With so many books to read from, knowing which books to read can be difficult. There are hundreds of classics and amazing modern novels. Which books should you read? We have compiled a list of the 23 books everyone should read at least once in their lives. Keep reading to find out which 23 books made the list!
To any reader, I would say read whatever makes you happy. But not everyone is an avid reader. Some readers want to check off the must-read books and see what books everyone is talking about. This list includes many great books but it also is missing many more books. While 23 books doesn’t cover all the great books, it is a great start.
23 Books Everyone Should Read At Least Once in Their Lives
- To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
- The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
- The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
- 1984 by George Orwell
- Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
- The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
- Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
- Animal Farm by George Orwell
- Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
- The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
- Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White
- The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis
- The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
- Lord of the Flies by William Golding
- The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
- Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
- A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
- Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare
- The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
- Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
- The Color Purple by Alice Walker
- Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
- Dracula by Bram Stoker
New and Old Classics
This list is a great highlight of the 23 books that everyone should read at least once. Classics such as To Kill a Mockingbird, Jane Eyre, and The Catcher in the Rye are books that everyone needs to read. Even if you don’t enjoy them, their impact and message is worth it.
My personal favorites include The Book Thief, The Lord of the Rings, and The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. These novels are monumental and the latter two have inspired many novels. Tolkien is regarded as the father of fantasy for good reason. And it is hard to disregard Adams novels that are considered some of the best science fiction books of all time.
Conclusion
These are the 23 must read books. What did you think of the list? What novels should have been included on the list? Let us know in the comments below!
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Pretty good list. I’d like to add I Claudius and The Conquest of Gaul.
Hi, I think Pride and Prejudice should be added to the list.
Five Smooth Stones by Ann Fairborn and The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas
Have read or tried to read about half of these.
This is a list of books for being pretentious, not for worthwhile or enjoyable reading reading; like so many “classics” in almost every medium.
DUNE !!
A Tale of Two Cities.
Rip Van Winkle
Assassination of Julius Caesar.
I think at least two of Chas Dickens: Great Expectations and David Copperfield
Hi – I think Spark of Life by Erich Marie Remarque (sp?) and The Devil’s Arithmetic belong on the list.
Where was the no. 1 best seller of all time?
Born 1952… I have read 17 on your list so I feel pretty good about myself… LOLLLL! Some of the 17 more than once … great choices!
Lack of contemporary books. I have read 10 on the list and would agree to only 4 of these being of high importance. I suggest The Nickel Boys, Olive Kitteridge, Disgrace and even Shuggy Bain for their poignancy.
Excellent choices indeed. Reflecting our times and culture our human conditions
No one should feel compelled to read Wuthering Heights. The characters are horrible, self-centered people. The time I spent reading that book is time I will never get back. I do not recommend.
The test of the list? Pretty good list. I have read almost all of them.
Adding Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl and Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston to this list.
Haven’t you noticed that this list is all american and english? What about so many greater than life germans, russians, french etc.?!!
Most people don’t read 23books in their lifetime.
Au contraire! Read many more.
That’s so sad. They don’t know what they’re missing.
What evidence do you have to support this? Even kids who never read a book outside of school will read more than 23 as part of their assignments.
The Jungle by Upton Sinclair.
Decolonise your mind and read some Neruda, Marquez, Gambaro, Pirandello and Molière. Anglocentric babies
Good list. I would add The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.
It seems that Russian authors are in exile from World’s literature.
Oh I’d read those two. Always wanted to read I Claudius. Just FYI Lord of the Flies is the most sickening, disgusting book I’ve ever read. I never would’ve finished it if I didn’t have to read it for school.
Please add Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier and Les Miserables by Victor Hugo to round out to 25.
Where is Tennesse Williams?
indeed
1.Slaughter House Five
2.Sirens of Titan
3.Catch 22
4.Brave New World
5.One Flew Over the KuKoos Nest
6.Fight Club
7. Rant
8.The Transmigration of Timothy Archer
9. A Scanner, Darkly
10. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep
11. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas
12. Naked Lunch
13. Cities of the Red Night
14. Hamlet
15. Oedipus Tex
16. The Odyssey
17. Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy
18. 1984
20.To Kill A Mocking Bird
21. Lord of the Flies
22. Lies My Teacher Told Me
23. Read Lies my Teacher Told Me again.
What a straight line!
What a straight line!
Here we go again. Why are we still recommend only classic in 2023. There’s so many great books that everyone should read that aren’t these hardcore classics. We can add both classics and new books. But I agree REBECCA is a must and Tolstoy
New awesome book is Infinite Jest by DFW
Also I’m a big Wendell Berry fan
F.R.U.I.T.S. by Author Dell S. Henry
definitely
13 of the 23
High marks for diversity. Low marks for not including Dostoevsky or Tolstoy.
I’d argue that this list isn’t nearly diverse enough! I’m surprised at the lack of Toni Morrison. The woman won a Nobel Prize in Literature, for crying out loud! Could say the same for Kazuo Ishiguro.
Should have included Moby-Dick by Herman Melville.
Moby Dick is fun, but not even close to a must-read.
Why so few books by writers of color? How could you omit Dostoevsky?
Why does the author’s skin color have anything to do with how well they write? I am sure there are a lot of authors of all skin colors who write terribile prose.
Absolutely. What about James Baldwin and bell hooks for pete’ sake?
Wonderful list! Of course this is not inclusive of all the great books out there, this is just a start.
“Great” is dead.
Can you get these books in libraries in some red states???
Of course people will disagree. Everyone has a list of their own.
I liked the selection. Very diverse, makes me curious about some that I never considered to read.
The stand by Steven king
I’ve read the majority of these books, but I’d add Catcher in the Rye and A Tree Grows In Brooklyn
I would add Dostoevsky, Tolstoy,Hugo,Zola,Flaubert,Proust
Where is The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.
The diary of a young girl by Anne Frank
These are all great and awesome books. This is my opinion and I don’t mean to offend anyone, but the Bible should be on this list as well.
I would add Don Quijote & The Art of War. Excellent list tho!!
What no Dostoevsky or Lermontov? Add the Three Musketeers but dump Gone with the Wind.
Good list of western literature.
Anyone complaining about missing writers or books should stop immediately. Adding all the great books ever written to the list would make it “list of 1.000.000 books…”
I myself would’ve also pick up some different books on my list, but I think naming good reads is defined by your own cultural heritage or personal favourites.
I feel that Brave New World and The Alexandre Quartet are worth a mention
War and Peace, Love in the time of cholera
The majority of them are from anglophone authors, totally agree with people who are missing Tolstoy, Dostoyevsky, Zola, Proust (to talk only about Europeean literature)…
Also I consider a red flag to repeat any author in a list of only 23 books.
Still, very Western-focused list, so TBH not “everyone” needs to read this list since it has nothing to do with most of the cultures. So much wisdom from diversity missing in this list.
If you can NJ t read the lang uh as he, yo Yu cannot pass judgment try on the l as nguage in which it was writen
QED
Not much diversity. What about “Things Fall Apart” by Achebe, “The Bluest Eye” by Morrison, books by Umigar, Celeste Ng, James Baldwin, and “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” ?
Good list indeed but i must say that Colleen and Sheldon are not to be ignored.
Gone with the wind needs to be replaced with Dune by Frank Herbert
American Gods by Niel Gaimon
Good list, but is missing the three greatest novels of all time:
1. El Ingenioso Hidalgo Don Quijote de la Mancha, by Cervantes
2. The Trial, by Kafka
3. Zorba The Greek, by Kazantzakis
I’d like to add the Bible. Best book I’ve ever read.
I agree, Bible is the best book to read.
Cliched list . Most of these books are sadistic and not inspiring or moral boosting .
Dune by Herbert, The Moon is a Harsh Mistress by Heinlein, and I, Robot by Asimov.
Animal Farm by George Orwell, I Know Why ThecCaged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou, and The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison should be on this lidt.
Things Fall Apart, The Good Earth, Anna Karenina, The Invisible Man, The Autobiography of Malcolm X, Paper Chase. All come to mind
War and Peace and Moby Dick are essential. I would add Death of a Salesman, everything by James Baldwin, and Das Capital. Tale of Two Cities, Streetcar Named Desire, and Plato’s Republic as well as The Iliad and The Odyssey. And Crime and Punishment…..the list goes on, but these are must reads for serious readers.
I like the list, and I’m patting myself on the back for having read them all. Hooray for mandatory high school reading in the 90s! Some books are meant to provoke and cause discomfort, and some stories need to be told. That being said, I would add Man’s Search For Meaning, by Viktor Frankl.
Great list. I would add Catch 22 by Joseph Conrad.
Where the Red Fern Grows and The Hobbit were two of my favorites as a kid through adulthood.
Hi. Comprehensive list. I’d recommend The Help.
No Dostoevsky?
The Thornbirds
The Good Earth. Also Thomas Covenant the Unbeiver . Will any of these works be here for my grandchildren to read. Diary of Anne Frank.
Prince of Tides by Pat Conroy (also mentioned as favorite book by the Therapist on TED LASSO, my favorite TV series of all time – on that subject, Add West Wing and M*A*S*H and Outlander to THAT list!).
The Alchemist should top your list.
I would add silent spring, the day the earth stood still, Voltaire Dante’s inferno.
This list is utterly bereft of some of the most important literary works of all time. Where are Dostoevsky and Tolstoy? Behind them I would add Ayn Rand and Anne Rice.
I would add Sophie’s Choice
You myopically focused on contemporary culture (a fleeting thing) & forgot the timeless “Plato’s Republic”
Kudos to anyone who has a favorites list. Some of my additional favorites are: A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towels, The Bridge at Andau by James Mitchner, The Children’s Story by James Clavel or anything else by him, Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand, The Fourth Turning by Strauss and Howe, America’s Steadfast Dream by E. Merrill Root, Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte, Freedom Road by Howard Fast, Red Badge of Courage by Stephan Crane, The Chosen by Chaim Potok, The Education of Little Tree by Forrest Carter, The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway, 5 Lessons a Millionaire Taught Me by Richard Paul Evans, and Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card to name a few
NGL, I was prepared to scoff at this list. As it turns out, I agree with most of the choices. It may be a tad eurocentric, but that doesn’t mean that any of the titles are unworthy. For example, if I were making this list, I may have forgone Animal Farm, but only because 1984 makes many of the same points, and leaving off Animal Farm could allow more room for another voice. All in all, however, I say kudos on a well-crafted literary list.
Thanks!
How about adding QURAN???
Just to know what is there in it.
Just for the sake of knowledge
Good list, but I love The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.
I thought the list a thoughtful collection from one view and a great topic to get everyone involved. I believe the Diary of Anne Frank must be added from so many angles. But mostly for the beauty of a soul whose life ended here much too soon and loved in spite of the evil around her. Would include Count of Monte Cristo as my personal favorite. Both included above by others. Dostoyevsky yes. Could go on and on… Thanks for the list!
20. Of your 23′ anything by cormac mccarthy, blood meridian, the road. What a way with words.
Where’s the King James Bilble?