No matter how many books you have read, there are always more amazing books to read. But knowing which ones to read is not always easy. That is why we made a list of the 10 books that you must read once in your life. Keep reading to find out which books made our list!
These 10 books that we chose because are the best of the best. All of them are classics and while a book doesn’t have to be a classic to make this list, they are amazing works of fiction that should be read at least once. We know that choosing only ten means that a bunch of amazing books will be left out but these tough decisions have to be made.
Whether you like sci-fi, comedy, or horror; has something for you here. This is a short list that does not begin to capture all of the amazing books out there. But it is a start. The best thing this list can do is help a bunch of people read these classics and start a discussion that leads to many books that didn’t make the list getting a lot of attention. You can see the full list below!
10 Books That You Must Read Once in Your Life
- 1984 by George Orwell
- The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
- Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
- Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick
- To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
- The Catcher in the Rye by S.D. Salinger
- The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
- The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas
- Beloved by Toni Morrison
- The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien
1984 by George Orwell
The first novel on this list is 1984 by George Orwell. It is a dystopian novel that imagines a totalitarianism world where mass surveillance is the norm and people’s freedom is limited.
It was a cautionary tale by Orwell and when parts of the novel became reality, people said Orwell was right. Few novels make a resurgence and even fewer become mainstream decades later.
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
Not every novel has to be a heavy read. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy is a sci-fi comedy that will have you laughing throughout the series.
The writing is brilliant, the plot is wild, and you will forget everything else. Books like this one will remind you how fun reading can be.
Frankenstein
A novel that everyone should read once is Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. Many people have heard of it but few have actually picked it up and read it. It is considered to be the first sci-fi book written.
The novel has elements of philosophy and makes the reader ask questions that are not easy to answer. Even decades later, this novel still holds up well.
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?
One of the novels on the list is the classic sci-fi novel is Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? You may have watched the movie that was based off the novel called Bladerunner.
The novel follows protagonist Rick Deckard as he must kill six androids who rebelled that resemble humans. But his conviction wavers as he encounters the humanoid robots.
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Like most readers, I first read To Kill a Mockingbird in school and couldn’t put the novel down. The story is told by the viewpoint of Jean Louise Finch and tells the story of Atticus Finch defending Tom Robinson, a black man who has been accused of raping a white woman in Maycomb Alabama.
The novel was an instant success and went on to win a Pulitzer prize the following year. It is considered one of the best works of fiction. The writing, plot, characters, and storytelling make this a must read and a story unlike any other.
The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger
Another novel that is also taught in schools is The Catcher in the Rye. This novel also tackles the loss of innocence like To Kill a Mockingbird in its own way.
Holden Caulfield has been suspended from school and instead of going home, he stays in a hotel in New York City and navigates the city as he meets old and new acquaintances.
There are a lot of themes in this novel that Salinger explores that many readers relate to. The novel was intended for adults but ended up being consumed mostly by adolescents. It is also considered one of the best novels of all time.
The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
When thinking about novels that I think about often to this day, it is hard not to include The Grapes of Wrath. The novel takes place during the Great Depression and follows the Joads, a poor family that has to leave their home because of a multitude of reasons. Like thousands of other people, they head to California for jobs and a future.
Steinbeck’s novel captured an important moment in history that gives us a vivid look at what millions of people who experienced the Great Depression. The novel went on to win the National Book Award and Pulitzer Prize for fiction.
The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas
Considered as one of the best adventure novels of all time, The Count of Monte Cristo is a story about betrayal and revenge. While the premise is simple, the writing, attention to detail, set of characters, and the setting make this a wonderful read.
The themes of the novel may be why it has stayed relevant even centuries later and it is hard to find another novel as good as this one when it comes to revenge.
Beloved by Toni Morrison
A powerful novel that everyone should read is Beloved. It is a story of a former Kentucky slave that is haunted by her past life. The novel went on to win the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. It is considered one of the best works of fiction and there is no other novel like it.
The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien
An adventure novel that is considered the best by many is The Lord of the Rings. A hobbit named Frodo Baggins inherits a ring of power and is tasked with destroying the ring.
The plot is simple but what makes the series fun is the epic world building and lore. If you love fantasy novels like I do, then you have definitely have read books that were influenced by this series
Conclusion
These are the 10 books that you must read once in your life. Once you give them a read, you will understand why they appear on every other list.
How many books have you read on this list or plan to read? What other books would you add to this list? Let us know in the comments below. Until next time, happy reading!
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Madame Bovary?
1 The Bible 2 Photius Mystagogy of the Holy Spirit 3 Gregory Palamas Apodictic treatises on the procession of the Holy Spirit 4 Dostoyevsky Brothers Karamazov 5 Plato Republic 6 Tolkien Hobbit and Lord of the Rings and Silmarillion 7 Orwell 1984 8 Kierkegaard Works of Love 9 Wittgenstein Tractatus Logico‐Philosophicus and Philosophical Investigations 10 Aquinas Contra Errores Graecorum and Summa Theologiae
“How to Win Friends and Influence People” …Dale Carnegie
What about Shogun…
You should read more.
Have you got any Barbara Touchman?
Get some Iain.M.Banks.
I want out of this site!
Book lists of “greatest, best, must read” with one token woman: check.
Check indeed. There are three in the list
Three
I keep saying it Middlemarch by George Eliot is a story everyone should read at least once. It encapsulates a period in history from the industrial revolution to political changes. It’s wonderful and unfortunately frequently forgotten.
Huckleberry Finn should also be up there in this lust. We are still dealing with racism in the U.S. and not doing a particularly very good job of it.
Was the text in this article written using AI? So many grammatical mistakes and other errors, or does that very fact point to a human. If so no offence, auto correct can be so annoying.
Really hope I haven’t offended…..neat list some quality on there!
Either way, it’s pretty telling, isn’t it.
I’ve read 6.
I’ve read all of these and agree with some choice but not others. These types of lists are by definition incomplete and biased. It’s a jumping off point for some but for others these books will be a complete turn off.
Read. Read as widely as you can. If we truly only get one shot at this wild and crazy ride of life (No matter what you believe, this will be your only opportunity right now as who you are.), then read. Novels give all of us an opportunity to experience life from many different points of view.
Read classics. Read graphic novels. Read comics. Read Romance, Horror, Sci-Fi, Adventure, Thrillers, Mysteries, Literary fiction, Memoir, Biography.
Find your jam. Read one book a month, or a quarter, or a year. Read out of your life experience. Expand your mind and experiences.
Never let lists like these inhibit or limit you.
Read.
very true! no elitism amongst reading!
Six out of ten isn’t bad…surprised that Dr. Zhivago didn’t make the cut, with its beautifully descriptive prose and compelling characters.
Another one, completely different, is The Maltese Falcon. Quintessential detective noir.
My third pick is The Sun Also Rises… Hemingway’s thinly disguised account of his acquaintances of “the Lost Generation” of post WWI, it created a scandal because everyone recognized the people the characters were based on. Hemingway’s writing elevated a tell all book to another level.
In the same vein, The Great Gatsby tells a story about truly awful, selfish , shallow people in a way that almost makes them relatable if not likable.
A Tree Grows In Brooklyn, by Betty Smith, is about a shy girl growing up in a turn of the twentieth century slum to an alcoholic father and emotionally closed off working mother. Not nearly as grim as it sounds, well worth hunting it down if only for the richly detailed atmosphere.
It’s worth noting that all of these have been adapted for movies, so if you’re not sure if you want to read the book, you can watch the movie and see what you think. Dr. Zhivago is a very long novel, and the movie is pretty long too but both are well worth the time put in. Cinematography was amazing!
The other movie adaptations were pretty faithful to the plots and characters. The Great Gatsby has been filmed twice, but I personally prefer the one with Robert Redford and Mia Farrow as Gatsby and Daisy. DeCaprio was very good as Gatsby in the remake, (better than Redford in some ways), but I found the modern soundtrack a distraction. Both are visually sumptuous.
Impressed that you’ve got ONE out of ten in a foreign language. No worthy books written in other languages such as Russian, Spanish, German, Chinese? No wonder many say Anglophones are arragant?
Title should be changed to ten books Americans should read before they die.
Ridiculous list. #1 book of all time, fill of poetry, love, mystery, history, truth and so much more…you know. The Bible. Life changing.
Educated people without wisdom. #1… the Bible.
I read these lists quite often and they all seem identical. I agree that The Bible should be on this list.
One thing I don’t understand about these lists is they always include trash like The Catcher and the Rye, but ignore wonderful authors like Mark Twain, C.S. Lewis, etc.
I really should ignore these articles and treat it exactly like what it is, an opinion.
One change I would personally make is substitute The Three Musketeers for The Count of Monte Cristo. Alexandre Dumas is fantastic.