Jules Verne was one of the most influential popular writers in modern history. A forerunner of the science fiction genre, Verne took inspiration from the explosion of technological progress during the Industrial Revolution. He crafted adventure stories where daring, intelligent…
There was a time when Michael Crichton ruled pop culture like few authors before. Crichton, who held an M.D. from Harvard, leveraged his intense interest in science, history, and technology into page-turning stories. He wrote screenplays for films like Westworld…
The best-selling memoir Wild captivates readers with its heart-pounding adventure and emotional arc. When death, divorce, and addiction threaten to dismantle Cheryl Strayed’s life, she decides to journey 1,100 miles across the Pacific Crest Trail. Danger lurks behind every bend,…
Andy Weir’s 2014 novel The Martian didn’t seem destined for success at first. Weir originally self-published the story on his personal blog, then placed it for sale as an eBook for 99 cents. But sales were so strong—the book sold…
Jack London’s 1903 novel The Call of the Wild is a staple of American literature. It’s a novel many people encounter in their youth, and it leaves a lasting impression as London explores his favorite theme: The tension between man…
The dystopian genre poses the kind of haunting questions that make us pause and ask, “What if…?” Veronica Roth’s Divergent is gripping because it highlights our tendency to label one another according to our personality traits. What if we were…
Ernest Cline’s 2011 science fiction novel Ready Player One combines expertise in pop culture with a deep understanding of our gamified, internet-centric society. The book was a bestseller, but it’s also polarizing; your enjoyment of the book depends largely on…
Reading a book is usually a passive experience. The author dictates everything, from the description of the characters and their behavior to the sequence of events. But there is one kind of story that shifts the power dramatically, giving the…
Frank Herbert’s 1965 book Dune is one the most influential novels of the 20th century. It shaped the contemporary science-fiction genre and impacted various forms of art and entertainment. The story set in a futuristic interstellar society touches on many…
Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel imagines a world shaped by catastrophe: a new strain of flu wipes out most of the world’s population in a matter of weeks. The novel is a vibrant mosaic of moments before, during,…