book list

From a seemingly infinite list of books of anecdotal or literal merit, we have narrowed down the top 100 books that have shaped the lives of individual men while also helping define broader cultural ideas of what it means to be a man.

So if you feel the need to reaffirm your manliness, here are a hundred manly books that ought to do the trick. Ahem

What makes a book a cult classic? There’s really no nailing it down. They’re not only some of the best but also some of the worst books of all time. They’re not just bestsellers; nor are they necessarily books that present new earth-shattering ideas. Whatever it is that makes them so, here is a list of fifty recognizable cult classics.

Have any of these had an impact on your world view?

A great book has the power to move, inspire or even change lives. From adventure tales of the Arctic to the ultimate in quantum weirdness, here are the books that have left a lasting impression on some of the world’s top scientists.

Feel free to share the book(s) that most affected your life.

Hint: Click the titles to read each scientist’s take on the books.

Here’s a departure from the usual ‘book list’ fare. Self-help books provide more than guidance; they apparently also provide a blueprint for the stages of life, as these ten books in the genre illustrate.

I’m happy to see The Sword of Shannara by Terry Brooks and the Chronicles of Amber by Roger Zelazny made this list. Both would make great movies IMO. But if I had to choose just one it would be the latter. There is some grand special effects potential there. Opinions?

I adore a good historical mystery. There’s something intriguing about pondering alternative possibilities of long ago events. For like minded bibliophilic sleuths, here are five of Christian Pelusi’s favorites.

Please do share your favorite unsolved puzzle novels if you got ‘em; I’m always looking.

Well, I’m not sure about the life changing part, but science fiction is in the business of provoking thought, and there’s some great looking reads here for those who haven’t already been there and done them.

Naturally, with the presidential primaries happening in the US, political books are popping up in great profusion, and the supply reflects the demand. By design, the focus is on the issues and not the contenders. Publishers reveal what they’re looking for and what we can expect to see with this list of political tomes being published between January and August this year.

Don’t you just love snow days, where you get to cozy up with a cuppa and a good book while the white stuff falls by the foot? Here are five books about snow, ice and old man winter to help you forget about the shovel.

I don’t know about the rest of the Wordsy crowd, but I’ll need a longer list of snow reads than this one where I’m living, so if you got ’em, let’s hear about ’em.

Fifty contemporary authors give their selections of shamefully underrated books that they feel merit more recognition.