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Book Summaries: Browse Over 1,300 Titles on One Page

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Hi! I’m Nik . In 2016, I wrote over 365 book summaries. That’s more than one per day! I spent thousands of hours writing these.

Since then, we’ve grown our catalog to over 1,300 book summaries, and they’re all free of charge. Right now, I personally publish one new book summary every Wednesday at 2 PM CET .

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Our free book summaries cover the following 44 topics:

• Biography  &  History
• Politics ,  Culture  &  Society
• Environment
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• Happiness  &  Self-Improvement
• Money ,  Investing  &  Personal Finance
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• Communication
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• Mindfulness & Mental Health

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• 10 Days To Faster Reading Summary
• 10% Happier Summary
• 10-Minute Toughness Summary
• 12 Rules For Life Summary
• 13 Things Mentally Strong Parents Don’t Do Summary
• 13 Things Mentally Strong People Don’t Do Summary
• 1984 Summary
• 2030 Summary
• 21 Days To A Big Idea Summary
• 21 Lessons For The 21st Century Summary
• 23 Things They Don’t Tell You About Capitalism Summary
• 30 Lessons For Loving Summary
• 4 Books That Will Help You Fight (and Beat) Anxiety
• 4 Procrastination Books to Help You Get Moving on What Matters Most
• 59 Seconds Summary
• 60 Seconds & You’re Hired Summary
• 7 Strategies For Wealth And Happiness Summary
• 75 Hard Summary
• 8 Rules of Love Summary
• A Beautiful Mind Summary
• A Beginner’s Guide To The End Summary
• A Brief History Of Everyone Who Ever Lived Summary
• A Brief History Of Time Summary
• A Christmas Carol Summary
• A Crack In Creation Summary
• A Curious Mind Summary
• A First-Rate Madness Summary
• A Force For Good Summary
• A General Theory Of Love Summary
• A Guide To The Good Life Summary
• A Higher Loyalty Summary
• A History Of The World In 6 Glasses Summary
• A Message To Garcia Summary
• A Mind For Numbers Summary
• A Monk’s Guide To Happiness Summary
• A More Beautiful Question Summary
• A New Earth Summary
• A People’s History Of The United States Summary
• A Promised Land Summary
• A Random Walk Down Wall Street Summary
• A Return To Love Summary
• A Short History Of Nearly Everything Summary
• A Splendid Exchange Summary
• A Tale of Two Cities Summary
• A Universe From Nothing Summary
• A Vindication Of The Rights Of Woman Summary
• A Walk Around the Block Summary
• A Walk In The Woods Summary
• A Whole New Mind Summary
• A Woman Of No Importance Summary
• A World In Disarray Summary
• A World Without Email Summary
• A Year With Peter Drucker Summary
• Abundance Summary
• Accidental Genius Summary
• Accounting Made Simple Summary
• Adapt Summary
• Adaptive Markets Summary
• Affluenza Summary
• Against Empathy Summary
• Age Of Ambition Summary
• Age Of Anger Summary
• Agile Selling Summary
• AI 2041 Summary
• AI Superpowers Summary
• Alchemy Summary
• Alexander Hamilton Summary
• Alexander The Great Summary
• Algorithms To Live By Summary
• Alibaba Summary
• Alibaba’s World Summary
• All About Love Summary
• All In Summary
• All Marketers Are Liars Summary
• Alone Together Summary
• Altered Traits Summary
• Amazon Summary
• Amusing Ourselves To Death Summary
• An American Sickness Summary
• An Astronaut’s Guide To Life On Earth Summary
• An Audience Of One Summary
• An Invisible Thread Summary
• An Ugly Truth Summary
• Anatomy Of An Epidemic Summary
• Animal, Vegetable, Miracle Summary
• Antifragile Summary
• Anxiety at Work Summary
• Anything You Want Summary
• Are You Fully Charged Summary
• Areté Summary
• Arise, Awake Summary
• As A Man Thinketh Summary
• Ask Summary
• Astrophysics for People in a Hurry Summary
• At Home Summary
• Atlas of the Heart Summary
• Atomic Habits Summary
• Attached Summary
• Automate Your Busywork Summary
• Awaken The Giant Within Summary
• Aware Summary
• Awe Summary
• Bad Blood Summary
• Bad Feminist Summary
• Barbarians At The Gate Summary
• Barking Up The Wrong Tree Summary
• Battle Hymn Of The Tiger Mother Summary
• Be A Free Range Human Summary
• Be Fearless Summary
• Be Obsessed Or Be Average Summary
• Be Our Guest Summary
• Be Useful Summary
• Be Where Your Feet Are Summary
• Becoming Summary
• Becoming The Boss Summary
• Behave Summary
• Behind The Beautiful Forevers Summary
• Behind The Cloud Summary
• Benjamin Franklin: An American Life Summary
• Best Self Summary
• Better Than Before Summary
• Between The World And Me Summary
• Beyond Order Summary
• Big Magic Summary
• Big Potential Summary
• Billion Dollar Whale Summary
• Bird By Bird Summary
• Bit Literacy Summary
• Bittersweet Summary
• Black Box Thinking Summary
• Blink Summary
• Blitzscaling Summary
• Blockchain Revolution Summary
• Blue Ocean Shift Summary
• Blue Ocean Strategy Summary
• Blueprint Summary
• Body By Science Summary
• Bold Summary
• Boost! Summary
• Bored and Brilliant Summary
• Born A Crime Summary
• Born For This Summary
• Born To Run Summary
• Born To Win Summary
• Boss It Summary
• Bounce Back Summary
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• Boundaries Summary
• Boys & Sex Summary
• Braiding Sweetgrass Summary
• Brain Food Summary
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• Brainstorm Summary
• Brandwashed Summary
• Brave New World Summary
• Brave Summary
• Braving The Wilderness Summary
• Breakfast With Socrates Summary
• Breath Summary
• Brief Answers To The Big Questions Summary
• Broadcasting Happiness Summary
• Broke Millennial Summary
• Brotopia Summary
• Buddha’s Brain Summary
• Build the Life You Want Summary
• Building a Second Brain Summary
• Building A StoryBrand Summary
• Building Social Business Summary
• Built To Last Summary
• Built to Move Summary
• Built To Sell Summary
• Bullshit Jobs Summary
• Burn the Boats Summary
• Business Adventures Summary
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• Buyology Summary
• Call Sign Chaos Summary
• Can’t Hurt Me Summary
• Capitalism And Freedom Summary
• Capitalism Summary
• Carrots And Sticks Summary
• Cashvertising Summary
• Caste Summary
• Catalyst Summary
• Catch Me If You Can Summary
• Change By Design Summary
• Change Your Questions, Change Your Life Summary
• Chaos Monkeys Summary
• Chaos Summary
• Charlie Munger Summary
• Chasing Excellence Summary
• Chasing The Scream Summary
• Chatter Summary
• Chernobyl Summary
• Choose Yourself Summary
• Clear Thinking Summary
• Collaborative Intelligence Summary
• Come As You Are Summary
• Comfortably Unaware Summary
• Common Sense Summary
• Common Stocks and Uncommon Profits Summary
• Company Of One Summary
• Confessions Of An Advertising Man Summary
• Conscious Uncoupling Summary
• Contagious Summary
• Content, Inc. Summary
• Cooked Summary
• Cosmos Summary
• Counterclockwise Summary
• Courage Is Calling Summary
• Cradle To Cradle Summary
• Creative Confidence Summary
• Creative Schools Summary
• Creativity, Inc. Summary
• Cribsheet Summary
• Crippled America Summary
• Crossing The Chasm Summary
• Crucial Conversations Summary
• Crush It Summary
• Crushing It Summary
• Cryptoassets Summary
• Cryptocurrency Investing For Dummies Summary
• Curious Summary
• Daily Rituals Summary
• Dare To Lead Summary
• Daring Greatly Summary
• Dark Money Summary
• Dark Towers Summary
• Dataclysm Summary
• David and Goliath Summary
• Dear Girls Summary
• Decisive Summary
• Deep Nutrition Summary
• Deep Thinking Summary
• Deep Work Summary
• Delivering Happiness Summary
• Descartes’ Error Summary
• Design To Grow Summary
• Design Your Future Summary
• Designing Your Life Summary
• Designing Your Work Life Summary
• Die Empty Summary
• Die With Zero Summary
• Difficult Conversations Summary
• Digital Gold Summary
• Digital Minimalism Summary
• Digital Renaissance Summary
• Discipline Equals Freedom Summary
• Discipline Is Destiny Summary
• Discourses Summary
• Disney U Summary
• Disrupt Yourself Summary
• Do Nothing Summary
• Do Over Summary
• Do The Work Summary
• Do What Matters Most Summary
• Do What You Are Summary
• Doesn’t Hurt To Ask Summary
• Dollars And Sense Summary
• Don Quixote Summary
• Don’t Sweat The Small Stuff Summary
• Dopamine Nation Summary
• Dotcom Secrets Summary
• Doubt Summary
• Doughnut Economics Summary
• Dreamland Summary
• Drive Summary
• Duct Tape Marketing Summary
• Eat Better Feel Better Summary
• Eat, Move, Sleep Summary
• Eat Sleep Work Repeat Summary
• Eat That Frog Summary
• Eat To Beat Disease Summary
• Eat To Live Summary
• Eating Animals Summary
• Eats, Shoots & Leaves Summary
• Educated Summary
• Effortless Summary
• Ego Friendly Summary
• Ego Is The Enemy Summary
• Einstein: His Life and Universe Summary
• Elite Minds Summary
• Elon Musk Summary (Ashlee Vance)
• Elon Musk Summary (Walter Isaacson)
• Emotional Agility Summary
• Emotional Intelligence 2.0 Summary
• Emotional Intelligence Summary
• Empire Of Illusion Summary
• Empty Planet Summary
• Enchantment Summary
• Ending Aging Summary
• Energy Summary
• Enlightenment Now Summary
• EntreLeadership Summary
• Epic Content Marketing Summary
• Escape Velocity Summary
• Essentialism Summary
• Everybody Lies Summary
• Everybody Matters Summary
• Everyday Millionaires Summary
• Everyday Zen Summary
• Everything I Know Summary
• Everything Is F*cked Summary
• Everything Is Figureoutable Summary
• Everything Is Obvious Summary
• Evicted Summary
• Excellent Advice for Living Summary
• Excellent Sheep Summary
• Executive Presence Summary
• Expert Secrets Summary
• Exploring The World Of Lucid Dreaming Summary
• Extraordinary Influence Summary
• Extreme Ownership Summary
• Facebook Ads Manual Summary
• Factfulness Summary
• Fail Fast Fail Often Summary
• Failing Forward Summary
• Faith Summary
• Farmageddon Summary
• Fascism Summary
• Fast Food Nation Summary
• Fat For Fuel Summary
• Fear Summary
• Feel-Good Productivity Summary
• Feel Great Lose Weight Summary
• Feral Summary
• Find Your Why Summary
• Finding My Virginity Summary
• Finding Your Element Summary
• Finish Summary
• Finite and Infinite Games Summary
• Fire And Fury Summary
• First Bite Summary
• First Break All The Rules Summary
• First Principles Summary
• First They Killed My Father Summary
• First Things First Summary
• Fit For Growth Summary
• Flourish Summary
• Flow Summary
• Fluent In 3 Months Summary
• Focus Summary
• Food Fix Summary
• Fooled By Randomness Summary
• Forensics: The Anatomy Of Crime Summary
• Forest Bathing Summary
• Forgiving What You Can’t Forget Summary
• Founders at Work Summary
• Four Hundred Souls Summary
• Four Thousand Weeks Summary
• Freakonomics Summary
• Free: The Future Of A Radical Price Summary
• Free To Focus Summary
• From Here To Financial Happiness Summary
• Game Changers Summary
• Games People Play Summary
• Genius Foods Summary
• Genius: The Life And Science Of Richard Feynman Summary
• Get A Financial Life Summary
• Get Better at Anything Summary
• Get Good With Money Summary
• Get Out Of Your Head Summary
• Get Out Of Your Own Way Summary
• Get Smart Summary
• Getting COMFY Summary
• Getting Everything You Can Out Of All You’ve Got Summary
• Getting There Summary
• Getting Things Done Summary
• Getting to Yes Summary
• Ghettoside Summary
• Girl, Stop Apologizing Summary
• Girl, Wash Your Face Summary
• #GIRLBOSS Summary
• Girls & Sex Summary
• Give and Take Summary
• Global Content Marketing Summary
• Goals! Summary
• Good People Summary
• Good Strategy, Bad Strategy Summary
• Good To Great Summary
• Good Vibes, Good Life Summary
• Grain Brain Summary
• Great At Work Summary
• Great By Choice Summary
• Great Thinkers Summary
• Green Illusions Summary
• Greenlights Summary
• Grit Summary
• Growth Hacker Marketing Summary
• Guns, Germs, and Steel Summary
• Habits Of A Happy Brain Summary
• Hackers and Painters Summary
• Happier At Home Summary
• Happier Summary
• Happiness Summary
• Happy Together Summary
• Hardwiring Happiness Summary
• Hatching Twitter Summary
• Healthy at 100 Summary
• Hidden Potential Summary
• High-Impact Tools for Teams Summary
• High Performance Habits Summary
• Hillbilly Elegy Summary
• Hiring Success Summary
• Hit Refresh Summary
• Hold Me Tight Summary
• Homo Deus Summary
• Hood Feminism Summary
• Hooked Summary
• How Democracies Die Summary
• How Emotions Are Made Summary
• How Google Works Summary
• How I Built This Summary
• How Luck Happens Summary
• How Music Got Free Summary
• How Not To Be Wrong Summary
• How Not To Die Summary
• How Not To Worry Summary
• How Successful People Think Summary
• How the Word Is Passed Summary
• How the World Really Works Summary
• How To Avoid A Climate Disaster Summary
• How To Be A Bawse Summary
• How to Be a Conservative Summary
• How To Be A Leader Summary
• How To Be A Positive Leader Summary
• How To Be A Stoic Summary
• How To Be Alone Summary
• How To Be An Antiracist Summary
• How To Be Black Summary
• How to Be Right Summary
• How to Become a Straight-A Student Summary
• How to Break Up With Your Phone Summary
• How To Change Summary
• How To Change Your Mind Summary
• How To Create A Mind Summary
• How To Do Nothing Summary
• How To Do The Work Summary
• How To Fail At Almost Everything And Still Win Big Summary
• How To Fail Summary
• How to Live Summary
• How To Love Summary
• How to Raise an Adult Summary
• How To Read A Book Summary
• How To Read Literature Like A Professor Summary
• How To Stop Worrying And Start Living Summary
• How To Summary
• How to Take Smart Notes Summary
• How to Talk to Anyone, Anytime, Anywhere Summary
• How To Talk To Anyone Summary
• How to Think Like a Roman Emperor Summary
• How to Think More Effectively Summary
• How To Win At The Sport Of Business Summary
• How to Win Friends and Influence People Summary
• How We Got To Now Summary
• How We Learn Summary
• How Will You Measure Your Life Summary
• Howard Hughes: His Life And Madness Summary
• Hug Your Haters Summary
• Humans Are Underrated Summary
• Humor, Seriously Summary
• Hyper-Learning Summary
• Hyperfocus Summary
• I Contain Multitudes Summary
• I Hear You Summary
• I Thought It Was Just Me Summary
• I Wear The Black Hat Summary
• I Will Teach You To Be Rich Summary
• Identity Summary
• If You’re So Smart, Why Aren’t You Happy Summary
• Ignore Everybody Summary
• Ikigai Summary
• Imagine It Forward Summary
• Immunity Summary
• Impeachment Summary
• Imperfect Courage Summary
• In Cold Blood Summary
• In Defense Of Food Summary
• In Search Of Excellence Summary
• Indistractable Summary
• Influence Summary
• Inner Engineering Summary
• Insight Summary
• Inspired Summary
• Intimacy And Desire Summary
• Intuitive Eating Summary
• Invent and Wander Summary
• Inventology Summary
• Invisible Influence Summary
• Invisible Women Summary
• Irresistible Summary
• It Doesn’t Have To Be Crazy At Work Summary
• It’s All In Your Head Summary
• iWoz Summary
• Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook Summary
• Journey Of Awakening Summary
• Joy At Work Summary
• Joyful Summary
• Just Keep Buying Summary
• Just Listen Summary
• Just Mercy Summary
• Kaizen Summary
• Keep Going Summary
• Keep Showing Up Summary
• Keto Answers Summary
• Killing the Mob Summary
• Labor Of Love Summary
• Late Bloomers Summary
• Lateral Thinking Summary
• Launch Summary
• Lead Yourself First Summary
• Leaders Eat Last Summary
• Leadershift Summary
• Leadership And Self-Deception Summary
• Leadership Strategy And Tactics Summary
• Lean Analytics Summary
• Lean In Summary
• Learned Optimism Summary
• Legendary Service Summary
• Leonardo Da Vinci Summary
• Less Doing More Living Summary
• Lessons from the Titans Summary
• Letters From A Stoic Summary
• Letting Go of Nothing Summary
• Liespotting Summary
• Life After Google Summary
• Life in Five Senses Summary
• Life Worth Living Summary
• Lifespan Summary
• Limitless Summary
• Linchpin Summary
• Lives Of The Stoics Summary
• Living Forward Summary
• Living In Your Top 1% Summary
• Long Life Learning Summary
• Long-Term Thinking For A Short-Sighted World Summary
• Long Walk To Freedom Summary
• Loonshots Summary
• Loserthink Summary
• Losing My Virginity Summary
• Lost Connections Summary
• Love People, Use Things Summary
• Love Warrior Summary
• Love Worth Making Summary
• Loving What Is Summary
• Made To Stick Summary
• Make A Killing On Kindle Summary
• Make It Stick Summary
• Make Money Trading Options Summary
• Make Time Summary
• Make Your Bed Summary
• Make Your Mark Summary
• Making Ideas Happen Summary
• Making It All Work Summary
• Managing Oneself Summary
• Man’s Search For Meaning Summary
• Manufacturing Consent Summary
• Maoism Summary
• Mastermind: How to Think Like Sherlock Holmes Summary
• Masters of Scale Summary
• Mastery Summary
• Mating In Captivity Summary
• Maximize Your Potential Summary
• Maybe You Should Talk To Someone Summary
• Measure What Matters Summary
• Meditations On First Philosophy Summary
• Meditations Summary
• Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus Summary
• Merchants of Doubt Summary
• Metahuman Summary
• Mighty Be Our Powers Summary
• Million Dollar Consulting Summary
• Million Dollar Weekend Summary
• Millionaire Success Habits Summary
• Mind Gym Summary
• Mind Hacking Summary
• Mind Over Clutter Summary
• Mind Over Money Summary
• Mindful Work Summary
• Mindset Summary
• Mindsight Summary
• Mini Habits Summary
• Minimalism Summary
• Minor Feelings Summary
• Mistakes Were Made, But Not By Me Summary
• Money: Master The Game Summary
• Money Summary
• Moneyland Summary
• Moonshot Summary
• Moonwalking With Einstein Summary
• More Money Than God Summary
• Move Your Bus Summary
• Multipliers Summary
• My Age Of Anxiety Summary
• My Morning Routine Summary
• My Stroke Of Insight Summary
• Nail It Then Scale It Summary
• Napoleon The Great Summary
• Napoleon’s Buttons Summary
• Narrative Economics Summary
• Necessary Endings Summary
• Never Eat Alone Summary
• Never Finished Summary
• Never Split The Difference Summary
• No-Drama Discipline Summary
• No Excuses! Summary
• No Hard Feelings Summary
• No Logo Summary
• No More Mr. Nice Guy Summary
• No Rules Rules Summary
• No Self No Problem Summary
• Nobody Wants to Read Your Sh*t Summary
• Noise Summary
• Nonviolent Communication Summary
• Not Today Summary
• Now, Discover Your Strengths Summary
• Nudge Summary
• On Liberty Summary
• On the Origin of Species Summary
• On The Shortness Of Life Summary
• On Tyranny Summary
• On Writing Summary
• On Writing Well Summary
• One Decision Summary
• One Simple Idea Summary
• One Up on Wall Street Summary
• Open Summary
• Option B Summary
• Orientalism Summary
• Originals Summary
• Our Wild Calling Summary
• Out Of Our Minds Summary
• Outer Order, Inner Calm Summary
• Outliers Summary
• Outlive Summary
• Outwitting The Devil Summary
• Own The Day, Own Your Life Summary
• Own Your Everyday Summary
• Oxygen Summary
• 4 Books That Will Help You Deal With Painful Relationships
• Pandemic Summary
• Payoff Book Summary
• Peak: How Great Companies Get Their Mojo From Maslow Summary
• Peak Performance Summary
• Peak Summary
• People Over Profit Summary
• Perfectly Confident Summary
• Permanent Record Summary
• Permission Marketing Summary
• Personality Isn’t Permanent Summary
• Phantoms In The Brain Summary
• Pioneering Portfolio Management Summary
• Pitch Anything Summary
• Pitch Perfect Summary
• Pivot Summary
• Plato At The Googleplex Summary
• Playing With FIRE Summary
• Poor Charlie’s Almanack Summary
• Power Relationships Summary
• Pre-Suasion Summary
• Predictable Success Summary
• Predictably Irrational Summary
• Presence Summary
• Principles Summary
• Prisoners Of Geography Summary
• Problem Solving 101 Summary
• Profit First Summary
• Psyched Up Summary
• Psycho-Cybernetics Summary
• Purple Cow Summary
• QBQ! Summary
• Quiet Power Summary
• Quiet Summary
• Quit Like A Millionaire Summary
• Quitter Summary
• Radical Acceptance Summary
• Radical Candor Summary
• Radical Honesty Summary
• Raise Your Game Summary
• Raising A Secure Child Summary
• Range Summary
• Rationality Summary
• Reading Like A Writer Summary
• Real Artists Don’t Starve Summary
• Real Change Summary
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• Reality Is Broken Summary
• Reasons To Stay Alive Summary
• Reframe Your Brain Summary
• Reinvent Yourself Summary
• Rejection Proof Summary
• Relationship Goals Summary
• Remote Book Summary
• Requiem For The American Dream Summary
• Resilience Summary
• Resisting Happiness Summary
• Rest Summary
• Restart Summary
• Rewire Summary
• Rework Summary
• Rich Dad Poor Dad Summary
• Rich Dad’s Cashflow Quadrant Summary
• Richard Nixon: The Life Summary
• Rising Strong Summary
• Rookie Smarts Summary
• Rule #1 Summary
• Safe People Summary
• Salt: A World History Summary
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• Sam Walton: Made In America Summary
• Same as Ever Summary
• Sapiens Summary
• Say Nothing Summary
• Search Inside Yourself Summary
• Second Chance Summary
• Secrets Of The Millionaire Mind Summary
• See You At The Top Summary
• See You On The Internet Summary
• Self-Compassion Summary
• Selfish Reasons To Have More Kids Summary
• Set Boundaries Find Peace Summary
• Seven Brief Lessons On Physics Summary
• Sex At Dawn Summary
• Shattered Summary
• She Comes First Summary
• Shoe Dog Summary
• Show Your Work! Summary
• Siddhartha Summary
• Side Hustle Summary
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• Simple Rules Summary
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• Skin In The Game Summary
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• Slow Productivity Summary
• Small Giants Summary
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• So Good They Can’t Ignore You Summary
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• Solve For Happy Summary
• Soundtracks Summary
• Spark Summary
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• Start Summary
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• Status Anxiety Summary
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• Stocks for the Long Run Summary
• Stolen Focus Summary
• Storyworthy Summary
• Strengthsfinder 2.0 Summary
• Striking Thoughts Summary
• Stumbling On Happiness Summary
• Subscribed Summary
• Success Through A Positive Mental Attitude Summary
• Suggestible You Summary
• Super Attractor Summary
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• Surrounded by Idiots Summary
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• Switch Summary
• Talent Is Overrated Summary
• Talk Like Ted Summary
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• Team Of Rivals Summary
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• Ten Arguments For Deleting Your Social Media Accounts Right Now Summary
• Tesla: Man Out of Time Summary
• Testing Business Ideas Summary
• Thank You For Arguing Summary
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• That Sounds Fun Summary
• The 1-Page Marketing Plan Summary
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• The 15 Invaluable Laws Of Growth Summary
• The 21 Irrefutable Laws Of Leadership Summary
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• The 22 Immutable Laws Of Marketing Summary
• The 4 Day Week Summary
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• The Alchemist Summary
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• The Anatomy Of Peace Summary
• The Antidote Summary
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• The Art of Aliveness Summary
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• The Book Summary
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• The Dip Summary
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• The Effective Executive Summary
• The Emperor Of All Maladies Summary
• The End Of Average Summary
• The End Of Illness Summary
• The End of Jobs Summary
• The End Of Poverty Summary
• The End Of Power Summary
• The End Of Stress Summary
• The Energy Bus Summary
• The Ethics Of Ambiguity Summary
• The Eureka Factor Summary
• The Everything Store Summary
• The Evolution Of Everything Summary
• The Execution Factor Summary
• The Facebook Effect Summary
• The Fifth Agreement Summary
• The Fifth Discipline Summary
• The Financial Diet Summary
• The Fine Art Of Small Talk Summary
• The First 20 Hours Summary
• The First 90 Days Summary
• The Five Dysfunctions of a Team Summary
• The Fortune Cookie Principle Summary
• The Four Agreements Summary
• The Four Steps To The Epiphany Summary
• The Four Tendencies Summary
• The Freaks Shall Inherit The Earth Summary
• The Game Summary
• The Genius Of Birds Summary
• The Genius of Dogs Summary
• The Geography Of Genius Summary
• The Gift Of Fear Summary
• The Gifts Of Imperfection Summary
• The Go-Giver Summary
• The God Delusion Summary
• The God Equation Summary
• The Grand Design Summary
• The Great Escape Summary
• The Great Gatsby Summary
• The Great Mental Models Summary
• The Greatest Salesman In The World Summary
• The Greatest Secret Summary
• The Greatness Mindset Summary
• The Habit Blueprint Summary
• The Happiness Advantage Summary
• The Happiness Equation Summary
• The Happiness Hypothesis Summary
• The Happiness Of Pursuit Summary
• The Happiness Project Summary
• The Happiness Trap Summary
• The Happy Mind Summary
• The Hard Thing About Hard Things Summary
• The Hero Code Summary
• The Hero Factor Summary
• The Hero With a Thousand Faces Summary
• The Hidden Habits of Genius Summary
• The Hidden Life of Trees Summary
• The High 5 Habit Summary
• The Highly Sensitive Person Summary
• The Honest Truth About Dishonesty Summary
• The Hot Zone Summary
• The House Of Rothschild Summary
• The How of Happiness Summary
• The Idea Factory Summary
• The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks Summary
• The Importance Of Being Little Summary
• The In-Between Summary
• The Infinite Game Summary
• The Inner Game Of Tennis Summary
• The Inner Life of Animals Summary
• The Innovator’s Dilemma Summary
• The Innovators Summary
• The Intelligent Investor Summary
• The Interpretation Of Dreams Summary
• The Introvert’s Complete Career Guide Summary
• The Invincible Company Summary
• The Joy of Missing Out Summary
• The Joy Of Movement Summary
• The Kindness Method Summary
• The Language Instinct Summary
• The Last Lecture Summary
• The Latte Factor Summary
• The Law Says What Summary
• The Laws Of Human Nature Summary
• The Leader in You Summary
• The Leadership Challenge Summary
• The Lean Startup Summary
• The Lessons of History Summary
• The Life-Changing Magic Of Not Giving A F*ck Summary
• The Life-Changing Magic Of Tidying Up Summary
• The Life-Changing Science of Detecting Bullshit Summary
• The Light We Carry Summary
• The Little Book of Common Sense Investing Summary
• The Little Book Of Hygge Summary
• The Little Book Of Lykke Summary
• The Little Book of Talent Summary
• The Little Book That Still Beats The Market Summary
• The Little Prince Summary
• The Long Tail Summary
• The Longevity Paradox Summary
• The Longevity Project Summary
• The Lost Art of Connecting Summary
• The Lucifer Effect Summary
• The Magic Of Math Summary
• The Magic Of Reality Summary
• The Magic of Thinking Big Summary
• The Man Who Fed The World Summary
• The Man Who Solved The Market Summary
• The Messy Middle Summary
• The Midnight Library Summary
• The Million-Dollar, One-Person Business Summary
• The Millionaire Fastlane Summary
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• The Mind Illuminated Summary
• The Miracle Equation Summary
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• The Miracle Of Mindfulness Summary
• The Mom Test Summary
• The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari Summary
• The Moral Animal Summary
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• The Motivation Manifesto Summary
• The Mountain Is You Summary
• The Myth Of Multitasking Summary
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• The New Trading For A Living Summary
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• The Opposite Of Spoiled Summary
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• The Paradox Of Choice Summary
• The Passion Paradox Summary
• The Path Made Clear Summary
• The Person You Mean to Be Summary
• The Personal MBA Summary
• The Personality Brokers Summary
• The Picture of Dorian Gray Summary
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• The Practice Summary
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• The Pragmatist’s Guide To Relationships Summary
• The Presence Process Summary
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• The Psychology of Money Summary
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• The Purpose Driven Life Summary
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• The Republic Summary
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• The Ride Of A Lifetime Summary
• The Rise Of Superman Summary
• The Rise Summary
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• The Road to Character Summary
• The Road To Serfdom Summary
• The Ruthless Elimination Of Hurry Summary
• The Sales Advantage Summary
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• The Science Of Storytelling Summary
• The Second Mountain Summary
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• The Secret Life of Pronouns Summary
• The Secret Summary
• The Secret World of Weather Summary
• The Self-Discipline Blueprint Summary
• The Self-Made Billionaire Effect Summary
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• The Seven Principles For Making Marriage Work Summary
• The Seven Spiritual Laws Of Success Summary
• The Shallows Summary
• The Signal And The Noise Summary
• The Simple Path to Wealth Summary
• The Singularity Is Near Summary
• The Six Pillars Of Self-Esteem Summary
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• The Sleep Revolution Summary
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• The Story of Philosophy Summary
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• The Subtle Art Of Not Giving A F*ck Summary
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• This Is Marketing Summary
• This Is Your Brain On Music Summary
• This Is Your Mind On Plants Summary
• Thou Shall Prosper Summary
• Thoughts Without A Thinker Summary
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• Through The Language Glass Summary
• Time And How To Spend It Summary
• Tiny Habits Summary
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| The Art of Aliveness for All

Book Summaries

Sloww is your go-to book summary website for the highest quality and most detailed free book summaries anywhere in the world.

This page is a comprehensive list of 100+ nonfiction book summaries. You may also enjoy my book recommendations and full reading list (Google Sheet). Enjoy!

“I love your work on Sloww. The book summaries are God-sent, and I appreciate how you express complex concepts with such clarity. Big Thank You.” — Sarah G, Sloww reader

Page Contents:

· Lifelong Learning Book Summaries (Sloww Stage Support) · Intentional Living Book Summaries (Sloww Stage 1) · Life Purpose Book Summaries (Sloww Stage 2) · Mental Mastery Book Summaries (Sloww Stage 3) · Spiritual Seeing Book Summaries (Sloww Stage 4)

Sloww Book Summaries: High Quality, Detailed, Nonfiction (& Free!)

About the book summaries.

What makes Sloww summaries the most useful book summaries in the world?

Author Quotes:  I always use the author’s original words— not filtered by my mind. Watch out for book “summaries” that are only or mostly in the reader’s words—you’re essentially playing the “telephone game” with these (you’re reading the reader’s mind, not the author’s words).

Key Themes:  I group similar quotes into key themes, so you get the gist of the main themes from a book  and  see direct examples of original author quotes that support the themes. Key themes can then be synthesized across books to make you more of a interdisciplinary generalist.

Visual Formatting:  I do a lot of extra work to provide intuitive visual organization. This is rarely seen in other book summaries online that are often long pages of unformatted text or bullet points. I use highlighting, bolding, visuals, and infographics to bring my book summaries to life.

Appropriate Length: There are far too many short summaries out there that only give you bits and pieces of a book. My summaries are “as long as they need to be” depending on the quality of the book. I offer both free summaries and 🔒Premium summaries (further distilled and more actionable). Here are some examples of how much fluff I cut out of a book to produce my summaries (free summaries cut ~90% out of a full book on average; 🔒Premium summaries then cut the free summaries in half):

📚 Lifelong Learning & Deeper Development Book Summaries

Pair with: Sloww Stage Support: How do I learn for life?

Lifelong learning book summaries:

• ⭐ How to Read a Book  by Mortimer Adler |  Book Summary  | 🔒  How to Apply It  
• ⭐ Transformative Dimensions of Adult Learning by Jack Mezirow | Book Summary | 🔒  How to Apply It
• 👍 How to Take Smart Notes  by Sönke Ahrens | Book Summary 1 , 2  | 🔒  How to Apply It  
• 👍 Make It Stick by Peter Brown, Henry Roediger III, and Mark McDaniel | Book Summary | 🔒  How to Apply It
• 👍 Learning in Adulthood  by Sharan Merriam & Lisa Baumgartner |  Book Summary | 🔒  How to Apply It
• 👍 Understanding and Promoting Transformative Learning  by Patricia Cranton |  Book Summary | 🔒  How to Apply It
• 👍 First Person Action Research by Judi Marshall | Book Summary | 🔒 Premium Synthesis
• 👍 The Art of Learning by Josh Waitzkin | Book Summary
• 👍 Introduction to Interdisciplinary Studies  by Allen Repko, Rick Szostak, & Michelle Phillips Buchberger |  Book Summary | 🔒  How to Apply It
• Interdisciplinary Research: Process and Theory  by Allen Repko and Rick Szostak | Book Summary | 🔒  How to Apply It
• A Synthesizing Mind  by Howard Gardner |  Book Summary  | 🔒  How to Apply It
• Teaching Complex Ideas by Arnold Wentzel | Book Summary
• Range  by David Epstein |  Book Summary  
• Ultralearning by Scott Young | Book Summary
• Building a Second Brain by Tiago Forte | Book Summary
• The 7 Transdisciplinary Cognitive Skills for Creative Education  by Danah Henriksen |  Book Summary

Deeper development book summaries:

• ⭐ Ego Development Theory by Susanne Cook-Greuter | Paper Summary 1 , 2 | 🔒 How to Apply It
• 👍 Integral Psychology by Ken Wilber | Book Summary
• 👍 The Farther Reaches of Human Nature  by Abraham Maslow | Book Summary  1 ,  2 ,  3 ,  4  | 🔒 How to Apply It  1 ,  2
• 👍 SQ21 (Spiritual Intelligence)  by Cindy Wigglesworth |  Book Summary
• 👍 Raise a Genius! by László Polgár | Book Summary | 🔒 How to Apply It
• A Brief History of Everything by Ken Wilber | Book Summary
• A Theory of Everything  by Ken Wilber |  Book Summary
• Integral Spirituality by Ken Wilber | Book Summary
• The Integral Vision by Ken Wilber |  Book Summary
• Transcend  by Scott Barry Kaufman | Book Summary  1 , 2

🌎 Intentional Living Book Summaries

Pair with: Sloww Stage 1: How do I design a lighter lifestyle?

Slow living book summaries:

• 👍 In Praise of Slowness  by Carl Honore |  Book Summary  | 🔒  How to Apply It
• The Things You Can See Only When You Slow Down  by Haemin Sunim |  Book Summary
• Slow  by Brooke McAlary |  Book Summary
• Chasing Slow  by Erin Loechner |  Book Summary
• Present Over Perfect  by Shauna Niequist |  Book Summary
• The Slow Fix  by Carl Honoré |  Book Summary
• In Praise of Idleness by Bertrand Russell | Essay Summary
• Conspicuous Consumption of Time by Bellezza, Paharia, & Keinan | Research Summary

Simple living book summaries:

• 👍 Voluntary Simplicity  by Duane Elgin |  Book Summary
• 👍 The Quest of the Simple Life  by William J. Dawson | Book Summary 1 , 2
• 👍 The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up  by Marie Kondo |  Book Summary
• The Value of Voluntary Simplicity by Richard Gregg | Essay Summary
• Voluntary Simplicity: Listening to the Quiet Revolution by Katie Barton | Thesis Summary
• Goodbye, Things  by Fumio Sasaki |  Book Summary
• Simplify  by Joshua Becker |  Book Summary
• The Blue Zones Cookbook by Dan Buettner | Book Summary

Lifestyle design book summaries:

• ⭐ Early Retirement Extreme  by Jacob Lund Fisker |  Book Summary  | 🔒  How to Apply It
• 👍 The Psychology of Money  by Morgan Housel |  Book Summary
• 👍 Atomic Habits  by James Clear |  Book Summary  | 🔒  How To Apply It  
• 👍 Essentialism  by Greg McKeown |  Book Summary  | 🔒  How To Apply It  
• 👍 The Pathless Path by Paul Millerd |  Book Summary  | 🔒  How to Apply It
• 👍 The Almanack of Naval Ravikant  by Eric Jorgenson |  Book Summary  | 🔒  How to Apply It
• Four Thousand Weeks by Oliver Burkeman | Book Summary
• Die With Zero  by Bill Perkins | Book Summary
• When  by Daniel Pink |  Book Summary  
• Areté by Brian Johnson | Book Summary | 🔒 Premium Synthesis
• Economic Possibilities for our Grandchildren by John Maynard Keynes | Essay Summary

🧭 Life Purpose Book Summaries

Pair with: Sloww Stage 2: How do I find deeper purpose?

Meaning book summaries:

• ⭐ Man’s Search for Meaning  by Viktor Frankl | Book Summary  1 ,  2  | 🔒  How to Apply It
• 👍 Yes to Life  by Viktor Frankl |  Book Summary  | 🔒  How to Apply It
• The Last Lecture  by Randy Pausch |  Book Summary  

Purpose book summaries:

• 👍 A New Earth  by Eckhart Tolle | Book Summary  1 ,  2 ,  3  | 🔒  How to Apply It
• 👍 Let Your Life Speak  by Parker Palmer |  Book Summary  | 🔒  How to Apply It
• The Alchemist  by Paulo Coelho | Book Summary 1 , 2
• The Purpose Driven Life  by Rick Warren |  Book Summary
• Find Your Why  by Simon Sinek |  Book Summary
• Ikigai  by Héctor García and Francesc Miralles |  Book Summary | My Ikigai 2.0 eBook
• Awakening Your Ikigai  by Ken Mogi |  Book Summary | My Ikigai 2.0 eBook
• The Path Made Clear  by Oprah |  Book Summary
• The Crossroads of Should and Must  by Elle Luna |  Book Summary
• The Wisdom of the Enneagram  by Riso & Hudson | Book Summary 1 , 2

🧠 Mental Mastery Book Summaries

Pair with: Sloww Stage 3: How do I master the mind?

Brain & biology book summaries:

• ⭐ The Master and His Emissary by Iain McGilchrist | Book Summary
• ⭐ Livewired by David Eagleman | Book Summary
• 👍 Determined by Robert Sapolsky | Book Summary | 🔒 Premium Synthesis
• 👍 Conscious by Annaka Harris | Book Summary
• 👍 Whole Brain Living  by Jill Bolte Taylor |  Book Summary

Mind & psychology book summaries:

• ⭐ The Art of War by Sun Tzu (Michael Nylan Version) | Book Summary
• ⭐ Thinking in Systems  by Donella Meadows |  Book Summary  | 🔒 Premium Summary
• ⭐ Creating Freedom by Raoul Martinez |  Book Summary  | 🔒  How to Apply It
• 👍 Free Will  by Sam Harris |  Book Summary  | 🔒  How to Apply It
• 👍 The Lessons of History  by Will & Ariel Durant | Book Summary  1 ,  2  | 🔒  How to Apply It
• 👍 The Inner Game of Tennis by W. Timothy Gallwey |  Book Summary  | 🔒  Premium Summary
• 👍 Poor Charlie’s Almanack by Peter Kaufman & Charlie Munger | Book Summary
• 👍 Super Thinking  by Gabriel Weinberg & Lauren McCann |  Book Summary  | 🔒  Premium Summary
• 👍 The Great Mental Models Volume 1  by Farnam Street |  Book Summary  
• 👍 The Skeptics’ Guide to the Universe by Steven Novella | Book Summary | 🔒 Premium Summary
• 👍 The Extended Mind by Annie Murphy Paul | Book Summary
• Seeking Wisdom: From Darwin to Munger  by Peter Bevelin |  Book Summary
• The Art of Thinking Clearly by Rolf Dobelli | Book Summary | 🔒 Premium Summary
• Clear Thinking by Shane Parrish | Book Summary
• Sum by David Eagleman | Book Summary
• The Grand Redesign by Sam McRoberts | Book Summary
• Lying by Sam Harris | Book Summary
• Metathinking  by Nick Shannon & Bruno Frischherz |  Book Summary

Philosophy book summaries:

• 👍 A Calendar of Wisdom  by Leo Tolstoy |  Book Summary  | 🔒  How to Apply It
• 👍 This is Water  by David Foster Wallace |  Book Summary  | 🔒  How to Apply It
• 👍 How to Live  by Derek Sivers |  Book Summary  | 🔒  How to Apply It
• 👍 On The Shortness Of Life  by Seneca |  Book Summary
• 👍 As a Man Thinketh  by James Allen |  Book Summary
• The Four Agreements  by Don Miguel Ruiz |  Book Summary | 🔒 How to Apply it
• Excellent Advice for Living by Kevin Kelly | Book Summary
• The Egg by Andy Weir | Book Summary
• Meditations  by Marcus Aurelius | Book Summary  1 ,  2
• Enchiridion  by Epictetus |  Book Summary
• Stillness is the Key  by Ryan Holiday |  Book Summary
• The Existentialist’s Survival Guide  by Gordon Marino |  Book Summary

☯️ Spiritual Seeing Book Summaries

Pair with: Sloww Stage 4: How do I see beyond mind?

Spirituality book summaries:

• ⭐ Thought as a System by David Bohm | Book Summary
• ⭐ Awareness  by Anthony De Mello |  Book Summary  | 🔒  How to Apply It
• ⭐ Being Aware of Being Aware by Rupert Spira |  Book Summary  | 🔒  How to Apply it
• ⭐ Be As You Are by Ramana Maharshi | Book Summary | 🔒  How to Apply it
• ⭐ On Having No Head by Douglas Harding | Book Summary | 🔒  How to Apply it
• ⭐ Tao Te Ching  by Lao Tzu (Stephen Mitchell Version) |  Book Summary
• 👍 Waking U p by Sam Harris | Book Summary
• 👍 Siddhartha  by Hermann Hesse |  Book Summary
• 👍 The Untethered Soul  by Michael Singer |  Book Summary  | 🔒  How to Apply it
• 👍 Be Here Now by Ram Dass | Book Summary | 🔒  How to Apply it
• 👍 The Power of Now  by Eckhart Tolle | Book Summary  | 🔒  How to Apply It
• 👍 The Way to Love  by Anthony de Mello |  Book Summary
• 👍 Spiritual Enlightenment  by Jed McKenna |  Book Summary  | 🔒  How to Apply it
• 👍 Being Myself by Rupert Spira |  Book Summary  | 🔒  How to Apply it
• 👍 Who Am I?  by Sri Ramana Maharshi |  Book Summary | 🔒  How to Apply it
• 👍 Know Yourself by Ibn Arabi & Balyani | Book Summary
• 👍 The Science of the 1st Person by Douglas Harding | Book Summary | 🔒  How to Apply it
• 👍 Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind by Shunryu Suzuki | Book Summary | 🔒  How to Apply it
• 👍 Experiencing God Directly by Marshall Davis | Book Summary
• 👍 The Practice of the Presence of God by Brother Lawrence & Marshall Davis | Book Summary
• No Self, No Problem by Chris Niebauer | Book Summary | 🔒 How to Apply it
• The Heart of Prayer by Rupert Spira |  Book Summary  | 🔒  How to Apply it
• Who Am I? by Swami Sarvapriyananda | Book Summary

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Plot Summaries Library

Explore the world of literature, from classic to contemporary works. SuperSummary Plot Summaries offer a quick, full synopsis of each text. Browse our Plot Summary library alphabetically or by genre.

There's more! You'll find comprehensive chapter-by-chapter summaries and in-depth analyses on thousand more titles in our Study Guide Library

ALPHABETICAL

100 Sideways Miles

Andrew smith.

Fiction | Novel | YA | Published in 2014

13 Little Blue Envelopes

Maureen johnson.

Fiction | Novel | YA | Published in 2005

13 Ways Of Looking At A Fat Girl

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2016

1919: The Year that Changed America

Martin w. sandler.

Nonfiction | Book | Middle Grade | Published in 1919

22 Britannia Road

Amanda hodgkinson.

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2011

Roberto Bolano

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2004

36 Arguments for the Existence of God

Rebecca goldstein.

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2010

36 Views of Mount Fuji: On Finding Myself in Japan

Cathy davidson.

Nonfiction | Autobiography / Memoir | Adult | Published in 1993

Will Ferguson

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2012

Walter Mosley

Fiction | Novel | YA | Published in 1995

Mike Richardson

Fiction | Graphic Novel/Book | Adult | Published in 1994

4-Hour Work Week

Tim ferriss.

Nonfiction | Book | Adult | Published in 2007

5 Levels Of Leadership

John c. maxwell.

Nonfiction | Book | Adult | Published in 2011

90 Minutes in Heaven

Don piper , cecil murphey.

Nonfiction | Autobiography / Memoir | Adult | Published in 2004

A Bag of Marbles

Joseph joffo.

Fiction | Novel | YA | Published in 1973

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2020

A Bell for Adano

John hersey.

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 1944

A Bend in the Road

Nicholas sparks.

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2001

Abigail Adams

Woody holton.

Nonfiction | Biography | Adult | Published in 2009

Abingdon Square

María irene fornés.

Fiction | Play | Adult | Published in 1977

ABNKKBSNPLAko?!

Nonfiction | Autobiography / Memoir | Adult | Published in 2001

A Bone from a Dry Sea

Peter dickinson.

Fiction | Novel | YA | Published in 1992

A Book of Common Prayer

Joan didion.

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 1977

About a Mountain

John d'agata.

Nonfiction | Book | Adult | Published in 2009

Above Us Only Sky

Michele young-stone.

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2015

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter

Seth grahame-smith, a break with charity, ann rinaldi.

Fiction | Novel | YA | Published in 2002

A Brief History of Seven Killings

Marlon james.

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2014

A Bright Shining Lie

Neil sheehan.

Nonfiction | Book | Adult | Published in 1988

Patrick Flanery

Absurd person singular, sir alan ayckbourn.

Fiction | Play | Adult | Published in 1972

Peter H. Diamandis

Nonfiction | Book | Adult | Published in 2012

A Case of Exploding Mangoes

Mohammed hanif.

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2008

A Catskill Eagle

Robert b. parker.

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 1985

Accordion Crimes

Annie proulx.

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 1996

A Certain Justice

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 1997

A Chaste Maid in Cheapside

Thomas middleton.

Fiction | Play | Adult | Published in 1613

A Childhood

Harry crews.

Nonfiction | Autobiography / Memoir | Adult | Published in 1978

Elizabeth Cook

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2019

Achilles in Vietnam

Jonathan shay.

Nonfiction | Book | Adult | Published in 1994

A Chorus of Stones

Susan griffin.

Nonfiction | Book | Adult | Published in 1992

A Clash of Kings

George r. r. martin.

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 1998

A Coffin for Dimitrios

Eric ambler.

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 1939

A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 1889

A Conspiracy of Paper

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2000

A Cool Million: The Dismantling of Lemuel Pitkin

Nathanael west.

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 1934

A Country Doctor

Franz kafka.

Fiction | Short Story Collection | Adult | Published in 1919

Acquainted With The Night

Christopher dewdney.

Nonfiction | Book | Adult | Published in 1984

A Crack in Creation

Jennifer doudna , samuel h. sternberg.

Nonfiction | Book | Adult | Published in 2017

A Crack in the Earth

Haim watzman, a crime in the neighborhood, suzanne berne.

Fiction | Novel | YA | Published in 1997

A Crime So Monstrous

E. benjamin skinner.

Nonfiction | Book | Adult | Published in 2008

Across the Bridge

Mavis de trafford young.

Fiction | Short Story Collection | Adult | Published in 1955

Across The Nightingale Floor

Across the river and into the trees, ernest hemingway.

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 1950

Across The Universe

Fiction | Novel | YA | Published in 2011

A Crucible of Souls

Mitchell hogan.

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2013

Jeremiah Healy

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 1994

Acts of the Apostles

St. luke the evangelist.

Nonfiction | Scripture | Adult | Published in 70

A Cure for Night

Justin peacock, a cure for suicide, a curious mind: the secret to a bigger life, brian grazer , charles fishman.

Nonfiction | Book | Adult | Published in 2015

A Curse Dark As Gold

Elizabeth c. bunce.

Fiction | Novel | YA | Published in 2008

Adaline Falling Star

Mary pope osborne.

Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 1999

Adam and Eve: Though He Knew Better

John erskine.

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 1927

George Eliot

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 1859

Nicholas Phillipson

Nonfiction | Biography | Adult | Published in 2010

A Dance to the Music of Time

Anthony powell.

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 1951

Ada, or Ardor: A Family Chronicle

Vladimir nabokov.

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 1969

A Day No Pigs Would Die

Robert newton peck.

Fiction | Novel | YA | Published in 1972

A Deal In Wheat

Frank norris.

Fiction | Short Story | Adult | Published in 1903

A Death in Belmont

Sebastian junger.

Nonfiction | Book | Adult | Published in 2006

A Death in the Family

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 1957

A Delicate Balance

Edward albee.

Fiction | Play | Adult | Published in 1966

A Diary from Dixie

Mary boykin chestnut.

Nonfiction | Autobiography / Memoir | Adult | Published in 1866

A Distant Mirror: The Calamitous 14th Century

Barbara w. tuchman.

Nonfiction | Book | Adult | Published in 1978

Jean Hanff Korelitz

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2009

A Dog Named Christmas

Greg kincaid, a dog's way home, w. bruce cameron.

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2017

A Door Near Here

Heather quarles.

Fiction | Novel | YA | Published in 2000

A Dream Deferred

Shelby steele.

Nonfiction | Book | Adult | Published in 1998

A Dream Play

August strindberg.

Fiction | Play | Adult | Published in 1901

Adrift: A Mer Cavallo Mystery

Micki browning, a drink before the war, dennis lehane, a drinking life, pete hamill.

Nonfiction | Autobiography / Memoir | Adult | Published in 1994

A Drowned Maiden's Hair

Laura amy schlitz, a dry white season, andré brink.

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 1979

Adventures in the Anthropocene

Nonfiction | Book | Adult | Published in 2014

Aesop's Fables

Fiction | Short Story Collection | Adult | Published in 620

A Fairly Honourable Defeat

Iris murdoch.

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 1970

A Family Affair

Guy de maupassant.

Fiction | Short Story | Adult | Published in 1881

A Family Apart

Joan lowery nixon.

Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 1996

A Family by Any Other Name

Bruce gillespie.

Nonfiction | Essay Collection | Adult | Published in 2014

A Farewell to Alms

Gregory clark, a few red drops: the chicago race riot of 1919, claire hartfield.

Nonfiction | Book | Middle Grade | Published in 2018

Sarah Waters

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 1999

Afghanistan

Alex ullmann.

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2021

A Fighting Chance

Elizabeth warren.

Nonfiction | Autobiography / Memoir | Adult | Published in 2014

A Fire Upon the Deep

Vernor vinge.

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 1992

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The 100 best novels written in English: the full list

After two years of careful consideration, Robert McCrum has reached a verdict on his selection of the 100 greatest novels written in English. Take a look at his list

• Robert McCrum reflects on his choices
• One in five doesn’t represent over 300 years of women in literature: a response
• What is missing: readers’ alternative list
• The world’s 100 greatest novels of all time (2003)

1. The Pilgrim’s Progress by John Bunyan (1678)

A story of a man in search of truth told with the simple clarity and beauty of Bunyan’s prose make this the ultimate English classic.

2. Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe (1719)

By the end of the 19th century, no book in English literary history had enjoyed more editions, spin-offs and translations. Crusoe’s world-famous novel is a complex literary confection, and it’s irresistible.

3. Gulliver’s Travels by Jonathan Swift (1726)

A satirical masterpiece that’s never been out of print, Jonathan Swift’s Gulliver’s Travels comes third in our list of the best novels written in English

4. Clarissa by Samuel Richardson (1748)

Clarissa is a tragic heroine, pressured by her unscrupulous nouveau-riche family to marry a wealthy man she detests, in the book that Samuel Johnson described as “the first book in the world for the knowledge it displays of the human heart.”

5. Tom Jones by Henry Fielding (1749)

Tom Jones is a classic English novel that captures the spirit of its age and whose famous characters have come to represent Augustan society in all its loquacious, turbulent, comic variety.

6. The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman by Laurence Sterne (1759)

Laurence Sterne’s vivid novel caused delight and consternation when it first appeared and has lost little of its original bite.

7. Emma by Jane Austen (1816)

Jane Austen’s Emma is her masterpiece, mixing the sparkle of her early books with a deep sensibility.

8. Frankenstein by Mary Shelley (1818)

Mary Shelley’s first novel has been hailed as a masterpiece of horror and the macabre.

9. Nightmare Abbey by Thomas Love Peacock (1818)

The great pleasure of Nightmare Abbey, which was inspired by Thomas Love Peacock ’s friendship with Shelley , lies in the delight the author takes in poking fun at the romantic movement.

10. The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket by Edgar Allan Poe (1838)

Edgar Allan Poe’s only novel – a classic adventure story with supernatural elements – has fascinated and influenced generations of writers.

11. Sybil by Benjamin Disraeli (1845)

The future prime minister displayed flashes of brilliance that equalled the greatest Victorian novelists.

12. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë (1847)

Charlotte Brontë’s erotic, gothic masterpiece became the sensation of Victorian England. Its great breakthrough was its intimate dialogue with the reader.

13. Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë (1847)

Emily Brontë’s windswept masterpiece is notable not just for its wild beauty but for its daring reinvention of the novel form itself.

14. Vanity Fair by William Thackeray (1848)

William Thackeray’s masterpiece, set in Regency England, is a bravura performance by a writer at the top of his game.

15. David Copperfield by Charles Dickens (1850)

David Copperfield marked the point at which Dickens became the great entertainer and also laid the foundations for his later, darker masterpieces.

16. The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne (1850)

Nathaniel Hawthorne’s astounding book is full of intense symbolism and as haunting as anything by Edgar Allan Poe.

17. Moby-Dick by Herman Melville (1851)

Wise, funny and gripping, Melville’s epic work continues to cast a long shadow over American literature.

18. Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll (1865)

Lewis Carroll’s brilliant nonsense tale is one of the most influential and best loved in the English canon.

19. The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins (1868)

Wilkie Collins’s masterpiece, hailed by many as the greatest English detective novel, is a brilliant marriage of the sensational and the realistic.

20. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott (1868-9)

Louisa May Alcott’s highly original tale aimed at a young female market has iconic status in America and never been out of print.

21. Middlemarch by George Eliot (1871-2)

This cathedral of words stands today as perhaps the greatest of the great Victorian fictions.

22. The Way We Live Now by Anthony Trollope (1875)

Inspired by the author’s fury at the corrupt state of England, and dismissed by critics at the time, The Way We Live Now is recognised as Trollope’s masterpiece.

23. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain (1884/5)

Mark Twain’s tale of a rebel boy and a runaway slave seeking liberation upon the waters of the Mississippi remains a defining classic of American literature.

24. Kidnapped by Robert Louis Stevenson (1886)

A thrilling adventure story, gripping history and fascinating study of the Scottish character, Kidnapped has lost none of its power.

25. Three Men in a Boat by Jerome K Jerome (1889)

Jerome K Jerome’s accidental classic about messing about on the Thames remains a comic gem.

26. The Sign of Four by Arthur Conan Doyle (1890)

Sherlock Holmes’s second outing sees Conan Doyle’s brilliant sleuth – and his bluff sidekick Watson – come into their own.

27. The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde (1891)

Wilde’s brilliantly allusive moral tale of youth, beauty and corruption was greeted with howls of protest on publication.

28. New Grub Street by George Gissing (1891)

George Gissing’s portrayal of the hard facts of a literary life remains as relevant today as it was in the late 19th century.

29. Jude the Obscure by Thomas Hardy (1895)

Hardy exposed his deepest feelings in this bleak, angry novel and, stung by the hostile response, he never wrote another.

30. The Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane (1895)

Stephen Crane’s account of a young man’s passage to manhood through soldiery is a blueprint for the great American war novel.

31. Dracula by Bram Stoker (1897)

Bram Stoker’s classic vampire story was very much of its time but still resonates more than a century later.

32. Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad (1899)

Joseph Conrad’s masterpiece about a life-changing journey in search of Mr Kurtz has the simplicity of great myth.

33. Sister Carrie by Theodore Dreiser (1900)

Theodore Dreiser was no stylist, but there’s a terrific momentum to his unflinching novel about a country girl’s American dream.

34. Kim by Rudyard Kipling (1901)

In Kipling’s classic boy’s own spy story, an orphan in British India must make a choice between east and west.

35. The Call of the Wild by Jack London (1903)

Jack London’s vivid adventures of a pet dog that goes back to nature reveal an extraordinary style and consummate storytelling.

36. The Golden Bowl by Henry James (1904)

American literature contains nothing else quite like Henry James’s amazing, labyrinthine and claustrophobic novel.

37. Hadrian the Seventh by Frederick Rolfe (1904)

This entertaining if contrived story of a hack writer and priest who becomes pope sheds vivid light on its eccentric author – described by DH Lawrence as a “man-demon”.

38. The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame (1908)

The evergreen tale from the riverbank and a powerful contribution to the mythology of Edwardian England.

39. The History of Mr Polly by HG Wells (1910)

The choice is great, but Wells’s ironic portrait of a man very like himself is the novel that stands out.

40. Zuleika Dobson by Max Beerbohm (1911)

The passage of time has conferred a dark power upon Beerbohm’s ostensibly light and witty Edwardian satire.

41. The Good Soldier by Ford Madox Ford (1915)

Ford’s masterpiece is a searing study of moral dissolution behind the facade of an English gentleman – and its stylistic influence lingers to this day.

42. The Thirty-Nine Steps by John Buchan (1915)

John Buchan’s espionage thriller, with its sparse, contemporary prose, is hard to put down.

43. The Rainbow by DH Lawrence (1915)

The Rainbow is perhaps DH Lawrence’s finest work, showing him for the radical, protean, thoroughly modern writer he was.

44. Of Human Bondage by W Somerset Maugham (1915)

Somerset Maugham’s semi-autobiographical novel shows the author’s savage honesty and gift for storytelling at their best.

45. The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton (1920)

The story of a blighted New York marriage stands as a fierce indictment of a society estranged from culture.

46. Ulysses by James Joyce (1922)

This portrait of a day in the lives of three Dubliners remains a towering work, in its word play surpassing even Shakespeare.

47. Babbitt by Sinclair Lewis (1922)

What it lacks in structure and guile, this enthralling take on 20s America makes up for in vivid satire and characterisation.

48. A Passage to India by EM Forster (1924)

EM Forster’s most successful work is eerily prescient on the subject of empire.

49. Gentlemen Prefer Blondes by Anita Loos (1925)

A guilty pleasure it may be, but it is impossible to overlook the enduring influence of a tale that helped to define the jazz age.

50. Mrs Dalloway by Virginia Woolf (1925)

Woolf’s great novel makes a day of party preparations the canvas for themes of lost love, life choices and mental illness.

51. The Great Gatsby by F Scott Fitzgerald (1925)

Fitzgerald’s jazz age masterpiece has become a tantalising metaphor for the eternal mystery of art.

52. Lolly Willowes by Sylvia Townsend Warner (1926)

A young woman escapes convention by becoming a witch in this original satire about England after the first world war.

53. The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway (1926)

Hemingway’s first and best novel makes an escape to 1920s Spain to explore courage, cowardice and manly authenticity.

54. The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett (1929)

Dashiell Hammett’s crime thriller and its hard-boiled hero Sam Spade influenced everyone from Chandler to Le Carré.

55. As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner (1930)

The influence of William Faulkner’s immersive tale of raw Mississippi rural life can be felt to this day.

56. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley (1932)

Aldous Huxley’s vision of a future human race controlled by global capitalism is every bit as prescient as Orwell’s more famous dystopia.

57. Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons (1932)

The book for which Gibbons is best remembered was a satire of late-Victorian pastoral fiction but went on to influence many subsequent generations.

58. Nineteen Nineteen by John Dos Passos (1932)

The middle volume of John Dos Passos’s USA trilogy is revolutionary in its intent, techniques and lasting impact.

59. Tropic of Cancer by Henry Miller (1934)

The US novelist’s debut revelled in a Paris underworld of seedy sex and changed the course of the novel – though not without a fight with the censors.

60. Scoop by Evelyn Waugh (1938)

Evelyn Waugh’s Fleet Street satire remains sharp, pertinent and memorable.

61. Murphy by Samuel Beckett (1938)

Samuel Beckett’s first published novel is an absurdist masterpiece, a showcase for his uniquely comic voice.

62. The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler (1939)

Raymond Chandler’s hardboiled debut brings to life the seedy LA underworld – and Philip Marlowe, the archetypal fictional detective.

63. Party Going by Henry Green (1939)

Set on the eve of war, this neglected modernist masterpiece centres on a group of bright young revellers delayed by fog.

64. At Swim-Two-Birds by Flann O’Brien (1939)

Labyrinthine and multilayered, Flann O’Brien’s humorous debut is both a reflection on, and an exemplar of, the Irish novel.

65. The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck (1939)

One of the greatest of great American novels, this study of a family torn apart by poverty and desperation in the Great Depression shocked US society.

66. Joy in the Morning by PG Wodehouse (1946)

PG Wodehouse’s elegiac Jeeves novel, written during his disastrous years in wartime Germany, remains his masterpiece.

67. All the King’s Men by Robert Penn Warren (1946)

A compelling story of personal and political corruption, set in the 1930s in the American south.

68. Under the Volcano by Malcolm Lowry (1947)

Malcolm Lowry’s masterpiece about the last hours of an alcoholic ex-diplomat in Mexico is set to the drumbeat of coming conflict.

69. The Heat of the Day by Elizabeth Bowen (1948)

Elizabeth Bowen’s 1948 novel perfectly captures the atmosphere of London during the blitz while providing brilliant insights into the human heart.

70. Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell (1949)

George Orwell’s dystopian classic cost its author dear but is arguably the best-known novel in English of the 20th century.

71. The End of the Affair by Graham Greene (1951)

Graham Greene’s moving tale of adultery and its aftermath ties together several vital strands in his work.

72. The Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger (1951)

JD Salinger’s study of teenage rebellion remains one of the most controversial and best-loved American novels of the 20th century.

73. The Adventures of Augie March by Saul Bellow (1953)

In the long-running hunt to identify the great American novel, Saul Bellow’s picaresque third book frequently hits the mark.

74. Lord of the Flies by William Golding (1954)

Dismissed at first as “rubbish & dull”, Golding’s brilliantly observed dystopian desert island tale has since become a classic.

75. Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov (1955)

Nabokov’s tragicomic tour de force crosses the boundaries of good taste with glee.

76. On the Road by Jack Kerouac (1957)

The creative history of Kerouac’s beat-generation classic, fuelled by pea soup and benzedrine, has become as famous as the novel itself.

77. Voss by Patrick White (1957)

A love story set against the disappearance of an explorer in the outback, Voss paved the way for a generation of Australian writers to shrug off the colonial past.

78. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee (1960)

Her second novel finally arrived this summer , but Harper Lee’s first did enough alone to secure her lasting fame, and remains a truly popular classic.

79. The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie by Muriel Spark (1960)

Short and bittersweet, Muriel Spark’s tale of the downfall of a Scottish schoolmistress is a masterpiece of narrative fiction.

80. Catch-22 by Joseph Heller (1961)

This acerbic anti-war novel was slow to fire the public imagination, but is rightly regarded as a groundbreaking critique of military madness.

81. The Golden Notebook by Doris Lessing (1962)

Hailed as one of the key texts of the women’s movement of the 1960s, this study of a divorced single mother’s search for personal and political identity remains a defiant, ambitious tour de force.

82. A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess (1962)

Anthony Burgess’s dystopian classic still continues to startle and provoke, refusing to be outshone by Stanley Kubrick’s brilliant film adaptation.

83. A Single Man by Christopher Isherwood (1964)

Christopher Isherwood’s story of a gay Englishman struggling with bereavement in LA is a work of compressed brilliance.

84. In Cold Blood by Truman Capote (1966)

Truman Capote’s non-fiction novel, a true story of bloody murder in rural Kansas, opens a window on the dark underbelly of postwar America.

85. The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath (1966)

Sylvia Plath’s painfully graphic roman à clef, in which a woman struggles with her identity in the face of social pressure, is a key text of Anglo-American feminism.

86. Portnoy’s Complaint by Philip Roth (1969)

This wickedly funny novel about a young Jewish American’s obsession with masturbation caused outrage on publication, but remains his most dazzling work.

87. Mrs Palfrey at the Claremont by Elizabeth Taylor (1971)

Elizabeth Taylor’s exquisitely drawn character study of eccentricity in old age is a sharp and witty portrait of genteel postwar English life facing the changes taking shape in the 60s.

88. Rabbit Redux by John Updike (1971)

Harry “Rabbit” Angstrom, Updike’s lovably mediocre alter ego, is one of America’s great literary protoganists, up there with Huck Finn and Jay Gatsby.

89. Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison (1977)

The novel with which the Nobel prize-winning author established her name is a kaleidoscopic evocation of the African-American experience in the 20th century.

90. A Bend in the River by VS Naipaul (1979)

VS Naipaul’s hellish vision of an African nation’s path to independence saw him accused of racism, but remains his masterpiece.

91. Midnight’s Children by Salman Rushdie (1981)

The personal and the historical merge in Salman Rushdie’s dazzling, game-changing Indian English novel of a young man born at the very moment of Indian independence.

92. Housekeeping by Marilynne Robinson (1981)

Marilynne Robinson’s tale of orphaned sisters and their oddball aunt in a remote Idaho town is admired by everyone from Barack Obama to Bret Easton Ellis.

93. Money: A Suicide Note by Martin Amis (1984)

Martin Amis’s era-defining ode to excess unleashed one of literature’s greatest modern monsters in self-destructive antihero John Self.

94. An Artist of the Floating World by Kazuo Ishiguro (1986)

Kazuo Ishiguro’s novel about a retired artist in postwar Japan, reflecting on his career during the country’s dark years, is a tour de force of unreliable narration.

95. The Beginning of Spring by Penelope Fitzgerald (1988)

Fitzgerald’s story, set in Russia just before the Bolshevik revolution, is her masterpiece: a brilliant miniature whose peculiar magic almost defies analysis.

96. Breathing Lessons by Anne Tyler (1988)

Anne Tyler’s portrayal of a middle-aged, mid-American marriage displays her narrative clarity, comic timing and ear for American speech to perfection.

97. Amongst Women by John McGahern (1990)

This modern Irish masterpiece is both a study of the faultlines of Irish patriarchy and an elegy for a lost world.

98. Underworld by Don DeLillo (1997)

A writer of “frightening perception”, Don DeLillo guides the reader in an epic journey through America’s history and popular culture.

99. Disgrace by JM Coetzee (1999)

In his Booker-winning masterpiece, Coetzee’s intensely human vision infuses a fictional world that both invites and confounds political interpretation.

100. True History of the Kelly Gang by Peter Carey (2000)

Peter Carey rounds off our list of literary milestones with a Booker prize-winning tour-de-force examining the life and times of Australia’s infamous antihero, Ned Kelly.

• The 100 best novels
• Sylvia Townsend Warner

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140+ Free Book Summaries: Practical Ideas from Nonfiction Books

Welcome to the best free nonfiction book summaries resource online.

This page is a distillation of everything I’ve learned from the best non-fiction books of all time.

From business to leadership, self-help to psychology, you’ll find more than 140 good book summaries organized by category.

If you’re looking for the best book summaries online, click “Book Summaries by Title” to browse all my entries to date.

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Book summaries: table of contents, 1. book summaries by title, 2. book summaries by category, 3. top book recommendations by year.

• 4. My Annual Reading Lists

5. How to Remember What You Read

6. how to read more books, 7. how to get free book summaries.

Since 2015, I’ve written summaries for over 140 of the best nonfiction books of all time. 

Browse all my entries below, or use Control+F (or Command+F on a Mac) if you have a particular title in mind.

• The 5 Love Languages: The Secret to Love that Lasts by Gary D. Chapman
• The 7-Day Startup: You Don’t Learn Until You Launch by Dan Norris
• The 22 Immutable Laws of Branding by Al Ries and Laura Ries
• The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing by Al Ries and Jack Trout
• The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change by Stephen R. Covey
• 59 Seconds: Think a Little, Change a Lot by Richard Wiseman
• 100 Great Copywriting Ideas by Andy Maslen
• 100 Ways to Improve Your Writing by Gary Provost
• The Adweek Copywriting Handbook: The Ultimate Guide to Writing Powerful Advertising and Marketing Copy from One of America’s Top Copywriters by Joseph Sugarman
• The Almanack of Naval Ravikant: A Guide to Wealth and Happiness by Eric Jorgenson
• A Guide to the Good Life: The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy by William B. Irvine
• A Manual for Living by Epictetus
• An Astronaut’s Guide to Life on Earth: What Going to Space Taught Me About Ingenuity, Determination, and Being Prepared for Anything by Chris Hadfield
• Anything You Want: 40 Lessons for a New Kind of Entrepreneur by Derek Sivers
• The Art of Seduction by Robert Greene
• The Art of Work: A Proven Path to Discovering What You Were Meant to Do by Jeff Goins
• Atomic Habits: Tiny Changes, Remarkable Results by James Clear
• Awaken The Giant Within: How to Take Immediate Control of Your Mental, Emotional, Physical and Financial Destiny! by Anthony Robbins
• Become an Idea Machine: Because Ideas Are The Currency Of The 21st Century by Claudia Azula Altucher
• Better Than Before: Mastering The Habits of Our Everyday Lives by Gretchen Rubin
• Beyond Basketball: Coach K’s Keywords for Success by Mike Krzyzewski, Jamie K. Spatola
• Bigger Leaner Stronger: The Simple Science of Building the Ultimate Male Body (Third Edition) by Michael Matthews
• Black Box Thinking: The Surprising Truth About Success by Matthew Syed
• The Brand Gap: How to Bridge the Distance Between Business Strategy and Design by Marty Neumeier
• The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma by Bessel van der Kolk
• Bounce: The Myth of Talent and the Power of Practice by Matthew Syed
• Built to Sell: Creating a Business That Can Thrive Without You by John Warrillow
• Building a Second Brain: A Proven Method to Organize Your Digital Life and Unlock Your Creative Potential  by Tiago Forte
• Building a StoryBrand: Clarify Your Message So Customers Will Listen by Donald Miller
• Can’t Hurt Me: Master Your Mind and Defy the Odds by David Goggins
• Calmer, Easier, Happier Parenting: Five Strategies That End the Daily Battles and Get Kids to Listen the First Time by Noël Janis-Norton
• The Checklist Manifesto: How To Get Things Right by Atul Gawande
• Choose Yourself: Be Happy, Make Millions, Live The Dream! by James Altucher
• The Choose Yourself Guide to Wealth by James Altucher
• Contagious: Why Things Catch On by Jonah Berger
• The Copywriter’s Handbook: A Step-By-Step Guide To Writing Copy That Sells by Robert W. Bly
• Create or Hate: Successful People Make Things by Dan Norris
• The Daily Stoic: 366 Meditations on Wisdom, Perseverance, and the Art of Living by Ryan Holiday
• Decisive: How to Make Better Choices in Life by Chip Heath and Dan Heath
• Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World by Cal Newport
• Digital Minimalism: Choosing a Focused Life in a Noisy World by Cal Newport
• The Dip: The Extraordinary Benefits of Knowing When to Quit (and When to Stick) by Seth Godin
• Do The Work: Overcome Resistance and Get Out of Your Own Way by Steven Pressfield
• Don’t Give Up, Don’t Give In: Life Lessons from an Extraordinary Man by Louis Zamperini
• Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us by Daniel H. Pink
• The E-Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don’t Work and What to Do About It by Michael E. Gerber
• Eat That Frog! Get More of the Important Things Done – Today! by Brian Tracy
• Effortless: Make It Easier to Do What Matters Most by Greg McKeown
• Ego Is the Enemy: The Fight to Master Our Greatest Opponent by Ryan Holiday
• Essential Zen Habits: Mastering The Art of Change, Briefly by Leo Babauta
• Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less by Greg McKeown
• Factfulness: Ten Reasons We’re Wrong About the World—and Why Things Are Better Than You Think by Hans Rosling
• Feeling Good: The New Mood Therapy by David D. Burns
• Feeling Great: The Revolutionary New Treatment for Depression and Anxiety by David D. Burns
• The Gap and The Gain: The High Achievers’ Guide to Happiness, Confidence, and Success by Benjamin Hardy
• Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity by David Allen
• The Good Life Handbook by Epictetus
• Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance by Angela Duckworth
• Hack the Entrepreneur: How to Stop Procrastinating, Build a Business, and Do Work That Matters by Jon Nastor
• Hell Yeah or No: What’s Worth Doing by Derek Sivers
• The Happiness Advantage: The Seven Principles of Positive Psychology that Fuel Success and Performance at Work by Shawn Achor
• How to Own The World: A Plain English Guide to Thinking Globally Investing Wisely by Andrew Craig
• How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie
• How to Write Copy That Sells: The Step-By-Step System for More Sales, to More Customers, More Often by Ray Edwards
• Indistractable: How to Control Your Attention and Choose Your Life by Nir Eyal
• I Will Teach You to Be Rich: No Guilt, No Excuses – Just a 6-Week Programme That Works by Ramit Sethi
• The Little Book of Yes: How to Win Friends, Boost Your Confidence and Persuade Others by Noah Goldstein
• Love and Respect: The Love She Most Desires; The Respect He Desperately Needs by Dr. Emerson Eggerichs
• Love Yourself Like Your Life Depends On It by Kamal Ravikant
• Magnetic Marketing: How To Attract A Flood Of New Customers That Pay, Stay, and Refer by Dan Kennedy
• Make Your Bed: Little Things That Can Change Your Life…And Maybe the World by William H. McRaven
• Managing Oneself by Peter Drucker
• Making It All Work: Winning at the Game of Work and the Business of Life by David Allen
• Mastermind Dinners: Build Lifelong Relationships by Connecting Experts, Influencers, and Linchpins by Jayson Gaignard
• Meditations by Marcus Aurelius
• Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus: A Practical Guide for Improving Communication and Getting What You Want in Your Relationships by John Gray
• Mindset: The New Psychology of Success by Carol Dweck
• Mini Habits: Smaller Habits, Bigger Results by Stephen Guise
• The Miracle Morning: The Not-So-Obvious Secret Guaranteed to Transform Your Life (Before 8AM) by Hal Elrod
• Mud, Sweat, and Tears: The Autobiography by Bear Grylls
• My Philosophy for Successful Living by Jim Rohn
• My Unfinished Business by Dan Kennedy
• Never Split the Difference: Negotiating As If Your Life Depends On It by Chris Voss
• No B.S. Time Management: The Ultimate No-Holds-Barred Kick-Butt Take-No-Prisoners Guide to Time Productivity and Sanity for Entrepreneurs by Dan Kennedy
• Notes From a Friend by Anthony Robbins
• The Obstacle Is the Way: The Timeless Art of Turning Trials into Triumph by Ryan Holiday
• Ogilvy on Advertising by David Ogilvy
• One Small Step Can Change Your Life: The Kaizen Way by Robert Maurer
• The ONE Thing: The Surprisingly Simple Truth Behind Extraordinary Results by Gary Keller
• On Writing: A Memoir of The Craft by Stephen King
• Peak: Secrets from the New Science of Expertise by Anders Ericsson
• Perennial Seller: The Art of Making and Marketing Work that Lasts by Ryan Holiday
• Positioning: The Battle for Your Mind by Al Ries and Jack Trout
• The Power of Moments: Why Certain Experiences Have Extraordinary Impact by Chip & Dan Heath
• The Practicing Mind: Developing Focus and Discipline in Your Life by Thomas M. Sterner
• The Psychology of Money: Timeless Lessons on Wealth, Greed, and Happiness by Morgan Housel
• Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces that Shape Our Decisions by Dan Ariely
• Reinvent Yourself by James Altucher
• Rejection Proof: How I Beat Fear and Became Invincible Through 100 Days of Rejection by Jia Jiang
• Rich Dad Poor Dad: What The Rich Teach Their Kids About Money That the Poor and Middle Class Do Not! by Robert T. Kiyosaki
• The Rich Employee by James Altucher
• Scrum: A Breathtakingly Brief and Agile Introduction by Chris Sims
• Secrets of The Millionaire Mind: Mastering The Inner Game of Wealth by T. Harv Eker
• Show Your Work!: 10 Ways to Share Your Creativity and Get Discovered by Austin Kleon
• Smartcuts: How Hackers, Innovators, and Icons Accelerate Success by Shane Snow
• Smarter Faster Better: The Secrets of Being Productive in Life and Business by Charles Duhigg
• Solving the Procrastination Puzzle: A Concise Guide to Strategies for Change by Timothy A. Pychyl
• Spark: 17 Steps That Will Boost Your Motivation for Anything by Dr. Jeremy Dean
• Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action by Simon Sinek
• Steal Like an Artist: 10 Things Nobody Told You About Being Creative by Austin Kleon
• Stop Asking Questions: How to Lead High-Impact Interviews and Learn Anything from Anyone by Andrew Warner
• The Strangest Secret by Earl Nightingale
• The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck: A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life by Mark Manson
• The Success Principles: How to Get From Where You Are to Where You Want to Be by Jack Canfield
• Superhuman Social Skills: A Guide to Being Likeable, Winning Friends, and Building Your Social Circle by Tynan
• Super Thinking: The Big Book of Mental Models by Gabriel Weinberg and Lauren McCann
• Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard by Chip & Dan Heath
• Thanks a Thousand: A Gratitude Journey by A.J. Jacobs
• Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill
• This Is Where to Start: Find Superstar Mentors, Master All They Know, and Get Ahead in Your Career by Edward Druce
• Tiny Habits: The Small Changes That Change Everything by BJ Fogg
• Too Good to Leave, Too Bad to Stay: A Step-by-Step Guide to Help You Decide Whether to Stay In or Get Out of Your Relationship by Mira Kirshenbaum
• To Sell Is Human: The Surprising Truth About Persuading, Convincing, and Influencing Others by Daniel H Pink
• Tribes: We Need You to Lead Us by Seth Godin
• Triggers: Sparking Positive Change and Making It Last by Marshall Goldsmith and Mark Reiter
• Triggers: 30 Sales Tools You Can Use to Control the Mind of Your Prospect to Motivate, Influence, and Persuade by Joe Sugarman
• Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom
• Turning Pro: Tap Your Inner Power and Create Your Life’s Work by Steven Pressfield
• The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles by Steven Pressfield
• Unlimited Power: The New Science of Personal Achievement by Anthony Robbins
• When: The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing by Daniel H. Pink
• When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi
• Who Moved My Cheese? An Amazing Way to Deal with Change in Your Work and in Your Life by Spencer Johnson
• Who Not How: The Formula to Achieve Bigger Goals Through Accelerating Teamwork by Benjamin Hardy
• Wooden: A Lifetime of Observations and Reflections On and Off the Court by John Wooden
• Work the System: The Simple Mechanics of Making More and Working Less by Sam Carpenter
• You Are a Writer (So Start Acting Like One) by Jeff Goins
• The Ultimate Sales Letter: Attract New Customers. Boost Your Sales. by Dan Kennedy
• Yes! 60 Secrets from The Science of Persuasion by Noah J. Goldstein, Steve J. Martin, and Robert B. Cialdini
• You Are Not So Smart: Why You Have Too Many Friends on Facebook, Why Your Memory Is Mostly Fiction, and 46 Other Ways You’re Deluding Yourself by David McRaney

These are my book summaries, listed by category.

1.  Business Book Summaries . These books offer compelling stories, intriguing insights, and fascinating takeaways from some of the biggest and brightest minds in business and beyond.

2.  Biography and Memoir Book Summaries . Some of the best books available are biographies and memoirs of great people. By reading these books, you, too, can learn how to become great.

3. Health and Fitness Book Summaries . It’s easy to worry about health and fitness, isn’t it? These books suggest ideas for getting in shape and eating healthily—in a kind, effective way.

4.  Leadership Book Summaries . What makes a great leader? These books—from Coach K to John Wooden—will inspire and empower you to strengthen and motivate your team.

5.  Philosophy Book Summaries . It’s easy to regard philosophy as esoteric and academic. These books cut through the haze of misunderstanding and make you aware of what you value and why.

6.  Psychology Book Summaries . Why do we do what we do? These thought-provoking books offer a hands-on approach to exploring the human mind and mastering the art of change.

7. My Favorite Books . In writing more than 140 book summaries, I’ve read a lot of books that left a lasting impression. These are the ten books that I return to again and again.

8.  Self-Help Book Summaries . It’s easy to get caught up in the daily dramas of life. These timeless classics will help you improve your life, from boosting your confidence to realizing your ambitions.

9.  Writing Book Summaries . Put your desk in the corner. The adverb is not your friend. These authors have published bestsellers and, in these books, share what they’ve learned about the craft.

Every December, I share my ten favorite books from the past year. Below are the best books I’ve read since 2015, organized in reverse chronological order.

• 2023 Best Books
• 2022 Best Books
• 2021 Best Books
• 2020 Best Books
• 2019 Best Books
• 2018 Best Books
• 2017 Best Books
• 2016 Best Books
• 2015 Best Books

4. My Annual Reading Lists

I keep a public reading list to ensure I achieve my annual reading goals. Below are my annual reading lists, organized in reverse chronological order.

• 2022 Reading List
• 2021 Reading List
• 2020 Reading List
• 2019 Reading List
• 2018 Reading List
• 2017 Reading List
• 2016 Reading List
• 2015 Reading List

I believe that if you want to get ahead in life and work, you need to read great books. But I also believe that it’s just as important to remember and recall what we read. 

In my experience, the most effective way to do that is to keep a digital “commonplace book.” Here are a few popular articles that will help you do that: 

• A Peek Inside My Evernote Commonplace Book
• How to Build a Notion Commonplace Book (Step-by-Step)
• How to Build a Resonance Calendar in Notion (Incl. 3 Use Cases)
• How to Save Twitter Threads to Notion
• How to Write a Book Summary (Step-by-Step)
• My Notion Note-Taking System (Or How I Read Online)

I’ve written more than 130 book summaries 📚 That’s given me a lot of time to learn how to summarize books—the right way. Here’s how I remember what I read 👇 — Sam Thomas Davies (@SamThomasDavies) November 29, 2021

There’s a lot of advice online on how to read more. But most articles, in my experience, ignore busy professionals trying to balance life and work.

Fortunately, there’s a way to read better books (even if you’re strapped for time like most people).

To learn how to read more, read my article, “How to Read More: A Busy Person’s Guide.”

Or, if you prefer to learn on the go, read my Audible review: “I Tried Audible for 30-Days. Here’s What Happened.”

Every Monday, at 8:15 Pacific Time, I publish a free email newsletter called “Words Into Works.”

In that email, I share one big practical idea from one of the best nonfiction books ever .

To receive Words Into Works in your inbox, enter your email address below and click “Get Updates.”

My Best Email Address Is…

Wall of love.

I love hearing from readers who enjoy my book summaries. I don’t ask for testimonials, but here’s what subscribers are saying about my summaries:

☕️Coffee break? Spend it browsing @SamThomasDavies summaries of the 100 all-time best business books. You’ll love it, promise. https://t.co/Qsjt3JcjWf — Keith Monaghan (@keithmonaghan) September 10, 2021

@SamThomasDavies is awesome look what I received in his newsletter. I have been looking for a list of good books, this will be a great leısure activity. Check it out- https://t.co/Dml6eADhjK — Saleh B. (@Saleh_marketing) May 13, 2021

Shout out to @SamThomasDavies for his excellent summary of @JamesClear ‘s Atomic Habits. Such a great quick-reference resource…I used it as my “Cliff’s Notes” for a training I led yesterday. https://t.co/yJPkfqwZbO — Adrian Chenault (@amchenault) January 12, 2021

@SamThomasDavies I just want to say, your book summaries have been so helpful. When I can’t remember key points from books I read a while ago, I always find them in your summaries – thank you! 🙏 — Tricia Maitland (@TriciaMaitland) January 4, 2021

@SamThomasDavies ‘ blog https://t.co/pL3df9J2Po is what brought out that avid reader in me, transitioning me from fiction to brilliant books on business, and I’ve never looked forward for anyone’s newsletter as much as his! https://t.co/kxkMIi7mj0 — Fatema Rangwalla (@FatemaRangwalla) May 1, 2019

@SamThomasDavies Thank you for such clear and concise book summaries. I am absolutely in love with the quality of the work. — Ishan Chhabra (@ishan_chhabra) April 24, 2019

Thank you for the awesome book summaries, @SamThomasDavies . They are super helpful. I was trying to remember a key point from The Power of Moments, and your summary helped me remember it. Thanks! — Joshua Baron (@baronjosh) December 5, 2018

This guy is a legend. I’ve been reading his work for the last 2 days @SamThomasDavies https://t.co/9CiBX22FKC — Tyler Adkison (@tyblockterra) July 10, 2018

Holy shit this is amazing! This is one hell of a book list with complete with summaries by @SamThomasDavies https://t.co/EKyMGFF4yi — Mike Piccolo (@mfpiccolo) October 4, 2016

came across this awesome book summary website. https://t.co/dspKWa5tqJ thanks @SamThomasDavies — Praveen Baskar (@praveen2004er) June 3, 2017

You are my new all-time favorite person! I get to have the knowledge of all these great books and You read them! Thanks a Billion!! 🙂 @SamThomasDavies — tablemediagroup (@tablemedia) February 8, 2018

Hey @SamThomasDavies – thank you for your book summaries. They are brilliant and perfect for the train. https://t.co/Jhef0bOGUt — Amanda Graham (@AGComedy) February 15, 2018

Like what they’re saying?  Get free book summaries delivered straight to your inbox by entering your email above.

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Book Summary

booksummary.net

Read original fairy tales >>

Main Content

Latest summaries, the princess and the pea summary.

The Princess and the Pea is a fairytale written by Danish author Hans Christian Andersen. It is a story about an unhappy prince who couldn't find a real princess to marry, so they made a test for a young girl to find out whether or not she is a true princess.

A Rose for Emily Summary

A Rose for Emily is a short story by the American author William Faulkner, first published on April 30, 1930 in The Forum magazine. A story about an unmarried woman living in the American South refusing to pay her taxes.

The Raven Summary

The Raven is a narrative poem written by Edgar Allan Poe and is one of the most anthologized poems in American literature. It is arguably Poe's most famous poem about a talking raven who visits a distraught lover.

Beowulf Summary

Beowulf is an Old English epic poem with more than 3,000 lines. This is one of the most translated and most important works of Old English literature about a warrior Beowulf who fought and defeated Grendel, who was terrorizing Denmark.

The Ugly Duckling Summary

The Ugly Duckling is a fairy tale written by Hans Christian Andersen. This is one of the world's best-known fairy tales about the ugly duckling who, after many sufferings and troubles due to his ugliness, discovers that he's a beautiful swan.

Little Red Riding Hood Summary

Little Red Riding Hood is a fairy tale written by Charles Perrault. This is one of the world's best-known folk tales of European origin about a little girl who went to visit her ill grandmother and on her way met a big bad wolf who tried to eat her and her grandmother.

Latest Analyses

A rose for emily analysis.

A Rose for Emily is a short story of one of the most famous American writers William Faulkner. This is a closer analysis of the very dark short story which describes the deterioration and death of a rich Southern woman.

The Raven Analysis

The Raven is one of the most well-known and famous poems in American literature. This is a closer analysis of the very dark poem which describes how losing love can drive someone to misery and madness.

Beowulf Analysis

Beowulf is one of the most famous and well-known Old English heroic epics in English literature. This is a closer analysis of the story which describes the heroic acts and adventures of Beowulf, a hero of the Geates.

The Ugly Duckling Analysis

The Ugly Duckling is one of the most famous and well-known Danish stories. This is a closer analysis of the fairy tale which describes how the ugly little duckling that was mocked and rejected by society turned into a beautiful swan.

Little Red Riding Hood Analysis

Little Red Riding Hood is one of the most famous and well-known fairy tales in English literature. This is a closer analysis of the story which describes the little girl who goes to visit her grandmother and meets the big bad wolf.

A Christmas Carol Analysis

A Christmas Carol is one of the most well-known and famous fairy tales in English literature. This is a closer analysis of the story which describes Ebenezer Scrooge's transformation with the help of Ghosts.

Latest Character Analyses

A rose for emily characters.

Further study of characteristics, and connections between literary characters in A Rose for Emily by William Faulkner. The analysis includes characteristics of Snow White as the major character and minor characters such as Homer Barron, Judge Stevens, Tobe, etc.

The Raven Characters

Analysis of specific characteristics and features of literary characters included in The Raven by Edgar Allan Poe. It contains a review of the narrator as the major character and minor characters such as the raven and Lenore, their function, and their position in the story.

The Ugly Duckling Characters

A detailed study guide on characteristics, actions, and connections between literary characters included in The Ugly Duckling by H. C. Andersen. The analysis includes characteristics of the ugly duckling as the antagonist and other animals/society as protagonist of the fairy tale.

The Story of the Three Bears Characters

A detailed study guide on characteristics, actions and connections between literary characters included in The Story of the Three Bears by Joseph Jacobs. The analysis includes characteristics of the old woman as antagonist and the three bears as protagonists of the fairy tale.

Thumbelina Characters

Analysis of specific characteristics and features of literary characters included in Thumbelina by Hans Christian Andersen. It includes action and characteristics of Thumbelina as the major character and minor characters such as the toad, the toad's son, a cockchafer, a mole, the swallow, etc.

The Steadfast Tin Soldier Characters

Detailed analysis of features and specific characteristics of literary characters from the story The Steadfast Tin Soldier by Hans Christian Andersen. It contains characteristics of Tin Soldier as the major character and minor characters such as ballerina, goblin, etc.

The Little Match Girl Characters

A key basis and analysis of characters' characteristics and behavior included in The Little Match Girl by Hans Christian Andersen. It showcases features of the little girl as the major character and minor characters such as her grandmother, her father, boy thief, etc.

Snow White Characters

A detailed guide for further study of specific characteristics and qualities of literary characters included in Snow White by Brother Grimm. It explains the characteristics of Snow White as the major character and minor characters such as the evil queen, dwarves, huntsman, etc.

Jack and the Beanstalk Characters

A quality assessment of detailed elements and features of literary characters included in Jack and the Beanstalk by Joseph Jacobs. It contains characteristics of Jack as the major character and minor characters such as his mother, Ogre, etc.

Hansel and Gretel Characters

Evaluation of features, actions, and characteristics of literary characters from the fairy tale Hansel and Gretel by Brothers Grimm. It includes qualities of Hansel and Gretel as major characters and minor characters such as the witch, their parents, etc.

Latest Books

The princess and the pea, the ugly duckling, little red riding hood, goldilocks and the three bears, jack and the beanstalk, latest biographies, william faulkner.

Biography of William Faulkner, one of the leading American novelists and authors of all time. A Nobel Prize-winning short story writer and one of the most influential persons of the 20th century.

Ernest Hemingway

Ernest Hemingway was a famous American storyteller from the 20th century. He lived from 1898 until 1961. He was born in Oak Park in Illinois. Ernest finished high school and became a journalist. He volunteered in the World War I. He was a hunter, took up boxing for some time and worked as a journalist […]

Miguel de Cervantes

Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra was born in 1547 in Alcala de Henares, Spain. He was one of 7 children in the family. It is assumed that his childhood was affected by his family constantly moving around. He was schooled in Seville and Madrid where he started to write his first poems. When he turned twenty […]

Gustave Flaubert

Gustave Flaubert is an influential French novel writer born in Rouen, North France, on December 12th, 1821. He wasn’t an only child and he had a brother Achillea and sister Caroline that was three years younger than him. He started writing as a boy when he was eight and after finishing school he moved to […]

Oscar Wilde

Born Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde on October 16, 1854, in Dublin, Ireland. An Irish-born English writer. Wilde was the leader in the aesthetic movement that was based on the principle of art for art's sake. Educated at the Trinity College in Dublin, Wilde was inundated with the brilliant literary discussions of the time at […]

Gabriel Garcia Marquez

Gabriel Garcia Marquez was born in 1928 in north Columbia. He was a writer, journalist, publisher and he was politically active. He spent his childhood with his mother's parents and it influenced his writing. He studied in Bogota journalism and law. From 1947 to 1952 he wrote about 10 stroies and Kafka was his great […]

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BookSummary.net

The largest collection of book summaries, analyses, books, study guides and educational resources for students and teachers. Here, you'll find works from more than 200 greatest authors of all time. [more]

English Novel Summary

Winter in the blood novel summary notes and line by line explanation in english.

Introduction: “Winter in the Blood” is a novel written by James Welch. Set in Montana, the novel revolves around the story of a young Native American man and his struggles.  About the Author: James Welch (1940-2003) was a Native American novelist. He is considered to be the founder of Native American Resistance. Famous works of … Read more

White Lilacs Novel Summary and Explanation in English

Introduction: “White Lilacs” is a novel written by Carolyn Meyer. Published in 1993, the story is set in Texas during the early 20th century and centres around segregation and the struggles of the African American community. About the Author: Carolyn Meyer (1935–) is a renowned American novelist. She writes books for children and young adults. … Read more

Courage to Soar Novel Summary and Line by Line Explanation in English

Introduction: “Courage to Soar: A Body in Motion, A Life in Balance” is an autobiographical novel written by Simone Biles. It traces the trajectory of Biles’ life, right from her childhood in foster care to her rise to international fame as an Olympic gold medalist. About the Author: Simone Biles (1997–) is one of the … Read more

Sea Of Poppies Poem By Amitav Ghosh Summary, Notes, And Line By Line Analysis In English

Introduction: “Sea of Poppies” is a historical novel written by Indian novelist Amitav Ghosh, published in 2008. The story is set in the mid-19th century, and it follows a diverse group of characters whose lives are intertwined by the opium trade between India and China. About the Author: Amitav Ghosh (1965-) is a notable Indian … Read more

Midnight’s Furies Novel By Nisid Hajari Summary, Notes And Line By Line Analysis In English

Introduction: “Midnight’s Furies: The Deadly Legacy of India’s Partition” is a novel written by Nisid Hajari. Non-fictitious, It details the riotous events that brought about the partition of India and the creation of Pakistan as a separate nation.  About the Poet: Nisid Hajari is an eminent Indian-American writer. He is also an editor, in addition … Read more

The Injustice Never Leaves You Novel By Monica Munoz Martinez Summary, Notes And Line By Line Analysis In English

Introduction: “The Injustice Never Leaves You: Anti-Mexican Violence in Texas” is a novel written by Monica Munoz Martinez. It follows the history of the systemic violence and discrimination Mexicans and Mexican Americans had to struggle with in Texas during the 19th and early 20th centuries.  About the Poet: Monica Munoz Martinez (1984- ) is a … Read more

Naomi Novel By Junichiro Tanizaki Summary, Notes And Line By Line Analysis In English

Introduction: “Naomi” is a novel written by Junichiro Tanizaki, a renowned Japanese author. First published in 1947, it tells the story of Joji, a middle-aged man in post-World War II Japan who becomes infatuated with a young, attractive woman named Naomi. Narrated by Joji, the novel is a reflection of his tumultuous relationship with Naomi. … Read more

The Song Of Solomon Novel By Toni Morrison Summary, Notes And Line By Line Analysis In English

Introduction: “Song of Solomon” is a novel written by Toni Morrison. It revolves around the story of Macon “Milkman” Dead III, a young African-American man living in Michigan in the mid-20th century.  About the Author: Chloe Anthony Morrison a.k.a Toni Morrison (1931-2019) was a notable American novelist. Her books are the recipient of several awards, … Read more

Orlando Analysis by Virginia Woolf

Primary Interest of Narrator Orlando the protagonist has many qualities like a handsome noble, poet, patron of art, ambassador, a temporary coma person, and changes to a woman. Orlando is the primary interest of the narrator. Orlando’s history of his family background, his tradition, his life, his poetic sense is clearly described over here. Orlando’s … Read more

The “Consumable” Universe of Palahniuk’s “Fight Club”: A Novel Review

Introduction Speaking of Palahniuk’s Fight Club, one of the most prominent literary pieces, we’re sure that its role is mostly underestimated. The crucial point is that Palahniuk’s Fight Club has raised awareness over countless societal issues, including ones pertaining to social relations of modernity. Anti-Consumerist or Pro-Consumerist? It is often speculated that Palahniuk included somewhat … Read more

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• 12 Essential English Novels Everyone Should Read

The classic novels on this list are my (non-exhaustive) selection of ‘must-read’ books for anyone who wants to gain a better understanding of English literature. What counts as English literature spans over a thousand years, but you’ll find most of the great classics that well-educated people are often expected to have read – what’s known as the ‘canon’ – were primarily written in the 19th century or a little after, so this list focuses on that time period. Whether you’re a native English speaker or just learning, add these books to your reading list and make it your mission to read them all before the year is out. Reading novels is a great way to accelerate your English language skills; if you’re ready to take the next step towards fluency, why not learn English as a Foreign Language on campus as part of our Oxford summer courses .

1. Wuthering Heights, by Emily Brontë

This tumultuous tale of life in a bleak farmhouse on the Yorkshire moors is a popular set text for GCSE and A-level English study, but away from the demands of the classroom it’s easier to enjoy its drama and intensity. Populated largely by characters whose inability to control their own emotions leads to violence and revenge, it’s a tale that spans two generations and two families. At the heart of the story is the mysterious ‘gypsy’, Heathcliff, adopted as a ragamuffin child into the Earnshaw family to live at Wuthering Heights. As he grows up, he becomes close to his adopted sister Cathy, falling in love with her only to be met with crushing disappointment when she marries Edgar Linton, a kind and gentle man from neighbouring Thrushcross Grange. Heathcliff disappears and returns a rich, educated man bent on revenge.

2. Middlemarch, by George Eliot

Middlemarch, subtitled “A Study of Provincial Life”, is the story of the inhabitants of a Midlands village in the 1830s. Masterfully weaving together several plotlines, the novel charts the fortunes of an interesting cast of characters, exploring their motivations, delusions and preoccupations. The remarkable thing about Middlemarch is the detail and realism with which George Eliot describes emotions. Feelings you thought were unique to you are described here in a way that could be describing your own thoughts. It’s one of the reasons why Middlemarch has been described the likes of Martin Amis and Julian Barnes as one of the greatest English novels ever written; read it and you’ll soon find yourself agreeing with them.

3. Nineteen Eighty-Four , by George Orwell

Nineteen Eighty-Four makes depressing but essential reading. Published in 1949, it’s the author’s vision of a dystopian future dominated by totalitarian state surveillance, mind control and perpetual war. At the centre of the novel is Winston, whose job is to rewrite old news stories so that they toe the party line, whom we follow in his quest for rebellion against the government he works for. Its memorable opening line sets the unsettling tone for the rest of this uncomfortable novel: “It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen.” You probably already use phrases from this influential book without necessarily knowing it; “Big Brother” and “Room 101” are both references taken from this novel. As you read Nineteen Eighty-Four, ask yourself: how close do you think Orwell’s vision is to how society is today?

4. The Lord of the Rings , by J.R.R. Tolkien

If you haven’t read the book, you’ll almost certainly have seen Peter Jackson’s epic three-part movie adaptation of it. Incredible though the films are, there’s inevitably a lot missing from them and it’s well worth persevering with the book’s slowish start to follow the journey of Frodo and friends more closely. If you’re not familiar with the story, The Lord of the Rings tells the story of a hobbit, Frodo, who must undertake a dangerous mission to the dark land of Mordor to destroy a powerful ring – a weapon that absolutely corrupts those who come under its power. As you’ll soon find out, that’s a highly simplified plot summary! Reading the book, you’ll be hard-pressed not to gain a deep admiration for the detail and thought Tolkien put into creating his imaginary world; languages, detailed family trees, maps, rich histories and backstories – all add to the sense of realism one feels when absorbed in Tolkien’s work. You’ll also spot some of Tolkien’s influences, such as Nordic mythology and the Anglo-Saxon poem Beowulf (read this poem alongside Tolkien and you’ll notice where his inspiration for the Golden Hall came from). If you’re new to Tolkien, you might like to read The Hobbit beforehand; it’s a lighter read than The Lord of the Rings and it sets the backdrop for the events of the tome that follows it.

5. Diary of a Nobody , by George and Weedon Grossmith

If you’ve ever in need of a little gentle comic relief, you can’t do much better than the delightful Diary of a Nobody. It’s the (made-up) diary of a self-important Victorian lower-middle class gentleman, Charles Pooter, in which he details the day-to-day household quandaries and social embarrassments we can all relate to. It was serialised in Punch magazine in Victorian times, and it’s a charming insight into what the Victorians found funny – but in many places, it’s still laugh-out-loud funny to the modern reader.

6. His Dark Materials , trilogy by Philip Pullman

Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials is comprised of three novels: Northern Lights (known in the US as The Golden Compass), The Subtle Knife and The Amber Spyglass. The story is set in a fantasy world that contains numerous parallel universes, some of which bear some resemblance to real-life Oxford. Lyra, the protagonist, inhabits the fictional Jordan College, Oxford, in a world in which human beings are accompanied by animal embodiments of their souls, called daemons. The initial similarities and intriguing differences between Lyra’s world and real life will draw you in right from the start, and you’re sure to be gripped as you accompany Lyra on a journey that sees her coming of age and discovering that space and time are not what she expected. If you want to do some background reading, try Milton’s epic poem Paradise Lost, of which Pullman’s trilogy is a partial reinvention.

7. Jane Eyre , by Charlotte Brontë

This novel by Emily Brontë’s elder sister Charlotte has inspired numerous film adaptations, and tells the tale of a young governess, Jane Eyre, who goes to live and work in a foreboding country house with an eccentric master, Edward Rochester, who hides a dark secret in a remote wing of his sprawling home. The story focuses on Jane’s transition to adulthood, told from her perspective in the first person. Throughout the novel we observe her sense of morality, which is tested by the situations she finds herself in – first during her abusive childhood and then in her response to the passionate feelings she experiences towards Mr. Rochester.

8. Great Expectations , by Charles Dickens

Here is another coming-of-age story, and arguably one of the greatest ever told. If you think Charles Dickens is boring, or you’ve been put off him by studying him at school, please give him another chance. Like all his novels, Great Expectations is full of humour and populated by an entertaining cast of brilliantly-named characters. It tells the tale of Pip, an orphan from a poor background who learns a valuable lesson in life after his acquisition of personal wealth proves an unsatisfying experience that changes him for the worse, driving him away from the only people who’ve ever loved him. Along the way he meets the enigmatic Miss Havisham, an old lady jilted at the altar decades ago, who has frozen everything in her house at the moment at which her life was so tragically altered. The image of her wedding cake, still on the table but covered in cobwebs and mould, is one of many enduring and vivid scenes in this brilliant novel, which explores a number of moral themes including what it means to be a gentleman.

9. Rebecca , by Daphne du Maurier

Even if you’re not normally into the Gothic, Rebecca is sure to have you gripped. Its nameless narrator tells the chilling tale of her experiences at Manderley, the house at the centre of the story, after marrying Maxim de Winter, its owner. Manderley proves to be haunted by memories of Maxim’s previous wife, Rebecca, who drowned the previous year; and the creepy Mrs. Danvers, the housekeeper, is determined to show Maxim’s new wife that she is no replacement for her beloved Rebecca. We follow the second Mrs. de Winter as she struggles to fit in at Manderley and uncovers the truth behind who Rebecca really was and what really happened to her. Its opening lines will haunt you as they’ve haunted the millions of readers who’ve enjoyed Rebecca since its publication in 1938: “Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again…”.

10. Any Jane Austen novel

It was impossible to choose just one Jane Austen novel for this list, as they’re all absolutely brilliant and packed full of interesting and sometimes amusing characters – and heroines you can’t fail to love. As well as being entertaining stories in themselves, Jane Austen’s novels are recognised for their historical importance thanks to their social commentary on the Georgian aristocracy. Austen herself was on the outskirts of the aristocracy, well-placed to write about the people and situations she undoubtedly met with in real life. Pride and Prejudice, Emma, Sense and Sensibility, Mansfield Park, Persuasion, Northanger Abbey; take your pick, but if forced to choose, my personal favourite is Emma, the tale of a well-meaning but headstrong young woman who makes it her mission to act as matchmaker to local villagers – with disastrous consequences both to them and to her own chances of romance.

11. Far from the Madding Crowd , by Thomas Hardy

Thomas Hardy’s evocative novel Far from the Madding Crowd is set in ‘Wessex’, an early region of south-west England that no longer exists but is used to conjure up a sense of a place neither real nor made-up – an agricultural England that, during Hardy’s lifetime, was under threat from industrialisation. Rural life is a central theme in a story that follows the shepherd Gabriel Oak and his love for Bathsheba Everdene, a beautiful and independent newcomer to the local farm she’s just inherited. Unfortunately, Oak isn’t the only one with his eye on the wilful Bathsheba, and two rivals appear on the scene in the shape of another farmer, Mr. Boldwood, and a dashing but rakish soldier, Sergeant Troy. Love and its sometimes dangerous and destructive power are explored among a number of other themes, including luck and tragedy.

12. Brideshead Revisited , by Evelyn Waugh

Evelyn Waugh’s portrayal of the trials and tribulations of an aristocratic family and their friend, the narrator Charles Ryder, has been an inspiration to plenty of Oxford applicants, who hope to recreate the evocative Oxfordian scenes described in the early parts of the book – complete with Sebastian’s famous teddy bear, Aloysius. But there’s a lot more to Brideshead Revisited than idyllic Oxford life and decadent scenes involving Champagne and quail eggs. At its heart is the tale of a young man’s struggle with Roman Catholicism and with his own family, but there are many other themes running through it, including the decline of the English stately home after the two World Wars and a longing for the bygone era of the English nobility. Brideshead Revisited was adapted into a landmark television series with Jeremy Irons in the role of Charles Ryder; once you’ve read the book this makes wonderful viewing, sticking closely to the book. With Irons’ velvet tones vividly bringing to life Waugh’s words, this is one television adaptation that, in my opinion, will actually help you gain a deeper appreciation of the book.

These remarkable novels have all left their mark on popular culture and embedded themselves into the English psyche. Once you’ve read them all, you’ll have more of an idea of where your own literary tastes lie and you can make up your own list by taking from this one and adding your own.

If these books thrilled you and you’d love to learn about taking your next steps in English literature, why not join our Philosophy, Literature and Modern History Summer School on campus at Yale University this summer.

Images: Winslow Homer Painting

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Can You Recognize This Novel From a One-Line Description?

By J. D. Biersdorfer May 6, 2024

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Welcome to Lit Trivia, the Book Review’s multiple-choice quiz designed to test your knowledge of books and literary culture. This week’s challenge asks you to identify five famous 20th-century novels based on a very simple one-sentence plot description.

Just tap or click on the title you think is correct to see the answer and a snippet of the original coverage in The Times. After the last question, you’ll find links to the titles in case you’re looking for a something to read.

A man runs around Dublin all day in June 1904.

“Birchwood,” by John Banville

“Borstal Boy,” by Brendan Behan

“Ulysses,” by James Joyce

“Strumpet City,” by James Plunkett

A young girl grows up in an impoverished urban area and, inspired by nature’s tenacity, strives to get an education as a key to success in life.

“Angels on Toast,” by Dawn Powell

“Brown Girl, Brownstones,” by Paule Marshall

“My Sister Eileen,” by Ruth McKenney

“A Tree Grows in Brooklyn,” by Betty Smith

A man recalls his childhood and young adulthood in high society for thousands of pages and has a memorable encounter with a snack food.

“The Remains of the Day,” by Kazuo Ishiguro

“In Search of Lost Time,” by Marcel Proust

“A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man,” by James Joyce

“The Grapes of Wrath,” by John Steinbeck

An American in Paris, dealing with social alienation and other issues, has a relationship with an Italian bartender.

“Paris France,” by Gertrude Stein

“Giovanni’s Room,” by James Baldwin

“Gigi and the Cat,” by Colette

“The Ambassadors,” by Henry James

A clairvoyant woman keeps a journal for decades and records the dramatic lives of several generations of her family through love and political upheaval.

“In the Time of the Butterflies,” by Julia Alvarez

“The Kitchen God’s Wife,” by Amy Tan

“Paradise,” by Toni Morrison

“The House of the Spirits,” by Isabel Allende

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