| 100% | BARRELFEVER | 11 | 1994 collection of stories and essays by David Sedaris (2 wds.) |
| 56% | THEBESTOFME | 11 | 2020 "greatest hits" essay and story collection by David Sedaris (4 wds.) |
| 53% | ICE | 3 | "Holidays on ___," 1997 collection of essays and stories about Christmas by David Sedaris |
| 51% | LITTLEIRONIES | 13 | "Life's ___," 1894 collection of stories by Thomas Hardy which touches upon both rural life and the life of the bourgeois: 2 wds. |
| 46% | SHADOWANDACT | 12 | Collection of political, social and critical essays by Ralph Ellison published in 1964: 3 wds. |
| 42% | THEFALLEN | 9 | Thriller novel by David Baldacci which was part of "Memory Man" series and became a NYT 2018 Bestseller: 2 wds. |
| 41% | THEFATHER | 9 | "___ Christmas Letters," a collection of letters written by J.R.R. Tolkien that document the adventures of Santa and his helpers: 2 wds. |
| 40% | SISTEROUTSIDER | 14 | 31-Across collection of essays and speeches about the many facets of Black identity (2 wds.) |
| 40% | EMAILLIST | 9 | Collection of addresses used by an online marketer: 2 wds. |
| 39% | THELIONKING | 11 | Animated film released in 1994 which was influenced by Shakespeare's "Hamlet" and tells the story of a character named Simba: 3 wds. |
| 39% | METALKPRETTY1DAY | 16 | 2000 essay collection by David Sedaris |
| 38% | INPLAINSIGHT | 12 | 2019 collection of short stories by 31-Across featuring Kate Burkholder (3 wds.) |
| 37% | KARENRUSSELL | 12 | Author of the short-story collection "Orange World and Other Stories": 2 wds. |
| 37% | HOLIDAYSONICE | 13 | David Sedaris collection that includes the essay "SantaLand Diaries" (3 wds.) |
| 36% | DANRATHER | 9 | Former news anchor who's published a collection of essays called "What Unites Us": 2 wds. |
| 36% | ONLYTHELUCKY | 12 | 2018 collection of short stories by 31-Across featuring fictional police chief Kate Burkholder (3 wds.) |
| 35% | MEMORYWALL | 10 | Collection of short stories that 28-Across attempted to arrange "neurologically" (2 wds.) |
| 34% | GODOWN,OOEE | 11 | 1942 collection of stories by William Faulkner |
| 34% | BOOK | 4 | "The Jungle ___," collection of stories by Rudyard Kipling |
| 34% | DATAFILE | 8 | Collection of computer information: 2 wds. |
| 34% | GIRLSCANKISSNOW | 15 | Collection of queer essays by Jill Gutowitz |
| 33% | ROADATLAS | 9 | Collection of state highway maps: 2 wds. |
| 33% | PRESSCLIPPINGS | 14 | Collection of magazine pieces, say: 2 wds. |
| 33% | THELATESHOW | 11 | Previously hosted by David Letterman, and now starring Stephen Colbert, CBS talk-show that was a fierce competitor of 40-Across: 3 wds. |
| 33% | DATASET | 7 | Collection of information in a spreadsheet: 2 wds. |
| 33% | RYANSDAUGHTER | 13 | 1970 romantic epic directed by David Lean and set in Ireland: 2 wds. |
| 33% | DOCTORZHIVAGO | 13 | 1965 romantic epic directed by David Lean and set in Russia: 2 wds. |
| 33% | ARABIAN | 7 | "The ___ Nights," collection of stories that includes Aladdin and Ali Baba |