koontz
    Thriller of a young woman's race against time to save the life of an innocent child.

    Chyna Shepherd is a college student visiting the family of her friend, Laura Templeton, for a long weekend. Chyna, who was abused and neglected by her mother as a child, finds that the Templeton ... (Wikipedia)

  33. The Devil Wears Prada

    by Lauren Weisberger
    A young woman's quest for career success in the cutthroat world of fashion.

    Andrea Sachs, a recent graduate of Brown University with a degree in English , moves to New York City with her best friend, Lily, a graduate student at Columbia . Andrea hopes to find a career in ... (Wikipedia)

  34. A Fine Balance

    by Rohinton Mistry
    A gripping story of four unlikely lives intertwined in the tumult of India's caste system.

    The book exposes the changes in Indian society from independence in 1947 to the Emergency called by Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi . Mistry was generally critical of Indira Gandhi in the book. ... (Wikipedia)

  35. The Pilgrim's Progress

    by John Bunyan
    A Christian allegory of a journey from the City of Destruction to the Celestial City.

    The entire book is presented as a dream sequence narrated by an omniscient narrator . The allegory's protagonist, Christian , is an everyman character, and the plot centres on his journey from his ... (Wikipedia)

  36. Metro 2033

    by Dmitry Glukhovsky
    Post-apocalyptic novel set in a remote subway station, as survivors battle mutants and humans for survival.

    The year is 2033. The world has been reduced to rubble. Humanity is nearly extinct. The half-destroyed cities have become uninhabitable through radiation. Beyond their boundaries, they say, lie ... (Goodreads)

  37. The Yellow Wall-Paper

    by Charlotte Perkins Gilman
    A woman's descent into madness due to oppressive social expectations.

    A woman and her husband rent a summer house, but what should be a restful getaway turns into a suffocating psychological battle. This chilling account of postpartum depression and a husband's ... (Goodreads)

  38. Fever 1793

    by Laurie Halse Anderson
    A young girl's fight for survival in the midst of a deadly fever epidemic in Philadelphia.

    An epidemic of fever sweeps through the streets of 1793 Philadelphia in this novel from Laurie Halse Anderson where "the plot rages like the epidemic itself" ( The New York Times Book Review ). ... (Barnes & Noble)

  39. Different Seasons

    by Stephen King
    Four novellas exploring the power of morality, justice, and redemption.

    Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption–the most satisfying tale of unjust imprisonment and offbeat escape since The Count of Monte Cristo. Apt Pupil--a golden California schoolboy and an old man ... (Goodreads)

  40. Caught

    by Harlan Coben
    A man's search to uncover the truth behind his wife's disappearance and his own involvement.

    17-year-old Haley McWaid is a good girl, the pride of her suburban New Jersey family, captain of the lacrosse team, headed off to college next year with all the hopes and dreams her doting parents ... (Wikipedia)

  41. The Winter of Our Discontent

    by John Steinbeck
    A journey of self-reflection and moral reckoning as a man struggles to regain his lost integrity.

    The story concerns mainly Ethan Allen Hawley, a former member of Long Island 's aristocratic class. Ethan's late father lost the family fortune, and thus Ethan works as a grocery store clerk. His ... (Wikipedia)

  42. The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History

    by Elizabeth Kolbert
    Examination of the current extinction of species caused by human activity and the potential global implications.

    Over the last half-billion years, there have been five mass extinctions, when the diversity of life on earth suddenly and dramatically contracted. Scientists around the world are currently monitoring ... (Goodreads)

  43. Dry

    by Augusten Burroughs
    A memoir of alcoholism, mental illness, and the search for redemption.

    You may not know it, but you've met Augusten Burroughs. You've seen him on the street, in bars, on the subway, at restaurants: a twenty-something guy, nice suit, works in advertising. Regular. ... (Goodreads)

  44. The Collector

    by John Fowles
    A man's obsession with a young woman leads to a deadly game of cat-and-mouse.

    The novel is about a lonely young man, Frederick Clegg, who works as a clerk in a city hall and collects butterflies in his spare time. The first part of the novel tells the story from his point of ... (Wikipedia)

  45. Doomsday Book

    by Connie Willis
    A time-traveling historian struggles to contain a deadly pandemic in the Middle Ages.

    For Kivrin, preparing an on-site study of one of the deadliest eras in humanity's history was as simple as receiving inoculations against the diseases of the fourteenth century and inventing an alibi ... (Goodreads)

  46. Gerald's Game

    by Stephen King
    An innocent game between a married couple turns into a fight for survival.

    Jessie Burlingame and her husband Gerald, a successful and aggressive lawyer, travel to their secluded lakehouse in western Maine for an unplanned romantic getaway. The titular "game" involves ... (Wikipedia)

  47. Dr. Faustus

    by Christopher Marlowe
    A man's tragic descent to damnation, as he sells his soul to the devil for power and knowledge.

    The Tragical History of the Life and Death of Doctor Faustus, commonly referred to simply as Doctor Faustus, is an Elizabethan tragedy by Christopher Marlowe, based on German stories about the title ... (Goodreads)

  48. The City of Mirrors

    by Justin Cronin
    A post-apocalyptic battle to save humanity from a virus that turns humans into vampires.

    The world we knew is gone. What world will rise in its place? The Twelve have been destroyed and the terrifying hundred-year reign of darkness that descended upon the world has ended. The survivors ... (Goodreads)

  49. Factotum

    by Charles Bukowski
    A portrait of a struggling writer, seeking solace in alcohol and women.

    Set in the 1940s, the plot follows Henry Chinaski , Bukowski's perpetually unemployed, alcoholic alter ego , who has been rejected from the World War II draft and makes his way from one menial job to ... (Wikipedia)

  50. The Glass Menagerie

    by Tennessee Williams
    A young woman's struggle to find her place in society, while being held back by her family.

    The play is introduced to the audience by Tom, the narrator and protagonist, as a memory play based on his recollection of his mother Amanda and his sister Laura. Because the play is based on memory, ... (Wikipedia)

  51. The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon

    by Stephen King
    A young girl's struggle to survive in a dangerous forest while being pursued by a supernatural force.

    The story is set in motion by a family hiking trip, during which Trisha's brother, Pete, and mother constantly squabble about the mother's divorce from their father, as well as other topics. Trisha ... (Wikipedia)

  52. I Was Here

    by Gayle Forman
    A grieving teenager searches for answers after her best friend's sudden suicide.

    Cody and Meg were inseparable. Two peas in a pod. Until . . . they weren’t anymore. When her best friend Meg drinks a bottle of industrial-strength cleaner alone in a motel room, Cody is ... (Goodreads)

  53. I Am Legend

    by Richard Matheson
    A man is the last survivor of a zombie-creating virus, struggling to survive in a post-apocalyptic world.

    Robert Neville appears to be the sole survivor of a pandemic that has killed most of the human population and turned the remainder into " vampires " that largely conform to their stereotypes in ... (Wikipedia)

  54. The Long Winter

    by Laura Ingalls Wilder
    A family's courageous struggle to survive a harsh winter in the American frontier.

    On a hot August day in the 1880s, at the Ingallses' homestead in Dakota Territory , Laura offers to help Pa stack hay to feed their stock in the winter. As they work, she notices a muskrat den in the ... (Wikipedia)

  55. Christine

    by Stephen King
    A young woman's battle against an evil car possessed by supernatural forces.

    Master storyteller Stephen King presents the classic #1 national bestseller of the ultimate vehicle of terror! “This is the story of a lover’s triangle…It was bad from the start. And it got worse in ... (Goodreads)

  56. The Twelve

    by Justin Cronin
    Humanity fighting for survival against a vampire apocalypse.

    After briefly revisiting some of the surviving characters from the first book, the novel jumps back to the start of the plague. Four plot lines emerge: an autistic young school bus driver named Danny ... (Wikipedia)

  57. Song of Susannah

    by Stephen King
    A heroic quest to save the world from the machinations of an evil being.

    Taking place mainly in our world (New York City and East Stoneham, Maine ), this book picks up where, Wolves of the Calla, left off, with the ka-tet employing the help of the Manni to open the magic ... (Wikipedia)

  58. Shift

    by Hugh Howey
    A post-apocalyptic adventure, as a father searches for his missing daughter in a mysterious new world.

    In 2007, the Center for Automation in Nanobiotech (CAN) outlined the hardware and software platform that would one day allow robots smaller than human cells to make medical diagnoses, conduct ... (Goodreads)

  59. The Infinite Sea

    by Rick Yancey
    A group of teenagers fight to survive a post-apocalyptic world plagued by an alien race.

    A few days after the events of the first novel, Cassie, Ben, and the rest of squad 53 have taken refuge at a hotel, which they call "Walker Hotel" in honor of Evan Walker, who is thought to be dead ... (Wikipedia)

  60. The Gambler

    by Fyodor Dostoevsky
    A story of addiction and gambling, and the psychological depths of a man’s desperation.

    The first-person narrative is told from the point of view of Alexei Ivanovich, a tutor working for a Russian family living in a suite at a German hotel. The patriarch of the family, The General, is ... (Wikipedia)

  61. Nothing

    by Janne Teller
    A group of teens employ shocking methods to prove the meaninglessness of life.

    When Pierre-Anthon realizes there is no meaning to life, the seventh-grader leaves his classroom, climbs a tree, and stays there. His classmates cannot make him come down, not even by pelting him ... (Goodreads)

  62. Men Without Women

    by Haruki Murakami
    Collection of stories exploring the experiences of men coping with loneliness and isolation.

    A dazzling new collection of short stories—the first major new work of fiction from the beloved, internationally acclaimed, Haruki Murakami since his #1 best-selling Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His ... (Goodreads)

  63. With the Old Breed: At Peleliu and Okinawa

    by Eugene B. Sledge
    A soldier's harrowing account of his experiences in World War II.

    In his own book, Wartime, Paul Fussell called With the Old Breed "one of the finest memoirs to emerge from any war." John Keegan referred to it in The Second World War as "one of the most arresting ... (Goodreads)

  64. The Ask and the Answer

    by Patrick Ness
    A dystopian society where a rebel uprising is met with oppressive totalitarianism.

    Resuming directly after The Knife of Never Letting Go , Todd Hewitt is captured by the Mayor's army in Haven, renamed New Prentisstown, but his only concern is for Viola. He is forced to live in the ... (Wikipedia)

  65. The Escape

    by David Baldacci
    A former US military operative is framed and must prove his innocence while on the run.

    It's a prison unlike any other. Military discipline rules. Its security systems are unmatched. None of its prisoners dream of escaping. They know it's impossible. Until now. John Puller's older ... (Goodreads)

  66. Bird Box

    by Josh Malerman
    A family's fight for survival in a post-apocalyptic world, where creatures lurk in the shadows.

    Something is out there, something terrifying that must not be seen. One glimpse of it, and a person is driven to deadly violence. No one knows what it is or where it came from. Five years after it ... (Goodreads)

  67. Joker

    by Brian Azzarello
    A gritty crime story that follows a villain's descent into madness.

    An original hardcover graphic novel that tells the story of one very dark night in Gotham City–from the creative team behind the graphic novel LEX LUTHOR: MAN OF STEEL. The Joker has been ... (Goodreads)

  68. Stone of Tears

    by Terry Goodkind
    A quest to restore balance to the world, as a powerful magic threatens all of existence.

    An epic of awesome power from Terry Goodkind, the second installment of the bestselling series A Sword of Truth, Kahlan has at last gained the one goal she had always thought was beyond her grasp ... ... (Barnes & Noble)

  69. The City of Ember

    by Jeanne DuPrau
    A city on the brink of destruction, two young people race against time to unlock its secrets.

    As the book starts off, a coalition of architects, scientists, and doctors known as "The Builders" have built Ember, an isolated, underground city with enough supplies for its inhabitants to survive ... (Wikipedia)

  70. Turtles All the Way Down

    by John Green
    A teenage girl's battle with mental illness, as she navigates her relationships & struggles to find her place in the world.

    Aza Holmes is a 16-year-old high school student living in Indianapolis who struggles with OCD , which often manifests as a fear of the human microbiome . Constantly worried about infection, ... (Wikipedia)

  71. No Time for Goodbye

    by Linwood Barclay
    A woman's mysterious disappearance leads her family into a dangerous investigation, uncovering a dark secret.

    Fourteen-year-old Cynthia Bigge woke one morning to discover that her entire family, mother, father, brother had vanished. No note, no trace, no return. Ever. Now, twenty-five years later, she'll ... (Goodreads)

  72. Momo

    by Michael Ende
    A young girl's magical journey to save her friends from the sinister forces of time.

    In the ruins of an amphitheatre just outside an unnamed city lives Momo, a little girl of mysterious origin. She came to the ruin, parentless and wearing a long, used coat. She is illiterate and ... (Wikipedia)

  73. Babylon's Ashes

    by James S.A. Corey
    Humanity struggles to survive the war of all wars, with a ragtag crew of survivors pitted against a powerful enemy.

    The sixth book in the, New York Times, bestselling Expanse series. , , , ,, NOW A MAJOR TV SERIES, A revolution brewing for generations has begun in fire. It will end in blood. The Free Navy - a ... (Goodreads)

  74. Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald

    by Therese Anne Fowler
    A reimagining of the life of the iconic Jazz Age socialite and her tempestuous marriage with F. Scott Fitzgerald.

    A dazzling novel that captures all of the romance, glamour, and tragedy of the first flapper, Zelda Fitzgerald. When beautiful, reckless Southern belle Zelda Sayre meets F. Scott Fitzgerald at a ... (Goodreads)

  75. Hunger

    by Knut Hamsun
    The story of a man's battle against poverty and his descent into near-madness.

    The novel's first-person protagonist, an unnamed vagrant with intellectual leanings, probably in his late twenties, wanders the streets of Norway's capital, Kristiania ( Oslo ), in pursuit of ... (Wikipedia)

  76. Flowers for Algernon

    by Daniel Keyes
    A mentally-challenged man's journey to become a genius, only to fall into despair.

    The story of a mentally disabled man whose experimental quest for intelligence mirrors that of Algernon, an extraordinary lab mouse. In diary entries, Charlie tells how a brain operation increases ... (Goodreads)

  77. Naked Empire

    by Terry Goodkind
    A quest to restore justice and freedom in a world of tyranny and violence.

    Richard, Kahlan, Cara, Jennsen, Friedrich and Tom are in the Old World, near the Pillars of Creation. They are trying to determine the meaning of a small statue resembling Kahlan. Cara had touched it ... (Wikipedia)

  78. Crush

    by Richard Siken
    A lyrical exploration of love and loneliness, weaving together vivid imagery and intense emotion.

    Finalist for the 2005 National Book Critics Circle Award in Poetry—an erotic, powerful collection “One of the best books of contemporary poetry.”—Victoria Chang,, Huffington Post, “Vital, immediate, ... (Barnes & Noble)

  79. Never Never

    by Colleen Hoover
    A couple's search for answers after the disappearance of the woman's fiancé.

    Never Never, a novella series. Book one of three. Best friends since they could walk. In love since the age of 14. Complete strangers since this morning. He'll do anything to remember. She'll do ... (Barnes & Noble)

  80. The Dog Stars

    by Peter Heller
    A man struggles to survive in post-apocalyptic world, searching for a better life.

    Hig somehow survived the flu pandemic that killed everyone he knows. Now his wife is gone, his friends are dead, and he lives in the hangar of a small abandoned airport with his dog, Jasper, and a ... (Goodreads)

  81. The Cask of Amontillado - an Edgar Allan Poe Short Story

    by Edgar Allan Poe
    A tale of revenge and retribution, forcibly trapping a foe in a ghoulish crypt.

    The story's narrator, Montresor, tells an unspecified person, who knows him very well, of the day he took his revenge on Fortunato (Italian for "the fortunate one"), a fellow nobleman. Angry over ... (Wikipedia)

  82. Plague

    by Michael Grant
    Survivors of a mysterious plague struggle to find a way to survive against a dystopian future.

    Plague , Michael Grant's fourth book in the bestselling Gone series, will satisfy dystopian fans of all ages. It's been eight months since all the adults disappeared. Gone. They've survived hunger. ... (Barnes & Noble)

  83. Hunger

    by Michael Grant
    A dystopian adventure of survival in a world without adults, with only children left to fend for themselves.

    The second book in Michael Grant's New York Times bestselling Gone series, Hunger is a thrilling, action-packed story that is impossible to put down. It's been three months since all the adults ... (Barnes & Noble)

  84. The Child Finder

    by Rene Denfeld
    A young girl goes missing, a private investigator dedicates her life to finding her.

    A haunting, atmospheric, and deeply suspenseful novel from the acclaimed author of The Enchanted about an investigator who must use her unique insights to find a missing little girl. "Where are you, ... (Goodreads)

  85. The Tenth Circle

    by Jodi Picoult
    A father's struggle to protect his daughter from danger in a story of love, loss, and redemption.

    When freshman Trixie Stone accuses her ex-boyfriend, Jason Underhill, of raping her at a party, students and townspeople, alike, are quick to take Jason's side when he claims that their intercourse ... (Wikipedia)

  86. The Good Girl

    by Mary Kubica
    A woman's desperate attempt to save her kidnapped daughter reveals dark secrets of her past.

    Look out for Mary Kubica’s new twisty psychological thriller,, The Other Mrs., perfect for fans of “You”.,Over a million copies sold.,“A twisty, roller coaster ride of a debut. Fans of, Gone Girl, ... (Barnes & Noble)

  87. Then She Was Gone

    by Lisa Jewell
    A mother's desperate search for her missing daughter reveals secrets of a dark family history.

    #1, NEW YORK TIMES, BESTSELLER From the, New York Times, bestselling author of, Invisible Girl, and, The Truth About Melody Browne, comes a “riveting” (,PopSugar,) and “acutely observed family drama” ... (Barnes & Noble)

  88. The Awakening / The Struggle

    by L.J. Smith
    Two teens must save the world from a dark force, relying on an unexpected magical legacy.

    This book has Alternate Cover Editions for this ISBN [ACE], ACE #1, A DEADLY LOVE TRIANGLE Elena: the golden girl, the leader, the one who can have any boy she wants. Stefan: brooding and mysterious, ... (Goodreads)

  89. Six Years

    by Harlan Coben
    A man's search for the truth of his lost love, uncovering secrets of a mysterious past.

    Six years have passed since Jake Fisher watched Natalie, the love of his life, marry another man. Six years of hiding a broken heart by throwing himself into his career as a college professor. Six ... (Goodreads)

  90. Blue Moon

    by Laurell K. Hamilton
    An ancient prophecy of love and betrayal set in a modern-day vampire world.

    Blue Moon takes place in the apparently fictional town of Myerton, Tennessee . Richard , still recovering from Anita's rejection in, The Killing Dance, , has been in Myerton for some time, studying a ... (Wikipedia)

  91. The Kind Worth Killing

    by Peter Swanson
    A dark psychological thriller involving a murderous plan and a deadly game of cat and mouse.

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    A homicide detective embarks on a mission to find her friend's murderer.

    Amarylis Coltraine may have recently transferred to the New York City police force from Atlanta, but she's been a cop long enough to know how to defend herself against an assailant. When she's taken ... (Goodreads)

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    A post-apocalyptic world struggles to survive against oppressive forces.

    The story of Wool takes place on a post-apocalyptic Earth. , Humanity clings to survival in the Silo, a subterranean city extending one hundred forty-four stories beneath the surface. The series ... (Wikipedia)

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    by Harlan Coben
    A father's desperate quest to uncover the truth behind his daughter's disappearance, leading him into a dark underworld of crime.

    Shot twice by an unseen assailant, Dr. Marc Seidman lies in a hospital bed. His wife has been killed. His six-month-old daughter has vanished. But just when his world seems forever shattered, the ... (Goodreads)

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    by Charles Bukowski
    A poetic and darkly humorous narrative about a man's struggles with poverty and loneliness.

    In Los Angeles, California , down-and-out barfly Henry Chinaski becomes a substitute mail carrier ; he quits for a while and lives on his winnings at the race track, then becomes a mail clerk. ... (Wikipedia)

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    by Harlan Coben
    Detective story of a man searching for the truth behind his long lost sister's disappearance.

    Twenty years ago at summer camp, Paul Copeland's sister died in the woods, the alleged victim of a serial killer. Her body was never found. Now, Paul is the prosecutor for Essex County, New Jersey, ... (Goodreads)

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    by Victoria Aveyard
    A young woman's fight against a tyrannical regime, determined to break free of her captors.

    The third book in the thrilling #1 New York Times bestselling series! In this breathless third installment to Victoria Aveyard’s #1, New York Times, bestselling Red Queen series, rebellion is rising ... (Barnes & Noble)

  98. Lords of the North

    by Bernard Cornwell
    A thrilling historical fiction of warriors, love and battles in 9th century England.

    878 – 881: Uhtred of Bebbanburg makes his way back to his native Northumbria seeking revenge against his uncle Ælfric and childhood enemies Sven the One-Eyed and Kjartan the Cruel. He travels by ship ... (Wikipedia)

  99. The Hour of the Star

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    A poor Brazilian girl's life story, illustrating the struggles of the working class.

    The novel starts with the narrator, Rodrigo S.M., discussing what it means to write a story. He addresses the reader directly and spends a lot of time talking about his philosophical beliefs. After ... (Wikipedia)

  100. 2nd Chance

    by James Patterson
    An ex-FBI agent seeks to uncover the truth behind a mysterious death and bring justice to the victim.

    Homicide Lieutenant Lindsay Boxer is still recovering from the recent loss of her partner and is just returning to the force when she is called in to investigate a series of murders that include an ... (Wikipedia)

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