Maya's Staff Picks (Top Favorite)

I highly recommend these top-rated books as a must-read because they offer a unique blend of captivating storytelling, relatable characters, and thought-provoking themes that will resonate with readers of all genres. These books have been widely acclaimed for their exceptional writing, well-developed plots, and ability to evoke emotions, making them a valuable addition to any bookshelf. Whether you're looking for a thrilling adventure, a heartwarming romance, or a journey of self-discovery, these books are sure to captivate and leave a lasting impression long after the final page is turned. In addition, the non-fiction titles provide valuable knowledge and expert insights on topics such as science, history, and personal development, while the biographies grant readers a unique glimpse into the lives of inspiring individuals who have shaped our world. Meanwhile, the sci-fi and fantasy novels transport us to new and imaginative realms, exploring complex themes and ideas that challenge our understanding of the universe and our place within it. With their engaging narratives, well-researched content, and memorable characters, these books are sure to educate, entertain, and inspire, making them a must-read for anyone looking to expand their minds and broaden their horizons.

Showing 1 - 20 of 104  There are a total of 105 valid entries on the list.

1. 1984

Book cover for "1984"
Star rating for 1984
Average Rating:
4.1 stars
Description:
Portrays life in a future time when a totalitarian government watches over all citizens and directs all activities. Written 75 years ago, 1984 was George Orwell's chilling prophecy about the future. And while 1984 has come and gone, his dystopian vision of a government that will do anything to control the narrative is timelier than ever... "The Party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command."...
Book cover for "2001, a space odyssey"
Star rating for 2001, a space odyssey
Series:
Average Rating:
4.9 stars
Description:
Two astronauts find their journey into space and their very lives jeopardized by the jealousy of an extraordinary computer named Hal
Book cover for "The adventures of Sherlock Holmes"
Star rating for The adventures of Sherlock Holmes
Average Rating:
4.5 stars
Description:
A collection of Sherlock Holmes mystery adventures, including "A Scandal in Bohemia," "The Red Headed League," "The Adventure of the Speckled Band," and "The Final Problem"
Book cover for "The adventures of Tom Sawyer"
Star rating for The adventures of Tom Sawyer
Average Rating:
4 stars
Description:
"The classic boyhood adventure tale, updated with a new introduction by noted Mark Twain scholar R. Kent Rasmussen. A consummate prankster with a quick wit, Tom Sawyer dreams of a bigger fate than simply being a "rich boy." Yet through the novel's humorous escapades-from the famous episode of the whitewashed fence to the trial of Injun Joe-Mark Twain explores the deeper themes of the adult world, one of dishonesty and superstition, murder and revenge,...
Book cover for "Alexander Hamilton"
Star rating for Alexander Hamilton
Author:
Average Rating:
3.9 stars
Description:
Few figures in American history have been more hotly debated or more grossly misunderstood than Alexander Hamilton. Chernow's biography gives Hamilton his due and sets the record straight, deftly illustrating that the political and economic greatness of today's America is the result of Hamilton's countless sacrifices to champion ideas that were often wildly disputed during his time. "To repudiate his legacy," Chernow writes, "is, in many ways, to...
Book cover for "All the light we cannot see"
Star rating for All the light we cannot see
Average Rating:
4.4 stars
Description:
"From the highly acclaimed, multiple award-winning Anthony Doerr, a stunningly ambitious and beautiful novel about a blind French girl and a German boy whose paths collide in occupied France as both try to survive the devastation of World War II. Marie Laure lives with her father in Paris within walking distance of the Museum of Natural History where he works as the master of the locks (there are thousands of locks in the museum). When she is six,...
Book cover for "And then there were none"
Star rating for And then there were none
Average Rating:
4.1 stars
Notes:
Also known as "Ten Little Indians"
Description:
A killer stalks a group of ten total strangers on an isolated island off the Devon coast, in a story of murder and retribution set to a sinister nursery rhyme.
Book cover for "Anthro-vision"
Star rating for Anthro-vision
Average Rating:
5 stars
Description:
"In an age when business and finance are dominated by technology and data analysis, award-winning journalist and anthropology PhD Gillian Tett presents a radically different strategy for success: businesses and investors can revolutionize their understanding of behavior by studying consumers, markets, and organizations through an anthropological lens"--Jacket.
Book cover for "Anxious people"
Star rating for Anxious people
Average Rating:
4 stars
Description:
"Looking at real estate isn't usually a life-or-death situation, but an apartment open house becomes just that when a failed bank robber bursts in and takes a group of strangers hostage. The captives include a recently retired couple who relentlessly hunt down fixer-uppers to avoid the painful truth that they can't fix their own marriage. There's a wealthy bank director who has been too busy to care about anyone else and a young couple who are about...
Book cover for "Bag man"
Star rating for Bag man
Average Rating:
4 stars
Description:
"The year was 1973, and Spiro T. Agnew, the former governor of Maryland, was Richard Nixon's second-in-command. Long on firebrand rhetoric and short on political experience, Agnew had carried out a bribery and extortion ring in office for years, when--at the height of Watergate--three young federal prosecutors discovered his crimes and launched a mission to take him down before it was too late, before Nixon's impending downfall elevated Agnew to the...
Book cover for "Because of Miss Bridgerton"
Star rating for Because of Miss Bridgerton
Series:
Rokesby series volume 1.
Average Rating:
4.1 stars
Description:
Everyone expects Billie Bridgerton to marry one of the Rokesby brothers. The two families have been neighbors for centuries, and as a child the tomboyish Billie ran wild with Edward and Andrew. Either one would make a perfect husband... someday. But sometimes fate has a wicked sense of humor. There is only one Rokesby Billie absolutely cannot tolerate, and that is George. He may be the eldest and heir to the earldom, but he's arrogant, annoying, and...
Book cover for "Becoming Trader Joe"
Star rating for Becoming Trader Joe
Average Rating:
4 stars
Description:

Build an iconic shopping experience that your customers love—and a work environment that your employees love being a part of—using this blueprint from Trader Joe's visionary founder, Joe Coulombe.

Infuse your organization with a distinct personality and culture that draws customers in a way that simply competing on price cannot.

Joe Coulombe founded what would become Trader Joe's in the late 1960s and helped

...
Book cover for "The beekeeper's apprentice, or, On the segregation of the queen"
Star rating for The beekeeper's apprentice, or, On the segregation of the queen
Average Rating:
4.1 stars
Description:
A chance meeting with an elderly beekeeper turns into a pivotal, personal transformation when fifteen-year-old Mary Russell discovers that the beekeeper is the reclusive Sherlock Holmes, who soon takes on the role of mentor and teacher
Book cover for "The Bogleheads' guide to investing"
Star rating for The Bogleheads' guide to investing
Average Rating:
3.8 stars
Description:
Reveals how the investment philosophy of John Bogle, the founder and retired chairman of Vanguard, can help any investor build wealth using his low-cost, tax-efficient philosophy.
Book cover for "Book lovers"
Star rating for Book lovers
Author:
Average Rating:
4.2 stars
Description:
"Nora Stephens life is books--she's read them all--and she is not that type of heroine. Not the plucky one, not the laidback dream girl, and especially not the sweetheart. In fact, the only people Nora is a heroine for are her clients, for whom she lands enormous deals as a cutthroat literary agent, and her beloved little sister Libby. Which is why she agrees to go to Sunshine Falls, North Carolina for the month of August when Libby begs her for a...
Book cover for "Broke millennial"
Star rating for Broke millennial
Author:
Average Rating:
4.7 stars
Description:
"Stop Living Paycheck to Paycheck and Get Your Financial Life Together (#GYFLT)! If you're a cash-strapped 20- or 30-something, it's easy to get freaked out by finances. But you're not doomed to spend your life drowning in debt or mystified by money. It's time to stop scraping by and take control of your money and your life with this savvy and smart guide. Broke Millennial shows step-by-step how to go from flat-broke to financial badass. Unlike most...
Book cover for "The call of the wild"
Star rating for The call of the wild
Description:
The tragic impact of conflict between the natural world and human civilization is the theme of two of London's most famous tales of the wilderness.
Book cover for "Catching fire"
Star rating for Catching fire
Series:
Hunger Games volume 2.
Average Rating:
4.7 stars
Description:
Against all odds, Katniss Everdeen has survived the Hunger Games. But now that she's made it out of the bloody arena alive, she's still not safe. The Capitol wants revenge... and President Snow has made it clear that no one else is safe! By winning the annual Hunger Games, District 12 tributes Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark have secured a life of safety and plenty for themselves and their families, but because they won by defying the rules, they...
Book cover for "Crime and punishment"
Star rating for Crime and punishment
Average Rating:
5 stars
Description:
"Dostoyevsky's great novel of damnation and redemption evokes a world where the lines between innocence and corruption, good and evil, blur. It tells the story of Raskolnikov, a destitute and desperate former student, who wanders through the slums of St Petersburg and commits a random murder without remorse or regret. He imagines himself to be beyone conventional and moral laws. But as he embarks on a dangerous game of cat and mouse with a police...
Book cover for "Daisy Jones & the Six"
Star rating for Daisy Jones & the Six
Average Rating:
4.2 stars
Description:
"Daisy is a girl coming of age in L.A. in the late sixties, sneaking into clubs on the Sunset Strip, sleeping with rock stars, and dreaming of singing at the Whisky a Go-Go. The sex and drugs are thrilling, but it's the rock and roll she loves most. By the time she's twenty, her voice is getting noticed, and she has the kind of heedless beauty that makes people do crazy things. Another band getting noticed is The Six, led by the brooding Billy Dunne....