Exploring Top Books of Shelfari

Nana (The 100 greatest books of all time)

Nana (The 100 greatest books of all time)

by Emile Zola

Nana opens in 1867, the year of the World Fair, when Paris, thronged by a cosmopolitan elite, was a perfect target for Zola's scathing denunciation of hypocrisy and fin-de-siecle moral corruption. In this new translation, the fate of Nana--the Helen of Troy of the second Empire, and daughter of the laundress in L'Assommoir--is now rendered in racy, stylish English.

The Bull from the Sea (Vintage)

by Mary Renault

The Bull from the Sea reconstructs the legend of Theseus, the valiant youth who slew the Minotaur, became king, and brought prosperity to Attica. Chief among his heroic exploits is the seduction of Hippolyta, the Queen of the Amazons, who irrevocably brought about both his greatest joy and his tragic destiny.

Carry Me Down

by M. J. Hyland

John Egan is a misfit — "a twelve year old in the body of a grown man with the voice of a giant" — who diligently keeps a "log of lies." John's been able to detect lies for as long as he can remember, it's a source of power but also great consternation for a boy so young. With an obsession for the Guinness Book of Records , a keenly inquisitive mind, and a kind of faith, John remains hopeful despite the... (more)

Ten Thousand Lovers: A Novel

by Edeet Ravel

Lily is a young emigrant student exploring the wonders and terrors of her new land when she meets the man of her dreams. Ami, a former actor, is handsome, intelligent and exciting - but, like his beautiful, disintegrating country, he has a terrible flaw - he is an army interrogator. As Lily and Ami's unexpected passion grows, so too does the shadow that hangs over them - the unspeakable horrors which Ami's work... (more)

Secrets, Vol. 6

by Angela Knight

Lost In Place: Growing Up Absurd in Suburbia (Vintage)

Lost In Place: Growing Up Absurd in Suburbia (Vintage)

by Mark Salzman

From the author of Iron & Silk comes a charming and frequently uproarious account of an American adolescence in the age of Bruce Lee, Ozzy Osborne, and Kung Fu. As Salzman recalls coming of age with one foot in Connecticut and the other in China (he wanted to become a wandering Zen monk), he tells the story of a teenager trying to attain enlightenment before he's learned to drive.

Iron and Silk (Vintage Departures)

by Mark Salzman

Salzman captures post-cultural revolution China through his adventures as a young American English teacher in China and his shifu-tudi (master-student) relationship with China's foremost martial arts teacher.

The Laughing Sutra (Vintage Contemporaries)

The Laughing Sutra (Vintage Contemporaries)

by Mark Salzman

Iron & Silk, Mark Salzman's bestselling account of his adventures as an English teacher and martial arts student in China, introduced a writer of enormous charm and keen insight into the cultural chasm between East and West. Now Salzman returns to China in his first novel, which follows the adventures of Hsun-ching, a naive but courageous orphan, and the formidable and mysterious Colonel Sun, who together... (more)

Arrow of God

by Chinua Achebe

Set in the Ibo heartland of eastern Nigeria, one of Africa's best-known writers describes the conflict between old and new in its most poignant aspect: the personal struggle between father and son.

A Man of the People

by Chinua Achebe

By the renowned author of Things Fall Apart , this novel foreshadows the Nigerian coups of 1966 and shows the color and vivacity as well as the violence and corruption of a society making its own way between the two worlds.

The Cay

by Theodore Taylor

Phillip is excited when the Germans invade the small island of Curaçao. War has always been a game to him, and he’s eager to glimpse it firsthand–until the freighter he and his mother are traveling to the United States on is torpedoed. When Phillip comes to, he is on a small raft in the middle of the sea. Besides Stew Cat, his only companion is an old West Indian, Timothy. Phillip remembers his mother’s warning... (more)

Hitty: Her First Hundred Years

by Rachel Field

A favorite since it was first published in 1929, this Newbery Medal winner is a timeless classic about a very special doll of great charm and character.

Lost Regiment 06: Never Sound Retreat (Lost Regiment)

Lost Regiment 06: Never Sound Retreat (Lost Regiment)

by William R. Forstchen

It has been 10 years since a group of American Civil War soldiers was swept away from the battlefields of Earth to a distant world--where the only place for a human is as a slave to an alien race. But even though they are far from home, the members of the Union 35th Main regiment still embody the radical ideas of democracy and freedom--and they're willing to lay down their lives rather than sound retreat! Ads in... (more)

Codex

by Lev Grossman

About to depart on his first vacation in years, Edward Wozny, a hotshot young investment banker, is sent to help one of his firm's most important and mysterious clients. His task is to search their library stacks for a precious medieval codex, a treasure kept sealed away for many years and for many reasons. Enlisting the help of passionate medievalist Margaret Napier, Edward is determined to solve the mystery of... (more)

The Drawing of the Dark (Del Rey Impact)

The Drawing of the Dark (Del Rey Impact)

by Tim Powers

What does the famous Herzwesten beer have to do with saving the entire western world from the invading Turkish armies? Brian Duffy, aging soldier of fortune, is the only man who can rescue the world from evil--if only he can figure out why the beer was so important to a mysterious old man called the Fisher King, and why his dreams are plagued with images of a sword and an arm rising from a lake . . .

The Anubis Gates

by Tim Powers

A best-selling novel of time travel by a two-time winner of the Philip K. Dick Award combines action and adventure with the surreal and bizarre. By the author of Dinner at Deviant's Palace. Reprint.

Robert the Bruce: King of Scots

by Ronald McNair Scott, Robert McNair Scott

Robert the Bruce is one of the great heroic figures of history. When, after years of struggle, Scotland was reduced to a vassal state by Edward I of England it was Bruce who, supported by the Scottish Church and a group of devoted followers, had himself crowned at Scone as King of Scots and renewed the fight for freedom. The author of this book uses the accounts of contemporary chronicles, particularly those of... (more)

The Great Scot: A Novel of Robert the Bruce, Scotland's Legendary Warrior King

The Great Scot: A Novel of Robert the Bruce, Scotland's Legendary Warrior King

by Duncan A. Bruce

Robert the Bruce was Scotland's greatest King ever. The Bruce, as he was known, was crowned King of Scots in 1306, a time when the ancient kingdom of Scotland was under harsh and illegal English occupation. As soon as King Robert began his reign, his army was treacherously attack at Methven, resulting in a calamitous defeat for the Scots which forced the Bruce into hiding. Yet, steadily between 1307 and 1313 King... (more)

Betsy and the Great World (Betsy-Tacy)

by Vera Neville, Maud Hart Lovelace

It's the trip of a lifetime.Betsey Ray, 21 years old, is heading off for a solo tour of Europe. From the moment she casts off, her journey is filled with adventure--whether she's waltzing at the captain's ball, bartering for beads in Madeira, or sipping coffee at a bohemian cafe in Munich. It's rich fodder for a budding young writer, and Betsy's determined to make the most of the experience. If only she could... (more)

Betsy Was a Junior (Betsy-Tacy)

by Vera Neville, Maud Hart Lovelace

The Best School Year Ever That's the kind of junior year Betsy Ray has planned for herself. And when her childhood friend Tib Muller moves back to Deep Valley, Betsy's sure her perfect year is off to a grand start. With charming, funny Tib around, Crowd doings are more fun than ever -- especially after Betsy starts Okto Delta, the first -- ever sorority at Deep Valley High. But soon Betsy's luck takes a bad... (more)

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Top Books

by Emile Zola

by Mary Renault

by M. J. Hyland

by Edeet Ravel

by Angela Knight

by Mark Salzman

by Mark Salzman

by Mark Salzman

by Chinua Achebe

by Chinua Achebe

by Theodore Taylor

by Rachel Field

by William R. Forstchen

by Lev Grossman

by Tim Powers

by Tim Powers

by Ronald McNair Scott, Robert McNair Scott

by Duncan A. Bruce

by Vera Neville, Maud Hart Lovelace

by Vera Neville, Maud Hart Lovelace