Books to Read Before You Die
Reading is one of my favorite pastimes. Books can be your best companion when you want to want some alone time. Most people including me, carry a book when they are traveling. The journey can be quite long 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. Whether you are an avid reader or not, you can always refer to my list of books to read before you die.
It is essential to read books. As I said before they are your silent companion 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 and some of them have also been made into classic movies.
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 brilliant information that it is impossible to put them in a chronological order; but I have to start somewhere.
The Holy Bible
It rightly deserves the 1 spot, the Holy Bible is one of the most influential books ever written. Every page of this book has a history that tells 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. I believe that before heaving the last breath, one should at least read the holy book of their religion.
Dead Souls
Don't think it as a horror book it's not, but it will make you wonder and 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 (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. Dead souls is also considered as Russia's first official novel.
Gone With the Wind
Gone with the Wind was published in 1936. On its first 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. Gone with the Wind is an awesome 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 and 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 by critics and fans as the most loved fantasy book of 20th century. 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 in to a trilogy created the format for fantasy literature.
Dracula
This famous book is not that beautifully written as some names mentioned above but still Dracula is worth reading. 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. Dracula 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. Get the original copy and read where it all began.
The Da Vinci Code
One of the most controversial books written by Dan Brown, Da Vinci Code bags 8th spot on my list of books to read before dying. 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 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? Make time and simple read it, you'll understand why it's called a daddy of all novels.
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 that everone should read at least once. 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 Books which Should be Read
It's made. What a task to make a list of books to read before dying, that too a list which contain only 100 books. It is hard but I have made sure that all the best ones are mentioned. 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
