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 21  There are a total of 105 valid entries on the list.
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 "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 "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 four winds"
Star rating for The four winds
Average Rating:
4.2 stars
Description:
"[A]n epic novel of love and heroism and hope, set against the backdrop of one of America's most defining eras--the Great Depression. Texas, 1934. Millions are out of work and a drought has broken the Great Plains. Farmers are fighting to keep their land and their livelihoods as the crops are failing, the water is drying up, and dust threatens to bury them all. One of the darkest periods of the Great Depression, the Dust Bowl era, has arrived with...
Book cover for "The girl with the make-believe husband"
Star rating for The girl with the make-believe husband
Series:
Rokesby series volume 2.
Average Rating:
3.5 stars
Description:
While you were sleeping... With her brother Thomas injured on the battlefront in the Colonies, orphaned Cecilia Harcourt has two unbearable choices: move in with a maiden aunt or marry a scheming cousin. Instead, she chooses option three and travels across the Atlantic, determined to nurse her brother back to health. But after a week of searching, she finds not her brother but his best friend, the handsome officer Edward Rokesby. He's unconscious...
Book cover for "The good neighbor"
Star rating for The good neighbor
Average Rating:
4 stars
Description:
Drawing on original interviews, oral histories and archival documents, the author traces the iconic children's program host's personal, professional, and artistic life through decades of work.
Book cover for "I know why the caged bird sings"
Star rating for I know why the caged bird sings
Average Rating:
4.4 stars
Description:
A black woman recalls the anguish of her childhood in Arkansas and her adolescence in northern slums.
Book cover for "I'm glad my mom died"
Star rating for I'm glad my mom died
Average Rating:
4.2 stars
Description:
"A heartbreaking and hilarious memoir by iCarly and Sam & Cat star Jennette McCurdy about her struggles as a former child actor--including eating disorders, addiction, and a complicated relationship with her overbearing mother--and how she retook control of her life"--
Book cover for "Life in motion"
Star rating for Life in motion
Average Rating:
4.5 stars
Description:
As the only African American soloist dancing with the prestigious American Ballet Theatre, Misty Copeland has made history. But when she first placed her hands on the barre at an after-school community center, no one expected the undersized, anxious thirteen-year-old to become a groundƯbreaking ballerina. As the only African American soloist dancing with the prestigious American Ballet Theatre, Misty Copeland has made history. But when she first...
Book cover for "Life will be the death of me"
Star rating for Life will be the death of me
Average Rating:
4.1 stars
Description:
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • “This will be one of your favorite books of all time. Through her intensely vulnerable, honest, and hilarious reflections, Chelsea shows us more than just her insides. She shows us ourselves.”—Amy Schumer
 
Don’t miss Chelsea Handler’s new Netflix stand-up special, Revolution, now streaming!
 
In the wake of President Donald Trump’s...
Book cover for "The millionaire next door"
Star rating for The millionaire next door
Average Rating:
4 stars
Description:
"Why aren't I as wealthy as I should be?" Many people ask this question of themselves all the time. Often they are hard-working, well educated middle- to high-income people. Why, then, are so few affluent. For nearly two decades the answer has been found in the bestselling The Millionaire Next Door: The Surprising Secrets of America's Wealthy, reissued with a new foreword for the twenty-first century. According to the authors, most people have it...
Book cover for "News of the world"
Star rating for News of the world
Average Rating:
4.2 stars
Description:
"In the aftermath of the Civil War, an aging itinerant news reader agrees to transport a young captive of the Kiowa back to her people in this exquisitely rendered, morally complex, multilayered novel of historical fiction from the author of Enemy Women that explores the boundaries of family, responsibility, honor, and trust. In the wake of the Civil War, Captain Jefferson Kyle Kidd travels through northern Texas, giving live readings from newspapers...
Book cover for "Reading with Patrick"
Star rating for Reading with Patrick
Average Rating:
3.5 stars
Description:
"A memoir of race, inequality, and the power of literature told through the life-changing friendship between an idealistic young teacher and her gifted student, jailed for murder in the Mississippi Delta"--Amazon.com.
Book cover for "The rise and fall of American growth"
Star rating for The rise and fall of American growth
Average Rating:
3.7 stars
Book cover for "The simple path to wealth"
Star rating for The simple path to wealth
Average Rating:
4.5 stars
Description:
"This comprehensive guide covers everything from debt elimination to optimizing retirement accounts, all while exposing the marketing myths and investment industry practices that keep most people from building real wealth. Collins shares specific, actionable strategies for both wealth-building and wealth-preservation phases, with a straightforward approach to asset allocation that anyone can implement."--Provided by publisher.
Book cover for "Sissy"
Star rating for Sissy
Average Rating:
4.5 stars
Description:
"A heart-wrenching, eye-opening, and giggle-inducing memoir about what it's like to grow up not sure if you're (a) a boy, (b) a girl, (c) something in between, or (d) all of the above"-- "recounts their journey from shy, closeted gender-nonconforming kid to out-and-proud young genderqueer LGBTQ activist in this hilarious and candid memoir"--
Book cover for "Talking as fast as I can"
Star rating for Talking as fast as I can
Average Rating:
4.1 stars
Description:
In her first work of nonfiction, the star of Gilmore Girls and Parenthood recounts her experiences on Gilmore Girls, the first and second time, and shares stories about life, love, and working in Hollywood.
Book cover for "The third Gilmore girl"
Star rating for The third Gilmore girl
Average Rating:
4.2 stars
Description:
A "memoir from award-winning ... actress Kelly Bishop, spanning her six decades in show business from Broadway to Hollywood with A Chorus Line, Dirty Dancing, Gilmore Girls, and much more"--

19. Untamed

Book cover for "Untamed"
Star rating for Untamed
Average Rating:
3.4 stars
Description:
"There is a voice of longing inside every woman. We strive so mightily to be good: good mothers, daughters, partners, employees, citizens, and friends. We believe all this striving will make us feel alive. Instead, it leaves us feeling weary, stuck, overwhelmed, and underwhelmed. We look at our lives, relationships, and world, and wonder: Wasn't it all supposed to be more beautiful than this? We quickly silence that question, telling ourselves to...
Book cover for "The women"
Star rating for The women
Average Rating:
4.5 stars
Description:
"When twenty-year-old nursing student Frances 'Frankie' McGrath hears these unexpected words, it is a revelation. Raised on idyllic Coronado Island and sheltered by her conservative parents, she has always prided herself on doing the right thing, being a good girl. But in 1965 the world is changing, and she suddenly imagines a different choice for her life. When her brother ships out to serve in Vietnam, she impulsively joins the Army Nurse Corps...