50 Must-Read Books to Add to Your Bucket List

50 Must-Read Books to Add to Your Bucket List Whether youre an avid reader, a writer, or someone simply wanting to read the best literature of all time, weve compiled this list of 50 must-read books to put on your bucket list this year. Some are beloved and immortal classics, while others are more recently written but should not to be missed.#1. Les Misérablesâ€"Victor HugoVictor Hugos Les Misérables is a tale of triumph over insurmountable odds and love during the French Revolution.#2. 1984â€"George OrwellGeorge Orwells 1984 is a cautionary tale of the dangers of totalitarianism.#3. The Book Thiefâ€"Markus ZusakNarrated by Death itself, Markus Zusaks The Book Thief is the coming-of-age story of a young girl living in Nazi Germany during World War II.#4. Fahrenheit 451â€"Ray BradburyRay Bradburys Fahrenheit 451 is a classic dystopian novel about the power (and fear) of knowledge.#5. The Bell Jarâ€"Sylvia PlathSylvia Plaths The Bell Jar is a haunting American classic that explores the depths of the psyche and that narrators fai ling mental health.#5. Tuesdays with Morrieâ€"Mitch AlbomMitch Alboms Tuesdays with Morrie is a memoir about a series of memorable and thought-provoking visits Albom made to his former sociology professor Morrie Schwartz, as Schwartz is dying.#6. The Handmaids Taleâ€"Margaret AtwoodMargaret Atwoods The Handmaids Tale is a dystopian novel set in a near-future New England, in a totalitarian state and theocracy in which most women are infertile.#7. The Grapes of Wrathâ€"John SteinbeckJohn Steinbecks The Grapes of Wrath is a novel about love, hopelessness, and loss for tenant farmers during the Great Depression. It won the National Book Award and Pulitzer Prize for fiction.#8. Lord of the Flies â€" William GoldingWilliam Goldings Lord of the Flies is a classic exploration of human nature and survival, when a plane carrying a group of English school boys crash lands on a deserted island.#9. Roots: The Saga of an American Familyâ€"Alex HaleyAlex Haleys Roots: The Saga of an American Famil y is considered to be one of the most important works of American literature in the 20th Century. It tells the story of Kunta Kinte, an 18th-century African, who was sold into slavery, and his ancestors, which includes the author.#10. Great Expectationsâ€"Charles DickensCharles Dickens Great Expectations is full of colorful characters in contrasting bleak scenes of poverty, and tells the story of a young orphan named Pip.#11. I Know Why the Caged Bird Singsâ€"Maya AngelouMaya Angelous I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings is an autobiography describing the American poets early years. Dealing with issues such as race, cultural identity, literacy, and rape, the book is as much a piece of literature as it is the authors own story.#12. Gone with the Windâ€"Margaret MitchellMargaret Mitchells Gone With the Wind is an epic tale of the fall of the Old South, with one of the most memorable heroines in history.#13. Flowers for Algernonâ€"Daniel KeyesDaniel Keyes Flowers for Algernon was originally a short story and contains ethical and moral themes such as the treatment of the mentally disabled.#14. To Kill a Mockingbirdâ€"Harper LeeHarper Lees To Kill a Mockingbird handles themes of racial injustice and the destruction of innocence with compelling storytelling and beloved characters such as Atticus Finch, who set the bar for being a man of integrity and quiet strength.#15. The Alchemistâ€"Paulo CoelhoPaulo Coelhos The Alchemist is an allegorical novel that follows a young Andalusian shepherd as he journeys to the pyramids of Egypt, after having a recurring dream that he would find treasure there. It reiterates the adage, when you really want something to happen, the whole universe will conspire so that your wish comes true.#16. The Catcher in the Ryeâ€"J.D. SalingerJ.D. Salingers The Catcher in the Rye contains themes of angst and alienation, and is a literary critique on superficiality in society from an adolescents viewpoint.#17. Crime and Punishmentâ€"Fyodor DostoyevskyF yodor Dostoyevskys Crime and Punishment delves into the mental anguish and moral dilemmas of Rodion Raskolnikov, a young man from Saint Petersburg who decides to kill a woman because she is unscrupulous in order to free himself from poverty. However, his choice brings about moral consequences he does not anticipate.#18. Animal Farmâ€"George OrwellGeorge Orwells Animal Farm is a modern fable that deals with the events leading up to the Russian Revolution of 1917 and beyond, particularly the the Stalinist era of the Soviet Union.#19. The Sound and the Furyâ€"William FaulknerWilliam Faulkners The Sound and the Fury contains several different narrative styles, including stream of consciousness. Set in Jefferson, Mississippi, the novel tells the story of the Compson family, former Southern aristocrats who are struggling to deal with the death of the Old South.#20. The Sun Also Risesâ€"Ernest HemingwayErnest Hemingways The Sun Also Rises is about expatriates who travel from Paris to the F estival of San Fermín in Pamplona to watch the running of the bulls. Hemingways stark style of storytelling mixed with the grandeurs of Spain make this one of his most beloved novels.#21. On the Roadâ€"Jack KerouacJack Kerouacs On the Road is a roman à clef that defined the Beat and Counterculture generations following World War II. Its characters are representations of some of the most famous members of the Beat movements, including William S. Burroughs (Old Bull Lee), Allen Ginsberg (Carlo Marx) and Neal Cassady (Dean Moriarty), while Kerouac is the narrator, Sal Paradise.#22. Their Eyes Were Watching Godâ€"Zora Neale HurstonZora Neale Hurstons Their Eyes Were Watching God explores traditional gender roles and the relationship between men and women, while remaining one of the most influential works in African American literature, particularly womens literature.#23. Things Fall Apartâ€"Chinua AchebeChinua Achebes Things Fall Apart is an archetypal modern African novel that chroni cles pre-colonial life in south-eastern Nigeria, along with the Europeans arrival during the late 19th century.#24. The Color Purpleâ€"Alice WalkerAlice Walkers The Color Purple won the 1983 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and the National Book Award for Fiction. It is an epistolary novel that takes place mostly in rural Georgia, focusing on the plight of African American women in the Southern United States in the 1930s.#25. Catch-22â€"Joseph HellerJoseph Hellers Catch-22 contains non-chronological third-person omniscient narration from multiple points of view, exploring the absurdity of war and military life.#26. Atlas Shruggedâ€"Ayn RandAyn Rands Atlas Shrugged is a dystopian novel that explores, according to the author, the role of mans mind in existence. Later considered a standard text for the philosophy of Objectivism, it advocates reason, individualism, and capitalism.#27. Invisible Manâ€"Ralph EllisonRalph Ellisons Invisible Man is a compelling exploration of life as a black man in mid-century America. Some of its themes include include black nationalism, the relationship between black identity and Marxism, and the thoughts of Booker T. Washington.#28. Schindlers Listâ€"Thomas KeneallyThomas Keneallys Schindlers List is essential reading to understand the Holocaust, as well as how easily it happened. It tells the story of Oskar Schindler, a German man who helped many Jewish people escape death.#29. A Brief History of Timeâ€"Stephen HawkingStephen Hawkings A Brief History of Time boils down amazing and complicated concepts of modern physics into an laymans terms. It is a fascinating glimpse of the universe in which we live.#30. The Brothers Karamazovâ€"Fyodor DostoevskyFyodor Dostoevskys The Brothers Karamazov is an epic Russian novel that explores human psychology, economics, family ties, spirituality and atheism.#31. The Great Gatsbyâ€"F. Scott FitzgeraldF. Scott Fitzgeralds The Great Gatsby offers a critical look at the social history of Prohibition-era A merica during the Jazz Age and is set among the wealthy of 1920s New York City.#32. Midnights Childrenâ€"Salman RushdieSalman Rushdies Midnights Children follows Indias transition from British colonialism to independence, resulting in the partition of British India. As an example of magical realist literature, it follows the story of Saleem, who was born at midnight on the night of Indias independence. As one of only 1,001 children born that exact hour, he discovers that each was endowed with a unique ability.#33. Slaughterhouse-Fiveâ€"Kurt VonnegutKurt Vonneguts Slaughterhouse Five is a semi-autobiographical tale of the firebombing of Dresden, Germany by British and American air forces. It follows the character of Billy Pilgrim, who travels with flashbacks, to his birth, death, and everything in between.#34. The Strangerâ€"Albert CamusAlbert Camus The Stranger demonstrates Camus idea of existentialism and is the account of Meursault, a French Algerian who attends his mothers funera l and murders a man, before being sentenced to death.#35. The Count of Monte Cristoâ€"Alexandre DumasAlexandre Dumas The Count of Monte Cristo tells the tale of Edmond, a young sailor from Marseilles, who is soon to be captain of his own ship marry the love of his life. The novel is set in France, Italy, and islands in the Mediterranean between 1815â€"1839, known as the Bourbon Restoration.#36. The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxyâ€"Douglas AdamsDouglas Adams The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy follows the comedic adventures of the last surviving man on planet Earth, Arthur Dent, as the planet is destroyed by a Vogon constructor fleet to make way for a hyperspace bypass.#37. Anna Kareninaâ€"Leo TolstoyLeo Tolstoys Anna Karenina is a massive undertaking, but one thats well worth it. Divided into eight parts, with multiple major characters, it is an 800-page exploration of themes of betrayal, sexual desire, faith, family, marriage, rural vs. city living, and the expectations of Imperia l Russian society.#38. Watchmenâ€"Alan MooreAlan Moores Watchman is set in an alternate 1985 America where superheroes reflect contemporary anxieties, are deconstructed and satirized. It follows several characters, one of which is the asked vigilante Rorschach, who uncovers a plot to kill all past and present superheroes.#39. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finnâ€"Mark TwainMark Twains The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn was declared by Ernest Hemingway to be the best book weve had. All American writing comes from that. There was nothing before. There has been nothing as good since. That recommendation, within itself, should be enough to want to put this fun adventure novel set against the racial problems of the American South on your bucket list.#40. The Old Man and the Seaâ€"Ernest HemingwayErnest Hemingways The Old Man and the Sea tells the tale of Santiago, an elderly Cuban fisherman who struggles with a giant marlin far out in the Gulf Stream off the coast of Cuba. It received the Pulitzer Prize in May 1953.#41. Of Mice and Menâ€"John SteinbeckJohn Steinbecks Of Mice and Men is a novella about George Milton and Lennie Small, two displaced migrant ranch workers who travel California in search of new job opportunities during the Great Depression. The story is based on Steinbecks own experiences working with migrant farmers in the 1910s as a teenager, and is a beautiful exploration of how the search for meaning and work are intertwined.#42. The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobeâ€"C.S. LewisC.S. Lewis The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe is a fantasy novel set in Narnia. There are talking animals, mythical creatures, and an evil White Witch, along with four English children who move to a large, old country home following war.#43. Jane Eyreâ€"Charlotte BronteCharlotte Brontes Jane Eyre is written from the main characters first-person perspective, with deeply personal social criticism, including themes of class, sexuality, religion and feminism.#44. The Art of Wa râ€"Sun TzuSun Tzus The Art of War is the most influential military strategy text in East Asian history and has greatly influenced military thinking throughout the East and West, as well as business and legal strategy.#45. A Confederacy of Duncesâ€"John Kenney TooleJohn Kennedy Tooles A Confederacy of Dunces is a picaresque novel that has become a cult classic in Southern literature. It follows the exploits of Ignatius Jacques Reilly, a modern Don Quixote. It offers a rich, humorous depiction of New Orleans and life there.#46. The Roadâ€"Cormac McCarthyCormac McCarthys The Road is a post-apocalyptic masterpiece that tells the story of a father and his son who must survive in the aftermath of societys collapse.#47. The Selfish Geneâ€"Richard DawkinsRichard Dawkins The Selfish Gene is a seminal book on evolution in which Dawkins uses the term selfish gene to express a gene-centred view of evolution. It is a fascinating read and is listed by the Royal Society science book prize as the most influential science book of all time.#48. Lolitaâ€"Vladimir NabokovVladimir Nabokovs Lolita is a controversial, albeit classic, story of a middle-aged literature professor who becomes obsessed with a 12-year-old girl, Dolores Haze.#49. The Hobbitâ€"J.R.R. TolkienJ.R.R. Tolkiens The Hobbit is a fantasy novel set within Tolkiens fictional universe and tells the story of Bilbo Baggins, whose heroic journey takes him from the comfort of home to more sinister places full of mythical beings.#50. Alices Adventures in Wonderlandâ€"Lewis CarrollLewis Carrolls Alices Adventures in Wonderland tells of a young girl named Alice who falls through a rabbit hole into a fantasy world full of nonsense and lack of logic.