| 100% | WOOD | 4 | "Norwegian ___," 1987 novel by Haruki Murakami that has a protagonist named Toru Watanabe |
| 34% | SING | 4 | "Hear the Wind ___," 1979 novel by Haruki Murakami that is the first of the "Trilogy of the Rat" series |
| 31% | BASKETCASE | 10 | Novel by 44-Across that highlights a song by the same name cowritten with Warren Zevon: 2 wds. |
| 30% | STRAY | 5 | 1987 novel by A N Wilson |
| 30% | STARBOY | 7 | The Weeknd's 2016 album, that has a single by the same name, which reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 |
| 29% | DARK | 4 | "After ___," 2004 novel by Haruki Murakami which is set in Tokyo |
| 29% | SHEEP | 5 | "A Wild ____ Chase," 1982 novel by Haruki Murakami which won the Noma Literary Newcomer's prize |
| 28% | EBAY | 4 | Site that has a "shop by category" button |
| 28% | GIRL | 4 | "Birthday ___," 2002 short story by Haruki Murakami that is a recounting of a person's twentieth birthday |
| 28% | BROWN | 5 | Charlie ___, "Peanuts" character that has a "mud-colored" name |
| 28% | OSU | 3 | Sch. that has a "the" in its official name |
| 28% | BIRD | 4 | "The Wind-Up ____ Chronicle," 1995 novel by Haruki Murakami which received the Yomiuri Literary Award |
| 27% | ZEBRA | 5 | Animal that has a kind of street crossing named after it |
| 27% | ODD | 3 | Like any integer that has a remainder when divided by two |
| 27% | AOL | 3 | ISP that has a period after its name in its logo |
| 27% | SHORE | 5 | "Kafka on the ___," 2002 novel by Haruki Murakami which received the World Fantasy Award in 2006 |
| 27% | EYRE | 4 | "Jane ___," a novel by Charlotte Bronte that has become one of the most famous novels of all time |
| 27% | MOWN | 4 | Grass that has been cut by a machine |
| 27% | REM | 3 | Band that had a 1987 top 10 hit with "The One I Love" |
| 27% | VILLETTE | 8 | Novel by Charlotte Bronte about a fictional character named Lucy Snowe |
| 26% | ENDEAVOUR | 9 | HMS ___, British Royal Navy ship that has a NASA Space Shuttle named after it |
| 26% | BUTTERCUP | 9 | Flower that has the name of a green PowerPuff Girl |
| 26% | OUI | 3 | Porn rag that had a different name in France, oddly |
| 26% | DRAGONRIDER | 11 | Fantasy novel by 29-Across that features a boy named Ben and a fire-breathing creature named Firedrake (2 wds.) |
| 26% | MEN | 3 | "___ Without Women," 2014 short story collection by Haruki Murakami that shares its title with Ernest Hemingway's short story collection |
| 26% | ELLE | 4 | Fashion magazine that has a palindromic name with a French meaning |
| 26% | PNIN | 4 | Nabokov novel with a protagonist named Timofey |
| 26% | ATL | 3 | 53-Down with more than 70 sts. that have a form of "Peachtree" in their names |
| 25% | NOTHING | 7 | "___ Ventured," 2019 novel by Jeffrey Archer about a detective named William Warwick |
| 25% | BED | 3 | Article of furniture that has a room named for it |