Making a list of books to read before you die is can be very exciting. There have been some great pieces written by brilliant authors. This article names some of the most celebrated books of all time.
Books can be your best companion when you want to want some alone time. Most people carry a book when they are traveling. Long journeys can be quite boring, and the best way to pass time is to have a good book to read. Books help pass time, and there is always something that can be learned from them.
It is essential to read books. They are silent companions who expect nothing in return. Their pages are full of treasures and wisdom, which nourish an individual on the whole. Even with our busy life schedule, some people still read books because it gives them mental peace and a sense of satisfaction. Mentioned below is a long list of amazing books which are a delight to read.
Top 10 Books to Read Before You Die
They have withstood the passage of time and still remain timeless. Below are the names of ten books that have been universally acclaimed, and should be read by everyone. The following books are famous, globally recognized, and have been brilliantly written.
The Holy Bible
It rightly deserves the #1 spot, being the most influential book ever written. Every page of this book has a history that tells about the creation, fall, and redemption of mankind. See the story of creation and fall of man in Genesis, Welcome the son of God, Jesus Christ in Gospels. The Bible contains stories of hope, history, and heroism.
Dead Souls
Don’t think of it as a horror book, it’s not; but it will make you wonder, and feel scared at the same time. Dead Souls is considered as one of the wittiest books of the 19th century. It is written by Nikolai Gogol, a famous Russian writer. He is not known globally but has been a major influence on Tolstoy and Dostoevsky. His only novel, Dead Souls, is the story of a young man who travels to Russia buying souls (of peasants who have died, but are still registered as living people in the census records). He purchases them from land owners, to extract loans from government. It’s an intelligent take on the rich and self-obsessed society, which has gossiping housewives, cruel landowners, and corrupt officials. The book is also considered as Russia’s first official novel.
Gone With the Wind
Gone with the Wind was published in the year 1936. On its release day, 50,000 copies were sold and the count reached to two million in a year. This book always features in the long listing of books made into movies list. Even though it’s 1,037 pages long, it is considered as a classic, mostly read by everyone who believes in love. Margaret Mitchell prided herself with this great piece. The book is a great account of dramatic events during the civil war.
Harry Potter Series
The name says it all. Written by J.K. Rowling, this fantasy book is a favorite with kids, as well as adults. Visit the magical world of Hogwarts with Harry Potter, Ron, and Hermione, and witness Harry’s confrontation with Lord Voldemort, Draco Malfoy, and professor Snape. The dangerous journey into the Chamber of Secrets, to the Triwizard Tournament, to the comeback of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named; each chapter is more exciting and fun than its predecessor.
The Count of Monte Cristo
Dumas, the writer of the Count of Monte Cristo, knows people. This quality of his, helps him to create some of his most deep characters ever. Every page of Monte Cristo, is packed with adventure, passion, and drama. This book pours out vengeance, betrayal, and injustice. The Count of Monte Cristo is a 1,000 page book, that will keep you hooked in its world for a long time.
The Lord of the Rings
The Lord of the Rings is regarded as the most-loved fantasy book of 20th century by critics and fans. It single-handedly inspired more than a dozen novels, which had elves and dwarfs on a mission to conquer evil and help good win. It was actually intended to be a single volume, but its division into a trilogy created the format for fantasy literature.
Dracula
Bram Stoker created a character that is still fresh in everyone’s mind. We’ve seen Dracula in movies, cartoons, musicals, and computer games, and it still gives many of us the creeps. It is much more than the story of a blood sucking man. It’s an interesting study of Victorian mortality and sexuality. Dracula is a great horror story in itself, so forget Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and all the countless imitators who try to be a vampire. Because, once you read this book, there’s nothing else that you are going to love.
The Da Vinci Code
One of the most controversial books written by Dan Brown, The Da Vinci Code bags 8th spot on this list. Curator of Louvre has been murdered. Near his body, the cops discover a baffling cipher. Professor Robert Langdon is called, and is stunned to see the trail of clues set by Leonardo Da Vinci. These clues are visible to all, yet no one can see them as it is hidden beautifully by the great painter. The Da Vinci Code calls upon some of the unsolved mysteries of the church which are enough to shake the foundations of Christianity.
War and Peace
Considered as the daddy of all classic novels, War and Peace is one of the best books of all time. The plot of the book is set in the early 19th century, where a group of Russian aristocrats face Napoleon’s army. While many scenes in the book are bloody, the book excels when the chapters of human conflict arises. A masterpiece from Leo Tolstoy, War and Peace puts forward a very interesting question – how does one keep one’s morals intact when faced with a flawed and evil world?
Catcher in the Rye
An enduring story of Holden Caufield’s journey from innocence to maturity, Catcher in the Rye is written by J.D. Salinger and is considered a classic. Released in 1951, it became a best seller and a cult favorite for people who asked questions. Over the years, it has also faced a lot of attention and criticism for its open use of profanity, and its open conversations about sex and its views about the adult world.
100 Must Read Books
Here is a list of the 100 best ones. Pick your favorite one and start reading.
- Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky
- A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole
- Moby Dick by Herman Melville
- Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White
- Where I’m Calling From by Raymond Carver
- The Trial by Franz Kafka
- The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
- The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
- The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
- A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway
- The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
- 1984 by George Orwell
- Other Voices, Other Rooms by Truman Capote
- Working by Studs Terkel
- Rabbit, Run by John Updike
- To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
- Herzog by Saul Bellow
- The Secret Agent by Joseph Conrad
- The Naked and the Dead by Norman Mailer
- Birdsong by Sebastian Faulk
- All Creatures Great and Small by James Herriot
- Lord of the Flies by William Golding
- Post Office by Charles Bukowski
- The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie
- Persuasion by Jane Austen
- The Call of the Wild by Jack London
- Great Expectations by Charles Dickens
- Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl
- Portnoy’s Complaint by Philip Roth
- The Original Illustrated Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle
- The Godfather by Mario Puzo
- The Illustrated Man by Ray Bradbury
- The Lady in the Lake by Raymond Chandler
- Go Down, Moses by William Faulkner
- Lizard Music by D. Manus Pinkwater
- The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis
- Tropic of Cancer by Henry Miller
- The Stranger by Albert Camus
- Nine Stories by J.D. Salinger
- The Secret Garden by Frances Burnett
- Mythology by Edith Hamilton
- 100 Great Science Fiction Short Stories edited by Isaac Asimov
- Comet in Moominland by Tove Jansson
- The Real Frank Zappa Book by Frank Zappa
- Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse
- The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka
- A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle
- The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster
- Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
- The Nick Adams Stories by Ernest Hemingway
- The Annotated Alice by Lewis Caroll (notes by Martin Gardner)
- Call it Sleep by Henry Roth
- Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie
- The New York Trilogy by Paul Auster
- Foundation by Isaac Asimov
- A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess
- The Swiss Family Robinson by Johann David Wyss
- The Shining by Stephen King
- Animal Farm by George Orwell
- The Patchwork Girl of Oz by L. Frank Baum
- The Tenants by Bernard Malamud
- Papillon by Henri Charriere
- The Happy Prince and Other Stories by Oscar Wilde
- The Hitchiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
- Captain Corelli’s Mandolin by Louis De Bernieres
- Childhood’s End by Arthur C. Clarke
- The Quiet American by Graham Greene
- James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl
- Just So Stories by Rudyard Kipling
- Women by Charles Bukowski
- Edie: An American Biography by Jean Stein
- Blubber by Judy Blume
- The Book of Lists by David Wallenchinsky
- Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson
- To Your Scattered Bodies Go by Philip Jose Farmer
- The Stories of John Cheever by John Cheever
- The Bronx Zoo by Sparky Lyle and Peter Golenbock
- A Separate Peace by John Knowles
- Oh Human Bondage By W. Somerset Maughm
- The Autobiography of Malcolm X as told to Alex Haley
- Zen and the Art of Mortocycle Maintenance by Robert M. Pirsig
- In the Night Kitchen by Maurice Sendak
- Side Effects by Woody Allen
- A Spell for Chameleon by Piers Anthony
- A Good Man is Hard to Find and Other Stories by Flannery O’Connor
- Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card
- The Great Brain at the Academy by John D. Fitzgerald
- Cannery Row by John Steinbeck
- Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes
- Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
- Paul McCartney: Many Years From Now by Barry Miles
- Nausea by Jean-Paul Sartre
- Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant by Anne Tyler
- The Movie-goer by Walker Percy
- Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
- Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison
- On the Road by Jack Kerouac
- One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
- The Teachings of Don Juan: A Yaqui Way of Knowledge by Carlos Casteneda
- Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
Read these books, and you will discover something new and important about yourself and this world.