So many books, so little time! If you’re looking for a master list of the best books that everyone should read in their lifetime, this is a great place to start. Featuring iconic classics, timeless bestsellers, and life-changing nonfiction, these are the books that will stay with you for your entire life. Take a look at our recommendations for the best books to read, and you’re sure to find your next good read!
From timeless classics like To Kill a Mockingbird to recent bestsellers like The Kite Runner, here’s an ultimate list of fiction books everyone should read.
Narrated by 10-year-old Scout Finch, To Kill a Mockingbird centers on her father, small-town lawyer Atticus Finch, and his fight against racial prejudice in the 1930s Deep South. You may have read this beloved coming-of-age story when you were in school, but it’s worth revisiting this classic as an adult. Poignant and powerful, the central themes remain timeless and timely.
Often imitated but never duplicated, Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice is a British classic and one of the most beloved books of all time. Detailing the social mores of 19th-century England, Austen crafts a novel that is amusing, timeless and utterly delightful. If you haven’t met Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy yet, now is the time, for this is surely a book that everyone should read!
In 1984, George Orwell envisions a grim dystopian future where Big Brother is always watching and free thought is forbidden. For Winston, the only hope of survival is joining the revolution intent on overthrowing the Party. This chilling tale of governmental power and control will make you think about the freedoms we take for granted… and who might be watching.
In this #1 New York Times bestseller, it’s 1939 Nazi Germany and Liesel Meminger is a young foster girl who steals for her survival. Then she discovers books. Liesel learns to read and shares her stolen books with her neighbors and the Jewish man who hides in her basement. Markus Zusak, author of I Am the Messenger, has written a heartbreaking tale of the power and joy books offer, even in the darkest days.
Brave New World is a cautionary tale about the future that remains as relevant today as when it was first published in 1932. In this technologically advanced dystopia, author Aldous Huxley envisions a world where humans are controlled through genetic engineering and behavioral conditioning. When one man begins to question his carefully controlled world, he is forced to face the truth about the very nature and purpose of his life.