- HG Wells – The War of the Worlds
- Homer – The Illiad
- Homer – The Odyssey
- Ivan Turgenev – Fathers and Sons
- James Clavel – Shogun
- James Joyce – Ulysses
- Jane Austen – Pride and Prejudice
- JD Salinger – The Catcher in the Rye
- Jerome – Three Men in a Boat
- John Steinbeck – Of Mice and Men
- John Steinbeck – The Grapes of Wrath
- Jonathan Swift – Gulliver’s Travels
- Joseph Heller – Catch-22
- JRR Tolkien – The Lord of the Rings
- Jules Verne – 20000 Leagues Under the Sea
- Jules Verne – A Journey to the Center of the Earth
- Kenneth Grahame – The Wind in the Willows
- Kurt Vonnegut – Slaughterhouse Five
- Leo Tolstoy – War and Peace
- Louisa May Alcott – Little Women
- Margaret Mitchell – Gone With the Wind
- Mario Puzo – The Godfather
- Mark Helprin – Winter’s Tale
- Miguel de Cervantes – Don Quixote
- Nathaniel Hawthorne – The Scarlet Letter
- Nicholas Monsarrat – The Cruel Sea
- Nicholas Sparks – Message in a Bottle
- Nietzsche – Beyond Good and Evil
- Nostradamus – The Prophecies
- Paulo Coelho – The Alchemist
- Plato – The Republic
- Raphael Sabatini – Captain Blood
- Ray Bradbury – Fahrenheit 451
- Rene Descartes – Discourse on Method
- Robert A. Heinlein – I Will Fear No Evil
- Robert A. Heinlein – Stranger in a Strange Land
- Robert J. Waller – The Bridges of Madison County
- Robert Louis Stevenson – Treasure Island
- Stephen Baxter – Manifold Time
- Stephen King – The Stand – Uncut
- Sun Tzu – The Art of War
- Thomas Hardy – Far From the Madding Crowd
- TS Elliot – The Waste Land
- Umberto Eco – The Name of the Rose
- Victor Hugo – Les Miserables
- Vladimir Nabokov – Lolita
- Voltaire – Candide or Optimism
- William Golding – Lord of the Flies
- Yann Martel – Life of Pi
- Zane Grey – Riders of the Purple Sage
And that is that. These are not the books which I necessarily found entertaining, otherwise I would have included many from Terry Pratchett. These are books which have something greater to offer and can change the way we look at life. Like I had said before, there are a few here I’ve included just because I remember them to be excellent without recalling much of the plot details. “Winter’s Tale” from Mark Helprin is one such that pops up in the mind. His prose is amazing. Its worth the reading alone – very vibrant colors and imagery in his books.
Most of these are what the world recommends anyway so there’s not a whole lot of deviation from the norm here. Some of these are not fiction and don’t really boast of a great plot or prose but they are so important for humanity. Carl Sagan, Charles Darwin and Adam Smith are prime examples of that. Charles Darwin for who we were, Adam Smith for who we are and Carl Sagan for what we should aspire to be in a universe so meant for us.
The main reason I’ve included Nostradamus in this list is for its importance in understanding humanity. It is part and parcel of what the human race is about and for me to better understand myself, I have to also understand the human race.
Some of these like Albert Camus and Thomas Hardy were read when I was in school and I vaguely remember the book reports I wrote for them. Quite a few of these are too cerebral to go through even once and I am sure I have put away many of these without finishing them. But I think I am a better person for having tried.
I am ok with this list though I am sure that if I were to take it up again after a few months, the listing would be different each time I do it. But these are all masterpieces of the written word. Don’t take it lightly and always be careful what you read. Words have immense power and when arranged by masters like these, they can change our lives and touch our souls. Its up to us whether they do it for the better or for the worse.
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