Which books should everyone read?

Question

Do you ever read a book and think 'it should be the law that people read this?'

Some of my 'must reads' include 'Hideous Kinky' by Esther Freud,
'The Lovely Bones' by Alice Sebold and 'Son Rise' by Barry Neil Kaufman,

What about you?

I just want to emphasise that I don't necessarily mean your favourite book, though it might be, and we all have favourties. But books that really give to the reader, that have a profound effect upon you.

Answer 1

My must read books are:-

Catch-22 by Joseph Heller, for it's satire and comedy and because it's still relevant especially in todays climate.

Brighton Rock by Graham Greene, firstly because he's probably one of the best British writers of all time and secondly because of the subversive nature of the book and Greene's daring to write about things that were taboo at the time.

Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger, because every teenager and and disenchanted person can relate to having such a mispent youth.

Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen, her best book, I'm not really a fan of romance but she epitomised what we all come to expect now from the genre and the main character, Elizabeth Bennet is so full of wit and spark.

Nineteen Eighty-Four and Animal Farm by George Orwell both brilliant books which raise very important issues. Pure storytelling brilliance.

Germinal by Emile Zola, it's the sort of book that makes you want to start a revolution.

The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway, because it shows that strength and sadness continues through life.

David Copperfield by Charles Dickens, because it's the closest thing he wrote to an autobiography.

Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro, reminds you how delicate life can be and how it's something that must be savoured and cherished by all.

The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde, for its life lesson on living decadently.

In Watermelon Sugar by Richard Brautigan. It's short, beautiful, strange and basically like reading a book on acid.

The Trial by Franz Kafka, if you only ever read one book of his then read this, it's bizarre and twisted and completely relatable.

Plus loads more..

Answer 2

The Day of the Triffids and The Chrysalids, both by John Wyndham. He had a very astute way of analysing humanity in the form of a thoroughly readable science fiction.

As well as this, Phillip Reeves' 'Mortal Engines' Quartet. I put down the final book and had to sit there for a moment, because it was so overwhelming.

I would at this point add 'The Lord of the Rings' for its effect upon literature (the ripples are still being felt today - it helped inspire an entire genre), but I appreciate that it isn't everyone's cup of tea.

Answer 3

"Letters From A Lost Generation"

The letters between-
Vera Britten
Roland Leighton
Edward Brittian
Victor Richardson
Geoffrey Thurlow

Written during WW1

It shows also the love the officers had for their men and visa versa.

I found this book heartbreaking to read but I'm glad I read it.

Lest we forget!

Yes, they were a privileged group, but never the less, they cared for the men they came to know and respect. Often men all from the same village...

"Walking on water" By Randall Kenan

It's about black American lives, at the turn of the century.


"The Rise And Fall Of The Roman Empire".

By Gibbon

Answer 4

The Bible or at least bits of it
The Holy Koran or at least bits of it
Seven Pillars of Wisdome: TE Lawrence
A Horseman Riding By: RF Dangerfield
Vulcan 607: Rowland White
River God: Wilbur Smith
Warlock: Wilbur Smith
Seven Scrolls: Wilbur Smith
Tommy: Richard Holmes
Scott: Rannuph Feinnes
Berlin: Antony Beavor
Stalingrad: Antony Beavor
My Son My Son: Howard Spring

Answer 5

At some stage everyone should read the Narnia series, The Lion, The With and the Wardrobe etc...

Also the David Pelzer Trilogy, A Child Called It, The Lost Boy and A Man Named Dave. The first of which, is the only book I have ever read from cover to cover in one sitting, literally not being able to put it down. Such a sad, terrible story.

Anyone that can read these books without crying at some stage has something mentally wrong with them.

Answer 6

"Palestine" by Joe Sacco. It's a graphic novel. Joe Sacco visited Palestine and talked to ordinary Palestinians about their daily lives. It's an excellent book and should be complusory reading for anyone who wants to know more about the Middle East.

Everybody should also be made to read "Use Your Head" by Tony Buzan as it provides an excellent guide to really useful thinking tools - mind-mapping, speed reading, memory skills etc. It's part of a series called The Mind Set, but it's a condensed version of all the other skills covered in the series. I wish someone had given me this aged seven, rather than discovering by accident aged 21.

Answer 7

Definitely "The Diary of Anne Frank".
Every child should be asked to read this in school so that future generations don't make the same mistakes and the world never has to see another holocaust.
Every world leader should also be made to read this, maybe they would think twice.
In fact any book which tells of someone's experience during the holocaust.

Answer 8

Got to be Middlemarch by George Elliot, all those stuffy academic types say it's one of the greatest books in the English language and they're actually right, it's life awe-inspiring. Oh, for a life changing read it's got to be The Renaissance by Walter Pater, be careful though, you'll never be the same again.

Answer 9

I think it depends on the age and ability of the reader. However, mine are chosen with adults in mind for this part!

Any adult (and child for that matter) should read Roald Dahl's stories. I still read them now every now and again, and they really do make you feel like you are actually there.

Nineteen-Eighty-Four by George Orwell. Considering this was written over 60 years ago, it is worryingly accurate in some cases, and so draws you in by your mind comparing life to the novel.

Catch-22 by Joseph Heller. My personal favourite book, and once you get your head around it, you empathise with the characters and being to understand their way of thinking.

The Silver Sword by Ian Serralier. Another wartime novel, but is so gripping that i found it very hard to put down!

The Machine Gunners by Robert Westall. Yet another wartime one (sorry!) The transformation of the young people from kids to adults is quite amazing.

Thats all I can think of at the moment. Ohh- and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, and of course the Harry Potter novels!

Answer 10

I think socially acitve and social awareness books, and historical books should be must-reads. Books like "Night", "A Child Called It", "Memoirs of a Geisha", "All Quiet on the Western Front", "Diary of Anne Frank", "Communist Manifesto", "Lolita", "A Tree Grown in Brooklyn", "Angela's Ashes", "The Devil's Arithemetic", "Candide", "The Beach", "The Scarlet Letter", "The Catcher in the Rye", "Alas, Babylon", "Farewell to Manzanar", "The Jungle", "Fanny Hill", "Marie Antoinette: the Journey", and also, one that doesn't really fit in, but that everyone should read: "The Mists of Avalon"

I am sure there are hundreds more, but these are the ones I have read.