Classic books to read before you die

Novels for the bucket list

Classic books to read before you die

The pressure of reading a piece of classic literature, the kind of book everyone recommends, can be incredibly daunting. What if you don’t like it? Does that make you less appreciative of good writing than you thought? And worse, what if you don't really understand it?

If that wasn’t off-putting enough, where do you even start with the classics? Have they all aged well or are there some that simply are not worth your time?

We’ve picked 12 classic books that we think you need to add to your list. These are all great works of fiction that are still worth reading today. After all, they’re considered classics for a reason. Most of these titles were written at least 50 years ago, while several are more modern and some are considerably older than that.

Upvote the novel you'd recommend to a friend, and add your own suggestions at the bottom.

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Classic books to read before you die

Joseph Heller – Catch-22
£5.35 at AmazonCatch-22 is one of those novels people tend to say they’ve read without having actually read it. Now’s the time to change that if you’re one of them, especially as there is every chance you are familiar with some of its more famous elements.Heller’s wartime novel treats its readers with a playful disrespect, plunging you into the same frustrations endured by his characters. The layered text is at times laugh-out-loud funny and always exasperating to the point of hilarity.
John Steinbeck – East of Eden
£6.47 at AmazonA number of Steinbeck novels justify a spot on this list, The Grapes of Wrath and Of Mice and Men among the other contenders. But East of Eden’s marriage of universal themes and a precise depiction of a specific America earns it the nod.East of Eden centres around the Trask and Hamilton families. Themes of betrayal and guilt are made that bit stronger by the familial relationships and theirr biblical influences. Its 600+ pages contain barely a single wasted word.
Station Eleven - Emily St John Mandel
£9.19 at AmazonEmily St John Mandel is the most modern authors on our list, but we think she's already surpassed classic status with her novels. The most famous, and perhaps the best, is Station Eleven.This 2015 book is set in the tense and eerie days before civilisation falls into ruin after a pandemic. We know that sounds horrifying and a bit too much, but trust is, this is a captivating story. Yes, at times it's heart-breaking, but it's beautifully written with excellent character development, wonderful world-building and, at its core, a story about putting your life on the line for humanity, for hope and for art.
The Secret History - Donna Tartt
at AmazonThe Secret History is definitely considered a contemporary literary classic. With it, Donna Tartt pretty much defined the dark academia book genre. This is a captivating story about a group of eccentric college students and how their lives are irrevocably shaken by a murder. Don't worry, that's not a spoiler. This is a murder mystery told unconventionally, and narrated by one of the students.

SOMETHING MISSING FROM OUR SHORTLIST?

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