Treasure Island by Robert Louis StevensonMoby-Dick or, The Whale by Herman MelvilleMaster & Commander by Patrick O'BrianTwenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea by Jules VerneThe Odyssey by Homer
Nautical Tales
39th out of 746 books — 400 voters
In the Heart of the Sea by Nathaniel PhilbrickSix Frigates by Ian W. TollOver the Edge of the World by Laurence BergreenLongitude by Dava SobelCaptain Kidd by Samuel Marquis
Age of Sail Nonfiction
11th out of 355 books — 90 voters

Into Thin Air by Jon KrakauerInto the Wild by Jon KrakauerAlive by Piers Paul ReadBlack Hawk Down by Mark BowdenThe Perfect Storm by Sebastian Junger
True Life Adventure
36th out of 386 books — 252 voters
Into Thin Air by Jon KrakauerUnbroken by Laura HillenbrandEndurance by Alfred LansingInto the Wild by Jon KrakauerIn the Heart of the Sea by Nathaniel Philbrick
Best True Survival Stories
95th out of 419 books — 543 voters

John Adams by David McCulloughThe Rise and Fall of the Third Reich by William L. Shirer1776 by David McCulloughTeam of Rivals by Doris Kearns GoodwinThe Guns of August by Barbara W. Tuchman
Best History Books
670th out of 3,759 books — 3,793 voters
The Three Musketeers by Alexandre DumasThe Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre DumasThe Princess Bride by William GoldmanTreasure Island by Robert Louis StevensonThe Scarlet Pimpernel by Emmuska Orczy
Swashbucklers
154th out of 559 books — 497 voters

Mutiny on the Bounty by Charles Bernard NordhoffCaptain Bligh's Portable Nightmare by John TooheyThe Bounty by Caroline AlexanderThe Bounty Mutiny by William BlighMr Bligh's Bad Language by Greg Dening
Mutiny on the Bounty
3rd out of 22 books — 15 voters
Dead Wake by Erik LarsonThe Perfect Storm by Sebastian JungerThe Wager by David GrannThunderstruck by Erik LarsonSea Fights and Shipwrecks by Hanson W. Baldwin
Narrative Nonfiction: Set at Sea
9th out of 226 books — 9 voters

The Devil in the White City by Erik LarsonFreakonomics by Steven D. LevittA Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill BrysonGuns, Germs, and Steel by Jared DiamondOutliers by Malcolm Gladwell
Best Non-Fiction (no biographies)
1331st out of 6,236 books — 8,067 voters
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. RowlingThe Da Vinci Code by Dan    BrownThe Kite Runner by Khaled HosseiniThe Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark HaddonThe Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
Best Books of 2003
196th out of 661 books — 331 voters

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. RowlingThe Hunger Games by Suzanne CollinsHarry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. RowlingHarry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. RowlingHarry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling
Best Books of the Decade: 2000s
6627th out of 7,188 books — 28,369 voters
In the Heart of the Sea by Nathaniel PhilbrickThe Perfect Storm by Sebastian JungerA Night to Remember by Walter LordEndurance by Alfred LansingShadow Divers by Robert Kurson
Shipwrecks!
36th out of 120 books — 96 voters

The Wager by David GrannDead in the Water by Matthew  CampbellThe Outlaw Ocean by Ian UrbinaDead Wake by Erik LarsonThunderstruck by Erik Larson
Maritime true crime
10th out of 86 books — 7 voters
The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. KluneWhere the Crawdads Sing by Delia OwensCirce by Madeline MillerLife of Pi by Yann MartelRebecca by Daphne du Maurier
Popsugar 2025 #16 - A Book Set in or around a Body of Water
119th out of 352 books — 140 voters

Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghyCulpability by Bruce HolsingerHeart the Lover by Lily KingThe Dungeon Anarchist's Cookbook by Matt DinnimanIs This a Cry for Help? by Emily R. Austin
[ATY 2026] Best Books of 2026
7th out of 39 books — 6 voters
Treasure Island by Robert Louis StevensonThe End of Calico Jack by Eddie       JonesMoby-Dick or, The Whale by Herman MelvilleDead Calm, Bone Dry by Eddie       JonesThe Odyssey by Homer
Nautical/Marine/Water Themed Books
104th out of 292 books — 31 voters

Treasure Island by Robert Louis StevensonMoby-Dick or, The Whale by Herman MelvilleTwenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea by Jules VerneMaster & Commander by Patrick O'BrianTwo Years Before the Mast by Richard Henry Dana Jr.
Maritime Classics
126th out of 277 books — 97 voters
The Wager by David GrannCrucible of War by Fred  AndersonPassionate Minds by David BodanisThe British Are Coming by Rick AtkinsonLongitude by Dava Sobel
18th Century History Books
61st out of 75 books — 2 voters

Saving Fish from Drowning by Amy TanWhere the Crawdads Sing by Delia OwensPhantom of the Shroppie by Dawn HammillUnbreak My Heart by Melissa C. WalkerOf Blood and Pulse by A. Jacob Sweeny
I'm on a boat!
87th out of 87 books — 14 voters

1,000 Places to See Before You Die by Patricia SchultzA Walk in the Woods by Bill BrysonSlaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut Jr.A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled HosseiniTouching the Void by Joe Simpson
Lacey's Reading List
15th out of 90 books — 3 voters
The Little Ice Age by Brian M. FaganThe Long Summer by Brian M. FaganCollapse by Jared DiamondThe Collapse of Complex Societies by Joseph A. TainterThe Collapse of Ancient States and Civilizations by Norman Yoffee
Further Reading from Jared Diamond's Collapse
50th out of 100 books — 2 voters

A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill BrysonThe Life of Elizabeth I by Alison WeirSalt by Mark KurlanskyBlack Folk by Blair L.M. KelleyThe Devil in the White City by Erik Larson
Historical Nonfiction
188th out of 304 books — 65 voters
Project Hail Mary by Andy WeirThe Hobbit, or There and Back Again by J.R.R. TolkienRun for the Hills by Kevin    WilsonThe Lincoln Highway by Amor TowlesThe Wager by David Grann
[ATY 2026] Road Trip or Long Journey
218th out of 359 books — 81 voters

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper LeeWhere Are You Now? by Sarah  ConnellThe Catcher in the Rye by J.D. SalingerThe Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien1984 by George Orwell
Best Books of Your Lifetime
281st out of 531 books — 170 voters

The Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C.S. LewisTreasure Island by Robert Louis StevensonLife of Pi by Yann MartelA Night to Remember by Walter LordThe Discovery of the Titanic by Robert D. Ballard
Ships on the Cover
243rd out of 445 books — 123 voters
Life of Pi by Yann MartelThe Old Man and the Sea by Ernest HemingwayMoby-Dick or, The Whale by Herman MelvilleThe Odyssey by HomerTreasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson
Boat Books
467th out of 772 books — 501 voters

The Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C.S. LewisLife of Pi by Yann MartelThe Assiduous Quest of Tobias Hopkins by James FaroThe Assiduous Quest of Tobias Hopkins by James FaroThe Code by James Faro
Watery themes
70th out of 83 books — 30 voters
Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea by Jules VerneTreasure Island by Robert Louis StevensonThe Old Man and the Sea by Ernest HemingwayLife of Pi by Yann MartelThe Perfect Storm by Sebastian Junger
Oceans, Water, Ice
439th out of 715 books — 171 voters

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