20 Best Books 2003 (2023 Update)

The first book in a new epic fantasy series from the "new york times"-bestselling author who had been chosen to complete robert jordan''s the wheel of time series.

Michelle was a young single mother when she was kidnapped by a local school bus driver named ariel castro. for more than a decade afterward, she endured unimaginable torture at the hand of her abductor. in 2003 amanda berry joined her in captivity, followed by gina dejesus in 2004. their escape on may 6, 2013, made headlines around the world. barely out of her own tumultuous childhood, michelle was estranged from her family and fighting for custody of her young son when she disappeared. local police believed she had run away, so they removed her from the missing persons lists fifteen months after she vanished. castro tormented her with these facts, reminding her that no one was looking for her, that the outside world had forgotten her. but michelle would not be broken. in finding me, michelle will reveal the heartbreaking details of her story, including the thoughts and prayers that helped her find courage to endure her unimaginable circumstances and now build a life worth living. by sharing both her past and her efforts to create a future, michelle becomes a voice for the voiceless and a powerful symbol of hope for the thousands of children and young adults who go missing every year.

War is only the beginning… from #1 new york times bestselling author jennifer l. armentrout comes book four in her blood and ash series.from the desperation of golden crowns… casteel da’neer knows all too well that very few are as cunning or vicious as the blood queen, but no one, not even him, could’ve prepared for the staggering revelations. the magnitude of what the blood queen has done is almost unthinkable. and born of mortal flesh… nothing will stop poppy from freeing her king and destroying everything the blood crown stands for. with the strength of the primal of life’s guards behind her, and the support of the wolven, poppy must convince the atlantian generals to make war her way—because there can be no retreat this time. not if she has any hope of building a future where both kingdoms can reside in peace. a great primal power rises… together, poppy and casteel must embrace traditions old and new to safeguard those they hold dear—to protect those who cannot defend themselves. but war is only the beginning. ancient primal powers have already stirred, revealing the horror of what began eons ago. to end what the blood queen has begun, poppy might have to become what she has been prophesied to be—what she fears the most. as the harbinger of death and destruction.

#1 national bestseller #1 international bestsellerwhat does everyone in the modern world need to know? renowned psychologist jordan b. peterson's answer to this most difficult of questions uniquely combines the hard-won truths of ancient tradition with the stunning revelations of cutting-edge scientific research.humorous, surprising and informative, dr. peterson tells us why skateboarding boys and girls must be left alone, what terrible fate awaits those who criticize too easily, and why you should always pet a cat when you meet one on the street.what does the nervous system of the lowly lobster have to tell us about standing up straight (with our shoulders back) and about success in life? why did ancient egyptians worship the capacity to pay careful attention as the highest of gods? what dreadful paths do people tread when they become resentful, arrogant and vengeful? peterson journeys broadly, discussing discipline, freedom, adventure and responsibility, distilling the world's wisdom into 12 practical and profound rules for life. 12 rules for life shatters the modern commonplaces of science, faith and human nature, while transforming and ennobling the mind and spirit of its readers.

About the author j.k. rowling is the author of the seven harry potter novels, which have sold over 450 million copies and have been translated into 79 languages, and three companion books originally published for charity. she has also written the casual vacancy, a novel for adults, and, under the pseudonym robert galbraith, is the author of the cormoran strike crime series. in 2016 j.k. rowling made her screenwriting debut and was a producer on the film fantastic beasts and where to find them, a further extension of the wizarding world and the start of a new five-film series.

#1 new york times bestseller – the compelling, inspiring, and comically sublime story of one man's coming-of-age, set during the twilight of apartheid and the tumultuous days of freedom that followed named one of paste's best memoirs of the decade – named one of the best books of the year by michiko kakutani, new york times – usa today – san francisco chronicle – npr – esquire – newsday – booklist trevor noah's unlikely path from apartheid south africa to the desk of the daily show began with a criminal act: his birth. trevor was born to a white swiss father and a black xhosa mother at a time when such a union was punishable by five years in prison. living proof of his parents' indiscretion, trevor was kept mostly indoors for the earliest years of his life, bound by the extreme and often absurd measures his mother took to hide him from a government that could, at any moment, steal him away. finally liberated by the end of south africa's tyrannical white rule, trevor and his mother set forth on a grand adventure, living openly and freely and embracing the opportunities won by a centuries-long struggle. born a crime is the story of a mischievous young boy who grows into a restless young man as he struggles to find himself in a world where he was never supposed to exist. it is also the story of that young man's relationship with his fearless, rebellious, and fervently religious mother–his teammate, a woman determined to save her son from the cycle of poverty, violence, and abuse that would ultimately threaten her own life. the stories collected here are by turns hilarious, dramatic, and deeply affecting. whether subsisting on caterpillars for dinner during hard times, being thrown from a moving car during an attempted kidnapping, or just trying to survive the life-and-death pitfalls of dating in high school, trevor illuminates his curious world with an incisive wit and unflinching honesty. his stories weave together to form a moving and searingly funny portrait of a boy making his way through a damaged world in a dangerous time, armed only with a keen sense of humor and a mother's unconventional, unconditional love. by turns alarming, sad and funny, trevor noah's] book provides a harrowing look, through the prism of mr. noah's family, at life in south africa under apartheid. . . . born a crime is not just an unnerving account of growing up in south africa under apartheid, but a love letter to the author's remarkable mother."–michiko kakutani, the new york times " an] unforgettable memoir."–parade "what makes born a crime such a soul-nourishing pleasure, even with all its darker edges and perilous turns, is reading noah recount in brisk, warmly conversational prose how he learned to negotiate his way through the bullying and ostracism. . . . what also helped was having a mother like patricia nombuyiselo noah. . . . consider born a crime another such gift to her–and an enormous gift to the rest of us."–usa today " noah] thrives with the help of his astonishingly fearless mother. . . . their fierce bond makes this story soar."–people

New york times bestseller – reese’s book club pick – “delightful . . . [a] captivating and slyly subversive fictional paean to the real women whose work on the oxford english dictionary went largely unheralded.”—the new york times book review “a marvelous fiction about the power of language to elevate or repress.”—geraldine brooks, new york times bestselling author of people of the bookesme is born into a world of words. motherless and irrepressibly curious, she spends her childhood in the scriptorium, an oxford garden shed in which her father and a team of dedicated lexicographers are collecting words for the very first oxford english dictionary. young esme’s place is beneath the sorting table, unseen and unheard. one day a slip of paper containing the word bondmaid flutters beneath the table. she rescues the slip and, learning that the word means “slave girl,” begins to collect other words that have been discarded or neglected by the dictionary men. as she grows up, esme realizes that words and meanings relating to women’s and common folks’ experiences often go unrecorded. and so she begins in earnest to search out words for her own dictionary: the dictionary of lost words. to do so she must leave the sheltered world of the university and venture out to meet the people whose words will fill those pages. set during the height of the women’s suffrage movement and with the great war looming, the dictionary of lost words reveals a lost narrative, hidden between the lines of a history written by men. inspired by actual events, author pip williams has delved into the archives of the oxford english dictionary to tell this highly original story. the dictionary of lost words is a delightful, lyrical, and deeply thought-provoking celebration of words and the power of language to shape the world.winner of the australian book industry award

#1 new york times bestseller – in the propulsive debut novel from the host of the #1 true crime podcast crime junkie, a journalist uncovers her hometown’s dark secrets when she becomes obsessed with the unsolved murder of her childhood neighbor—and the disappearance of another girl twenty years later. – one of the best books of the year: pop – sugar you can’t ever know for sure what happens behind closed doors. – everyone from wakarusa, indiana, remembers the infamous case of january jacobs, who was discovered in a ditch hours after her family awoke to find her gone. margot davies was six at the time, the same age as january—and they were next-door neighbors. in the twenty years since, margot has grown up, moved away, and become a big-city journalist. but she’s always been haunted by the feeling that it could’ve been her. and the worst part is, january’s killer has never been brought to justice. – when margot returns home to help care for her uncle after he is diagnosed with early-onset dementia, she feels like she’s walked into a time capsule. wakarusa is exactly how she remembers—genial, stifled, secretive. then news breaks about five-year-old natalie clark from the next town over, who’s gone missing under circumstances eerily similar to january’s. with all the old feelings rushing back, margot vows to find natalie and to solve january’s murder once and for all. – but the police, natalie’s family, the townspeople—they all seem to be hiding something. and the deeper margot digs into natalie’s disappearance, the more resistance she encounters, and the colder january’s case feels. could january’s killer still be out there? is it the same person who took natalie? and what will it cost to finally discover what truly happened that night twenty years ago? twisty, chilling, and intense, all good people here is a searing tale that asks: what are your neighbors capable of when they think no one is watching?

#1 new york times bestseller from the new york times bestselling author of invisible girl and the truth about melody browne comes a “riveting” (popsugar) and “acutely observed family drama” (people) that delves into the lingering aftermath of a young girl’s disappearance.ellie mack was the perfect daughter. she was fifteen, the youngest of three. beloved by her parents, friends, and teachers, and half of a teenaged golden couple. ellie was days away from an idyllic post-exams summer vacation, with her whole life ahead of her. now, her mother laurel mack is trying to put her life back together. it’s been ten years since her daughter disappeared, seven years since her marriage ended, and only months since the last clue in ellie’s case was unearthed. so when she meets an unexpectedly charming man in a café, no one is more surprised than laurel at how quickly their flirtation develops into something deeper. before she knows it, she’s meeting floyd’s daughters—and his youngest, poppy, takes laurel’s breath away. because looking at poppy is like looking at ellie. and now, the unanswered questions she’s tried so hard to put to rest begin to haunt laurel anew. where did ellie go? did she really run away from home, as the police have long suspected, or was there a more sinister reason for her disappearance? who is floyd, really? and why does his daughter remind laurel so viscerally of her own missing girl?

Categories: sessalee's fiction picks, 2012 orange prize shortlist, ancient greece – historical fiction. contributors: madeline miller – author. format: hardcover.

I anticipated that at some point a shocking twist would come. and, wow, does it ever. the new york times a perfect beach read. the boston globe a windswept private island off the coast of massachusetts. a hungry ocean, churning with secrets and sorrow. a fiery, addicted heiress. an irresistible, unpredictable boy. a summer of unforgivable betrayal and terrible mistakes. welcome back to the sinclair family. they were always liars.

New york times bestseller – from the bestselling author of dark matter and the wayward pines trilogy comes a relentless thriller about time, identity, and memory—his most mind-boggling, irresistible work to date, and the inspiration for shondaland’s upcoming netflix film.“ gloriously twisting . . . a heady campfire tale of a novel.”—the new york times book reviewnamed one of the best books of the year by time – npr – bookriotreality is broken. at first, it looks like a disease. an epidemic that spreads through no known means, driving its victims mad with memories of a life they never lived. but the force that’s sweeping the world is no pathogen. it’s just the first shock wave, unleashed by a stunning discovery—and what’s in jeopardy is not our minds but the very fabric of time itself. in new york city, detective barry sutton is closing in on the truth—and in a remote laboratory, neuroscientist helena smith is unaware that she alone holds the key to this mystery . . . and the tools for fighting back. together, barry and helena will have to confront their enemy—before they, and the world, are trapped in a loop of ever-growing chaos.praise for recursion“an action-packed, brilliantly unique ride that had me up late and shirking responsibilities until i had devoured the last page . . . a fantastic read.”—andy weir, #1 new york times bestselling author of the martian“another profound science-fiction thriller. crouch masterfully blends science and intrigue into the experience of what it means to be deeply human.”—newsweek“definitely not one to forget when you’re packing for vacation . . . [crouch] breathes fresh life into matters with a mix of heart, intelligence, and philosophical musings.”—entertainment weekly“a trippy journey down memory lane . . . [crouch’s] intelligence is an able match for the challenge he’s set of overcoming the structure of time itself.”—time“wildly entertaining . . . another winning novel from an author at the top of his game.”—av club

Named one of the best books of the year bythe wall street journal – financial timesnew york times bestsellera young woman walks into a laboratory. over the past two years, she has transformed almost every aspect of her life. she has quit smoking, run a marathon, and been promoted at work. the patterns inside her brain, neurologists discover, have fundamentally changed. marketers at procter & gamble study videos of people making their beds. they are desperately trying to figure out how to sell a new product called febreze, on track to be one of the biggest flops in company history. suddenly, one of them detects a nearly imperceptible pattern—and with a slight shift in advertising, febreze goes on to earn a billion dollars a year. an untested ceo takes over one of the largest companies in america. his first order of business is attacking a single pattern among his employees—how they approach worker safety—and soon the firm, alcoa, becomes the top performer in the dow jones. what do all these people have in common? they achieved success by focusing on the patterns that shape every aspect of our lives. they succeeded by transforming habits. in the power of habit, award-winning new york times business reporter charles duhigg takes us to the thrilling edge of scientific discoveries that explain why habits exist and how they can be changed. with penetrating intelligence and an ability to distill vast amounts of information into engrossing narratives, duhigg brings to life a whole new understanding of human nature and its potential for transformation. at its core, the power of habit contains an exhilarating argument: the key to exercising regularly, losing weight, raising exceptional children, becoming more productive, building revolutionary companies and social movements, and achieving success is understanding how habits work. habits aren't destiny. the power of habit is an exception. charles duhigg not only explains how habits are formed but how to kick bad ones and hang on to the good.”—financial times “a flat-out great read.”—david allen, bestselling author of getting things done: the art of stress-free productivity “you'll never look at yourself, your organization, or your world quite the same way.”—daniel h. pink, bestselling author of drive and a whole new mind “entertaining . . . enjoyable . . . fascinating . . . a serious look at the science of habit formation and change.”—the new york times book review

A usa today bestseller perfect for fans of kasie west and jenn bennett, this “sweet and funny” (kerry winfrey, author of waiting for tom hanks) teen rom-com follows a hopelessly romantic teen girl and her cute yet obnoxious neighbor as they scheme to get her noticed by her untouchable crush.perpetual daydreamer liz buxbaum gave her heart to michael a long time ago. but her cool, aloof forever crush never really saw her before he moved away. now that he’s back in town, liz will do whatever it takes to get on his radar—and maybe snag him as a prom date—even befriend wes bennet. the annoyingly attractive next-door neighbor might seem like a prime candidate for romantic comedy fantasies, but wes has only been a pain in liz’s butt since they were kids. pranks involving frogs and decapitated lawn gnomes do not a potential boyfriend make. yet, somehow, wes and michael are hitting it off, which means wes is liz’s in. but as liz and wes scheme to get liz noticed by michael so she can have her magical prom moment, she’s shocked to discover that she likes being around wes. and as they continue to grow closer, she must reexamine everything she thought she knew about love—and rethink her own ideas of what happily ever after should look like.

In this groundbreaking bestseller, lundy bancrofta counselor who specializes in working with abusive menuses his knowledge about how abusers think to help women recognize when they are being controlled or devalued in a relationship, and to find ways to get free of abuse.

Avert the cataclysmic return of tiamat in this adventure for the world’s greatest roleplaying game the cult of the dragon leads the charge in an unholy crusade to bring tiamat back to the realms, and the situation grows more perilous for good people with each passing moment. the battle becomes increasingly political as opportunities to gather allies and gain advantage present themselves. from waterdeep to the sea of moving ice to thay, it is a race against evil. succeed or succumb to the oppression of draconic tyranny. win or lose, things will never be the same again. – the second of two adventures in the tyranny of dragons story arc, the rise of tiamat provides everything a dungeon master needs to create an exciting and memorable adventure experience. – fans of the dungeons & dragons roleplaying game can get a sample of what this product has in store for them through the d&d encounters in-store play program. – adventure design and development by kobold press.

Instant new york times bestseller – the read with jenna today show book club pick!" a story of love and hope as interweaving characters display: how all moments, big and small, can measure a life. eight ordinary people. one extraordinary choice. – it seems like any other day. you wake up, pour a cup of coffee, and head out. – but today, when you open your front door, waiting for you is a small wooden box. this box holds your fate inside: the answer to the exact number of years you will live. – from suburban doorsteps to desert tents, every person on every continent receives the same box. in an instant, the world is thrust into a collective frenzy. where did these boxes come from? what do they mean? is there truth to what they promise? as society comes together and pulls apart, everyone faces the same shocking choice: do they wish to know how long they’ll live? and, if so, what will they do with that knowledge? the measure charts the dawn of this new world through an unforgettable cast of characters whose decisions and fates interweave with one another: best friends whose dreams are forever entwined, pen pals finding refuge in the unknown, a couple who thought they didn’t have to rush, a doctor who cannot save himself, and a politician whose box becomes the powder keg that ultimately changes everything. – enchanting and deeply uplifting, the measure is a sweeping, ambitious, and invigorating story about family, friendship, hope, and destiny that encourages us to live life to the fullest.

From new york times bestselling author penelope douglas comes a new dark romance… erika i was told that dreams were our heart's desires. my nightmares, however, became my obsession. his name is michael crist. my boyfriend's older brother is like that scary movie that you peek through your hand to watch. he's handsome, strong, and completely terrifying. the star of his college's basketball team and now gone pro, he's more concerned with the dirt on his shoe than me. but i noticed him. i saw him. i heard him. the things that he did, and the deeds that he hid… for years, i bit my nails, unable to look away. now, i've graduated high school and moved on to college, but i haven't stopped watching michael. he's bad, and the dirt i've seen isn't content to stay in my head anymore. because he's finally noticed me. michael her name is erika fane, but everyone calls her rika. my brother's girlfriend grew up hanging around my house and is always at our dinner table. she looks down when i enter a room and stills when i am close. i can always feel the fear rolling off of her, and while i haven't had her body, i know that i have her mind. that's all i really want anyway. until my brother leaves for the military, and i find rika alone at college. in my city. unprotected. the opportunity is too good to be true, as well as the timing. because you see, three years ago she put a few of my high school friends in prison, and now they're out. and now every last one of her nightmares will come true. *corrupt is a standalone dark romance with no cliffhanger. it is suitable for ages 18+.

From new york times bestselling author penelope douglas comes a new dark romance… erika i was told that dreams were our heart's desires. my nightmares, however, became my obsession. his name is michael crist. my boyfriend's older brother is like that scary movie that you peek through your hand to watch. he's handsome, strong, and completely terrifying. the star of his college's basketball team and now gone pro, he's more concerned with the dirt on his shoe than me. but i noticed him. i saw him. i heard him. the things that he did, and the deeds that he hid… for years, i bit my nails, unable to look away. now, i've graduated high school and moved on to college, but i haven't stopped watching michael. he's bad, and the dirt i've seen isn't content to stay in my head anymore. because he's finally noticed me. michael her name is erika fane, but everyone calls her rika. my brother's girlfriend grew up hanging around my house and is always at our dinner table. she looks down when i enter a room and stills when i am close. i can always feel the fear rolling off of her, and while i haven't had her body, i know that i have her mind. that's all i really want anyway. until my brother leaves for the military, and i find rika alone at college. in my city. unprotected. the opportunity is too good to be true, as well as the timing. because you see, three years ago she put a few of my high school friends in prison, and now they're out. and now every last one of her nightmares will come true. *corrupt is a standalone dark romance with no cliffhanger. it is suitable for ages 18+.

New york times bestseller – perfect for fans of a song of ice and fire and hbo’s game of thrones—an epic history of westeros and the lands beyond, featuring hundreds of pages of all-new material from george r. martin! if the past is prologue, then george r. martin’s masterwork—the most inventive and entertaining fantasy saga of our time—warrants one hell of an introduction. at long last, it has arrived with the world of ice & fire.this lavishly illustrated volume is a comprehensive history of the seven kingdoms, providing vividly constructed accounts of the epic battles, bitter rivalries, and daring rebellions that lead to the events of a song of ice and fire and hbo’s game of thrones. in a collaboration that’s been years in the making, martin has teamed with elio m. martin’s dazzlingly conceived universe, the world of ice & fire is indeed proof that the pen is mightier than a storm of swords.