Some books remain popular for centuries because they speak about things people still care about: love, ambition, family, justice, fear, and the search for meaning. This reading list brings together 25 classics that appeared most often across four lists of recommended books. Titles are ordered by how frequently they appeared. When several books had the same count, their order is approximate.
Publication details refer to the original work. For ancient books, exact dates are often unknown.
1. Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes
First published: Part One in 1605; Part Two in 1615
Often called one of the first modern novels, Don Quixote follows a man who reads so many stories about knights that he decides to become one himself. With his practical companion Sancho Panza, he sets off on adventures that are funny, touching, and sometimes sad. The book explores the difference between dreams and reality.
2. In Search of Lost Time by Marcel Proust
First published: 1913 to 1927
This seven-part French novel looks back on a narrator’s life, memories, relationships, and changing society. Proust is especially known for showing how small details can bring back powerful memories. It is a long, thoughtful work about time, art, love, and how we understand our own past.
3. Ulysses by James Joyce
First published: 1922
Set in Dublin on one day in 1904, Ulysses follows Leopold Bloom and Stephen Dedalus as they go about their lives. Joyce experiments with language and storytelling, moving between characters’ thoughts, daily events, and different writing styles. Readers often choose it for its unusual form as much as for its story.
4. War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy
First published: 1865 to 1869
Tolstoy’s large historical novel follows several Russian families during the Napoleonic Wars. It combines private stories of love, family, and personal change with battles and major events in Russian history. The book asks how individuals shape history, and how much of life is beyond their control.
5. Moby-Dick by Herman Melville
First published: 1851
Narrated by a sailor named Ishmael, Moby-Dick tells the story of Captain Ahab’s obsessive hunt for a great white whale. The voyage becomes a study of revenge, nature, leadership, and the limits of human knowledge. It is an adventure story, but it also raises large questions about life and fate.
6. Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky
First published: 1866
Raskolnikov, a poor former student in St. Petersburg, commits a murder and tries to justify it to himself. The novel follows the guilt, fear, and inner conflict that follow. Dostoevsky turns a crime story into a close examination of conscience, morality, and the possibility of change.
7. Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert
First published: 1857
Emma Bovary longs for a more exciting life than the one she has in the French countryside. She looks for romance and luxury, but her choices bring growing debt and heartbreak. Flaubert’s novel is known for its careful writing and its honest look at romantic dreams and everyday disappointment.
8. One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez
First published: 1967
This novel follows several generations of the Buendía family in the fictional town of Macondo. Family history, politics, love, and loss mingle with strange and magical events that are treated as part of everyday life. It is a famous example of magical realism, a style that brings the ordinary and the fantastic together.
9. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
First published: 1813
Elizabeth Bennet is clever, confident, and quick to judge. When she meets the proud Mr. Darcy, both must reconsider their first impressions. Austen’s much-loved novel is a romance, but it is also a sharp and funny look at family, money, class, and the choices available to women in her time.
10. Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
First published: In serial form from 1875 to 1877; book edition in 1878
Anna is a married woman who falls in love with Count Vronsky, and their relationship brings them into conflict with society and family. Alongside Anna’s story, Tolstoy follows the landowner Levin as he searches for purpose and a way to live well. The novel explores love, marriage, social rules, and personal happiness.
11. The Odyssey by Homer
First composed: Around the 8th century BCE
This ancient Greek epic follows Odysseus on his long journey home after the Trojan War. He faces storms, monsters, temptations, and many delays before reaching his family in Ithaca. The poem is an adventure, but it is also about loyalty, courage, patience, and the meaning of home.
12. The Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri
Written: Around 1308 to 1321; first printed edition in 1472
Dante imagines a journey through Hell, Purgatory, and Heaven, guided first by the Roman poet Virgil and later by Beatrice. The poem brings together adventure, faith, politics, and ideas about right and wrong. Its vivid scenes have influenced writers and artists for centuries.
13. The Trial by Franz Kafka
First published: 1925, after Kafka’s death
Josef K. is arrested but never told clearly what crime he has committed. As he tries to understand the case against him, he becomes trapped in a confusing legal system. Kafka’s novel captures the fear of facing rules and authorities that seem impossible to understand.
14. Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe
First published: 1958
Set in an Igbo community in what is now Nigeria, the novel follows Okonkwo, a respected man whose life is shaped by pride, tradition, and change. The arrival of British colonial rule and Christian missionaries brings deep changes to the community. Achebe tells the story from within Igbo life and culture.
15. Middlemarch by George Eliot
First published: In parts from 1871 to 1872
In the English town of Middlemarch, several people try to build meaningful lives while facing love, money, ambition, and social expectations. The novel is especially admired for its detailed characters and its understanding of everyday choices. It shows how a person’s actions can affect an entire community.
16. The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky
First published: In serial form from 1879 to 1880; book edition in 1880
Three very different brothers are drawn into conflict with their father and with one another. A family tragedy leads to questions about guilt, faith, freedom, and responsibility. Dostoevsky combines a gripping story with debates about how people should live and treat each other.
17. To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf
First published: 1927
The novel follows the Ramsay family and their guests during visits to a house on the Isle of Skye. Much of the story takes place inside the characters’ thoughts, where memories and feelings shift over time. Woolf uses an ordinary family holiday to explore love, loss, art, and the passing years.
18. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë
First published: 1847
Jane grows up without wealth or family support, but she is determined to make her own choices. She becomes a governess at Thornfield Hall, where she falls in love with its owner, Mr. Rochester. The novel follows her search for love, independence, and respect.
19. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
First published: 1925
Nick Carraway arrives in Long Island and becomes curious about his wealthy neighbour, Jay Gatsby. Gatsby’s grand parties hide a personal dream connected to Daisy Buchanan. Set during the 1920s, the novel examines wealth, love, social status, and the promise of the American Dream.
20. Beloved by Toni Morrison
First published: 1987
Set after the American Civil War, Beloved follows Sethe, a formerly enslaved woman trying to build a life with her family. Her home is haunted by a painful past that refuses to stay buried. Morrison’s novel explores the lasting trauma of slavery, the power of memory, and the bonds between mothers and children.
21. Hamlet by William Shakespeare
First published: 1603; Shakespeare likely wrote it around 1600
Prince Hamlet learns that his father has been murdered and is asked to take revenge. But doubt, grief, and uncertainty make it hard for him to act. This tragedy is known for its questions about justice, death, truth, and the struggle to make a decision.
22. The Iliad by Homer
First composed: Around the 8th century BCE
Set during the Trojan War, The Iliad focuses on the anger of the Greek warrior Achilles and its cost to both Greeks and Trojans. It is filled with battles, but it also pays close attention to grief, honour, and the suffering of ordinary people and soldiers.
23. The Tale of Genji by Murasaki Shikibu
Written: Around the early 11th century
Written in Japan, The Tale of Genji follows the life and relationships of Hikaru Genji, a prince at the imperial court. Its detailed picture of courtly life is matched by close attention to the characters’ thoughts and feelings. It is often described as one of the earliest novels.
24. The Epic of Gilgamesh by an unknown author
Composed: In ancient Mesopotamia; surviving versions were written on clay tablets
This ancient epic follows Gilgamesh, a powerful king, and his companion Enkidu. Their friendship changes Gilgamesh, and a personal loss sends him searching for a way to escape death. The story explores friendship, leadership, grief, and what it means to be human.
25. Les Misérables by Victor Hugo
First published: 1862
Jean Valjean is released from prison but struggles to begin a new life in a society that continues to judge him. Hugo follows Valjean and other characters through poverty, political unrest, love, and sacrifice in 19th-century France. The novel asks whether people can change and what justice should mean.
