essays to read before you die

Territory That I Know

The Making of a Musician

Flights and Perchings

Sibling Rivalry

Old Letters

Jan Morris, 1926–2020

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25 Great Nonfiction Essays You Can Read Online for Free

Alison Doherty

Alison Doherty is a writing teacher and part time assistant professor living in Brooklyn, New York. She has an MFA from The New School in writing for children and teenagers. She loves writing about books on the Internet, listening to audiobooks on the subway, and reading anything with a twisty plot or a happily ever after.

View All posts by Alison Doherty

I love reading books of nonfiction essays and memoirs , but sometimes have a hard time committing to a whole book. This is especially true if I don’t know the author. But reading nonfiction essays online is a quick way to learn which authors you like. Also, reading nonfiction essays can help you learn more about different topics and experiences.

Besides essays on Book Riot,  I love looking for essays on The New Yorker , The Atlantic , The Rumpus , and Electric Literature . But there are great nonfiction essays available for free all over the Internet. From contemporary to classic writers and personal essays to researched ones—here are 25 of my favorite nonfiction essays you can read today.

“Beware of Feminist Lite” by  Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

The author of We Should All Be Feminists  writes a short essay explaining the danger of believing men and woman are equal only under certain conditions.

“It’s Silly to Be Frightened of Being Dead” by Diana Athill

A 96-year-old woman discusses her shifting attitude towards death from her childhood in the 1920s when death was a taboo subject, to World War 2 until the present day.

“Letter from a Region in my Mind” by James Baldwin

There are many moving and important essays by James Baldwin . This one uses the lens of religion to explore the Black American experience and sexuality. Baldwin describes his move from being a teenage preacher to not believing in god. Then he recounts his meeting with the prominent Nation of Islam member Elijah Muhammad.

“Relations” by Eula Biss

Biss uses the story of a white woman giving birth to a Black baby that was mistakenly implanted during a fertility treatment to explore racial identities and segregation in society as a whole and in her own interracial family.

“Friday Night Lights” by Buzz Bissinger

A comprehensive deep dive into the world of high school football in a small West Texas town.

“The Case for Reparations” by Ta-Nehisi Coates

Coates examines the lingering and continuing affects of slavery on  American society and makes a compelling case for the descendants of slaves being offered reparations from the government.

“Why I Write” by Joan Didion

This is one of the most iconic nonfiction essays about writing. Didion describes the reasons she became a writer, her process, and her journey to doing what she loves professionally.

“Go Gentle Into That Good Night” by Roger Ebert

With knowledge of his own death, the famous film critic ponders questions of mortality while also giving readers a pep talk for how to embrace life fully.

“My Mother’s Tongue” by Zavi Kang Engles

In this personal essay, Engles celebrates the close relationship she had with her mother and laments losing her Korean fluency.

“My Life as an Heiress” by Nora Ephron

As she’s writing an important script, Ephron imagines her life as a newly wealthy woman when she finds out an uncle left her an inheritance. But she doesn’t know exactly what that inheritance is.

“My FatheR Spent 30 Years in Prison. Now He’s Out.” by Ashley C. Ford

Ford describes the experience of getting to know her father after he’s been in prison for almost all of her life. Bridging the distance in their knowledge of technology becomes a significant—and at times humorous—step in rebuilding their relationship.

“Bad Feminist” by Roxane Gay

There’s a reason Gay named her bestselling essay collection after this story. It’s a witty, sharp, and relatable look at what it means to call yourself a feminist.

“The Empathy Exams” by Leslie Jamison

Jamison discusses her job as a medical actor helping to train medical students to improve their empathy and uses this frame to tell the story of one winter in college when she had an abortion and heart surgery.

“What I Learned from a Fitting Room Disaster About Clothes and Life” by Scaachi Koul

One woman describes her history with difficult fitting room experiences culminating in one catastrophe that will change the way she hopes to identify herself through clothes.

“Breasts: the Odd Couple” by Una LaMarche

LaMarche examines her changing feelings about her own differently sized breasts.

“How I Broke, and Botched, the Brandon Teena Story” by Donna Minkowitz

A journalist looks back at her own biased reporting on a news story about the sexual assault and murder of a trans man in 1993. Minkowitz examines how ideas of gender and sexuality have changed since she reported the story, along with how her own lesbian identity influenced her opinions about the crime.

“Politics and the English Language” by George Orwell

In this famous essay, Orwell bemoans how politics have corrupted the English language by making it more vague, confusing, and boring.

“Letting Go” by David Sedaris

The famously funny personal essay author , writes about a distinctly unfunny topic of tobacco addiction and his own journey as a smoker. It is (predictably) hilarious.

“Joy” by Zadie Smith

Smith explores the difference between pleasure and joy by closely examining moments of both, including eating a delicious egg sandwich, taking drugs at a concert, and falling in love.

“Mother Tongue” by Amy Tan

Tan tells the story of how her mother’s way of speaking English as an immigrant from China changed the way people viewed her intelligence.

“Consider the Lobster” by David Foster Wallace

The prolific nonfiction essay and fiction writer  travels to the Maine Lobster Festival to write a piece for Gourmet Magazine. With his signature footnotes, Wallace turns this experience into a deep exploration on what constitutes consciousness.

“I Am Not Pocahontas” by Elissa Washuta

Washuta looks at her own contemporary Native American identity through the lens of stereotypical depictions from 1990s films.

“Once More to the Lake” by E.B. White

E.B. White didn’t just write books like Charlotte’s Web and The Elements of Style . He also was a brilliant essayist. This nature essay explores the theme of fatherhood against the backdrop of a lake within the forests of Maine.

“Pell-Mell” by Tom Wolfe

The inventor of “new journalism” writes about the creation of an American idea by telling the story of Thomas Jefferson snubbing a European Ambassador.

“The Death of the Moth” by Virginia Woolf

In this nonfiction essay, Wolf describes a moth dying on her window pane. She uses the story as a way to ruminate on the lager theme of the meaning of life and death.

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5 moving, beautiful essays about death and dying

by Sarah Kliff

It is never easy to contemplate the end-of-life, whether its own our experience or that of a loved one.

This has made a recent swath of beautiful essays a surprise. In different publications over the past few weeks, I’ve stumbled upon writers who were contemplating final days. These are, no doubt, hard stories to read. I had to take breaks as I read about Paul Kalanithi’s experience facing metastatic lung cancer while parenting a toddler, and was devastated as I followed Liz Lopatto’s contemplations on how to give her ailing cat the best death possible. But I also learned so much from reading these essays, too, about what it means to have a good death versus a difficult end from those forced to grapple with the issue. These are four stories that have stood out to me recently, alongside one essay from a few years ago that sticks with me today.

My Own Life | Oliver Sacks

As recently as last month, popular author and neurologist Oliver Sacks was in great health, even swimming a mile every day. Then, everything changed: the 81-year-old was diagnosed with terminal liver cancer. In a beautiful op-ed , published in late February in the New York Times, he describes his state of mind and how he’ll face his final moments. What I liked about this essay is how Sacks describes how his world view shifts as he sees his time on earth getting shorter, and how he thinks about the value of his time.

Before I go | Paul Kalanithi

Kalanthi began noticing symptoms — “weight loss, fevers, night sweats, unremitting back pain, cough” — during his sixth year of residency as a neurologist at Stanford. A CT scan revealed metastatic lung cancer. Kalanthi writes about his daughter, Cady and how he “probably won’t live long enough for her to have a memory of me.” Much of his essay focuses on an interesting discussion of time, how it’s become a double-edged sword. Each day, he sees his daughter grow older, a joy. But every day is also one that brings him closer to his likely death from cancer.

As I lay dying | Laurie Becklund

Becklund’s essay was published posthumonously after her death on February 8 of this year. One of the unique issues she grapples with is how to discuss her terminal diagnosis with others and the challenge of not becoming defined by a disease. “Who would ever sign another book contract with a dying woman?” she writes. “Or remember Laurie Becklund, valedictorian, Fulbright scholar, former Times staff writer who exposed the Salvadoran death squads and helped The Times win a Pulitzer Prize for coverage of the 1992 L.A. riots? More important, and more honest, who would ever again look at me just as Laurie?”

Everything I know about a good death I learned from my cat | Liz Lopatto

Dorothy Parker was Lopatto’s cat, a stray adopted from a local vet. And Dorothy Parker, known mostly as Dottie, died peacefully when she passed away earlier this month. Lopatto’s essay is, in part, about what she learned about end-of-life care for humans from her cat. But perhaps more than that, it’s also about the limitations of how much her experience caring for a pet can transfer to caring for another person.

Yes, Lopatto’s essay is about a cat rather than a human being. No, it does not make it any easier to read. She describes in searing detail about the experience of caring for another being at the end of life. “Dottie used to weigh almost 20 pounds; she now weighs six,” Lopatto writes. “My vet is right about Dottie being close to death, that it’s probably a matter of weeks rather than months.”

Letting Go | Atul Gawande

“Letting Go” is a beautiful, difficult true story of death. You know from the very first sentence — “Sara Thomas Monopoli was pregnant with her first child when her doctors learned that she was going to die” — that it is going to be tragic. This story has long been one of my favorite pieces of health care journalism because it grapples so starkly with the difficult realities of end-of-life care.

In the story, Monopoli is diagnosed with stage four lung cancer, a surprise for a non-smoking young woman. It’s a devastating death sentence: doctors know that lung cancer that advanced is terminal. Gawande knew this too — Monpoli was his patient. But actually discussing this fact with a young patient with a newborn baby seemed impossible.

"Having any sort of discussion where you begin to say, 'look you probably only have a few months to live. How do we make the best of that time without giving up on the options that you have?' That was a conversation I wasn't ready to have," Gawande recounts of the case in a new Frontline documentary .

What’s tragic about Monopoli’s case was, of course, her death at an early age, in her 30s. But the tragedy that Gawande hones in on — the type of tragedy we talk about much less — is how terribly Monopoli’s last days played out.

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The 10 Best Essay Collections of the Decade

Ever tried. ever failed. no matter..

Friends, it’s true: the end of the decade approaches. It’s been a difficult, anxiety-provoking, morally compromised decade, but at least it’s been populated by some damn fine literature. We’ll take our silver linings where we can.

So, as is our hallowed duty as a literary and culture website—though with full awareness of the potentially fruitless and endlessly contestable nature of the task—in the coming weeks, we’ll be taking a look at the best and most important (these being not always the same) books of the decade that was. We will do this, of course, by means of a variety of lists. We began with the best debut novels , the best short story collections , the best poetry collections , and the best memoirs of the decade , and we have now reached the fifth list in our series: the best essay collections published in English between 2010 and 2019.

The following books were chosen after much debate (and several rounds of voting) by the Literary Hub staff. Tears were spilled, feelings were hurt, books were re-read. And as you’ll shortly see, we had a hard time choosing just ten—so we’ve also included a list of dissenting opinions, and an even longer list of also-rans. As ever, free to add any of your own favorites that we’ve missed in the comments below.

The Top Ten

Oliver sacks, the mind’s eye (2010).

Toward the end of his life, maybe suspecting or sensing that it was coming to a close, Dr. Oliver Sacks tended to focus his efforts on sweeping intellectual projects like On the Move (a memoir), The River of Consciousness (a hybrid intellectual history), and Hallucinations (a book-length meditation on, what else, hallucinations). But in 2010, he gave us one more classic in the style that first made him famous, a form he revolutionized and brought into the contemporary literary canon: the medical case study as essay. In The Mind’s Eye , Sacks focuses on vision, expanding the notion to embrace not only how we see the world, but also how we map that world onto our brains when our eyes are closed and we’re communing with the deeper recesses of consciousness. Relaying histories of patients and public figures, as well as his own history of ocular cancer (the condition that would eventually spread and contribute to his death), Sacks uses vision as a lens through which to see all of what makes us human, what binds us together, and what keeps us painfully apart. The essays that make up this collection are quintessential Sacks: sensitive, searching, with an expertise that conveys scientific information and experimentation in terms we can not only comprehend, but which also expand how we see life carrying on around us. The case studies of “Stereo Sue,” of the concert pianist Lillian Kalir, and of Howard, the mystery novelist who can no longer read, are highlights of the collection, but each essay is a kind of gem, mined and polished by one of the great storytellers of our era.  –Dwyer Murphy, CrimeReads Managing Editor

John Jeremiah Sullivan, Pulphead (2011)

The American essay was having a moment at the beginning of the decade, and Pulphead was smack in the middle. Without any hard data, I can tell you that this collection of John Jeremiah Sullivan’s magazine features—published primarily in GQ , but also in The Paris Review , and Harper’s —was the only full book of essays most of my literary friends had read since Slouching Towards Bethlehem , and probably one of the only full books of essays they had even heard of.

Well, we all picked a good one. Every essay in Pulphead is brilliant and entertaining, and illuminates some small corner of the American experience—even if it’s just one house, with Sullivan and an aging writer inside (“Mr. Lytle” is in fact a standout in a collection with no filler; fittingly, it won a National Magazine Award and a Pushcart Prize). But what are they about? Oh, Axl Rose, Christian Rock festivals, living around the filming of One Tree Hill , the Tea Party movement, Michael Jackson, Bunny Wailer, the influence of animals, and by god, the Miz (of Real World/Road Rules Challenge fame).

But as Dan Kois has pointed out , what connects these essays, apart from their general tone and excellence, is “their author’s essential curiosity about the world, his eye for the perfect detail, and his great good humor in revealing both his subjects’ and his own foibles.” They are also extremely well written, drawing much from fictional techniques and sentence craft, their literary pleasures so acute and remarkable that James Wood began his review of the collection in The New Yorker with a quiz: “Are the following sentences the beginnings of essays or of short stories?” (It was not a hard quiz, considering the context.)

It’s hard not to feel, reading this collection, like someone reached into your brain, took out the half-baked stuff you talk about with your friends, researched it, lived it, and represented it to you smarter and better and more thoroughly than you ever could. So read it in awe if you must, but read it.  –Emily Temple, Senior Editor

Aleksandar Hemon, The Book of My Lives (2013)

Such is the sentence-level virtuosity of Aleksandar Hemon—the Bosnian-American writer, essayist, and critic—that throughout his career he has frequently been compared to the granddaddy of borrowed language prose stylists: Vladimir Nabokov. While it is, of course, objectively remarkable that anyone could write so beautifully in a language they learned in their twenties, what I admire most about Hemon’s work is the way in which he infuses every essay and story and novel with both a deep humanity and a controlled (but never subdued) fury. He can also be damn funny. Hemon grew up in Sarajevo and left in 1992 to study in Chicago, where he almost immediately found himself stranded, forced to watch from afar as his beloved home city was subjected to a relentless four-year bombardment, the longest siege of a capital in the history of modern warfare. This extraordinary memoir-in-essays is many things: it’s a love letter to both the family that raised him and the family he built in exile; it’s a rich, joyous, and complex portrait of a place the 90s made synonymous with war and devastation; and it’s an elegy for the wrenching loss of precious things. There’s an essay about coming of age in Sarajevo and another about why he can’t bring himself to leave Chicago. There are stories about relationships forged and maintained on the soccer pitch or over the chessboard, and stories about neighbors and mentors turned monstrous by ethnic prejudice. As a chorus they sing with insight, wry humor, and unimaginable sorrow. I am not exaggerating when I say that the collection’s devastating final piece, “The Aquarium”—which details his infant daughter’s brain tumor and the agonizing months which led up to her death—remains the most painful essay I have ever read.  –Dan Sheehan, Book Marks Editor

Robin Wall Kimmerer, Braiding Sweetgrass (2013)

Of every essay in my relentlessly earmarked copy of Braiding Sweetgrass , Dr. Robin Wall Kimmerer’s gorgeously rendered argument for why and how we should keep going, there’s one that especially hits home: her account of professor-turned-forester Franz Dolp. When Dolp, several decades ago, revisited the farm that he had once shared with his ex-wife, he found a scene of destruction: The farm’s new owners had razed the land where he had tried to build a life. “I sat among the stumps and the swirling red dust and I cried,” he wrote in his journal.

So many in my generation (and younger) feel this kind of helplessness–and considerable rage–at finding ourselves newly adult in a world where those in power seem determined to abandon or destroy everything that human bodies have always needed to survive: air, water, land. Asking any single book to speak to this helplessness feels unfair, somehow; yet, Braiding Sweetgrass does, by weaving descriptions of indigenous tradition with the environmental sciences in order to show what survival has looked like over the course of many millennia. Kimmerer’s essays describe her personal experience as a Potawotami woman, plant ecologist, and teacher alongside stories of the many ways that humans have lived in relationship to other species. Whether describing Dolp’s work–he left the stumps for a life of forest restoration on the Oregon coast–or the work of others in maple sugar harvesting, creating black ash baskets, or planting a Three Sisters garden of corn, beans, and squash, she brings hope. “In ripe ears and swelling fruit, they counsel us that all gifts are multiplied in relationship,” she writes of the Three Sisters, which all sustain one another as they grow. “This is how the world keeps going.”  –Corinne Segal, Senior Editor

Hilton Als, White Girls (2013)

In a world where we are so often reduced to one essential self, Hilton Als’ breathtaking book of critical essays, White Girls , which meditates on the ways he and other subjects read, project and absorb parts of white femininity, is a radically liberating book. It’s one of the only works of critical thinking that doesn’t ask the reader, its author or anyone he writes about to stoop before the doorframe of complete legibility before entering. Something he also permitted the subjects and readers of his first book, the glorious book-length essay, The Women , a series of riffs and psychological portraits of Dorothy Dean, Owen Dodson, and the author’s own mother, among others. One of the shifts of that book, uncommon at the time, was how it acknowledges the way we inhabit bodies made up of variously gendered influences. To read White Girls now is to experience the utter freedom of this gift and to marvel at Als’ tremendous versatility and intelligence.

He is easily the most diversely talented American critic alive. He can write into genres like pop music and film where being part of an audience is a fantasy happening in the dark. He’s also wired enough to know how the art world builds reputations on the nod of rich white patrons, a significant collision in a time when Jean-Michel Basquiat is America’s most expensive modern artist. Als’ swerving and always moving grip on performance means he’s especially good on describing the effect of art which is volatile and unstable and built on the mingling of made-up concepts and the hard fact of their effect on behavior, such as race. Writing on Flannery O’Connor for instance he alone puts a finger on her “uneasy and unavoidable union between black and white, the sacred and the profane, the shit and the stars.” From Eminem to Richard Pryor, André Leon Talley to Michael Jackson, Als enters the life and work of numerous artists here who turn the fascinations of race and with whiteness into fury and song and describes the complexity of their beauty like his life depended upon it. There are also brief memoirs here that will stop your heart. This is an essential work to understanding American culture.  –John Freeman, Executive Editor

Eula Biss, On Immunity (2014)

We move through the world as if we can protect ourselves from its myriad dangers, exercising what little agency we have in an effort to keep at bay those fears that gather at the edges of any given life: of loss, illness, disaster, death. It is these fears—amplified by the birth of her first child—that Eula Biss confronts in her essential 2014 essay collection, On Immunity . As any great essayist does, Biss moves outward in concentric circles from her own very private view of the world to reveal wider truths, discovering as she does a culture consumed by anxiety at the pervasive toxicity of contemporary life. As Biss interrogates this culture—of privilege, of whiteness—she interrogates herself, questioning the flimsy ways in which we arm ourselves with science or superstition against the impurities of daily existence.

Five years on from its publication, it is dismaying that On Immunity feels as urgent (and necessary) a defense of basic science as ever. Vaccination, we learn, is derived from vacca —for cow—after the 17th-century discovery that a small application of cowpox was often enough to inoculate against the scourge of smallpox, an etymological digression that belies modern conspiratorial fears of Big Pharma and its vaccination agenda. But Biss never scolds or belittles the fears of others, and in her generosity and openness pulls off a neat (and important) trick: insofar as we are of the very world we fear, she seems to be suggesting, we ourselves are impure, have always been so, permeable, vulnerable, yet so much stronger than we think.  –Jonny Diamond, Editor-in-Chief 

Rebecca Solnit, The Mother of All Questions (2016)

When Rebecca Solnit’s essay, “Men Explain Things to Me,” was published in 2008, it quickly became a cultural phenomenon unlike almost any other in recent memory, assigning language to a behavior that almost every woman has witnessed—mansplaining—and, in the course of identifying that behavior, spurring a movement, online and offline, to share the ways in which patriarchal arrogance has intersected all our lives. (It would also come to be the titular essay in her collection published in 2014.) The Mother of All Questions follows up on that work and takes it further in order to examine the nature of self-expression—who is afforded it and denied it, what institutions have been put in place to limit it, and what happens when it is employed by women. Solnit has a singular gift for describing and decoding the misogynistic dynamics that govern the world so universally that they can seem invisible and the gendered violence that is so common as to seem unremarkable; this naming is powerful, and it opens space for sharing the stories that shape our lives.

The Mother of All Questions, comprised of essays written between 2014 and 2016, in many ways armed us with some of the tools necessary to survive the gaslighting of the Trump years, in which many of us—and especially women—have continued to hear from those in power that the things we see and hear do not exist and never existed. Solnit also acknowledges that labels like “woman,” and other gendered labels, are identities that are fluid in reality; in reviewing the book for The New Yorker , Moira Donegan suggested that, “One useful working definition of a woman might be ‘someone who experiences misogyny.'” Whichever words we use, Solnit writes in the introduction to the book that “when words break through unspeakability, what was tolerated by a society sometimes becomes intolerable.” This storytelling work has always been vital; it continues to be vital, and in this book, it is brilliantly done.  –Corinne Segal, Senior Editor

Valeria Luiselli, Tell Me How It Ends (2017)

The newly minted MacArthur fellow Valeria Luiselli’s four-part (but really six-part) essay  Tell Me How It Ends: An Essay in Forty Questions  was inspired by her time spent volunteering at the federal immigration court in New York City, working as an interpreter for undocumented, unaccompanied migrant children who crossed the U.S.-Mexico border. Written concurrently with her novel  Lost Children Archive  (a fictional exploration of the same topic), Luiselli’s essay offers a fascinating conceit, the fashioning of an argument from the questions on the government intake form given to these children to process their arrivals. (Aside from the fact that this essay is a heartbreaking masterpiece, this is such a  good  conceit—transforming a cold, reproducible administrative document into highly personal literature.) Luiselli interweaves a grounded discussion of the questionnaire with a narrative of the road trip Luiselli takes with her husband and family, across America, while they (both Mexican citizens) wait for their own Green Card applications to be processed. It is on this trip when Luiselli reflects on the thousands of migrant children mysteriously traveling across the border by themselves. But the real point of the essay is to actually delve into the real stories of some of these children, which are agonizing, as well as to gravely, clearly expose what literally happens, procedural, when they do arrive—from forms to courts, as they’re swallowed by a bureaucratic vortex. Amid all of this, Luiselli also takes on more, exploring the larger contextual relationship between the United States of America and Mexico (as well as other countries in Central America, more broadly) as it has evolved to our current, adverse moment.  Tell Me How It Ends  is so small, but it is so passionate and vigorous: it desperately accomplishes in its less-than-100-pages-of-prose what centuries and miles and endless records of federal bureaucracy have never been able, and have never cared, to do: reverse the dehumanization of Latin American immigrants that occurs once they set foot in this country.  –Olivia Rutigliano, CrimeReads Editorial Fellow

Zadie Smith, Feel Free (2018)

In the essay “Meet Justin Bieber!” in Feel Free , Zadie Smith writes that her interest in Justin Bieber is not an interest in the interiority of the singer himself, but in “the idea of the love object”. This essay—in which Smith imagines a meeting between Bieber and the late philosopher Martin Buber (“Bieber and Buber are alternative spellings of the same German surname,” she explains in one of many winning footnotes. “Who am I to ignore these hints from the universe?”). Smith allows that this premise is a bit premise -y: “I know, I know.” Still, the resulting essay is a very funny, very smart, and un-tricky exploration of individuality and true “meeting,” with a dash of late capitalism thrown in for good measure. The melding of high and low culture is the bread and butter of pretty much every prestige publication on the internet these days (and certainly of the Twitter feeds of all “public intellectuals”), but the essays in Smith’s collection don’t feel familiar—perhaps because hers is, as we’ve long known, an uncommon skill. Though I believe Smith could probably write compellingly about anything, she chooses her subjects wisely. She writes with as much electricity about Brexit as the aforementioned Beliebers—and each essay is utterly engrossing. “She contains multitudes, but her point is we all do,” writes Hermione Hoby in her review of the collection in The New Republic . “At the same time, we are, in our endless difference, nobody but ourselves.”  –Jessie Gaynor, Social Media Editor

Tressie McMillan Cottom, Thick: And Other Essays (2019)

Tressie McMillan Cottom is an academic who has transcended the ivory tower to become the sort of public intellectual who can easily appear on radio or television talk shows to discuss race, gender, and capitalism. Her collection of essays reflects this duality, blending scholarly work with memoir to create a collection on the black female experience in postmodern America that’s “intersectional analysis with a side of pop culture.” The essays range from an analysis of sexual violence, to populist politics, to social media, but in centering her own experiences throughout, the collection becomes something unlike other pieces of criticism of contemporary culture. In explaining the title, she reflects on what an editor had said about her work: “I was too readable to be academic, too deep to be popular, too country black to be literary, and too naïve to show the rigor of my thinking in the complexity of my prose. I had wanted to create something meaningful that sounded not only like me, but like all of me. It was too thick.” One of the most powerful essays in the book is “Dying to be Competent” which begins with her unpacking the idiocy of LinkedIn (and the myth of meritocracy) and ends with a description of her miscarriage, the mishandling of black woman’s pain, and a condemnation of healthcare bureaucracy. A finalist for the 2019 National Book Award for Nonfiction, Thick confirms McMillan Cottom as one of our most fearless public intellectuals and one of the most vital.  –Emily Firetog, Deputy Editor

Dissenting Opinions

The following books were just barely nudged out of the top ten, but we (or at least one of us) couldn’t let them pass without comment.

Elif Batuman, The Possessed (2010)

In The Possessed Elif Batuman indulges her love of Russian literature and the result is hilarious and remarkable. Each essay of the collection chronicles some adventure or other that she had while in graduate school for Comparative Literature and each is more unpredictable than the next. There’s the time a “well-known 20th-centuryist” gave a graduate student the finger; and the time when Batuman ended up living in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, for a summer; and the time that she convinced herself Tolstoy was murdered and spent the length of the Tolstoy Conference in Yasnaya Polyana considering clues and motives. Rich in historic detail about Russian authors and literature and thoughtfully constructed, each essay is an amalgam of critical analysis, cultural criticism, and serious contemplation of big ideas like that of identity, intellectual legacy, and authorship. With wit and a serpentine-like shape to her narratives, Batuman adopts a form reminiscent of a Socratic discourse, setting up questions at the beginning of her essays and then following digressions that more or less entreat the reader to synthesize the answer for herself. The digressions are always amusing and arguably the backbone of the collection, relaying absurd anecdotes with foreign scholars or awkward, surreal encounters with Eastern European strangers. Central also to the collection are Batuman’s intellectual asides where she entertains a theory—like the “problem of the person”: the inability to ever wholly capture one’s character—that ultimately layer the book’s themes. “You are certainly my most entertaining student,” a professor said to Batuman. But she is also curious and enthusiastic and reflective and so knowledgeable that she might even convince you (she has me!) that you too love Russian literature as much as she does. –Eleni Theodoropoulos, Editorial Fellow

Roxane Gay, Bad Feminist (2014)

Roxane Gay’s now-classic essay collection is a book that will make you laugh, think, cry, and then wonder, how can cultural criticism be this fun? My favorite essays in the book include Gay’s musings on competitive Scrabble, her stranded-in-academia dispatches, and her joyous film and television criticism, but given the breadth of topics Roxane Gay can discuss in an entertaining manner, there’s something for everyone in this one. This book is accessible because feminism itself should be accessible – Roxane Gay is as likely to draw inspiration from YA novels, or middle-brow shows about friendship, as she is to introduce concepts from the academic world, and if there’s anyone I trust to bridge the gap between high culture, low culture, and pop culture, it’s the Goddess of Twitter. I used to host a book club dedicated to radical reads, and this was one of the first picks for the club; a week after the book club met, I spied a few of the attendees meeting in the café of the bookstore, and found out that they had bonded so much over discussing  Bad Feminist  that they couldn’t wait for the next meeting of the book club to keep discussing politics and intersectionality, and that, in a nutshell, is the power of Roxane. –Molly Odintz, CrimeReads Associate Editor

Rivka Galchen, Little Labors (2016)

Generally, I find stories about the trials and tribulations of child-having to be of limited appeal—useful, maybe, insofar as they offer validation that other people have also endured the bizarre realities of living with a tiny human, but otherwise liable to drift into the musings of parents thrilled at the simple fact of their own fecundity, as if they were the first ones to figure the process out (or not). But Little Labors is not simply an essay collection about motherhood, perhaps because Galchen initially “didn’t want to write about” her new baby—mostly, she writes, “because I had never been interested in babies, or mothers; in fact, those subjects had seemed perfectly not interesting to me.” Like many new mothers, though, Galchen soon discovered her baby—which she refers to sometimes as “the puma”—to be a preoccupying thought, demanding to be written about. Galchen’s interest isn’t just in her own progeny, but in babies in literature (“Literature has more dogs than babies, and also more abortions”), The Pillow Book , the eleventh-century collection of musings by Sei Shōnagon, and writers who are mothers. There are sections that made me laugh out loud, like when Galchen continually finds herself in an elevator with a neighbor who never fails to remark on the puma’s size. There are also deeper, darker musings, like the realization that the baby means “that it’s not permissible to die. There are days when this does not feel good.” It is a slim collection that I happened to read at the perfect time, and it remains one of my favorites of the decade. –Emily Firetog, Deputy Editor

Charlie Fox, This Young Monster (2017)

On social media as in his writing, British art critic Charlie Fox rejects lucidity for allusion and doesn’t quite answer the Twitter textbox’s persistent question: “What’s happening?” These days, it’s hard to tell.  This Young Monster  (2017), Fox’s first book,was published a few months after Donald Trump’s election, and at one point Fox takes a swipe at a man he judges “direct from a nightmare and just a repulsive fucking goon.” Fox doesn’t linger on politics, though, since most of the monsters he looks at “embody otherness and make it into art, ripping any conventional idea of beauty to shreds and replacing it with something weird and troubling of their own invention.”

If clichés are loathed because they conform to what philosopher Georges Bataille called “the common measure,” then monsters are rebellious non-sequiturs, comedic or horrific derailments from a classical ideal. Perverts in the most literal sense, monsters have gone astray from some “proper” course. The book’s nine chapters, which are about a specific monster or type of monster, are full of callbacks to familiar and lesser-known media. Fox cites visual art, film, songs, and books with the screwy buoyancy of a savant. Take one of his essays, “Spook House,” framed as a stage play with two principal characters, Klaus (“an intoxicated young skinhead vampire”) and Hermione (“a teen sorceress with green skin and jet-black hair” who looks more like The Wicked Witch than her namesake). The chorus is a troupe of trick-or-treaters. Using the filmmaker Cameron Jamie as a starting point, the rest is free association on gothic decadence and Detroit and L.A. as cities of the dead. All the while, Klaus quotes from  Artforum ,  Dazed & Confused , and  Time Out. It’s a technical feat that makes fictionalized dialogue a conveyor belt for cultural criticism.

In Fox’s imagination, David Bowie and the Hydra coexist alongside Peter Pan, Dennis Hopper, and the maenads. Fox’s book reaches for the monster’s mask, not really to peel it off but to feel and smell the rubber schnoz, to know how it’s made before making sure it’s still snugly set. With a stylistic blend of arthouse suavity and B-movie chic,  This Young Monster considers how monsters in culture are made. Aren’t the scariest things made in post-production? Isn’t the creature just duplicity, like a looping choir or a dubbed scream? –Aaron Robertson, Assistant Editor

Elena Passarello, Animals Strike Curious Poses (2017)

Elena Passarello’s collection of essays Animals Strike Curious Poses picks out infamous animals and grants them the voice, narrative, and history they deserve. Not only is a collection like this relevant during the sixth extinction but it is an ambitious historical and anthropological undertaking, which Passarello has tackled with thorough research and a playful tone that rather than compromise her subject, complicates and humanizes it. Passarello’s intention is to investigate the role of animals across the span of human civilization and in doing so, to construct a timeline of humanity as told through people’s interactions with said animals. “Of all the images that make our world, animal images are particularly buried inside us,” Passarello writes in her first essay, to introduce us to the object of the book and also to the oldest of her chosen characters: Yuka, a 39,000-year-old mummified woolly mammoth discovered in the Siberian permafrost in 2010. It was an occasion so remarkable and so unfathomable given the span of human civilization that Passarello says of Yuka: “Since language is epically younger than both thought and experience, ‘woolly mammoth’ means, to a human brain, something more like time.” The essay ends with a character placing a hand on a cave drawing of a woolly mammoth, accompanied by a phrase which encapsulates the author’s vision for the book: “And he becomes the mammoth so he can envision the mammoth.” In Passarello’s hands the imagined boundaries between the animal, natural, and human world disintegrate and what emerges is a cohesive if baffling integrated history of life. With the accuracy and tenacity of a journalist and the spirit of a storyteller, Elena Passarello has assembled a modern bestiary worthy of contemplation and awe. –Eleni Theodoropoulos, Editorial Fellow

Esmé Weijun Wang, The Collected Schizophrenias (2019)

Esmé Weijun Wang’s collection of essays is a kaleidoscopic look at mental health and the lives affected by the schizophrenias. Each essay takes on a different aspect of the topic, but you’ll want to read them together for a holistic perspective. Esmé Weijun Wang generously begins The Collected Schizophrenias by acknowledging the stereotype, “Schizophrenia terrifies. It is the archetypal disorder of lunacy.” From there, she walks us through the technical language, breaks down the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual ( DSM-5 )’s clinical definition. And then she gets very personal, telling us about how she came to her own diagnosis and the way it’s touched her daily life (her relationships, her ideas about motherhood). Esmé Weijun Wang is uniquely situated to write about this topic. As a former lab researcher at Stanford, she turns a precise, analytical eye to her experience while simultaneously unfolding everything with great patience for her reader. Throughout, she brilliantly dissects the language around mental health. (On saying “a person living with bipolar disorder” instead of using “bipolar” as the sole subject: “…we are not our diseases. We are instead individuals with disorders and malfunctions. Our conditions lie over us like smallpox blankets; we are one thing and the illness is another.”) She pinpoints the ways she arms herself against anticipated reactions to the schizophrenias: high fashion, having attended an Ivy League institution. In a particularly piercing essay, she traces mental illness back through her family tree. She also places her story within more mainstream cultural contexts, calling on groundbreaking exposés about the dangerous of institutionalization and depictions of mental illness in television and film (like the infamous Slender Man case, in which two young girls stab their best friend because an invented Internet figure told them to). At once intimate and far-reaching, The Collected Schizophrenias is an informative and important (and let’s not forget artful) work. I’ve never read a collection quite so beautifully-written and laid-bare as this. –Katie Yee, Book Marks Assistant Editor

Ross Gay, The Book of Delights (2019)

When Ross Gay began writing what would become The Book of Delights, he envisioned it as a project of daily essays, each focused on a moment or point of delight in his day. This plan quickly disintegrated; on day four, he skipped his self-imposed assignment and decided to “in honor and love, delight in blowing it off.” (Clearly, “blowing it off” is a relative term here, as he still produced the book.) Ross Gay is a generous teacher of how to live, and this moment of reveling in self-compassion is one lesson among many in The Book of Delights , which wanders from moments of connection with strangers to a shade of “red I don’t think I actually have words for,” a text from a friend reading “I love you breadfruit,” and “the sun like a guiding hand on my back, saying everything is possible. Everything .”

Gay does not linger on any one subject for long, creating the sense that delight is a product not of extenuating circumstances, but of our attention; his attunement to the possibilities of a single day, and awareness of all the small moments that produce delight, are a model for life amid the warring factions of the attention economy. These small moments range from the physical–hugging a stranger, transplanting fig cuttings–to the spiritual and philosophical, giving the impression of sitting beside Gay in his garden as he thinks out loud in real time. It’s a privilege to listen. –Corinne Segal, Senior Editor

Honorable Mentions

A selection of other books that we seriously considered for both lists—just to be extra about it (and because decisions are hard).

Terry Castle, The Professor and Other Writings (2010) · Joyce Carol Oates, In Rough Country (2010) · Geoff Dyer, Otherwise Known as the Human Condition (2011) · Christopher Hitchens, Arguably (2011) ·  Roberto Bolaño, tr. Natasha Wimmer, Between Parentheses (2011) · Dubravka Ugresic, tr. David Williams, Karaoke Culture (2011) · Tom Bissell, Magic Hours (2012)  · Kevin Young, The Grey Album (2012) · William H. Gass, Life Sentences: Literary Judgments and Accounts (2012) · Mary Ruefle, Madness, Rack, and Honey (2012) · Herta Müller, tr. Geoffrey Mulligan, Cristina and Her Double (2013) · Leslie Jamison, The Empathy Exams (2014)  · Meghan Daum, The Unspeakable (2014)  · Daphne Merkin, The Fame Lunches (2014)  · Charles D’Ambrosio, Loitering (2015) · Wendy Walters, Multiply/Divide (2015) · Colm Tóibín, On Elizabeth Bishop (2015) ·  Renee Gladman, Calamities (2016)  · Jesmyn Ward, ed. The Fire This Time (2016)  · Lindy West, Shrill (2016)  · Mary Oliver, Upstream (2016)  · Emily Witt, Future Sex (2016)  · Olivia Laing, The Lonely City (2016)  · Mark Greif, Against Everything (2016)  · Durga Chew-Bose, Too Much and Not the Mood (2017)  · Sarah Gerard, Sunshine State (2017)  · Jim Harrison, A Really Big Lunch (2017)  · J.M. Coetzee, Late Essays: 2006-2017 (2017) · Melissa Febos, Abandon Me (2017)  · Louise Glück, American Originality (2017)  · Joan Didion, South and West (2017)  · Tom McCarthy, Typewriters, Bombs, Jellyfish (2017)  · Hanif Abdurraqib, They Can’t Kill Us Until they Kill Us (2017)  · Ta-Nehisi Coates, We Were Eight Years in Power (2017)  ·  Samantha Irby, We Are Never Meeting in Real Life (2017)  · Alexander Chee, How to Write an Autobiographical Novel (2018)  · Alice Bolin, Dead Girls (2018)  · Marilynne Robinson, What Are We Doing Here? (2018)  · Lorrie Moore, See What Can Be Done (2018)  · Maggie O’Farrell, I Am I Am I Am (2018)  · Ijeoma Oluo, So You Want to Talk About Race (2018)  · Rachel Cusk, Coventry (2019)  · Jia Tolentino, Trick Mirror (2019)  · Emily Bernard, Black is the Body (2019)  · Toni Morrison, The Source of Self-Regard (2019)  · Margaret Renkl, Late Migrations (2019)  ·  Rachel Munroe, Savage Appetites (2019)  · Robert A. Caro,  Working  (2019) · Arundhati Roy, My Seditious Heart (2019).

Emily Temple

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Blog – Posted on Monday, Jan 28

100 books to read before you die.

Prepare yourself for some frightening news: you have, according to LitHub , only a finite amount of time left in your life to read. The average American, for instance, reads 12 books a year. Assuming that you’re over 25 years old, that would mean that you only have approximately 700 books — max — in your future.

Are you suddenly feeling the tightening coil of mortality? Great. If you’re now wondering where you should start, we’ve got you covered. Here are 100 books to read before you die.

If you're feeling overwhelmed by the number of great books out there, you can also take our 30-second quiz below to narrow it down quickly and get a personalized book recommendation  😉

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1. 1984 by George Orwell

Set in 1984, Winston Smith must overcome a frightening enemy: an omniscient government with an agenda. This is the book that became a standard-bearer for dystopian fiction and introduced Big Brother into our everyday vocabulary. Perhaps the mightiest of George Orwell’s works.

2. Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain

A young boy and a slave in 19th-century Louisiana must find their way home — with only the Mississippi River for a guide. This slender book by Mark Twain’s is so well-regarded that it’s said by many to be The Great American Novel.

3. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle

In 1891, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle published “A Scandal in Bohemia,” the first short story to feature Sherlock Holmes. Sharp and engrossing, this collection shows how exactly Sherlock Holmes became a cultural phenomenon and the most recognizable detective of all time.

4. The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

Written in only two weeks, The Alchemist has sold more than two million copies worldwide — and the magical story of Santiago’s journey to the pyramids of Egypt continues to enchant readers worldwide. A dreamy triumph.

5. The Aleph and Other Stories by Jorge Luis Borges

Jorge Luis Borges’ keen insight and philosophical wisdom is on full display in this acclaimed short story collection. From “The Immortal” to “The House of Asterion,” the stories within are glittering, haunting examples of worlds created by a master of magic realism.

6. Animal Farm by George Orwell

When Old Major the boar dies on Manor Farm, two young pigs named Snowball and Napoleon rise to create new leadership in this allegorical book that is supposed to mirror the Russian Revolution of 1917 — and the ensuing Stalinist Soviet Union. Animal Farm is a stunning achievement, and not just because Orwell proved that a story about pigs can be terrifying.

7. Aesop's Fables by Aesop

This enduring collection of tales was passed down through oral tradition more than two millennia ago. More than simple stories, Aesop’s stories reflect every aspect of human nature.

8. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll

Alice is only a young seven-year old girl when she notices a White Rabbit with a pocket watch running by. Thus begins Alice’s adventures in a land that is not all that it seems. Lewis Carroll published this novel in 1865, sending it down the rabbit hole and straight into the hallowed halls of children’s most treasured literature.

9. Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy

If you like lengthy books in which to immerse yourself, then this is a real treat. This epic novel tells the parallel stories of Anna Karenina and Konstantin Levin over a span of 800+ pages — dealing with social change, politics, theology, and philosophy in nineteenth-century Russia all the while.

10. Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery

To read Anne of the Green Gables is to fall in love with its characters — particularly its protagonist, a fiery young girl with an imagination the size of castles. From coming-of-age arcs to the occasional drunken episode, this beloved classic by L.M. Montgomery has it all: laughs, pain, and heart.

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11. As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner

As William Faulkner attested: “I set out deliberately to write a tour-de-force. Before I ever put pen to paper and set down the first word I knew what the last word would be and almost where the last period would fall.” This is the grueling story of the Bundren family’s slow, tortuous journey to bury Addie, their wife and mother, in her hometown of Mississippi.  

12. Beloved by Toni Morrison

The winner of the Pulitzer Prize in 1988 and a finalist for the 1987 National Book Award, Beloved is Toni Morrison’s magnum opus about Sethe, a former slave whose house may or may not be haunted by the ghost of the baby she had to murder. A peerless work about slavery, race, and the bonds of family.  

13. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

This children's book has an unmistakably distinct narrator — Death. Set in Nazi Germany, it follows Liesel, a young girl in her new foster care home. As the world around her begins to crumble, Liesel must find solace in books and the power of words.

14. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley

One of the giants of the dystopian genre. Having already shaken up the literary world when it was first published, Brave New World is relevant even today as it urges readers to ask questions about autonomy, hedonism, and our definition of “utopia.”

15. The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky

In a testimony to Albert Einstein's admiration of The Brothers Karamazov , novelist C.P. Snow once wrote, " The Brothers Karamazov — that for him in 1919 was the supreme summit of all literature." You can step into Einstein’s footsteps yourself by reading this powerful, stirring meditation on God and the power of free will.

16. Catch-22 by Joseph Heller

Captain John Yossarian, a U.S. Army Air Forces B-25 bombardier, longs to return home. But that is a little hard when he is situated in the middle of nowhere — or, more specifically, the fictional island of Pianosa in the Mediterranean Sea. A searing satire that is defining of its times.

17. The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger

Meet Holden Caulfield: a teenager who, with no plans in mind, decides to leave his boarding school in Pennsylvania and head back home to New York. In The Catcher in the Rye , J.D. Salinger has created perhaps the original “cynical adolescent” — and a wistful story about the meaning of youth.

18. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl

Eleven-year-old Charlie Bucket’s life is turned upside down when he finds a Golden Ticket that gives him access to Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory. So are young readers’ heads, as they experience the magic of the Chocolate Factory (and Oompa-Loompas) for the first time in Roald Dahl’s cherished children’s book.

19. Charlotte's Web by E. B White

Wilbur, the runt of his litter, is spared from certain death, thanks to a little girl named Fern. But his life takes a turn when he is sold to Homer Zuckerman, who eventually plans to butcher him, and meets a kind-hearted spider called Charlotte. Charlotte's Web is a staple of children’s literature — and the bestselling children’s paperback of all time.

20. The Call of the Wild by Jack London

In the 1890s, a young dog named Buck hears the call of the wild. But can he answer it, especially when nature and man’s cruelty are stacked against him? This rugged, gripping novel has inspired millions of adventures for many years.

21. A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess

It is an indeterminate year in the future and Alex is arrested by the government in the midst of an ultraviolent youth cultural rebellion. A Clockwork Orange is one of the most enduring examinations of good and evil, and what it means to be free to choose one or the other.

22. The Code of the Woosters by P.G. Wodehouse

Reading P.G. Wodehouse is one of the few things in life that will reliably delight. And The Code of the Woosters is Wodehouse at his sparkling best: a romp through Britain with an uproarious cast, including Jeeves, Bertie, and cow-creamers.

23. The Collected of Edgar Allan Po by Edgar Allan Poe

Edgar Allan Poe is synonymous with horror today and this is the collection that proves it. Packed with his best short stories, including “The Cask of Amontillado,” “The Masque of the Red Death,” and “The Tell-Tale Heart,” it completely presents Poe’s dark imagination and uncanny ability to capture the shadowy depths of the human heart.

24. The Color Purple: A Novel by Alice Walker

The acclaimed story of two women and the strength of their bond in the racist society of 1980s America. The Color Purple won the 1983 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, deservedly making Alice Walker the first African-American woman to receive the award.

25. Coraline by Neil Gaiman

Young Coraline Jones has just moved into an old house when she discovers a mysterious door. What lies beyond might even be beyond the limits of your wildest imagination in this dark fantasy novella that has become a universal favorite.

26. The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas

Edmond Dantès, a young Frenchman, is falsely accused and imprisoned without trial in an island fortress off the coast of France — until the day he escapes and sets out to avenge himself. The Count of Monte Cristo is revenge tale for the ages.

27. Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky

In this 1866 epic novel, a poor student in St. Petersburg makes the fateful decision to rob and kill an elderly pawnbroker for her money. The work that made Fyodor Dostoevsky one of the greats, Crime and Punishment remains a hallmark study of greed, morality, and the dangers of radicalism.

28. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon

Narrated by Christopher John Francis Boone, a 15-year old with autism, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time is the story of the night that Christopher finds a dead dog — and the fallout. Haddon invites readers to see the world through another’s eyes in this captivating mystery novel with a twist that instantly became one of the must-read books of the 21st-century.

29. The Death of Artemio Cruz by Carlos Fuentes

Lying on his deathbed, corrupt soldier and politician Artemio Cruz is surrounded by family and a priest as they attempt to coax him into confessing his betrayals and crooked dealings. The Death of Artemio Cruz is a milestone in the boom of Latin-American literature .

30. Diary of a Madman and Other Stories by Lu Xun

Inspired by Nikolai Gogol’s short story of the same title, “Diary of a Madman” made Lu Xun one of the leading Chinese writers of his time. But there’s more to Xun than just “Diary of a Madman,” as evidenced by this complete collection of his short stories.

Are you craving more short story collections like Diary of a Madman and Other Stories? You can get your fill in this post that has 21 of the best short story collections .

31. Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank

Anne Frank was 13 years old when she and her family went in hiding. Of the diary that was published posthumously by Frank’s father, John F. Kennedy once said: "Of all the multitudes who throughout history have spoken for human dignity in times of great suffering and loss, no voice is more compelling than that of Anne Frank."

32. The Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri

Few authors are so exalted that they’re recognized by their first names, and even fewer books are as lofty as The Divine Comedy . Dante’s journey through Hell, Purgatory, and Heaven is a feat of imagination and an undisputed giant in world literature.

33. Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra

Considered one of the greatest works in the pantheon of world literature, Don Quixote follows the ill-fated adventures of Alonso Quixano: a middle-aged man who loses his sanity and believes himself to be one of the knights in shining armor he has read about in chivalric books.

34. Dracula by Bram Stoker

A small band of friends must stop Count Dracula from coming to England and spreading the curse of the undead all over the continent. Published in 1897, Dracula boasts the original vampire and lastingly re-defined gothic fantasy.

35. Emma by Jane Austen

In Regency England, a young woman named Emma Woodhouse is determined to matchmake the friends around her. Hijinks and plenty of revelations of the heart ensue. Of her titular character, Jane Austen wrote, "I am going to take a heroine whom no one but myself will much like." But anyone who reads the book will end up falling in love with imperfect and high-spirited Emma.

36. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

Perhaps the singular work that doubles as both an incisive commentary on mass media and a bookworm’s worst nightmare. In Ray Bradbury’s towering dystopian masterpiece, Guy Montag is a conflicted fireman who is intimately familiar with fahrenheit 451: the temperature at which books burn.

37. Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

The grandfather of monster fiction, Frankenstein has fanned the imaginations of horror and suspense lovers around the world. Mary Shelley’s enduring legacy of a mad scientist and his tortured, anguished creation (with a badass name ) is to this day considered to be the first science-fiction book ever written.

38. The Giver by Lois Lowry

12-year old Jonas lives in a seemingly utopian society. However, when he is assigned to take over as the next Receiver of Memory, he discovers that there’s more to his community than meets the eye. An astute, lyrical children’s book.  

39. The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman

A retelling of John Milton’s Paradise Lost for the 21st century, The Golden Compass transports readers into a world of animal familiars, parallel universes, and brave young girls who could make a difference.

40. Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown

“Goodnight room. Goodnight moon. Goodnight cow jumping over the moon.” Beautiful illustrations and perfect rhyme have made Margaret Wise Brown’s Goodnight Moon a cherished favorite of children everywhere.

41. Great Expectations by Charles Dickens

Pip’s journey from a poor apprentice to a gentleman has become the stuff of literary legend. First published in 1861, Great Expectations remains one of Charles Dickens’ finest and most famous works .

42. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

When Nick Carraway settles down in decadent 1920s New York for a summer, he has no idea what awaits him in the booming parties, Daisy Buchanan, and the mysterious figure at the center of it all, Jay Gatsby. In The Great Gatsby , F. Scott Fitzgerald has crafted a masterwork for the ages and a haunting contemplation of the American Dream.

43. Grimm's Fairy Tales by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm

Often said to be Disney for grown-ups. Beware: Grimm's Fairy Tales are much crueler and cruder than the stories that most children know.

44. Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift

Savage and brilliant, Jonathan Swift bends his satirical eye on humankind himself in Gulliver’s Travels . Gulliver's Travels is one of the bestselling parodies of all time for a reason.

45. Hamlet by William Shakespeare

Who is Hamlet, Prince of Denmark — and is he truly seeing the ghost of his father or is he going mad? William Shakespeare’s most famous work boasts not only one of the most quoted lines in history (“To be or not to be”), but also the complex character who ever belonged on stage (Hamlet).

46. The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood

In this terrifying vision of the future, Margaret Atwood imagines a society governed by gender discrimination. More than a tour de force in the dystopian genre, The Handmaid’s Tale is a grim, evergreen inquisition of identity, marriage, and what it means to be free.

47. Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling

The worldwide phenomenon of the boy who lived is known by pretty much every child and adult alive today, but if you haven’t given it a chance yet, this is the time to do it. Follow eleven-year-old Harry, Ron, and Hermione as they grow up, study magic, and learn how to defeat the Dark Lord — and try to make it out alive.

Have you read Harry Potter and you're not sated yet? Don't forget to check out these 20 great books like Harry Potter .

48. Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad

Charles Marlow is dispatched to the Congo in Africa on behalf of a Belgian trading company — but he gets more than he bargained for in the jungle’s literal heart of darkness. A grim masterpiece that catapulted Joseph Conrad among the ranks of the great writers.  

49. Here's to You, Jesusa! by Elena Poniatowska

Fiery and penetrating, this passionate story of one of Mexico’s most challenging times provides the unique perspective of women in the midst of heated combat as they struggle to survive.

50. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams

Arthur Dent is the only man who survived the destruction of Earth. Now he must journey through the galaxy, alongside an alien writer who’s working on an electronic book that’s only called The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy .

51. The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien

Bilbo Baggins only wanted a peaceful dinner party. What he gets instead is something that’s not perhaps to his taste: a band of twelve dwarves in his house, a dragon to defeat, and an epic adventure. And it all begins with this iconic first line: “In a hole in the ground lived a hobbit.”

52. Holes by Louis Sachar

Stanley Yelnats is that unlucky boy who gets sent to Camp Green Lake: a Texan juvenile corrections facility where boys dig holes all day in a dried-up lake. In this popular children’s book, three storylines intertwine to solve century-old mysteries.

53. Hopscotch by Julio Cortázar

An ingenious, one-of-a-kind novel — literally. The story of Horacio Oliveira, a well-read bohemian, is divided into 155 chapters that can be read in multiple orders: sequentially or by following the suggested reading guide, which prompts readers to jump around various chapters and makes 99 of the 155 chapters expendable.

54. The Iliad by Homer

Having been born into an age of heroes and warriors, Homer created a work of art that was deserving of them. Relive the fall of Troy and the glory of Achilles in this epic poem that has survived for a couple thousand years and counting.

55. Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison

A young black man grows up in the South before moving to New York and becoming a spokesman for “the Brotherhood” in 1950s Harlem. Invisible Man is key part of American literature that probingly examines racism, black identity, and why some are more invisible in society than others.

56. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë

This landmark novel that re-defined narrative consciousness centers on the eponymous Jane Eyre , an orphan born in 1800s England. As Jane grows up, she takes her destiny into her own hands — which becomes particularly poignant when she meets the brooding Mr. Rochester at Thornfield Hall.

57. Journey to the Center of the Earth by Jules Verne

This definitive science fiction novel shares the story of Otto Lidenbrock: a professor who ventures to nowhere else but the center of the Earth with his nephew Axel, and Hans, a guide.

58. Les Misérables by Victor Hugo

Considered by many to be one of the most luminous literary works of the 19th-century, Les Misérables spans the tumultuous 17 years from 1815 to 1932, during which politics, justice, religion, and love all come to a head in the June Rebellion in Paris.

59. Life of Pi by Yann Martel

Pi Patel is only a young boy when his freighter to North America sinks and he’s stuck on a small lifeboat with an orangutan, a hyena — and a tiger. Dramatic, humorous, and thoughtful, Yann Martel’s book made waves when it was published in 2001.

60. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C. S. Lewis

Lions, witches, talking fauns, and Turkish delights — oh my! C.S. Lewis’ allegorical story about the four Pevensie siblings who walk into a closet and disappear into the land of Narnia has captivated children (and adults) for decades.

61. The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

Not many stories are as unanimously beloved as this short one by Antoine de Saint-Exupery. Once readers find themselves the shoes of the little prince and seeing through his eyes, they won’t be able to look away.

62. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

The four March sisters — Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy — grow up and come of age in this seminal work of family drama. They might be women, but they are by no means little in the halls of great literature.

63. Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov

The story of Humbert Humbert’s obsessive quest for 12-year old Dolores Haze has haunted and captivated audiences for decades. Lolita is dark, sardonic, and ultimately genius study of madness and unreliability.  

64. The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien

No author casts a greater shadow over one genre quite like J.R.R. Tolkien and epic fantasy . Start here with the trilogy that launched it all: The Lord of the Rings and Frodo’s quest to rid Middle-Earth of Sauron once and for all.

65. Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

Florentino Ariza and Fermina Daza fell in love when they were young and were untimely torn apart by Fermina’s father. But what happens when Florentino never forgets about Fermina — and decides to make his intentions known again after fifty years of separation? Love in the Time of Cholera is a towering magical realist classic.

66. Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert

Who is Madame Bovary? Gustave Flaubert once replied: “Madame Bovary, c'est moi.” And so he does show through this undisputedly great novel that Madame Bovary — a longing, brutally, introspective, hedonistic woman — lives in all of us.

67. Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka

What would you do if you wake up one morning and discover that you are now an insect? Franz Kafka answers this burning question in this short novel, regarded by many as a master stroke of genius.

68. Moby-Dick by Herman Melville

Man faces off against white whale in this 700-page story that remains one of the grandest works about morality and the nature of obsession. A must-read, and not just for the adventure.

69. Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf

Clarissa Dalloway said that she would buy the flowers herself, or so begins Mrs Dalloway . More than a mere story, Virginia Woolf breathes new life into stream of consciousness storytelling in this probing, gentle, and deeply transformative portrait of one ordinary woman’s mind.

70. Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie

The most famous of Christie’s detective stories featuring Monsieur Poirot and his formidable ‘grey cells.’ When a snowstorm grounds the luxurious Orient Express, death ensues onboard — and it’s up to the detective to piece together the puzzle, especially since everyone on the train seems to have an alibi. Looking for more books by the Mistress of Mystery? We've got you covered with the 10 best Agatha Christie books .

71. Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck

George Milton and Lennie Small make an odd couple, working on California’s dusty ranches and dreaming of a shack of their own. But all might be lost when they move to a new farm — even each other. This is Steinbeck at his peak in this heart-wrenching story about friendship and loss. (And he didn't just write one amazing book — head to our guide to the 15 best John Steinbeck books to discover more!)

72. The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway

In this short novel, Santiago is an old fisherman who one day happens upon a marlin that might be able to make him rich. One of Hemingway’s best , The Old Man and the Sea won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1953.

73. Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens

Young Oliver Twist is an orphaned boy living on the streets when he escapes to London in the 1800s. But that’s just the start of his story, as Oliver goes on to befriend a gang of juvenile thieves — and a pickpocket named The Artful Dodger.  

74. One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

Gabriel Garcia Marquez covers seven generations of one family while exploring themes of fatalism, subjectivity, death, and time in a world where magical elements combine seamlessly with real life. One of the most important works in Spanish literature and a landmark of magical realism in its own right.

75. One Thousand and One Nights by Unknown

You might vaguely know the gist of the story behind One Thousand and One Arabian Nights , but have you ever actually read it before? This is the must-read translation, as new bride Scheherazade must wittily come up with new tales to escape her execution night after night.

76. A Passage to India by E.M. Forster

Adela Quested is to be engaged to Ronny Moore in Chandrapore, which necessitates a journey to India in the 1920s. This novel, regarded as one of the must-read books of the twentieth century, was instrumental in launching a postcolonial discourse against the backdrop of the Indian independence movement.

77. Pedro Páramo by Juan Rulfo

In the town of Comala, where ghosts are indistinguishable from the living, young Juan Preciado goes to look for his estranged father. In his only published novel, Rulfo weaves together a story that’s told in such a way that readers are left wondering who’s truly alive and who's dead — and whether there’s more to the town than first meets the eye.

78. The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster

From the mind of Norton Juster comes a magical journey. Milo is a young boy who’s beyond bored of everything — that is, until a tollbooth appears in his room one day and transports him into a land that’s the opposite of dull. The Phantom Tollbooth is a classic children's fantasy.

79. Pippi Longstocking by Astrid Lindgren

You won’t find many characters like Pippi Longstocking. Freckled, red-haired, and nine-years old, Pippi also happens to be the strongest girl in the world: she can lift a horse with one hand . Think of all the adventures she can go on with strength like that!

80. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

The source of film and TV adaptations, sequels, and several hundred reimaginings, Pride and Prejudice is one of the cornerstones of English literature. Through wit, sarcasm, and humor, this 19th-century novel centers on the five unmarried (gasp!) Bennet sisters while exploring themes of family, society, and, yes, love.

81. The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro

Stevens, a butler in post-World War II England, takes a trip through the countryside. This celebrated novel is all the more powerful for its deceptive simplicity, as it shows that the quietest stories are sometimes the most dangerous.

82. Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare

Shakespeare’s masterpiece tells the story of two young lovers separated by a bitter family feud. Featuring one of the most well-known couples ever, Romeo and Juliet has launched a legion of fans.

83. A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket

The Baudelaire siblings have the worst luck ever. No wonder their stories are called A Series of Unfortunate Events . First their parents die in a fire, then they are shipped off to a remote house — and then they discover that their new caretaker, Count Olaf, wants to kill them! Now they must have their wits about them and rely on each other more than ever if they are to survive Count Olaf’s schemes.

84. The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón

Young Daniel Sampere finds The Shadow of the Wind in the Cemetery of Forgotten Books. In this story-within-a-story, Daniel uncovers the mystery behind the book’s author and must now protect it from someone who’s determined to burn every single copy in existence.

85. Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut

Under Kurt Vonnegut’s sure touch, Billy Pilgrim’s journey through time during World War II is rendered scathingly well, making Slaughterhouse-Five one of the most greatest anti-war books ever written.

86. The Sound of the Mountain by Yasunari Kawabata

As the patriarch of his family in Kamakura, Ogata Shingo is troubled when his memory begins failing and he keeps hearing the mountains shaking in his sleep. A sparse and beautiful meditation on old age from a celebrated Nobel Prize-winning author.  

87. The Stranger by Albert Camus

In Albert Camus’ own words: “In our society any man who does not weep at his mother's funeral runs the risk of being sentenced to death.” Such is the absurdity of life that Meursault faces in this dense crowning jewe l of Camus’ career.

88. The Tale of Genji by Murasaki Shikibu

Dating to the early years of the eleventh-century, this ancient classic of Japanese literature is the famous portrayal of Hikaru Genji’s life, love affairs, and aristocratic customs in Heian Period Japan.

89. Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe

The first novel in an acclaimed trilogy, Things Fall Apart is the seminal novel of the African experience. More than that, it is a wrenching tragedy of one man’s futile fight against change as British rule overcomes the land.

90. The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas

In this classic novel of adventure, d’Artagnan is a young man in search of his destiny when he joins the Musketeers of the Guard. But his life intertwines inextricably with another’s journey when he meets Athos, Porthos, and Aramis: the King’s most elite musketeers.

91. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

Scout Finch is an ordinary girl living with her brother and father in Alabama when the arrest of a black man, Tom Robinson, upends everyone’s lives. A coming-of-age in the South becomes a gripping courtroom thriller in this Pulitzer Prize-winning book that may rank up there as one of the most beloved books of all time .

92. Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson

Buried gold is the name and pirates are the game in this 1883 story by Robert Louis Stevenson, which became the definitive adventure book for many generations of readers.

93. Ulysses by James Joyce

Controversial and magnificent, Ulysses is James Joyce’s answer to the modernist movement: a puzzlingly sweeping novel that centers on the day of one Leopold Bloom in Dublin.

94. War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy

Up there as one of the greatest works ever written, War and Peace is Tolstoy’s epic account of two young men and one young woman, as they stand amidst the swirling spectre of Napoleon’s invasion of Russia in 1812.

95. Watership Down by Richard Adams

Hazel, Fiver, Blackberry, and crew are the hardiest band of adventurers that you’ll ever meet, with one caveat: they’re rabbits. And they’re on the escape, looking for a new warren to call home. Watership Down is a classic for children and adults alike.

96. Winnie-the-Pooh by A. A. Milne

Haven’t you read Winnie the Pooh yet? Think, think, think! No? Gosh, you really haven’t? Oh, bother! Well, don’t worry, there’s still time to fix that catastrophic error by picking up this cornerstone of children’s literature and joining Winnie, Piglet, and friends on the journey of a lifetime.

97. The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins

A young and distressed woman dressed entirely in white one day appears to Walter Hartright, kicking off the plot of The Woman in White , often described as one of the finest mystery novels ever written.  

98. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum

Dorothy and friends go on an adventure, and who knows what awaits them at the end of the Yellow Brick Road? Frank L. Baum’s treasured classic was famously adapted into the first color film ever made, which is befitting of this whimsical, charmingly bright story.

99. A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle

It was a dark and stormy night… when Mrs. Whatsit walks through the door of 13-year old Meg Murry’s house, shortly followed by Mrs. Who and Mrs. Which. A bewitching, groundbreaking fantasy that's a feat of worldbuilding by a master of the genre.

100. Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë

Emily Brontë's only novel is a staggering tour de force: a violent, gothic tragedy about the passionate, tempestuous affair between Catherine Earnshaw and Heathcliff — and the havoc that it threatens to wreak upon the moors.

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101 Essays That Will Change The Way You Think Kindle Edition

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• ASIN ‏ : ‎ B01MYMUGQL
• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Thought Catalog Books (November 14, 2016)
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Brianna is the bestselling author of the books 101 Essays The Will Change The Way You Think, The Mountain Is You, The Pivot Year, and more. Her books have sold millions of copies, regularly appear on global bestseller lists, and are currently being translated into 40+ languages. She has a B.A. in English and an Honorary Doctorate in Literature, both from Elizabethtown College.

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40 best books to read before you die, from Great Expectations to Wolf Hall

Losing yourself in a great novel is one of life’s joys. here our critics  ceri radford  and chris harvey pick the books you need to read.

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B ooks, books, books. They will increase your lifespan, lower your stress and boost your intelligence. They will give you fuller, thicker hair.

Whatever the breathless claims about reading, one thing is certain: losing yourself in a great novel is one of life’s most enduring and dependable joys. Job satisfaction comes and goes, partners enrapture and abscond, but you can always fall back on the timeless ability of literature to transport you to a different world. From Jane Austen’s mannered drawing rooms to the airless tower blocks of 1984, novels do something unique. They simultaneously speak to the heart and mind. They teach you about the history of our world, the possibilities of our future and the fabric of our souls.

So where do you start? It’s a fraught question, because the obvious answer – “the literary canon” – means a pantheon of predominantly dead, white dudes. The power structures at play for centuries have meant that a very narrow band of people have been given the opportunity to say something universal about the human condition. It’s impossible to ignore these biases: the least we can do is acknowledge them, include different perspectives, and point to some excellent resources here , here and here to discover more writers we should be reading.

As it stands, whittling this list down to 40 novels has been a process that makes Brexit negotiations look simple and amicable. We hope you enjoy the selection – or at least enjoy arguing about who should or should not have made the cut.

We may earn commission from some of the links in this article, but we never allow this to influence our content.

Pride and Prejudice , Jane Austen

It is a fact universally acknowledged that every list of great books must include Pride and Prejudice. Don’t be fooled by the bonnets and balls: beneath the sugary surface is a tart exposé of the marriage market in Georgian England. For every lucky Elizabeth, who tames the haughty, handsome Mr Darcy and learns to know herself in the process, there’s a Charlotte, resigned to life with a drivelling buffoon for want of a pretty face. CR

The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole, Aged 13 ¾ , Sue Townsend

Read this one when you’re decrepit enough, and chances are you’ll die laughing. No one has lampooned the self-absorption, delusions of grandeur and sexual frustration of adolescence as brilliantly as Sue Townsend, and no one ever will. Beyond the majestic poetry and the pimples, there’s also a sharp satire of Thatcherist Britain. CR

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Charlie and the Chocolate Factory , Roald Dahl

Harry Potter may be more popular, but Willy Wonka is altogether weirder. From the overwhelming poverty experienced by Charlie Bucket and his family, to the spoilt, greedy, brattish children who join Charlie on his trip to Willy Wonka’s phantasmagorical sweet factory there is nothing artificially sweetened in Roald Dahl’s startling work of fantasy. CH

Things Fall Apart , Chinua Achebe

A classic exposé of colonialism, Achebe’s novel explores what happens to a Nigerian village when European missionaries arrive. The main character, warrior-like Okonkwo, embodies the traditional values that are ultimately doomed. By the time Achebe was born in 1930, missionaries had been settled in his village for decades. He wrote in English and took the title of his novel from a Yeats poem, but wove Igbo proverbs throughout this lyrical work. CR

1984 , George Orwell

The ultimate piece of dystopian fiction, 1984 was so prescient that it’s become a cliché. But forget TV’s Big Brother or the trite travesty of Room 101 : the original has lost none of its furious force. Orwell was interested in the mechanics of totalitarianism, imagining a society that took the paranoid surveillance of the Soviets to chilling conclusions. Our hero, Winston, tries to resist a grey world where a screen watches your every move, but bravery is ultimately futile when the state worms its way inside your mind. CR

Rebecca , Daphne du Maurier

The second Mrs de Winter is the narrator of Du Maurier’s marvellously gothic tale about a young woman who replaces the deceased Rebecca as wife to the wealthy Maxim de Winter and mistress of the Manderley estate. There she meets the housekeeper Mrs Danvers, formerly devoted to Rebecca, who proceeds to torment her. As atmospheric, psychological horror it just gets darker and darker. CH

Great Expectations , Charles Dickens

Dickens was the social conscience of the Victorian age, but don’t let that put you off. Great Expectations is the roiling tale of the orphaned Pip, the lovely Estella, and the thwarted Miss Havisham. First written in serial form, you barely have time to recover from one cliffhanger before the next one beckons, all told in Dickens’ luxuriant, humorous, heartfelt prose. CR

To Kill a Mockingbird , Harper Lee

A timeless plea for justice in the setting of America’s racist South during the depression years, Lee’s novel caused a sensation. Her device was simple but incendiary: look at the world through the eyes of a six-year-old, in this case, Jean Louise Finch, whose father is a lawyer defending a black man falsely accused of raping a white woman. Lee hoped for nothing but “a quick and merciful death at the hands of the reviewers”: she won the Pulitzer and a place on the curriculum. CR

Wolf Hall , Hilary Mantel

In an astonishing act of literary ventriloquism, Mantel inhabits a fictionalised version of Thomas Cromwell, a working-class boy who rose through his own fierce intelligence to be a key player in the treacherous world of Tudor politics. Historical fiction so immersive you can smell the fear and ambition. CR

The Big Sleep , Raymond Chandler

Dashiell Hammett may have been harder boiled, his plots more intricate but, wow, does Raymond Chandler have style. The push and pull at the start of The Big Sleep between private detective Philip Marlowe, in his powder-blue suit and dark blue shirt, and Miss Carmen Sternwood, with her “little sharp predatory teeth” and lashes that she lowers and raises like a theatre curtain, sets the tone for a story of bad girls and bad men. CH

Frankenstein , Mary Shelley

Shelley was just 18 when she wrote Frankenstein as part of a challenge with her future husband, Percy Shelley, and Lord Byron, to concoct the best horror story. Put down the green face paint: Frankenstein ’s monster is a complex creation who yearns for sympathy and companionship. Some 200 years after it was first published, the gothic tale feels more relevant than ever as genetic science pushes the boundaries of what it means to create life. CR

Wuthering Heights , Emily Brontë

Will there ever be a novel that burns with more passionate intensity than Wuthering Heights? The forces that bring together its fierce heroine Catherine Earnshaw and cruel hero Heathcliff are violent and untameable, yet rooted in a childhood devotion to one another, when Heathcliff obeyed Cathy’s every command. It’s impossible to imagine this novel ever provoking quiet slumbers; Emily Brontë’s vision of nature blazes with poetry. CH

Lord of the Flies , William Golding

Anyone who has ever suspected that children are primitive little beasties will nod sagely as they read Golding’s classic. His theory is this: maroon a bunch of schoolboys on an island, and watch how quickly the trappings of decent behaviour fall away. Never has a broken pair of spectacles seemed so sinister, or civilisation so fragile. CR

Vanity Fair , William Makepeace Thackeray

All the teeming life of 19th century London is here in Thackeray’s masterpiece, right down to the curry houses frequented by Jos Sedley, who has gained a taste for the hot stuff as an officer in the East India Trading Company. But it is Becky Sharp, one of literature’s great characters, who gives this novel its enduring fascination. As a woman on the make, Becky is the perfect blend of wit, cunning and cold-hearted ruthlessness. Try as film and TV might to humanise and make excuses for her, Becky needs victims to thrive! And she’s all the more compelling for that. CH

Midnight’s Children , Salman Rushdie

The protagonist of Rushdie’s most celebrated novel is born at the exact moment India gains independence. He’s also born with superpowers, and he’s not the only one. In an audacious and poetic piece of magical realism, Rushdie tells the story of India’s blood-soaked resurgence via a swathe of children born at midnight with uncanny abilities. CR

Lolita , Vladimir Nabokov

Banned from entering the UK in its year of publication, 1955, Vladimir Nabokov’s astonishingly skilful and enduringly controversial work of fiction introduces us to literary professor and self-confessed hebephile Humbert Humbert, the perhaps unreliable narrator of the novel. He marries widow Charlotte Haze only to get access to her daughter, 12-year-old Dolores, nicknamed Lo by her mother, or as Humbert calls her “Lolita, light of my life, fire of my loins. My sin, my soul.” Cloaking his abuse in the allusive language of idealised love does not lessen Humbert’s crimes, but allows Nabokov to skewer him where he hides. CH

Jane Eyre , Charlotte Brontë

You will need a cold, dead heart not to be moved by one of literature’s steeliest heroines. From the institutional cruelty of her boarding school, the “small, plain” Jane Eyre becomes a governess who demands a right to think and feel. Not many love stories take in a mad woman in the attic and a spot of therapeutic disfigurement, but this one somehow carries it off with mythic aplomb. CR

Americanah , Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

A subtle and engrossing look at racial identity, through the story of a charismatic young Nigerian woman who leaves her comfortable Lagos home for a world of struggles in the United States. Capturing both the hard-scrabble life of US immigrants and the brash divisions of a rising Nigeria, Adichie crosses continents with all her usual depth of feeling and lightness of touch. CR

Cold Comfort Farm , Stella Gibbons

An absolute unadulterated comic joy of a novel. Stella Gibbons neatly pokes fun at sentimental navel-gazing with her zesty heroine Flora, who is more interested in basic hygiene than histrionics. In other words, if you’ve “seen something nasty in the woodshed”, just shut the door. CR

Beloved , Toni Morrison

Dedicated to the “60 million and more” Africans and their descendants who died as a result of the slave trade, this is a cultural milestone and a Pulitzer-winning tour de force. Morrison was inspired by the real-life story of an enslaved woman who killed her own daughter rather than see her return to slavery. In her plot, the murdered child returns to haunt a black community, suggesting the inescapable taint of America’s history. CR

Brideshead Revisited , Evelyn Waugh

Evelyn Waugh bottles the intoxicating vapour of a vanished era in this novel about middle-class Charles Ryder, who meets upper-class Sebastian Flyte at Oxford University in the 1920s. Scrap the wartime prologue, and Charles’s entire relationship with Sebastian’s sister Julia (Dear Evelyn, thank you for your latest manuscript, a few suggested cuts…) and you’re looking at one of the most affecting love affairs in the English language. CH

Dune , Frank Herbert

You can almost feel your mouth dry with thirst as you enter the world of Frank Herbert’s Dune and encounter the desert planet of Arrakis, with its giant sandworms and mind-altering spice. It’s the setting for an epic saga of warring feudal houses, but it’s as much eco-parable as thrilling adventure story. Rarely has a fictional world been so completely realised. CH

The Code of the Woosters , PG Wodehouse

If you haven’t read PG Wodehouse in a hot bath with a snifter of whisky and ideally a rubber duck for company, you haven’t lived. Wallow in this sublimely silly tale of the ultimate comic double act: bumbling aristocrat Bertie Wooster and his omniscient butler, Jeeves. A book that’s a sheer joy to read and also manages to satirise British fascist leader Oswald Mosley as a querulous grump in black shorts. CR

The Great Gatsby , F Scott Fitzgerald

The savage reviews that greeted F Scott Fitzgerald’s third novel – “no more than a glorified anecdote”; “for the season only” – failed to recognise something truly great; a near-perfect distillation of the hope, ambition, cynicism and desire at the heart of the American Dream. Other novels capture the allure of the invented self, from Stendhal’s The Red and the Black to Thomas Mann’s Confessions of Felix Krull , but Fitzgerald’s enigmatic Jay Gatsby casts a shadow that reaches to Mad Men ’s Don Draper and beyond. CH

A Clockwork Orange, Anthony Burgess

From the moment we meet Alex and his three droogs in the Korova milk bar, drinking moloko with vellocet or synthemesc and wondering whether to chat up the devotchkas at the counter or tolchock some old veck in an alley, it’s clear that normal novelistic conventions do not apply. Anthony Burgess’s slim volume about a violent near-future where aversion therapy is used on feral youth who speak Nadsat and commit rape and murder, is a dystopian masterpiece. CH

Tess of the d’Urbervilles , Thomas Hardy

A good 125 years before #MeToo, Thomas Hardy skewered the sexual hypocrisy of the Victorian age in this melodramatic but immensely moving novel. Tess is a naïve girl from a poor family who is raped by a wealthy landowner. After the death of her baby, she tries to build a new life, but the “shame” of her past casts a long shadow. Read this if you want to understand the rotten culture at the root of victim blaming. CR

Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep , Philip K Dick

Here be Roy Baty, Rick Deckard and Rachael Rosen – the novel that inspired Blade Runner is stranger even than the film it became. Back in an age before artificial intelligence could teach itself in a few hours to play chess better than any grandmaster that ever lived, Philip K Dick was using the concept of android life to explore what it meant to be human, and what it is to be left behind on a compromised planet. That he could do it in 250 pages that set the mind spinning and engage the emotions with every page-turn make this a rare science-fiction indeed. CH

The God of Small Things , Arundhati Roy

Roy won the 1997 Booker Prize with her debut novel, a powerful intergenerational tale of love that crosses caste lines in southern India, and the appalling consequences for those who break the taboos dictating “who should be loved, and how. And how much.” Sex, death, religion, the ambivalent pull of motherhood: it’s all there in this beautiful and haunting book. CR

Heart of Darkness , Joseph Conrad

Inspired by Conrad’s own experiences of captaining a trading steamer up the Congo River, Heart of Darkness is part adventure, part psychological voyage into the unknown, as the narrator Marlow relays the story of his journey into the jungle to meet the mysterious ivory trader Mr Kurtz. The novel – although debate continues to rage about whether its attitude to Africa and colonialism is racist – is deeply involving and demands to be read. CH

The Secret History , Donna Tartt

Stick another log on the fire and curl up with this dark, peculiar and quite brilliant literary murder tale. A group of classics students become entranced by Greek mythology – and then take it up a level. Remember, kids: never try your own delirious Dionysian ritual at home. CR

Dracula , Bram Stoker

Whatever passed between Irish theatre manager Bram Stoker and the Hungarian traveller and writer Ármin Vámbéry when they met in London and talked of the Carpathian Mountains, it incubated in the Gothic imagination of Stoker into a work that has had an incalculable influence on Western culture. It’s not hard to read the Count as a shadowy sexual figure surprising straitlaced Victorian England in their beds, but in Stoker’s hands he’s also bloody creepy. CH

Middlemarch , George Eliot

This is a richly satisfying slow burn of a novel that follows the lives and loves of the inhabitants of a small town in England through the years 1829–32. The acerbic wit and timeless truth of its observations mark this out as a work of genius; but at the time the author, Mary Anne Evans, had to turn to a male pen name to be taken seriously. CR

The Catcher in the Rye , JD Salinger

It only takes one sentence, written in the first person, for Salinger’s Holden Caulfield to announce himself in all his teenage nihilism, sneering at you for wanting to know his biographical details “and all that David Copperfield kind of crap”. The Catcher in the Rye is the quintessential novel of the adolescent experience, captured in deathless prose. CH

The Bell Jar , Sylvia Plath

The only novel written by the poet Sylvia Plath is a semi-autobiographical account of a descent into depression that the book’s narrator Esther Greenwood describes as like being trapped under a bell jar – used to create a vacuum in scientific experiments – struggling to breathe. Almost every word is arresting, and the way that Plath captures the vivid life happening around Esther – news events and magazine parties – accentuates the deadening illness that drives her towards suicidal feelings. Plath herself would commit suicide one month after the novel’s publication in 1963. CH

Anna Karenina , Leo Tolstoy

Andrew Davies’s recent TV adaptation of War and Peace reminded those of us who can’t quite face returning to the novel’s monstrous demands just how brilliantly Tolstoy delineates affairs of the heart, even if the war passages will always be a struggle. In Anna Karenina – enormous, too! – the great Russian novelist captures the erotic charge between the married Anna and the bachelor Vronsky, then drags his heroine through society’s scorn as their affair takes shape, without ever suggesting we move from her side. CH

Catch-22, Joseph Heller

It’s not often an idiom coined in a novel becomes a catchphrase, but Joseph Heller managed it with his madcap, savage and hilarious tour de force. War is the ultimate dead end for logic, and this novel explores all its absurdities as we follow US bombardier pilot Captain John Yossarian. While Heller drew on his own experience as a WWII pilot, it was the McCarthyism of the Fifties that fuelled the book’s glorious rage. CR

Dangerous Liaisons , Pierre Choderlos de Laclos

The most deliciously wicked experience in literature, this epistolary novel introduces us to the Marquise de Merteuil and Vicomte de Valmont, who play cruel games of sexual conquest on their unwitting victims. The Marquise’s justification for her behaviour – “I, who was born to revenge my sex and master yours” – will strike a chord in the #MeToo era, but emotions, even love, intrude, to the point where Laclos’s amorality becomes untenable. Sexy but very, very bad. CH

100 Years of Solitude , Gabriel Garcia Marquez

The energy and enchantment of Garcia Marquez’s story of seven generations of the Buendia family in a small town in Colombia continue to enthral half a century on. Hauntings and premonitions allied to a journalistic eye for detail and a poetic sensibility make Marquez’s magical realism unique. CH

The Trial , Franz Kafka

“Someone must have been telling lies about Josef K…” So begins Kafka’s nightmarish tale of a man trapped in an unfathomable bureaucratic process after being arrested by two agents from an unidentified office for a crime they’re not allowed to tell him about. Foreshadowing the antisemitism of Nazi-occupied Europe, as well as the methods of the Stasi, KGB, and StB, it’s an unsettling, at times bewildering, tale with chilling resonance. CH

The 27 best opening lines in books

The Leopard , Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa

Published posthumously in 1958, Tomasi di Lampedusa’s novel is set in 19th century Sicily, where revolution is in the air. The imposing Prince Don Fabrizio presides over a town close to Palermo during the last days of an old world in which class stratifications are stable and understood. Garibaldi’s forces have taken the island and a new world will follow. It’s a deep and poetic meditation on political change and the characters that it produces. CH

This article was originally published on 13 October 2019

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25 Books to Read Before you Die: 21st Century

This is one of the 332 lists we use to generate our main The Greatest Books list.

The Blazing World by Siri Hustvedt

A gifted artist, Harriet Burden, frustrated by the lack of recognition she receives due to her gender, conducts an experiment where she presents her work under the guise of three male fronts. Her plan backfires when the third front, Rune, refuses to admit that the work was not his own. After Rune's sudden death, Burden reveals her experiment, but is met with skepticism and scorn. The novel explores themes such as gender bias in the art world, identity, perception, and the nature of art itself.

The Book of Strange New Things by Michel Faber

A Christian minister is sent to a distant planet to teach its inhabitants about Christianity, leaving his wife behind on a rapidly deteriorating Earth. As he becomes more absorbed in the alien culture and his religious mission, his wife's desperate messages about natural disasters and societal breakdowns on Earth become increasingly alarming. The minister faces a moral and emotional dilemma, torn between his duty on the alien planet and his love for his wife and home planet.

Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell

This novel is a unique blend of six different stories, each set in a different time and place, spanning from the 19th century South Pacific to a post-apocalyptic future. Each tale is written in a different style, reflecting the time and setting it represents, and they are all connected through shared themes and recurring motifs. The stories are nested within each other, with each interrupted by the next, only to be concluded in the second half of the book. The novel explores themes of predacity, civilization, reincarnation and the eternal recurrence of the same behaviors throughout history.

Invisible Man, Got the Whole World Watching by Mychal Denzel Smith

This book is an exploration of the intersection of race, gender, and politics in modern America, as seen through the eyes of a young black man. It examines the impact of key figures like Barack Obama, Trayvon Martin, and Michael Brown, while also delving into the author's personal experiences with mental health, masculinity, and the shifting landscape of black identity. The narrative is a mix of memoir, cultural criticism, and political commentary, offering a powerful and insightful look at the complexities of black manhood in the 21st century.

The Empathy Exams: Essays by Leslie Jamison

"The Empathy Exams: Essays" is a collection of thought-provoking essays that delve into the complexities of human emotions, particularly empathy. The author uses personal experiences, from being a medical actor to running ultramarathons, to explore how people understand others' pain and how it affects their own lives. The book is a blend of memoir, criticism, and journalism, investigating topics like poverty, female pain, and incarceration, and challenging readers to think about empathy in new and profound ways.

The Lost City of Z by David Grann

This gripping non-fiction book follows the story of a British explorer who, in 1925, ventured into the Amazon jungle in search of a fabled civilization known as Z. The explorer and his party vanished without a trace, sparking numerous attempts to find them and the lost city. Nearly a century later, the author himself journeys into the Amazon, uncovering fresh evidence and revealing the shocking truth about what really happened to the lost expedition. The book combines history, biography, and old-fashioned adventure to create a captivating tale of exploration and obsession.

Citizen: An American Lyric by Claudia Rankine

"Citizen: An American Lyric" is a compelling and thought-provoking exploration of racial prejudice in contemporary America. The book, written in a blend of poetry, prose, and visual images, delves into the everyday experiences and microaggressions that people of color face. It also addresses larger events from the news that have impacted the Black community. The book is a powerful commentary on race, identity, and belonging, challenging readers to confront their own biases and perceptions.

The Faraway Nearby by Rebecca Solnit

"The Faraway Nearby" is a reflective exploration of the interconnectedness of the world, seen through the lens of the author's personal experiences and relationships. The book delves into themes of empathy, storytelling, and the human capacity for both kindness and cruelty, using the author's relationship with her mother and her struggle with illness as a poignant backdrop. The narrative weaves in and out of different topics and locations, from the Arctic to fairy tales, drawing insightful connections and offering a unique perspective on the human condition.

Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson

This book is a profound work of non-fiction that focuses on the author's experiences as a young lawyer fighting for the rights of those wrongfully convicted or excessively punished. The narrative primarily revolves around the case of a black man sentenced to death for a crime he didn't commit. The author not only exposes the inherent racial bias and systemic flaws in the American criminal justice system, but also provides a compelling argument for compassion in the pursuit of justice.

Honored Guest by Joy Williams

"Honored Guest" is a collection of short stories that explore the themes of death, loss, and grief. The narratives delve into the lives of various characters dealing with these themes, such as a mother dying of cancer, a woman coping with her mother's death, and a girl struggling with her father's unexpected passing. The stories are poignant and often surreal, offering a deep examination of human emotions and the complexities of life and death.

I Loved You More by Tom Spanbauer

This novel explores the complicated love triangle between a gay man, his best friend, and the woman they both love. Set in New York City and Portland, the narrative delves into the intricate dynamics of their relationships, the pain of unrequited love, and the struggle of coming to terms with one's sexuality. The protagonist's journey to self-discovery and acceptance is heart-wrenching and poignant, offering a raw and honest look at love, friendship, and identity.

The Invented Part by Rodrigo Fresán

The Invented Part is a novel that explores the life and mind of a renowned writer who is struggling with writer's block and feeling irrelevant in a rapidly changing world. As he grapples with his own existence, reality, and the nature of fiction, he embarks on a journey that takes him through his past, the lives of his friends and family, and even through the works of his literary heroes. The novel is a mix of science fiction, pop culture references, and philosophical musings, all woven together by the writer's desire to understand and redefine his place in the world.

Far From the Tree: Parents, Children and the Search for Identity by Andrew Solomon

This book explores the experiences of families accommodating children with physical, mental and social disabilities and differences. The author examines various conditions such as deafness, dwarfism, Down syndrome, autism, schizophrenia, disability, prodigiousness, transgender, and criminality. The book delves into the challenges, struggles, but also the triumphs, of these families and how they find profound meaning in their differences. It's a comprehensive study of identity, love, and acceptance.

Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke

Set in a parallel 19th-century England, this novel tells the story of two practicing magicians, Mr. Norrell and Jonathan Strange. Norrell, who aims to restore magic to respectability in England, is initially thrilled by Strange's natural aptitude for magic, and the two form a student-teacher relationship. However, their partnership soon deteriorates into rivalry as Strange, driven by the loss of his wife to the fairy realm, seeks to reintroduce the old, wilder forms of magic that Norrell disdains. Their conflict escalates, culminating in a magical duel that has profound consequences for the future of magic in England.

Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders

The novel is set in a graveyard over the course of a single night and is narrated by a dazzling chorus of voices. The story is centered around the death of President Lincoln's 11-year-old son Willie, who resides in the Bardo, a transitional state between life and rebirth in Tibetan tradition. As Willie interacts with the other spirits stuck in this realm, his father visits the crypt to mourn, causing a struggle among the ghosts over the boy's soul. The narrative explores themes of grief, the impermanence of life, and the unresolved issues that keep us from moving on.

Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood

Set in a post-apocalyptic world, the novel follows the life of Snowman, who believes he may be the last human on earth, as he struggles to survive in a new, harsh environment. He is surrounded by genetically modified creatures, and his only companions are the Crakers, human-like beings created by his brilliant but disturbed friend Crake. Through Snowman's memories, the story of how the world came to be this way is revealed, involving a love triangle with the mysterious Oryx and the catastrophic consequences of Crake's scientific experiments.

March: Book One by John Lewis

"March: Book One" is a graphic novel that depicts the early life of a key figure in the American civil rights movement. Raised in rural Alabama, he grows up inspired by the activism surrounding the Montgomery Bus Boycott and the words of Martin Luther King Jr., which sets him on the path of nonviolent protest. The novel highlights his commitment to the fight for equal rights and his journey from a young boy on a farm to one of the key figures in the civil rights movement.

A Short History Of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson

This book is a comprehensive exploration of scientific knowledge, covering a wide range of topics from the Big Bang to the rise of civilization. The author aims to understand how we got from nothing at all to where we are now, exploring subjects such as geology, chemistry, paleontology, astronomy, and particle physics. The book also delves into the lives of the scientists behind the discoveries, making the complex concepts accessible to the average reader.

The Sympathizer by Viet Thanh Nguyen

"The Sympathizer" is a gripping spy novel set during the Vietnam War. The protagonist is a half-French, half-Vietnamese army captain who is a communist double agent. After the Fall of Saigon, he moves to America with other South Vietnamese refugees and struggles to reconcile his dual loyalties as he continues to spy on his fellow countrymen in exile. The novel explores themes of identity, war, and politics, while providing a unique perspective on the Vietnam War and its aftermath.

Salvage the Bones by Jesmyn Ward

Set in a poor rural community in Mississippi, this novel follows the story of a pregnant teenage girl named Esch and her three brothers as they navigate their lives in the days leading up to Hurricane Katrina. Their mother is dead and their father is a neglectful alcoholic, leaving the siblings to fend for themselves. The book explores themes of poverty, racism, and survival, showcasing the resilience and strength of the human spirit in the face of adversity.

War Is a Force that Gives Us Meaning by Chris Hedges

This book is a profound exploration of the allure and devastating effects of warfare, written by a war correspondent who has experienced conflicts firsthand. It delves into the intoxicating nature of war, the reasons why societies are drawn to it and how it can give a sense of purpose, albeit a destructive one. The author also discusses the psychological impacts of war on individuals and societies, and the ways in which war can distort our understanding of love, friendship, and compassion.

Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel

The novel is a historical fiction set in the 1500s, during the reign of King Henry VIII. The story is told from the perspective of Thomas Cromwell, a man of humble beginnings who rises to become the King's chief minister. The narrative explores the political and religious upheavals of the time, including King Henry's break with the Catholic Church and his controversial marriage to Anne Boleyn. The protagonist's cunning, ambition, and survival instincts are central to the plot as he navigates the treacherous waters of the Tudor court.

The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan

The book delves into the question of what we should have for dinner. It explores the paradox of the omnivore's dilemma, detailing the food chains that link farm to table, and explaining how the industrial revolution has changed the way we eat. The book also discusses the implications of our modern diet on our health and the environment, suggesting that we should return to more traditional methods of food production and consumption. It advocates for a more conscious and sustainable approach to eating.

The Yiddish Policemen's Union by Michael Chabon

In an alternate reality where Jewish refugees found sanctuary in Alaska during World War II, the book follows a homicide detective in the Yiddish-speaking metropolis of Sitka as he investigates the murder of a former chess prodigy. The detective's quest takes him from the city's seedy underbelly to the highest echelons of power, and he uncovers a vast conspiracy that threatens the very existence of the Jewish homeland in Alaska. The novel is a blend of detective fiction, alternate history, and Jewish humor.

The Echo Maker by Richard Powers

The novel revolves around a man who, after surviving a near-fatal car accident, wakes up with a rare neurological condition known as Capgras syndrome. He believes his sister, who has been caring for him, is an imposter despite all evidence to the contrary. A renowned neurologist, struggling with his own personal and professional dilemmas, is called to help unravel this complex case. The narrative delves into the mysteries of the human mind, the bonds of family, and the fragility of identity.

Powell's Books , 25 Books

It’s hard for us to believe that it’s been 17 years since we first toasted the new millennium. In January 2001, a gallon of gas cost $1.46. Facebook was three years from launching. 9/11 hadn’t happened. Huge political and cultural shifts were only months away… and some of the best books we’ve ever read were waiting in the wings. This year, for our fifth annual 25 Books to Read Before You Die list, we’ve selected novels, poetry, short stories, and nonfiction that speak to central concerns of 21st-century life: among them, race, heredity, identity, war, and the vanishing wild. From double agents to Hurricane Katrina to intergalactic travel, these 25 vastly different books create a stunning portrait of the dislocation, perseverance, and hope at the heart of life in 21st-century America.

This list was originally published in 2018 and was added to this site almost 5 years ago.

This list has a weight of 32% . To learn more about what this means please visit the Rankings page .

• List: only covers 25 years
• List: Creator of the list, sells the books on the list
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60 Books Everyone Should Read Before They Die

From Pulitzer Prize winners to the novels you meant to read in high school.

When you've had your fill of beach reads, broaden your horizons with a selection from this list of literary masterpieces that range from moving memoirs to hilarious essays. (And okay, okay — we have some "beach" reads in here too.)

"Beloved" by Toni Morrison

50 books to read before you turn 40 »

"The Year of Magical Thinking" by Joan Didion

Joan Didion's National Book Award-winning memoir, The Year of Magical Thinking , recounts the sudden loss of her husband immediately after visiting the hospital where their daughter lay in coma. Though you'll cry plenty, it's ultimately a story of love and moving on.

"1984" by George Orwell

In what has proven to be a timeless classic, 1984 takes a dystopian look at a future of a totalitarian government disregards facts and always has an eye on its citizens. To this day, 1984 appears on best-seller lists.

See the toys that could secretly record you »

"Angela's Ashes" by Frank McCourt

Frank McCourt's memoir recounts an impoverished childhood raised in the slums. Born to a father who struggled with alcoholism and couldn't make ends meet, McCourt wears rags and begs in the street. Yet it's his father's stories that keep the child going through grim circumstances. Though you'll definitely cry when reading Angela's Ashes , you'll also be inspired by McCourt's profound ability to forgive.

Read a shocking story of forgiveness »

"The Diary of a Young Girl" by Anne Frank

This book is another one you've likely read in school, but there is honestly no such thing as reading The Diary of a Young Girl "too many" times. The diary pulls you into Anne Frank's experience as she hides from Nazis and is a moving reminder of both the cruelties of humanity and the courage of spirit Anne had.

Read an inspiring story from a Holocaust survivor »

"Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret" by Judy Blume

Though the cover of Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret has changed over time, Judy Blume's fictional-yet-relatable portrayal of a girl awaiting her period (and breasts) has provided solace for generation after generation of young women. As an adult, it's a book that keeps you from judging young people too harshly. We were all there once.

Read an excerpt from Blume's latest book »

"The Bell Jar" by Sylvia Plath

Though The Bell Jar was the only novel written by Sylvia Plath, this semi-autobiographical work explores the struggles of finding one's path in life.

14 celebrities speak out on depression »

"You'll Grow Out Of It" by Jessi Klein

Jessi Klein (the award-winning head writer for Inside Amy Schumer ) pays hilarious tribute to the awkward moments of life, whether they occur in your teens or your thirties.  You'll Grow Out Of It   is filled with real-life essays that discuss such relatable topics as the odd transition in life between being called "ma'am" and being called "miss." 

"The Best of Everything" by Rona Jaffe

When it comes to friendships, what goes unsaid is far more important than what's said. Rona Jaffe's The Best of Everything follows the highs and many lows as a group of friends as they navigate their 20s in midcentury New York. It's a book you'll want to read in one sitting, but be warned: You'll want to yell at some of the characters (especially if you have excellent radar for less-than-great romantic partners). Think of it as the 1958 version of Girls .

The most popular books by year »

"Between the World and Me" by Ta-Nehisi Coates

The bestselling Between the World and Me by MacArthur "Genius Grant" fellow Ta-Nehisi Coates uses the literary form of a letter (written to his teenaged son) to explore what it means to be black in America. The personal tone makes reading the

"A Walk in the Woods" by Bill Bryson

You'll laugh your way through this A Walk in the Woods , a memoir that follows Bryson and his quirky friend as they hike the Appalachian Trail. While you will learn a little bit a history and a lot about friendship, it's definitely not boring. Anecdotes of the unusual characters met on the trail will keep you entertained.

50 epic hikes to take around the world »

"I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings"

A genuine American classic, Angelou's I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings powerfully discusses topics such as racism, bigotry and prejudice while also serving as an empowering, coming-of-age story.

Remembering Maya Angelou »

"The Casual Vacancy" by J.K. Rowling

Though the Harry Potter series transcends generations, The Casual Vacancy was J.K. Rowling's first official novel for adults. The plot centers around a tumultuous election in an idyllic small town, an event that ends up pitting everyone against eachother (and bringing out unexpected revelations in the process). 

"Hidden Figures" by Margot Lee Shetterly

The real-life story behind the movie, Hidden Figures   tells the story of the mathematicians whose brilliance were key to the space race during the 1960s. 

"Can't We Talk About Something More Pleasant?" by Roz Chast

Can a memoir that covers the final years of a writer's parents be funny? Yes, if it's written by Roz Chast. Can't We Talk About Something More Pleasant? explores the anxiety, heartbreak and unusual kind of humor that comes with being a caretaker.

"A Full Life" by Jimmy Carter

We could've filled a whole list with books you should read from presidents past (on both sides of the aisle), but Jimmy Carter's A Full Life — written at age 90 — offers a glimpse into a past that can be hard to comprehend in our modern age. Carter grew up in a house without running water, electricity or insulation, an experience that informed his career.

Read the love story between Carter and his wife »

"Catch-22" by Joseph Heller

A satirical novel, Catch-22 blends a mixture of a comical display of incompetence by a leader while still showcasing the brutality of war. It's another book you likely read in school, but the humor comes out a bit more when reading as an adult.

"The Color Purple" by Alice Walker

Alice Walker's best-known work won a slew of awards (the Pulitzer Prize for fiction and the National Book Award) for good reason. The Color Purple follows several African-American women as they experience violence and oppression in 1930s. Walker's unflinching portrayal of their struggles is something that stays with you.

Learn which star chose this for their book club »

"Year of Yes" Shonda Rhimes

You'll get a peek into the life and mind of the creator of your favorite TV shows in Shonda Rhimes' Year of Yes .  Initially, you'll be a bit surprised at what you'll learn: Rhimes is an introvert who had panic attacks at the idea of media interviews. After her sister calls her out for always saying no to things, she decides to do the exact opposite for a whole year. Interestingly, the book covers the time period before the Year of Yes and the years that followed. 

"The Declaration of Independence" and "The United States Constitution"

Yes, The Declaration of Independence and The United States Constitution are documents (though this handy book puts them in one tome). But, they are important reads for everyone, especially in a time when political discourse so often veers towards rights and what it means to be American.

50 odd facts about each state »

@media(max-width: 64rem){.css-o9j0dn:before{margin-bottom:0.5rem;margin-right:0.625rem;color:#ffffff;width:1.25rem;bottom:-0.2rem;height:1.25rem;content:'_';display:inline-block;position:relative;line-height:1;background-repeat:no-repeat;}.loaded .css-o9j0dn:before{background-image:url(/_assets/design-tokens/goodhousekeeping/static/images/Clover.5c7a1a0.svg);}}@media(min-width: 48rem){.loaded .css-o9j0dn:before{background-image:url(/_assets/design-tokens/goodhousekeeping/static/images/Clover.5c7a1a0.svg);}} All the Best Books to Read Next

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Speech Analysis: “How to Live Before You Die” by Steve Jobs Essay (Book Review)

• To find inspiration for your paper and overcome writer’s block
• As a source of information (ensure proper referencing)
• As a template for you assignment

The foremost aim of Steve Jobs’ speech How to Live before you Die , delivered before Stanford University’s graduates in 2005, was to motivate audience’s members to never cease exploring the full extent of their lives’ potential.

As a person, who embodies the validity of an idea that a particular individual’s endowment with a strongly defined sense of ingenuity is the foremost precondition for him or her to be able to attain a social prominence, Jobs had a natural right to speak on the subject matter.

This, however, was not only the reason why, judging from students’ reactions to how Jobs proceeded with making an argumentative point, his speech turned out to be a complete success.

Another reason had to do with the fact that, in this particular speech, Jobs proved himself an utterly effective orator. In my paper, I will aim to substantiate the validity of this suggestion at length.

One of the reasons why, throughout the course of Jobs speech’s entirety, the audience’s members never ceased paying a close attention to what he was saying, is that at the very beginning of his speech, Jobs was able to establish a strong emotional contact with the audience by proving himself a humble, easy-going and humorous individual: “Truth be told, I never graduated from college, and this is the closest I’ve ever gotten to a college graduation” (00.00.46).

This, of course, points out to Jobs’ awareness of what accounts for the one of main principles of increasing the perceptional appeal of publically delivered speeches.

While understanding perfectly well that the last thing he needed to do, in order to make sure that graduates would take his words seriously, was presenting himself as an authority figure of some sort, Jobs made a point in simply telling the audience three stories about his life ( Connecting the Dots, Love and Loss, About Death ), which are being self-illustrative of his argumentation’s legitimacy.

In its turn, this substantially contributed to increasing the extent of Jobs speech’s intellectual appeal, because by having adopted an intellectually honest attitude towards the audience, he proved his willingness to refer to graduates as to what their graduation had turned them into – intellectually advanced and socially responsible adults.

In the first part of his speech, Jobs told the story of how his life’s experiences started to make sense in the end, even though that when he was young, Jobs was often unable to find much of a meaning to these experiences. Hence, Jobs’ ‘connecting the dots’ allegory, which made the line of his argumentation, in this respect, much more illustrative.

Another reason why the earlier mentioned allegory increased the extent of Jobs speech’s appeal is that it correlated perfectly well with the audience members’ subconscious anxieties – people always expect their life-experiences to have meaning (speaker’s rhetorical appeal to pathos).

In the second part of his speech, Jobs provided more references to his biography as a proof that, very often a seemingly negative event in one’s life (in Jobs’ case, his experience of having been laid off by Apple Corporation, which he founded) proves to have strongly positive consequences, as it allows a concerned individual to assess the significance of its existence from a qualitatively new perspective (speaker’s rhetorical appeal to logos).

While addressing the audience, throughout this particular part of the speech, Jobs took advantage of its endowment with an acute sense of humor (for example, he implied that he can be considered a founder of Microsoft Corporation, as well, since the latter simply copied Apple’s software).

This allowed Jobs to win the audience even more – the essence of graduates’ reactions to Jobs’ jokes, illustrates the soundness of this suggestion.

In the concluding part of his speech, Jobs pointed out to the fact that, despite having been diagnosed with cancer, he never lost its will to live, which in turn prompted him to adopt a proper approach towards dealing with the situation, and consequently helped Jobs to have his cancer surgically removed, without any further complications.

This, of course, strengthened the validity of Jobs’ argumentation even further. The reason for this is simple – given the fact that people are mortal; it should naturally prompt them to strive to live their lives to its fullest (speaker’s rhetorical appeal to ethos).

And, the key to ensuring the ‘fullness’ of one’s life, is his or her endowment with the sense of courageousness: “Have the courage to follow your heart and intuition – they somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary” (00.12.58).

Among the foremost features of Jobs’ speech, which contributed to increasing the extent of its rhetorical effectiveness, can be named:

Clarity – while addressing the audience, Jobs spoke clearly and loudly, which in turn helped graduates to comprehend the point that he was making.

Absence of distracting mannerisms – given the universally recognized authenticity of Jobs’ life-stories, mentioned in his speech, there was no need for him to talk about them in a particularly passionate manner, which would convince listeners in these stories’ ‘truthfulness’.

Confidence – while on the podium, Jobs never exhibited any signs of shyness or artificial pretentiousness, on his part. This, of course, helped him to strengthen the emotional contact with the audience.

Enthusiasm – the manner, in which Jobs was addressing the audience, points out to the fact that he did believe that his speech would indeed enlighten Stanford’s graduates in a variety of different ways. In its turn, this explains Jobs’ oratorical enthusiasm.

Interactiveness – the watching of Jobs speech’s video, leaves very few doubts as to the fact that, while exposing listeners to his line of argumentation, he never ceased being aware of the nature of graduates’ anticipatory anxieties, in regards to what he was talking about.

This is exactly the reason why, throughout the course of Jobs speech’s entirety, graduates continued to remain observably interested in listening to the speaker.

Unconventionalness – given the fact that in the first part of his speech, Jobs had made a point in suggesting that it was namely due to his decision to drop out of the college, that he was able to become enormously rich, this significantly increased the unconventional sounding of his line of reasoning.

And, as psychologists are well aware of, people are being naturally interested in hearing about what may account for the unconventional methods of tackling a particular life’s challenge.

I believe that the earlier provided analysis of how Jobs went about ensuring the rhetorical effectiveness of his 2005 speech, delivered to Stanford University’s students, is being fully consistent with this paper’s initial thesis.

Therefore, it will only be logical, on my part, to conclude this paper by suggesting that Steve Jobs should not only be considered the one of 20 th century’s most prominent technological geniuses, but also an utterly effective orator.

Bibliography

How to Live before you Die . Steve Jobs. TED.Com. (2011). Web.

• "Essay on Man" by Alexander Pope
• Do the Essays “Arriving at Perfection” and “The Gettysburg Address” Provide the Reflections on the Essential Wisdom to be Deemed?
• Steve Jobs' Unconventional Leadership Style
• Steve Jobs’ 2005 Commencement Speech Analysis
• Steve Jobs’ Public Speaking Evaluation
• Rhetorical Stance Of Articles
• “BullShit” Meaning in Modern Society
• I Have a Dream Speech Analysis
• Third Dialogue between Philonous and Hylas
• Fallacy Summary and Application Paper
• Chicago (A-D)
• Chicago (N-B)

IvyPanda. (2019, April 2). Speech Analysis: “How to Live Before You Die” by Steve Jobs. https://ivypanda.com/essays/speech-analysis-how-to-live-before-you-die-by-steve-jobs/

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IvyPanda . 2019. "Speech Analysis: “How to Live Before You Die” by Steve Jobs." April 2, 2019. https://ivypanda.com/essays/speech-analysis-how-to-live-before-you-die-by-steve-jobs/.

1. IvyPanda . "Speech Analysis: “How to Live Before You Die” by Steve Jobs." April 2, 2019. https://ivypanda.com/essays/speech-analysis-how-to-live-before-you-die-by-steve-jobs/.

IvyPanda . "Speech Analysis: “How to Live Before You Die” by Steve Jobs." April 2, 2019. https://ivypanda.com/essays/speech-analysis-how-to-live-before-you-die-by-steve-jobs/.

Classic books to read before you die

Novels for the bucket list

The pressure of reading a piece of classic literature, the kind of book everyone recommends, can be incredibly daunting. What if you don’t like it? Does that make you less appreciative of good writing than you thought? And worse, what if you don't really understand it?

If that wasn’t off-putting enough, where do you even start with the classics? Have they all aged well or are there some that simply are not worth your time?

We’ve picked 12 classic books that we think you need to add to your list. These are all great works of fiction that are still worth reading today. After all, they’re considered classics for a reason. Most of these titles were written at least 50 years ago, while several are more modern and some are considerably older than that.

Upvote the novel you'd recommend to a friend, and add your own suggestions at the bottom.

• Rather use an ebook reader? Check out our best Kindle shortlist.

1 . Harper Lee – To Kill a Mockingbird

Those who have already read To Kill a Mockingbird probably did so at school, so it’s definitely worth a refresher. Published in 1960, it puts injustice and racial politics front and centre as it transports the reader into a vividly depicted American south.

The novel gained historical significance by virtue of author Harper Lee not releasing another novel for more than half a century, though Go Set a Watchman – another work involving the lead character Atticus Finch – was surrounded by controversy when published shortly before Lee’s death.

2 . Joseph Heller – Catch-22

Catch-22 is one of those novels people tend to say they’ve read without having actually read it. Now’s the time to change that if you’re one of them, especially as there is every chance you are familiar with some of its more famous elements.

Heller’s wartime novel treats its readers with a playful disrespect, plunging you into the same frustrations endured by his characters. The layered text is at times laugh-out-loud funny and always exasperating to the point of hilarity.

3 . Mary Shelley - Frankenstein

The gothic genre has thrown up countless classics, while continuing to inform horror and period movies to the present day. Frankenstein is perhaps the most enduring.

There have been countless adaptations, but nothing compares to the depth and storytelling shown in Shelley’s original. Dealing with themes of science, terror, loss and human agency, perhaps the most striking thing about Frankenstein is that Shelley began writing it when she was still a teenager.

4 . John Steinbeck – East of Eden

A number of Steinbeck novels justify a spot on this list, The Grapes of Wrath and Of Mice and Men among the other contenders. But East of Eden’s marriage of universal themes and a precise depiction of a specific America earns it the nod.

East of Eden centres around the Trask and Hamilton families. Themes of betrayal and guilt are made that bit stronger by the familial relationships and theirr biblical influences. Its 600+ pages contain barely a single wasted word.

5 . Albert Camus – L’Étranger

A simple novel but one without a wasted moment, Camus’s most famous work – also known as ‘The Stranger’ – follows the involvement of protagonist Meurseault in a crime, with the narrative divided into a clear ‘before’ and ‘after’.

The novel is a lesson in expectation versus reality, playing with themes of independence and unique behaviour as a contrast to the concept of ‘playing the game’, and fills its 120-odd pages with incredible depth.

6 . Charlotte Bronte – Jane Eyre

The Bronte sisters are rightly held up among the greatest writing dynasties. Charlotte Bronte’s debut novel Jane Eyre was ahead of its time in the way it subverted traditional relationships of the mid-19th century.

It is told in the first person, and the novel is held up for its refusal to adhere to female stereotypes of the time. Jane Eyre places a memorable title character within the context of a deep and layered work.

7 . Jane Austen – Pride and Prejudice

Elements of Pride and Prejudice present it very much as a product of its time, but this does not hold the book back. The strength of Austen’s novel comes in the author’s storytelling and the extrapolation of universal themes, to the point that it doesn’t matter than you’re reading about a period you might consider alien by your own standards. The BBC adaptation wasn’t too bad either.

8 . Franz Kafka – The Trial

Rarely does a novel have the power of inducing claustrophobia, but The Trial isn’t like most novels. Kafka’s work was published posthumously, adding to the sense of speculation around some of his intentions, and follows a man named Josef K who is prosecuted for a crime whose details are a mystery even to him.

9 . Chinua Achebe – Things Fall Apart

Published in 1958, Things Fall Apart draws on elements of classic European literature while telling uniquely African stories that had previously received disproportionately low representation in the literary canon.

Telling the story of Okonkwo, a community leader in a Nigerian village, Achebe’s novel addresses the conflict between old and new ideals, and between physical and mental strength, through a prism which at the time was brand new to European readers.

10 . Station Eleven - Emily St John Mandel

Emily St John Mandel is the most modern authors on our list, but we think she's already surpassed classic status with her novels. The most famous, and perhaps the best, is Station Eleven.

This 2015 book is set in the tense and eerie days before civilisation falls into ruin after a pandemic. We know that sounds horrifying and a bit too much, but trust is, this is a captivating story. Yes, at times it's heart-breaking, but it's beautifully written with excellent character development, wonderful world-building and, at its core, a story about putting your life on the line for humanity, for hope and for art.

11 . The Secret History - Donna Tartt

The Secret History is definitely considered a contemporary literary classic. With it, Donna Tartt pretty much defined the dark academia book genre. This is a captivating story about a group of eccentric college students and how their lives are irrevocably shaken by a murder. Don't worry, that's not a spoiler. This is a murder mystery told unconventionally, and narrated by one of the students.

12 . F. Scott Fitzgerald – The Great Gatsby

Not only is The Great Gatsby an essential part of 1920s American literature and an essential slice of 1920s America in general, it’s short enough that you could read the whole thing in one sitting if you so choose.

Fitzgerald’s best-known work is a beautifully told look at obsession, decadence and the idea of having it all. Plenty of authors have chased the quintessential dissection of the American dream, but few have captured it so well.

SOMETHING MISSING FROM OUR SHORTLIST?

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30 Books to read before you die (or on Read an Ebook Day)

Figuring out what to read can be overwhelming. There are, frankly, so many books worth reading that, oftentimes, you can find yourself paralyzed with choice. In these moments, it’s likely you either ask a friend, a librarian, or head to Google for a book recommendation. We’ve done the work for you by asking our friends, the book nerds and librarians of Team OverDrive, for the book you absolutely have to read. They did not let us down.

Read an Ebook Day is coming up on September 18th. It’s good to have the perfect book ready to go and, with that in mind, we’re happy to present you with our essential reading to help you narrow down your search.

30 Books to read before you die

– Love Thy Neighbor: A Muslim Doctor’s Struggle for Home in Rural America by Ayaz Virji with Alan Eisenstock.

– The Goldfinch   by Donna Tartt

– Pachinko by Min Jin Lee

A sweeping story of a family struggling to survive and find their way in countries that refuse to accept them. This extraordinary tale shows the relentlessness of the human spirit as generations of family members fight to control their own destiny.

– Franny and Zooey by J.D. Salinger

– The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein

– This is Where it Ends by Marieke Nijkamp

In the United States, mass shootings are, sadly, a normal occurrence. This harrowing story of a fictional shooting in a high school could happen truly anywhere. Told in real-time, Nijkamp will leave you heartbroken and yet, somehow, filled with hope that things can improve.

– Firefly Lane by Kristin Hannah

– The Source by James A. Michener

– The Road by Cormac McCarthy

It is a glimpse into the worst of humanity and the best of humanity in a few hundred pages. It’s like reading poetry; each word is so beautifully and carefully considered. I felt for the characters so deeply, that I had to keep reading through the bad parts, and would stop reading for days on the good ones, just to keep them safe and together a little while longer, even though I knew their fate from the first page.

– A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith

– Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

Everyone in the book has faults, but many of the characters learn and model forgiveness, acceptance and most importantly, the power of a sincere apology. Admitting when you are wrong is pretty much becoming a lost art these days. And who doesn’t love a good Regency ball?

– Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

Little Women is great because it’s classic but also timeless, a kid’s book but also applicable to adults, and everyone can identify with (at least) one character. Anyone with a mom and particularly anyone with sisters needs to read Little Women to appreciate the bond between them.

– Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook by Gary Vaynerchuk

– Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk by Kathleen Rooney

It’s hard to understate how impressive what Kathleen has done with this novel. In depicting a woman in her mid-80s taking a walk through New York City on New Year’s Eve, she somehow manages to create a feeling of nostalgia anyone can connect with. Whether you have any connection to life this factious former advertising star has led or not, this book will leave you yearning for a simpler time.

– Shrill   by Lindy West

– The Hike by Drew Magary

A modern-day take on the Odyssey where Ben, a tired suburban man, goes on a walk that turns into a bizarre quest filled with life or death consequences. It is remarkably unique and, at times, both hilarious and haunting. The final page of this book is unlike anything you’ll ever come across.

– A Room of One’s Own by Virginia Woolf

Yes, this is an old-fashioned read…published in 1929…but it is still timely, and it’s short, and if you follow along with Woolf as she ponders the subject while meandering around the grounds of a university (where she is sternly told that women can’t walk on the grass), you will find a premise built on irrefutable logic and filled with unexpected chuckles.

– A Place for Us by Fatima Farheen Mirza

– To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

Wonderfully written, enduring characters, and unfortunately, timeless themes.

– The Black Stallion by Walter Farley

– Faithful Place by Tana French

This book has family drama, murder, and intrigue. Plus, it’s beautifully written and who doesn’t love a story that takes place in Ireland?! It’s technically book 3 of the “Dublin Murder Squad series,” but her books aren’t really sequential…you don’t have to read the others to know or enjoy what’s happening.

– The Power of Myth by Joseph Campbell

– The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

– This Is Motherhood by Jill Koziol and Liz Tenety

This is Motherhood is a collection of essays “by Moms, for Moms” that covers just about every angle of motherhood. Are you a Pinterest Mom? A Single Mom? A C-Section Mom? A Co-Sleeping Mom? How about a Hot Mess Mom? (Guilty.) This book reflects on all those Moms and more. The mothers that wrote these essays show us there are many ways to be a Mom, and we all navigate Motherhood in our own beautiful way.

– Oh, the Places You’ll Go! by Dr. Seuss

– The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry.

I look for it anytime I am in a book shop. It’s had several editions and translations, so I am always looking for one I’ve not seen before. It’s a book for all ages; at first glance for children, but upon first read, it’s for adults. As Antoine notes in his dedication to Leon Werth, “All grown-ups were children first. (But few of them remember it.)” It’s a book that reminds us grown-ups that while there is sadness and pain on our small planet, there is joy and wonder, too—something children already know.

– Misery by Stephen King

Because everyone should know how terrifying Annie Wilkes is.

– The Sixth Extinction by Elizabeth Kolbert

An engrossing read that reveals the threat humans pose to the rest of the natural world. It’s written in an accessible, engaging manner, and I learned so many cool facts about bats, frogs, you name it! However, a warning: Her outlook was so depressing I teared up in the car multiple times while listening to it on audio.

[…] 30 Books to read before you die (or on Read an Ebook Day) […]

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Trump and Allies Forge Plans to Increase Presidential Power in 2025

The former president and his backers aim to strengthen the power of the White House and limit the independence of federal agencies.

Donald J. Trump intends to bring independent regulatory agencies under direct presidential control. Credit... Doug Mills/The New York Times

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By Jonathan Swan Charlie Savage and Maggie Haberman

• Published July 17, 2023 Updated July 18, 2023

Donald J. Trump and his allies are planning a sweeping expansion of presidential power over the machinery of government if voters return him to the White House in 2025, reshaping the structure of the executive branch to concentrate far greater authority directly in his hands.

Their plans to centralize more power in the Oval Office stretch far beyond the former president’s recent remarks that he would order a criminal investigation into his political rival, President Biden, signaling his intent to end the post-Watergate norm of Justice Department independence from White House political control.

Mr. Trump and his associates have a broader goal: to alter the balance of power by increasing the president’s authority over every part of the federal government that now operates, by either law or tradition, with any measure of independence from political interference by the White House, according to a review of his campaign policy proposals and interviews with people close to him.

Mr. Trump intends to bring independent agencies — like the Federal Communications Commission, which makes and enforces rules for television and internet companies, and the Federal Trade Commission, which enforces various antitrust and other consumer protection rules against businesses — under direct presidential control.

He wants to revive the practice of “impounding” funds, refusing to spend money Congress has appropriated for programs a president doesn’t like — a tactic that lawmakers banned under President Richard Nixon.

He intends to strip employment protections from tens of thousands of career civil servants, making it easier to replace them if they are deemed obstacles to his agenda. And he plans to scour the intelligence agencies, the State Department and the defense bureaucracies to remove officials he has vilified as “the sick political class that hates our country.”

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