New York, New York

In this collection of essays from the 1970s and 1980s, Russell Baker captures the political and social nuances of the era, from the influence of mass media to US Presidents behaving badly. Sound familiar?

When terrorists hijack a Wall Street skyscraper, they not only get hold of hostages but also confidential banking data that could take down the entire world. Enter the Able Team.

What goes up must come down in this chilling tale of sabotaged Manhattan skyscraper elevators. As New York begins to close its doors, can two detectives and a journalist trace the saboteur and restore normality before the city plummets into oblivion?

The tawdry tale of one man's transformation into a darling of New York's club scene!

High stakes white-collar crime — in the wake of 9/11.

His father might have been known as 'The Pope', but he was definitely no saint.

Want to get ahead in 2118? Go up. Right up to the top. And then some.

A love letter to the Big Apple that laments its gentrification.

A unique take on the American Dream in the aftermath of 9/11, through the eyes of a Dutch immigrant and his cricket playing friends.

Lily Quinn is broke, struggling to finish college, pay her rent, find love, and the best things happen to the people around her. New York — the city of dreams right? Something's bound to happen. Her roommate goes missing, an NYPD detective with demons of his own and a sudden financial windfall enters her world.

For those who dream of New York, this novel is it. It'll take you through the streets, the underbelly, the nooks and crannies. It's romance, thriller and crime all wrapped up in one and let's just say that we were enamoured with it for a really long time.

This is one beloved American classic, crowded with life and people and incident. The novel is split into five "books", each covering a different period in the characters' lives, starting from the 1900s.

This is great if you want a slice of New York history and culture across five decades.

You're in for one heck of a ride with Crazy Rich Asians. As the title suggests, this novel centers around the filthy rich Chinese family that reside in New York and all over the world. Rachel Chu and Nick Young are enjoying the city at their prime, but when she agrees to head to Singapore to visit his family, all hell breaks loose. This is a clash between old money and new, as well as the Chinese and Western cultures. New York is the starting point of this novel, but it takes you on such a joyride it's impossible to put down.

If the TV series Sex and the City were more sex and less fashion, then this would be it. Diary of a Manhattan Call Girl is a wonderfully intelligent, sexually frank, rollicking novel that introduces us to Nancy Chan, a turn-of-the-millennium call girl who lives and works on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. But there's one problem: her fiancé doesn't know about this other life.

The book is full of sex, but not in the 50 Shades kind of way. It's an clinical, job-like approach to it (naturally, since it really is her job), where she jots everything down in her scheduler, stocks up on supplies etc. True or not, this is a good glimpse into the underground sex trade in the city.

Lush Life is set in the Lower East Side of Manhattan, and begins with a crime. And of course, it seems straightforward, but quickly expands into a thicket of complications.

Richard Price tears off the sheen and veneer of New York, and paints a brilliant and kaleidiscopic portrait of the "new" New York. He exposes the underbelly, the cracks and the violence beneath the beauty. For those who want more than just the glamour of the city, this is it.

New York is the city where aspiring artists head to. Doesn't matter if you're a painter, stage actor, musician — there's where your dreams take root. John Strausbaugh's The Village is a look back into Greenwich Village, the city's cultural hotspot. From the Dutch settlers and Washington Square patricians, to the Triangle Shirtwaist fire and Prohibition-era speakeasies; from Abstract Expressionism and beatniks, to Stonewall and AIDS, everything was birthed here.

With plenty of photographs, this 400 look back into the scene features lively, well-researched profiles of many of the people who made Greenwich Village famous, including Thomas Paine, Walt Whitman, Mark Twain, Margaret Sanger, Eugene O’Neill, Marcel Duchamp, Upton Sinclair, and of course Bob Dylan.

1960, New York. It was supposed to be an era of excitement and opportunities for women. But unlike other young women of her era, Esther Greenwood (a.k.a. Sylvia Plath, more or less) was not so enchanted with the city’s fast-paced culture.

Sylvia Plath's observations about depression and the restrictions placed upon women, are moving. And it is a glimpse into life behind the curtains of glamour and richness.

19th century New York Upper East Side was riddled with folks of old money and new. And the disdain, envy and jealousy for each other is palpable. The Age of Innocence is a novel of restlessness, unrequited love and a longing to do something out of the invisible constraints that bound them to their social responsibilities. Edith Wharton’s perceptive novel lightly limns the dissonance between society people’s manners and morals, and makes for a refreshing read in this 21st Century.

This is for all those who want to find themselves or start afresh. I Heart New York is a delightful story of a young woman who flees London and her cheating boyfriend to rediscover her sexy, stylish, confident self while building a new life in the greatest city in the world.

But of course, where else would you go to for a new lease of life? It's a good mix of reflection, girly fun and daring escapades in this city.

Phoning Home is a collection of entertaining and thought-provoking essays featuring the author’s quirky family, his Jewish heritage, and his New York City upbringing.

Jacob M. Appel’s recollections and insights, informed and filtered by his advanced degrees in medicine, law, and ethics, not only inspire nostalgic feelings but also offer insight into contemporary medical and ethical issues.

With musings about life, relationships, and human psychology, this quintessential story set in New York follows five men on their comical paths to trouble, self-discovery, and love.

Not quite Manhattan already, with these anthology of three short stories set in Brooklyn. But enter the rich emotional worlds of queer artists loving, f**king, and leaving each other all over the world's greatest city. There's something about New York, and maybe when you finish reading it, you'll understand.

New York is the city of dreams and artists, but it's also one where money is made in Wall Street. And James Grippando in his novel, shows us just how easy it is to cripple the global financial institutions in just a matter of hours, if not minutes.

Liquidated portfolios, bankruptcy claims and money disappearing. This high-octane financial crime thriller aims to please with its witty dialogue and keeps us on edge with every twist and turn.

"The ideal of quiet and of genteel retirement, in 1835, was found in Washington Square, where the Doctor built himself a handsome, modern, wide-fronted house, with a big balcony before the drawing-room windows, and a flight of white marble steps ..."

No one writes New York (or America for that matter) better than Henry James. His acute observations, and sharp descriptions will transport you back into a world you never knew, yet still make you still right at home.

We don’t need to sell you on this one. If you haven’t read it, do. Old money and new are nothing new in this era, but Fitzgerald makes literal the rift between the classes, and turns the characters sympathetic, and their ridiculous dreams easy to swallow.

Beneath the glitz and glamour, you know the characters are all rotten and pretending inside. And perhaps, to us as readers, there's nothing more that delights.