Top Ten Books Of All Time
The ten books listed and described below are the greatest books to every grace a library. In other words, this is my To-Read List! I've also included an eleventh novel as an "honorable mention."
Happy reading!
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1. Pride and Prejudice
by Jane Austen
"The distance is nothing when one has a motive."
Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice displays the greatest qualities of the written word. Originally published in 1813, Pride and Prejudice tells the story of Elizabeth Bennet and her many companions. When Mr. Bingley, a wealthy bachelor, takes up residency in the town of Hertfordshire, Elizabeth's mother becomes determined to unite him with one of her five daughters. As Elizabeth becomes acquainted with Mr. Bingley, she is simultaneously introduced into the society of the proud Mr. Darcy. Jane Austen's most celebrated novel, Pride and Prejudice weaves togther a story of sisterly friendship, harsh societal judgement, scandalous elopements, betrayal, and of course, romance (take that, Romeo and Juliet)!
2. The Great Gatsby
by F. Scott Fitzgerald
"So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past."
F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby is regarded as one of the most brilliantly written novels ever conceived. Nick Carraway, a young Yale graduate and World War One veteran, begins renting a home in the neighborhood of West Egg after accepting a job as a bond salesmen in the city. Almost immediately after taking up residency, Nick receives an invitation from his mysterious and fabulously rich neighbor, Jay Gatsby, requesting his presence at one of his lavish parties. Gatsby's ulterior motives and storied past will stun even the most attentive reader. Set during the Roaring Twenties in New York City, The Great Gatsby describes society's disillusionment with fame and the ways in which to interpret the American Dream.
3. The Book Thief
by Markus Zusak
"Somewhere, far down, there was an itch in his heart, but he made it a point not to scratch it. He was afraid of what might come leaking out."
It is the height of the Holocaust in Nazi-controlled Germany. Thousands of people are terrified, hundreds more are dying, and one is stealing books. Liesel Meminger's story begins as she mourns the loss of her brother, by his frozen grave. A book is buried in the snow beside her, a book that isn't hers. In a burst of curiosity and courage, Liesel snatches it, thus beginning a dangerous love of books and an inspired career of thievery. However, Liesel's life is forever altered by the devastation of war. When her foster family hides a Jew in their basement, Liesel learns that the world outside her books is a much more perilous place than she could've imagined. Haunting and absorbing, Markus Zusak's The Book Thief is an absolute treasure.
by Willa Cather
4. My Ántonia
"Whatever we had missed, we possessed together the precious, the incommunicable past."
Willa Cather's My Ántonia describes the heroic attributes of a simple pioneer woman's life. Jim Burden narrates the story of his friendship with Ántonia Shimerida, his oldest acquaintance. Ántonia is the young daughter of Bohemian immigrants, attempting to navigate life on the unfamiliar terrain of a Nebraska farm. Jim, her closest neighbor, is a young boy whom she instantly befriends. Encountering poverty, tragedy, and betrayal, the two grow to become attached, dependent on each other to survive the difficulties of pioneer life. Willa Cather gorgeously demonstrates the hardships that immigrants and women faced in prairie times, as well as the ways in which one's plans can be derailed by uncontrolled changes in life.
5. Good Omens
by Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett
"The future came and went in the mildly discouraging way that futures do."
Brilliant and devilishly funny, Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett's Good Omens is perhaps the greatest Apocalypse novel ever written. The world will end next Saturday, just before dinner, and Final Judgement shall descend upon the human race. The armies of Heaven and Hell are busy preparing, and everything seems to be going according to Divine Plan. Word of the approaching Rapture comes as a bit of bad news to book-dealing angel Aziraphale and fast-living demon Crowley. They are the representatives for Heaven and Hell on Earth, and have, over the years, become quite fond of humanity. The two team up, attempting to delay the seemingly inevitable End of Days. There's just one problem; someone seems to have misplaced the Antichrist. All Hell breaks loose in this incredibly wacky satire comedy!
by John Green
6. The Fault in Our Stars
"I think the universe is inprobably biased toward consciousness, that it rewards intelligence in part because the universe enjoys its elegance being observed."
Although it is widely regarded as teenage chick-lit, John Green's The Fault in Our Stars is much more than that. Hazel Grace Lancaster is a seemingly normal sixteen-year-old girl; she DVRs episodes of America's Next Top Model, reads the same book over and over, and devotes much of her energy to avoiding the outside world. During one of her infrequent outings, Hazel meets Augustus Waters, a charming former basketball player and gaming enthusiast. She and Augustus soon realize that their close friendship could become something more. There is, however, one problem; Hazel is terminally ill. Filled with bursts of comedy, romance, and tragedy, The Fault in Our Stars displays how even the most tragic of situations can be overcome by the power of the human spirit.
7. Emma
by Jane Austen
"Human nature is so well disposed towards those who are in interesting situations, that a young person, who either marries or dies, is sure to be kindly spoken of."
Emma is yet another of Jane Austen's breathtakingly beautiful classics. Emma Woodhouse is a rich, clever, single woman-a seemingly perfect picture of fine society. She refuses to marry, however, seeing no good reason to fall in love. Despite her own indisposition towards matrimony, nothing delights Emma more than creating perfect marriages for others. Against the better judgement of her friend Mr. Knightley, Emma's latest project becomes to find a suitable husband for her friend and protégé, Harriet Smith. Her plans, however, soon begin to unravel before her eyes, and the consequences she faces are more severe than she could have imagined. Jane Austen's Emma features a deeply flawed yet good-natured heroine, and carefully analyzes the relationships between people of the Georgian era.
8. To Kill a Mockingbird
by Harper Lee
"The one thing that doesn't abide by majority rule is a person's conscience."
When published in 1960, Harper Lee expected her debut novel To Kill a Mockingbird to bear little success. Quite the opposite, however, rained true--the book was an instant bestseller, regarded then and today as a masterpiece of American literature. To Kill a Mockingbird's beloved main character, Jean "Scout" Louise Finch, narrates the story of her childhood in the sleepy Southern town of Maycomb County. The plot revolves around Scout, her older brother, Jem, and their lawyering father, Atticus. Much to the disapproval of Maycomb's racist community, Atticus agrees to defend Tom Robinson, a black man accused of raping a poor white woman. Set in the early 1930s, To Kill A Mockingbird confronts issues such as racism, poverty, inhumanity, and sexism, all while examining the very roots of human nature.
9. Code Name Verity
by Elizabeth Wein
"It's like being in love, discovering your best friend."
Elizabeth Wein's Code Name Verity is a courageous and haunting description of a female spy's role during World War Two. On October 11th, 1943, a British spy plane crashes in Nazi-occupied France. The two girls on board, pilot and passenger, are best friends. One of them has a chance at survival-the other, not a chance in the world. When Allied spy "Verity" is captured by the Gestapo, she is given a choice: Disclose the secrets of her mission or die. Throughout her carefully woven confession, Verity reveals the story of her past, describing her friendship with the pilot of her crashed plane, Maddie, and divulging Allied secrets in exchange for her life. Code Name Verity is a riveting, innovative novel filled to the brim with espionage, breathtaking action, and tragic sacrifice.
10. Jane Eyre
by Charlotte Bronte
"Life appears to me too short to be spent in nursing animosity or registering wrongs."
Charlotte Brönte's Jane Eyre is an exquisitely written, timeless classic. Orphaned as a child, young Jane Eyre is raised in a brutal home with her unloving aunt and abusive cousin. When old enough, Jane is sent by her aunt to live at the Lowood Institute, a harsh and oppressive boarding school. There, Jane teaches herself to be independent, displaying unwavering resilience in times of suffering. As a young woman, Jane abandons Lowood and accepts a position as governess of Thornfield Hall, where she educates a small French-speaking girl named Adélé. Soon, Jane meets a mysterious midnight rider, whom she later discovers to be none other than Mr. Rochester, master and proprietor of Thornfield Hall. Exploring feminism, social structure, and morality, Jane Eyre is a novel ahead of its time.
Honorable Mention!
11. An Abundance of Katherines
by John Green
"I will get forgotten, but the stories will last. And so we all matter-maybe less than a lot, but always more than some."
Another of John Green's fabulous novels, An Abundance of Katherines will have you laughing out loud while simultaneously wondering what it means to live. Colin Singleton is an anagram-loving, burnt-out child prodigy with a problem; he keeps getting dumped by girls named Katherine. In order to forget his latest ex-girlfriend, Katherine XIX, Colin embarks on a spur-of-the-moment road trip with his Judge Judy-loving best friend, Hassan. Colin and Hassan soon find themselves in the small town of Gutshot, Tennessee, where they meet Lindsey Lee Wells and her mother, Hollis. Throughout the summer, Colin works to prove The Theorem of Underlying Katherine Predictability, an equation that he hopes will predict the future of any relationship. Brilliant and entertaining, An Abundance of Katherines is a must-read!
