Making tracks

Superb reporting and storytelling about a modern-day underground railroad make Melanie Kirkpatrick's Escape from North Korea WORLD’s Book of the Year

Portraits of grace

Three biographies testifying to God’s work in mankind

Grand stories

A look at Nixon as VP, a tour of New York’s Grand Central Terminal, and a history of Thomas Becket’s battle with a king

War wounds

A closer look at three costly—but pivotal—battles spanning U.S. history

Aging badly

Two books celebrating 50th anniversaries in the past year offered cures worse than the disease

Commodity control

Two books highlight two different approaches to Africa’s resources

Pushing against paradigms

Science books proposing new perspectives on drugs, death, and design

Road signs

Three books geared for millennials wrestling with cultural questions

Paranormal push

Deluge of supernatural young adult novels produce plots with mangled biblical truths

Winsome whodunits

Three light-hearted cozy mysteries offer gentler fare for lazy summer days

Sports report

Books tell of sins and swings in the sports world

Rib ticklers

Jokes, bloopers, stories, and quotes to keep you laughing

Digital dynamite

Once a curious novelty, e-books have exploded in popularity

Self-published standouts

The top 10 self-published books to cross WORLD's desk this year

Reading with boys

Children’s authors work to draw boys into books in the age of distraction