Books are the best friend. Book lovers peep into online sites for interesting and exciting books to spend their time into a productive one. This article has listed down some books you must read during your life span. So, check out this article for the books you must read.
List of Books You Must Read Once
Here are some of the categories of the books along with the number of books you must read once.
Psychological Thriller
It is an exciting category for books. The category focuses on diverse dimensions of psychology. It has a thriller plot. Some books from the category are below:
The Salient Patient– Alex Michaelides
The book is one of the best psychological thriller novels by Alex Michaelides. The book was published in 2019. It has got a good rating of 4.1 out of 5 on Goodreads. Booklovers love it for its unique plot structure. Readers consider the novel is so enthralling. The thriller explicitly describes the horror of the crime. It also presents a psychological obsession. The thrilling storyline of this book makes it a must-read book for book lovers.
The Woman in the Window– A. J. Finn
The book presents gripping interior monologues and other literary techniques. It charms the readers like nothing. The book delves into the psychological turmoil of the protagonist. It incorporates an amazing storytelling process. The chains of events linger in your head even after you finish it. The book is the debut thriller written by Daniel Malory. He wrote it under the pen name, A.J. Finn. It was published in 2018. It has gained much popularity with good ratings and reviews on various platforms. This is one of the amazing books you must read.
The Silence of the Lambs– Thomas Harris
The book has received much appreciation from eminent personalities like Roald Dahl. It is considered to be one of the best psychological thriller books of all time. This novel is a sequel book to the famous novel Red Dragon. The stories of both of the novels rotate around the main character, Dr Hannibal Lecter.
The author Thomas Harris portrays the horror and mysticism of the cannibalistic doctor. The readers love this book for its neat construction of the plot. The brilliant character sketch is another unique feature of it. The popularity of the book reflects on the rating on Goodreads. The rating is 4.2 out of 5.
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo– Stieg Larsson
The Swedish author Stieg Larrson wrote this amazing book. The original title is Män som hatar kvinnor. The title means, ”Men Who Hate Women”. Reg Keeland later translated this Swedish novel. It is the pseudonym of Stephen T. Murray. The readers admire this book for its intriguing plot structure. The novel is a part of the international bestselling series. The Girl with Dragon Tattoo depicts a dark, puzzling family history. It also focuses on the mental dilemmas following it. Add this to your bookshelf to give a boost to your love for thrillers.
Diaspora Writing
Shakespeare exclaimed, “What’s in a name?”. Sometimes, name and identity become a serious matter of concern. This dilemma is seen to a great extent in those Indian immigrants in a foreign country. This dilemma gradually turns into a serious identity crisis among them. Diaspora writings majorly focus on this. Here are some of the best Diaspora novels you must read.
The Namesake – Jhumpa Lahiri
The Namesake explicitly tells the story of the identity crisis of a first-generation immigrant family. The novel is set in Calcutta (now Kolkata), Boston, and New York. It portrays the socio-cultural conflicts, ideological differences, and other factors in the lives of Indian Immigrants. The novel was published in 2003. It shows the struggle of Indian immigrants of finding their place in Indian heritage and foreign tradition at once. The novel is rated well on Goodreads. The rating is 4 out of 5. It is one of the exciting books you must read. This helps you to know about the condition of the immigrants.
Desirable Daughters– Bharati Mukherjee
Desirable Daughters is written by the famous American Indian author Bharati Mukherjee. It is a 2002 novel. It tells the story of three sisters. In this novel, the author brings together the age-old Indian tradition, childhood memoirs, and other different aspects of life. National Book Critics Circle Award-winning author Bharati Mukherjee excellently tells the story of immigrants. The story touches the readers. It presents emotion and compassion. This is a book you must read. It is considered a good Diaspora novel for its simple yet fine plot structure.
Classic Novel
Modern novels are trendy. But classic novels always have their elegance. It presents a profound exploration of human life. The classic novels win the hearts of book lovers for years. Know about some notable classic novels to satisfy your love for books.
The Great Gatsby– F. Scott Fitzgerald
With a standard 3.9 out of 5 ratings on Goodreads, many love this novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald. It is considered to be one of the greatest classic novels. The novel at once ponders over multiple themes, including love, power, justice, greed, and so on. The presentation of the American dream is quite prevalent in the story. The characters are well-developed. The story is brilliantly written. Booklovers must read this book to get a new perspective on life.
Great Expectations– Charles Dickens
Charles Dickens is a well-known name in the world of classic fiction. Great Expectations is his thirteenth novel. It depicts the development of the main character, Pip. It is narrated in the first person. The novel beautifully illustrates the education and growth of the protagonist. It is loved for its easy and engaging style of storytelling. Booklovers should try it. It is a wonderful novel.
To Kill a Mockingbird– Harper Lee
It is a Pulitzer Prize-winning novel. To Kill A Mockingbird excellently presents various themes like family life, prejudices, and courage. The book was published in 1960. It gradually became successful. Readers appreciate this book for its ceaseless exploration of human morals. It talks about the inner goodness or evil nature of human beings. This book is a wonderful reading option for book lovers.
Animal Farm– George Orwell
Animal Farm, written by George Orwell, tells an allegorical story. The story features a group of domestic animals rebelling against their human farmer. The purpose of the rebellion was to create a society where all animals are treated equally. However, the novel was written as a criticism of the contemporary political situation. Some contradictions also took place. Anyway, this is one of the best novels working as the mirror of contemporary society.
A Room on the Roof– Ruskin Bond
Ruskin Bond is popular for easy and enjoyable writing style. The storyline of the novel circles around the life of the boy, Rusty. The loneliness of the little orphan boy and his deep sadness are portrayed beautifully. Children and adults can enjoy this book. This book is the perfect one for you to enjoy in your leisure time. It is rated 4.1 out of 5 on Goodreads.
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Detective Fiction
Solving the jigsaw puzzles of crimes is the main focus of any detective fiction. It is a popular genre of crime fiction. The detective strives to solve the mysteries of crimes with knowledge, observation power, and skills. Some popular detective fictions are below:
The Complete Novels of Sherlock Holmes– Arthur Conan Doyle
The adventurous stories of Sherlock Holmes feature the constant partnership of Dr Watson and the great sleuth Sherlock Holmes. This series of stories are quite popular among readers. The author Arthur Conan Doyle weaved the chains of events well. It shows the detective’s ways of solving the mysteries after the mishaps. Since the day it was first created, the character Sherlock Holmes has got much applause from the people. This is a perfect book to enjoy on a calm, gentle Sunday afternoon. Click here to check out the top 10 audiobooks.
The Murder of Roger Acroyd– Agatha Christie
This book presents the murder mystery solved by the famous detective character Hercule Poirot. Agatha Christie created the character. The good rating of 4.2 out of 5 announces the immense popularity of the book. Readers love this book for its perfect storytelling process. The smooth development of the story doesn’t let you keep the book down until you finish it. From the very beginning, the suspense is developed and nurtured finely. If you are a booklover, you must add this to your reading list.
Horror Books You Must Read
Dracula– Bram Stoker
Dracula written by famous author Bram Stoker is a gothic horror novel. It depicts the terror of the fictional character Count Dracula. The book is mainly based on the age-old vampire fantasy. It has got a 4 out of 5 ratings on Goodreads. Readers have appreciated the mysterious character of Dracula so much. Book lovers must try this book once.
The Haunting of Hill House– Shirley Jackson
The American author Shirley Jackson wrote this horror novel in 1959. With an impressive rating of 3.8 out of 5 on Goodreads, it is quite popular among the readers. The story enthrals the readers. It captivates them with a haunting tone. The fear of losing people you love the most is seen in it. The lingering sense of sadness is quite prevalent in this novel. If you have a love for gothic horror fiction, try this book today.
Indian English Novel
Along with classic novels written by English authors, English literature has a wide variety of English novels written by Indian authors. Here are some of the good Indian English novels you must read once.
The Guide– R.K. Narayan
In this book, R.K. Narayan tells an entangled story of Rosie, Raju, and Rosie’s husband. Readers love the diverse narrative style of the book. It is one of the successful novels. It later found its way into the world of movies. Booklovers must buy it. It is enjoyable, interesting, and fascinating. You can see a good rating of 3.9 out of 5 on Goodreads for this book.
Leila – Prayaag Akbar
It is a Dystopian novel published in 2017. Leila features the character Shalini. She strives to find her lost daughter Leila. The novel has a profound touch of cosmopolitanism. This novel has a fine setting of a near-future Indian city. Readers consider this book to be one of the best novels in recent times. For its unique features, it has got wide appreciation among the people. The overwhelming reviews say it all. Readers have embraced this novel wholeheartedly. This is one of the books you must read.
Swami and Friends– R.K. Narayan
The story is set in a fictional town of Malgudi. This novel showcases the fantastic storytelling quality of R.K. Narayan. The story of the book mainly revolves around the life and experiences of W.S. Swaminathan. He is a school-going boy. The book engages the readers with its easy writing style. The adventures of Swami with his friends and family attract the readers. This is one of the books you must read. They will experience a beautiful view of life. It has got a good rating of 4.2 out of 5 on Goodreads.
The God of Small Things– Arundhati Ray
The God of Small Things is the debut book of Arundhati Roy. It presents various themes of love, hope, and boundless joy. The beautiful portrayal of the childhood experiences of the twins makes the novel unique and appealing. It has got ecstatic love from the people. The ratings of this novel are 3.9 out of 5 on Goodreads. The novel won the Booker prize in 1997. It depicts the diverse aspects of human emotions remarkably. Readers should try this book. It lets them experience the various aspects of human life through the characters.
The Hungry Tide– Amitav Ghosh
Amitabh Ghosh is a prolific writer. He presents the themes of love, identity, and historical heritage in this book. The novel was published in 2004. The novel presents a wonderful setting of Sunderban and Calcutta. It radiates a strong sense of emotion and passion through the characters. People love this exotic tale for its distinctive qualities. It has a good rating of 4 out of 5 on Goodreads. It mesmerizes the readers with its delightful nature.
Conclusion
So these were the books you must read once in your lifetime. And I believe something good will happen if you start reading a good book or a bundle of books. There is a famous quote, “We lose ourselves in books, we find ourselves there too”. And this is very true. Check it yourself by making a habit of reading books. I hope you enjoyed this article and I truly hope that I have been able to provide you with good information and reviews on the books you must read.
