Favorite: The Remains of Kazuofbykazuo The Day Ishiguro Writer Anne Tyler said yes when asked to contribute to Parade’s list of the best books of all time—on one condition: The only book she wanted to talk about was The Remains of the Day, the story of an English butler so devoted to service he misses his chance at love. “I don’t think I’ll ever forget the heartstopping moment near the end when the central character all at once understands that his entire life has been wrong,” she says of the book hailed as an instant classic on publication in 1989.