WSJ’s Top Book Recommendations-Cary Regional

Discover the best books of the year, handpicked by the editors of The Wall Street Journal. From thought-provoking nonfiction to engrossing fiction, our Top Book Recommendations offer a curated list of exceptional reads that will inform, inspire, and entertain. Featuring titles from acclaimed authors and emerging voices, our selection spans genres and subjects, ensuring there's something for every reader. Dive into the world of ideas, stories, and perspectives that will change the way you think, feel, and see the world.
 

Showing 1 - 6 of 6  There are a total of 302 valid entries on the list.

1. Bleak House

Book cover for "Bleak House"
Star rating for Bleak House
Author:
Dickens, Charles, 1812-1870
Average Rating:
4.5 stars
Notes:
Top 5 Best Book On Courtroom Drama. This book was ranked #2 on the WSJ on May 18th, 2025.
Formats:
Book, OverDrive eBook
Description:
Textual notes and a Dickens chronology accompany this satire of Victorian society built around an interminable suit at the Court of Chancery.

2. The grapes of wrath

Book cover for "The grapes of wrath"
Star rating for The grapes of wrath
Author:
Steinbeck, John, 1902-1968
Average Rating:
4.5 stars
Formats:
Book, Large Print, OverDrive eAudiobook, OverDrive eBook
Description:
Depicts the hardships and suffering endured by the Joads as they journey from Oklahoma to California during the Depression.

3. Main Street

Book cover for "Main Street"
Star rating for Main Street
Author:
Lewis, Sinclair, 1885-1951
Average Rating:
3.3 stars
Notes:
Ranked #2 for the Best Book On Life In Small Towns in the WSJ on July 25-26, 2025.
Formats:
Book, OverDrive eBook
Description:
A novel of life in a quiet Midwestern town exposes the complacency and hypocrisy there

4. The man in the iron mask

Book cover for "The man in the iron mask"
Star rating for The man in the iron mask
Author:
Dumas, Alexandre, 1802-1870
Series:
Three musketeers series volume 6.
Formats:
Book, OverDrive eBook
Description:
When the destinies of King Louis XIV and a mysterious prisoner in an iron mask converge, the Three Musketeers and D'Artagnan find themselves caught between conflicting loyalties.

5. My Ántonia

Book cover for "My Ántonia"
Star rating for My Ántonia
Author:
Cather, Willa, 1873-1947
Average Rating:
4.5 stars
Formats:
Book, OverDrive eBook
Description:
The reminiscences of a New York lawyer, Jim Burden, about his boyhood in Nebraska, particularly a young Bohemian girl named Antonia Shimerda, are set against the backdrop of the American assimilation of the immigrant A New York lawyer remembers his boyhood in Nebraska and his friendship with a pioneer Bohemian girl. A novel set in Nebraska about pioneering Bohemian farmers & of the courageous heroine, Antonia. First published in 1918. In Willa Cather's...

6. To kill a mockingbird

Book cover for "To kill a mockingbird"
Star rating for To kill a mockingbird
Author:
Lee, Harper
Series:
To kill a mockingbird volume 1.
Average Rating:
4.5 stars
Notes:
Ranked #4 for the Best Book On Life In Small Towns in the WSJ on July 25-26, 2025.
Formats:
Book, Audiobook, Large Print, OverDrive eAudiobook, OverDrive eBook
Description:
"Through the young eyes of Scout and Jem Finch, Harper Lee exploreswith rich humor and unswerving honesty the irrationality of adult attitudes toward race and class in the Deep South of the 1930s. The conscience of a town steeped in prejudice, violence, and hypocrisy is pricked by the stamina and quiet heroism of one man's struggle for justice--but the weight of history will only tolerate so much."--Provided by publisher.