Showing posts with label top 100 fiction. Show all posts
Showing posts with label top 100 fiction. Show all posts

Saturday, January 31, 2026

Geoffrey Chaucer The Canterbury Tales

First posted 1/31/2026.

The Canterbury Tales

Geoffrey Chaucer


First Publication: 1387-1400


Category: collection of stories


Sales: ?

Accolades (click on badges to see full lists):

About the Book:

The Canterbury Tales began “as an ambitious project by the versatile English courtier, diplomat, philosopher, and author Geoffrey Chaucer in the 14th century.” AZ It “follows a group of people on their pilgrimage to the Cathedral of Saint Thomas รก Becket. The Prologue introduces all of the pilgrims in great detail, and through these descriptions Chaucer provides the entire spectrum of social classes and professions of his time.” AZ

“When the group stops at an inn and the innkeeper introduces a competition for a free dinner, the pilgrims begin telling each other stories that reflect their stations, genders, purity, corruption, humor, tragedy, cynicism, and innocence. From the noble Knight and his Squire to the spunky Wife of Bath, from the antagonistic Miller and Reeve to the Prioress, Nun, and Pardoner, Chaucer reveals for modern readers a wonderfully vivid picture of medieval life in an impressive array of literary styles that uphold his reputation as the father of English literature.” AZ

“Beyond its importance as a literary work of unvarnished genius, Geoffrey Chaucer’s unfinished epic poem is also one of the most beloved works in the English language – and for good reason: It is lively, absorbing, perceptive, and outrageously funny. But despite the brilliance of Chaucer's work, the continual evolution of our language has rendered his words unfamiliar to many of us.” BN

“These humorous tales about fictional pilgrims made an important contribution to English literature at a time when court poetry was written in either Anglo-Norman or Latin.” TG


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Saturday, January 1, 2022

Today in History (1962): Madeleine L’Engle A Wrinkle in Time published

First posted 1/31/2026.

A Wrinkle in Time

Madeleine L’Engle

First Publication: January 1, 1962


Category: children’s novel


Sales: 14 million

Accolades (click on badges to see full lists):

About the Book:

“Late one night, three otherworldly creatures appear and sweep Meg Murry, her brother Charles Wallace, and their friend Calvin O'Keefe away on a mission to save Mr. Murray, who has gone missing while doing top-secret work for the government. They travel via tesseract--a wrinkle that transports one across space and time--to the planet Camazotz, where Mr. Murray is being held captive. There they discover a dark force that threatens not only Mr. Murray but the safety of the whole universe.” AZ


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Monday, May 26, 1997

Today in History (1897): Bram Stoker Dracula published

First posted 2/1/2026.

Dracula

Bram Stoker

First Publication: May 26, 1897


Category: horror


Sales: reportedly second only to the Bible

Accolades (click on badges to see full lists):

About the Book:

“Acting on behalf of his firm of solicitors, Jonathan Harker travels to the Carpathian Mountains to finalise the sale of England's Carfax Abbey to Transylvanian noble Count Dracula. Little does he realise that, in doing so, he endangers all that he loves. For Dracula is one of the Un-Dead; a centuries-old vampire who sleeps by day and stalks by night, feasting on the blood of his helpless victims. Once on English soil, the count sets his sights on Jonathan's circle of associates, among them his beloved wife Mina. To thwart Dracula’s evil designs, Jonathan and his friends will have to accept as truth the most preposterous superstitions concerning vampires and in the company of legendary vampire hunter Abraham Van Helsing, embark on an unholy adventure for which even their worst nightmares have not prepared them. First published in 1897, Bram Stoker’s Dracula established the ground rules for virtually all vampire fiction written in its wake.” AZ


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