The top 10 books of all time that everyone should read | Books | Entertainment

From the classics to epic series, there are so many must-reads out there. If you are a bit of a bookworm you probably already have a list that you are working your way through – but you still may be missing a few.

Owlcation has compiled a list of the “Top 10 Best Books of All Time That Everyone Should Read”, and there is a real mix of classics and modern masterpieces in there. Here are the top 10 – how many have you read?

10. The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

This is a coming-of-age novel that follows Charlie, a shy freshman navigating high school, friendship, love, and his past trauma through a series of letters to a stranger. As he forms close bonds with his new friends, the step-siblings Patrick and Sam, and experiences the highs and lows of adolescence, the book follows his journey of healing, self-discovery, and finding one’s place in the world, dealing with themes of mental health, trauma, and sexuality.

9. The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas and Auguste Maquet

The book’s synopsis reads: “The Count of Monte Cristo is an adventure novel by the French writer Alexandre Dumas. It was serialised from 1844 to 1846, then published in book form in 1846. It is one of his most popular works, along with The Three Musketeers and Man in the Iron Mask.”

8. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

Lee’s poignant story follows a young girl and her brother as they deal with the prejudice of their small town. When their father must defend a Black man who is falsely accused of rape, the children must face the harsh realities of racism. The story’s themes include morality and innocence through a young lens.

7. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

The book’s synopsis reads: “Fahrenheit 451 is a 1953 dystopian novel by American writer Ray Bradbury. It presents a future American society where books have been outlawed and ‘firemen’ burn any that are found.”

6. Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Americanah follows Nigerian teenagers Ifemelu and Obinze, who are childhood sweethearts separated when Ifemelu moves to the United States and Obinze to England. The story follows their separate, challenging lives: Ifemelu grapples with American notions of race, while Obinze becomes an undocumented immigrant in London after 9/11. Years later, they are reunited in a democratic Nigeria, where they must navigate their changed identities and decide whether to rekindle their relationship.

5. Beloved by Toni Morrison

The book’s synopsis states: “Beloved is a 1987 novel by American novelist Toni Morrison. Set in the period after the American Civil War, the novel tells the story of a dysfunctional family of formerly enslaved people whose Cincinnati home is haunted by a malevolent spirit.”

4. Giovanni’s Room by James Baldwin

Giovanni’s Room’s synopsis reads: “The book concerns the events in the life of an American man living in Paris and his feelings and frustrations with his relationships with other men, particularly an Italian bartender named Giovanni whom he meets at a Parisian gay bar.”

3. Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

The Gothic novel by Shelley follows a young scientist, Victor Frankenstein, who creates a creature during a scientific experiment. Horrified by its appearance, Victor abandons his creation, which leads the creature to experience loneliness and rejection and therefore seek revenge on its creator.

2. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

This historical fiction story is set in Nazi Germany in the Second World War. It tells the story of a girl growing up during this time. The girl finds comfort in words and so she steals books and learns to read alongside this, her family is protecting a Jew. The book’s themes include death, love and literature.

1. The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson

Stieg Larsson’s story focuses on the disappearance of Harriet Vanger, a young woman from a wealthy Swedish family, which happened 40 years earlier. Investigative journalist Mikael Blomkvist teams up with computer hacker Lisbeth Salander to delve into the Vanger family’s dark secrets and hidden past in the hopes of uncovering the truth.