100 Book List

Below is the list of one hundred books recommended by the computer model in The Bestseller Code by Jodie Archer and Matthew L. Jockers. Join us as we read and discuss the novels. Links in the list go to the landing page from this blog, which is where the discussion starts. This is an open-ended challenge, so feel free to jump in with any of the books at any time after the discussion begins.

Note: The list is subject to copyright and is used with the author’s permission.

*Title links go to Amazon for more information about the book. Disclosure: I am an Amazon affiliate.

Note as of 2/2019: After careful consideration, Karen and Roberta have decided to discontinue reviewing or analyzing novels from The Bestseller Code list online. We’ll continue to read selected novels on our own schedule, but won’t be posting our comments. Thank you to everyone who has followed along and shared your thoughts.

100. Shutter Island* by Dennis Lehane (2003) – Discussion began November 7, 2016
Genre: Somewhere between literary mystery and psychological thriller.

99. State of Wonder by Ann Patchett (2011) – Discussion began November 21, 2016
Genre: Literary adventure with suspenseful elements

98. Primary Colors by Joe Klein (1996) – Discussion began December 5, 2016
Genre: Political novel
Note: this book was originally published anonymously.

97. Little Bee by Chris Cleave (2008) – Discussion began December 19, 2016
Genre: Literary fiction
Note: Also published as The Other Hand.

96. The Last Child by John Hart (2009) – Discussion began January 2, 2017
Genre: Suspense/thriller

95. The Mill River Recluse by Darcie Chan (2011) – Discussion began January 16, 2017
Genre: Touted as a Genre-breaking thriller with romantic overtones

94. The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets’ Nest by Stieg Larsson (Originally published in 2007) –Discussion began January 30, 2017
Note: This is the third book in a series.

93. Olive Kitterage by Elizabeth Strout (2008) – Discussion began February 13, 2017
A collection of 13 short stories revolving around the title character. Genre: Literary fiction
Note: Won a Pultizer Prize for Fiction in 2009.

92. One Day by David Nicholls (2009) – Discussion began February 27, 2017

91. The Horse Whisperer by Nicholas Evans (1995) – Discussion began March 13, 2017

90. The Orphan Master’s Son by Adam Johnson (2012) – Discussion began March 27, 2017
Won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 2013.

89. Unaccustomed Earth by Jhumpa Lahiri (2008) – Discussion began April 10, 2017
Short story collection

88. The Weird Sisters by Eleanor Brown (2011) – Discussion began April 24, 2017
Genre: Women’s Fiction

87. World War Z by Max Brooks (2006) – Discussion began May 8, 2017
Genre: Horror, or Apocalyptic Horror

86. Easy Prey by John Sandford (2001) – Discussion began May 29, 2017
Genre: 11th in mystery series

85. The Klone and I by Danielle Steel (1998) – Discussion began June 12, 2017
Touted as a high-tech love story (romance)

84. A Spool of Blue Thread by Anne Tyler (2015) – Discussion began June 26, 2017
Literary Fiction – nominated for Booker Prize

83. Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford (2009) – Discussion began July 10, 2017
Genre: Historical Fiction

82. The Silent Wife by A. S. A. Harrison (2013) – Discussion began July 24, 2017
Genre: Psychological Thriller

81. The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein (2008) – Discussion began August 7, 2017
Literary fiction told from a dog’s point of view

80. Dead in the Family by Charlaine Harris (2010) –
Gothic mystery -skipped because it’s number 10 in a series with a complex fantasy world

79. Daddy’s Gone a Hunting by Mary Higgins Clark (2013) – Discussion began August 21, 2017
Domestic suspense

78. Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk by David Sedaris (2010) – Discussion began September 4, 2014
Animal-themed short stories

77. And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini (2013) – Discussion began September 18, 2017
Historical fiction

76. The Cuckoo’s Calling by Robert Galbraith (2013) – Discussion began October 2, 2017
Crime fiction/Mystery

75. The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga (2008) – Discussion began October 16, 2017
Literary fiction, won the Man Booker Prize

74. A Day Late and a Dollar Short by Terry McMillan (2000)- Discussion began October 30, 2017

73. The Weight of Silence by Heather Gudenkauf (2009) – Discussion began November 13, 2017
Suspense

72. The Marriage Bargain by Jennifer Probst (2012) – Discussion began November 27, 2017
Romance

71. The Bourne Betrayal by Eric Van Lustbader (2007) – Discussion began December 11, 2017
Thriller

70. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Díaz (2007) – Discussion began December 26, 2017.
Literary fiction, won the Pulitzer Prize in 2008

69. The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt (2013) – Discussion began January 8, 2018
Literary fiction, won the Pulitzer Prize in 2014

68. Cross Roads by Wm. Paul Young (2012) – Discussion began January 22, 2018
Christian fiction

67. The Darkest Evening of the Year by Dean Koontz (2007) – Discussion began February 5, 2018
Psychological thriller

66. The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold (2002) – Discussion began February 19, 2018
Mix of genres

65. Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline (2013) – Discussion began March 5, 2018
Historical fiction

64. Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walker(2012) – Discussion began March 19, 2018
Although listed as “historical romance,” it is more about the different facets of relationships over time

63. The Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes (2011) – Discussion began April 2, 2018
Literary fiction, won the Man Booker prize

62. Me Before You by JoJo Moyes ( 2012) – Discussion began April 16, 2018
Romance

61. The Choice by Nicholas Sparks (2007) – Discussion began April 30, 2018

60. In the Woods by Tana French (2007) – Discussion began May 14, 2018
Mystery

59. The Next Always by Nora Roberts (2011) – Discussion began May 28, 2018
Romance

58. Somewhere Safe with Somebody Good (2014) by Jan Karon – Discussion began June 11, 2018
Christian/domestic fiction

57. Fifty Shades of Grey by E. L. James (2011) – Discussion began June 25, 2018
Erotic romance

56. American Wife by Curtis Sittenfeld (2008) – Discussion began July 9, 2018
Bildungsroman

55. A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan (2010) – Discussion began July 23, 2018
Won the Pulitzer Prize in 2011

54. Testimony by Anita Shreve (2008) – Discussion began August 6, 2018
Mystery/suspense

(Karen and I took a hiatus.)

53. Beautiful Disaster by Jamie McGuire (2011) – Discussion began December 3, 2018
Romance

52. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer (2005) – Discussion began December 17, 2018
Literary Fiction

51. The Art of Fielding by Chad Harbach (2011) – Discussion began December 31, 2018
Literary Fiction

50. The Martian by Andy Weir (2011) – Discussion began January 14, 2019
Science Fiction

49. The Casual Vacancy by J. K. Rowling (2012) – Informal discussion with spoilers

48. The Last Templar by Raymond Khoury (2005) – Discussion begins February 11, 2019
Mystery/suspense

47. Maine by J. Courtney Sullivan (2011) – Discussion begins February 25, 2019
Domestic Fiction

46. Room by Emma Donoghue (2010) – Discussion begins March 11, 2019
Literary Fiction

Some others on the list:

Personal by Lee Child
The Devil Wears Prada by Lauren Weisberger
The Nanny Diaries by Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus
The Associate by John Grisham
The Last Man by Vince Flynn
The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown
Flight Behavior by Barbara Kingslover
Look Again by Lisa Scottoline
Luckiest Girl Alive by Jessica Knoll
Twelve Sharp by Janet Evanovich (a few thoughts about)
Double Cross by James Patterson
Scarpetta by Patricia Cornwell
Burning Room by Michael Connelly