Cover image of "The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store," one of my top reading recommendations

Estimated reading time: 7 minutes

As you’ll be aware if you subscribe to one of my newsletters, I post lists of recommended books from time to time. Here, I’m including the 10 lists of reading recommendations that have attracted the most readers. They cover a broad range of subject matter, reflecting my eclectic interests. 

You’ll note that some of these lists—well, most of them, actually—are long and require more than a few minutes to read. But in almost all cases, the most important material is at the top and doesn’t take long to read. For example, on many of these posts, I list my top 10 or 15 picks, followed by longer lists of “runners-up” or additional titles. So, don’t be put off by the sheer length of the post. It’s unlikely you’ll want to do more than skim or glance at the material on the bottom. 

Top reading recommendations: novels

Cover image of "The Winds of War"

The 10 best novels about World War II

I read a great many books about World War II. That earth-shaking event, the greatest conflict in human history, is a source of endless fascination for me. These novels cover nearly every aspect of the war, from the fighting on the ground to the code-breaking behind the scenes to the Holocaust and the lives people lived amid the chaos. 

Cover image of "The Soul of Viktor Tronko," one of my top reading recommendations

The 15 best espionage novels

Spy stories sometimes convey a more accurate picture of diplomatic and military affairs than any work of nonfiction might do. For example, soldiers say they experience combat as long days of boredom interrupted by brief bouts of extreme violence. But intelligence officers in the field often risk their lives on a daily basis. Their work is a source of drama—and these novels vividly convey their reality. 

Cover image of "The Leopard," one of my top reading recommendations

Top 20 detective novels

Detective stories are among the most-read books of any genre. My own reading in the field ranges from novels about both private eyes and police detectives as well as police procedurals and an occasional courtroom drama. But you won’t find here many of the whodunits that dominate “classic” detective fiction, which I find are almost invariably contrived in a transparent effort to mislead readers. 

25 most enlightening historical novels

My undergraduate degree was in history, and I’ve read a great deal of the stuff ever since I left college sixty years ago. And I find that historical novels often offer insight and historical detail that’s missing from the nonfiction books I also read so often. These novels give me all that—and they’re terrific stories to boot. 

Cover image of "Doomsday Book," one of my top reading recommendations

10 top science fiction novels

Once upon a time I wrote science fiction. It was a natural extension from my adolescent years, when I read the stuff nonstop. In fact, I’m still an Associate Member of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, even though I no longer write SF stories. But I do read novels in the genre from time to time. This list includes some of the best of them. 

Top reading recommendations: nonfiction

20 top nonfiction books about history

Although I love to speculate about the future, like just about anyone else I’m more concerned with understanding the present. And that requires me to know how we got to where we are today. Understanding history, in other words. I don’t believe we’re condemned to repeat the past, as some have claimed. But we need to understand the mistakes that have come to plague the world we live in today. 

10 top nonfiction books about World War II

I probably read even more nonfiction about World War II than fiction. After all, I want to understand how the war came about, how it was fought and won, and how the millions of people who were its victims fared during the eight long years it was waged. Novels help add insight. But ultimately it’s the facts that count. 

Science and technology loom large in our lives. Many observers are convinced they’re the driving force in human affairs, and I tend to agree. How else might we live how we do without electricity, antibiotics, and the integrated circuit? Which is why from time to time I read books that help me understand how technological change comes about—and what it might mean for our future.

Cover image of "The Loudest Voice in the Room," one of my top reading recommendations

10 great biographies

In years past historians fiercely debated the Great Man Theory, which holds that exceptional individuals determine the course of events. Others insisted that ideas are more influential. Still others maintain that change erupts from below, in the actions of the mass of people. Of course, there’s no separating these factors. But it’s indisputable that some individual men and women have set change in action at the inflection points in our past. These terrific biographies and memoirs help us understand who they were and the legacy they left us.

Cover image of "The Fifth Risk"

Top 10 nonfiction books about politics

All my adult life I’ve been involved in politics to varying degrees, including more than a decade helping run political campaigns at the local, statewide, and national levels. My interest in the field has never flagged, although I’ve pulled back from active involvement in the last few years. And of course I read about the process. These books are the best I’ve come across. 

If the above 10 lists of recommended reading aren’t enough for you, check out these:

And you can always find my most popular reviews, and the most recent ones, on the Home Page.