| 100% | NEVERLET | 8 | "___ Me Go," 2005 novel by Kazuo Ishiguro for which he won the ALA Alex Award and which was also adapted into a movie: 2 wds. |
| 59% | OFTHEDAY | 8 | "The Remains ___," 1989 novel by Kazuo Ishiguro (birthday today) for which he won the Booker Prize and which was also adapted into a film: 3 wds. |
| 47% | THEUNCONSOLED | 13 | 1995 novel by Kazuo Ishiguro for which he won the Cheltenham Prize: 2 wds. |
| 44% | LESMISERABLES | 13 | Victor Hugo's novel which was also adapted into a movie starring Anne Hathaway and has a sentence with 823 words: 2 wds. |
| 43% | NEVERLETME | 10 | Kazuo Ishiguro's dystopian novel, "___ Go" which was adapted into a movie starring Carey Mulligan: 3 wds. |
| 42% | CORMACMCCARTHY | 14 | Author of the 2005 novel "No Country for Old Men," which was made into a Best Picture-winning movie: 2 wds. |
| 38% | BEACH | 5 | Alex Garland's much-loved travel themed novel "The ___," which was also adapted into a film by Danny Boyle starring Leonardo DiCaprio |
| 36% | OLDMAN | 6 | *"The ___ and the Sea," 1952 novel by Ernest Hemingway that was adapted into a 1958 film: 2 wds. |
| 36% | BOOKTHIEF | 9 | Mark Zusak's novel "The ___" which was adapted into a movie: 2 wds. |
| 36% | ONEMORE | 7 | "___ Time," 2023 movie about a person stuck in the same day ... which is also a hint for 18a, 30a, 35a, 4d, and 39d: 2 wds. |
| 35% | GIANT | 5 | "The Buried ___," 2015 fantasy novel by Kazuo Ishiguro which was nominated for the 2016 World Fantasy Award for best novel |
| 35% | BRINGUP | 7 | "___ the Bodies," award-winning novel by Hilary Mantel which is a sequel to 23a: 2 wds. |
| 35% | NOEL | 4 | (2/3) Pere ___ is the name he goes by in France, which is also a word for a carol |
| 35% | LARRYMCMURTRY | 13 | American novelist whose 1985 novel "Lonesome Dove" won the Pulitzer Prize and whose six novels were adapted into films: 2 wds. |
| 35% | HANDMAIDSTALE | 13 | Margaret Atwood's dystopian novel, "The ___" which has been adapted into a film, an opera and a TV series: 2 wds. |
| 34% | ALICEWALKER | 11 | Author of the 1982 novel "The Color Purple," which was made into a 1985 movie: 2 wds. |
| 34% | MAZERUNNER | 10 | James Dashner's dystopian novel, "The ___" which was adapted into a film directed by Wes Ball: 2 wds. |
| 34% | CHASEHEADLEY | 12 | Yankees third baseman who, in 2012, won a Gold Glove, a Silver Slugger Award and was also the NL RBI leader, playing for the Padres : 2 wds. |
| 34% | ONTHEROADAGAIN | 14 | Song by 30-Across/33-Across that won a Grammy Award for Best Country Song and was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame (4 wds.) |
| 33% | INVISIBLEMAN | 12 | Novel written by Ralph Waldo Ellison (birthday today) which won the National Book Award for Fiction in 1953: 2 wds. |
| 33% | JRRTOLKIEN | 10 | Author of "The Lord of the Rings" which was later adapted into a movie: 4 wds. |
| 33% | THEDRY | 6 | Novel by Australian author Jane Harper that was adapted into a movie starring Eric Bana: 2 wds. |
| 33% | INTO | 4 | Jon Krakauer's novel "___ the Wild" which was adapted into a movie by Sean Penn |
| 33% | JOYRIDE | 7 | 2001 Paul Walker and Steve Zahn movie about a road trip gone wrong which was directed by John Dahl: 2 wds. |
| 32% | LETIT | 5 | "___ Go," song from the 2013 animated movie "Frozen" which won the Academy Award for Best Original Song: 2 wds. |
| 32% | AMERICANGODS | 12 | Novel by 39-Across that won the Hugo Award for Best Novel and the Nebula Award for Best Novel (2 wds.) |
| 32% | HOLYGHOST | 9 | Book by John Sandford which was part of the "Virgil Flowers" novel series and became a NYT 2018 Bestseller: 2 wds. |
| 32% | SEED | 4 | "The Bad ___," horror novel written by William March which was adapted into a movie |
| 31% | LINCOLN | 7 | "The ___ Lawyer," 2005 legal thriller novel by Michael Connelly which was adapted into a film |
| 31% | MIAMIHEAT | 9 | The team which picked up LeBron James after he became a free agent, and then went on to win back to back championships: 2 wds. |