Reading is a great way to learn. It exposes you to fresh experiences and points of view. What can be a better technique to gain insight into someone’s mindset? You could discover something new about language, culture, society, or history that you didn’t know before.
A genre is a classification of books or a type of writing. There are numerous genres, and you are undoubtedly familiar with some of them. Horror, mystery, science fiction and fantasy are some examples of the genre.
What types of books do you enjoy reading? Before you choose a book, decide on a genre. Otherwise, you may find yourself trying to read a book that you aren’t very fond of.
You may enjoy historical fiction yet not like sci-fi (science fiction). Alternatively, you may have less interest in romance yet enjoy a good adventure story. You’ll have more fun reading if you find the literature you enjoy.
Literary scholars, historians, voracious readers, and even casual readers will all differ on which novel is the “best book ever written.” Is it a novel with magnificent, engrossing metaphorical language? Or a gritty reality film? Is there a novel that has had a huge social impact? Or one that has had a less obvious impact on the world? Well, there are a variety of opinions regarding which are the best books till now. So today, I will be sharing a list of 10 novels that have been regarded as some of the best books ever written for various reasons. These books are of various genres, so pick as per your taste.
The Da Vinci Code By Dan Brown
Dan Brown’s mystery thriller novel The Da Vinci Code was published in 2003. Brown’s work Angels & Demons, published in 2000, was the first to include the character Robert Langdon. The Da Vinci Code follows symbologist Robert Langdon and cryptologist Sophie Neveu as they become embroiled in a dispute between the Priory of Sion and Opus Dei over the possibility of Jesus Christ and Mary Magdalene having a child together following a murder in the Louvre Museum in Paris. The Da Vinci Code is undoubtedly a page-turner that will leave you stunned at every turn.
The God of Small Things By Arundhati Roy
Arundhati Roy’s novel The God of Small Things is a family drama set in India. It is Roy’s first novel, and it tells the story of fraternal twins whose lives are ruined by the “Love Laws” that ruled Kerala in the 1960s. The story investigates how seemingly trivial details influence people’s behaviour and lives. The narrative also examines casteism’s enduring ramifications in India. In 1997, it was awarded the Booker Prize.
It is undoubtedly one of the best novels and a must-read book.
How to Win Friends and Influence People By Dale Carnegie
Dale Carnegie’s ageless guidance for everyone who wishes to enhance their relationships and achieve success in life. Above all, Carnegie teaches us that connecting with others is a skill (not a natural talent) and that we can improve this skill by being honest about our faults and deliberate in our efforts to overcome those problems.
The author outlines principles that lead to successful interactions with others in each of the four parts of the book. He tells instances of renowned and ordinary people who followed these ideas and received huge rewards. The chapters are brief and to-the-point, focusing on a single approach and how to use it when dealing with others.
Despite the fact that the book was created in 1936, the themes addressed are still very relevant to modern living. If you want to discover the art of influencing people, this is the book for you.
Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life By Francesc Miralles and Hector Garcia
Do you aspire to live a long and prosperous life? Finding joy and purpose each day is the key to living a long life. Most of us regard these ideas as wishful thinking that only a select few can realize. Ikigai explores different realms of life. Ikigai is a Japanese word that signifies ‘Reason for being.’
For generations, however, the people of Japan have practiced Ikigai, or “cause to live.” It assists them in living longer and happier lives. Japan is one of the world’s 5 Blue Zones, where people live the longest. Ikigai discovers the secrets of living a long and happy life.
The Alchemist By Paulo Coelho
The Alchemist revolves around the life of a boy named Santiago. He sets out to find treasure in the Egyptian pyramids after having a recurring dream about it. Along the way, he meets mentors, falls in love, and most importantly, learns the true value of who he is and how to improve himself and focus on what matters most in life.
“When you want something, the entire universe conspires to help you achieve it,” says the key message. Santiago is robbed by bandits near the end of the story, which disclose that the “prize” he was hunting for is buried in the same location where his trip began. It is a great self-help book and you might like to give it another read even if you have read this book.
Gone Girl By Gillian Flynn
There’s a reason Gillian Flynn’s name is so well-known: She is the queen of the twenty-first-century suspense thriller. Regardless of which of her books you like, Gone Girl, the zeitgeist-shaping narrative of a missing woman and the husband suspected of her disappearance, is a post-recession classic.
Former New York writer Nick Dunne (Ben Affleck) and his gorgeous wife Amy (Rosamund Pike) present a picture of a happy marriage to the public in Carthage, Missouri. Nick becomes the leading suspect in Amy’s abduction when she goes away on the couple’s fifth wedding anniversary. The police pressure and media frenzy that followed shattered the Dunnes’ image of a harmonious marriage. This will surely give you an adrenaline rush.
Pride and Prejudice By Jane Austen
Pride and Prejudice was published in 1813. The work covers the character development of Elizabeth Bennet, the book’s dynamic protagonist, as she learns about the consequences of hasty judgments and recognizes the difference between superficial virtue and genuine goodness. Elizabeth Bennet, the daughter of a countryman, and Fitzwilliam Darcy, a wealthy aristocratic landowner, have a tumultuous relationship in Pride and Prejudice. To fall in love and marry, they must conquer the eponymous sins of Pride and Prejudice. It is a great novel to read if you enjoy classics.
The Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald
It is considered one of the most important works for teaching students how to read literature critically. The narrative is recounted through the eyes of Nick Carraway, a young man who has recently shifted to New York City and is befriended by Jay Gatsby, an eccentric newly rich neighbour with enigmatic roots. The Great Gatsby gives readers an insider’s view of America’s Jazz Age in the 1920s while also criticizing the concept of the “American Dream.” The novel’s cover art, which has a piercing face projected into a dark blue night sky with lights from a cityscape, is perhaps its most recognized feature.
One Hundred Years of Solitude By Gabriel García Márquez
One Hundred Years of Solitude is a widely acknowledged and acclaimed novel known around the world, and it is considered one of the best works of the twentieth century. It is a novel written by Colombian novelist Gabriel Garcá Márquez in 1967 about the Buenda family, whose grandfather, José Arcadio Buenda, established the (fictitious) town of Macondo. The work is frequently recognized as one of literature’s pinnacles.
From the postcolonial 1820s to the 1920s, this is the author’s epic chronicle of seven generations of the Buenda family, which covers a hundred years of stormy Latin American history. In the middle of a marsh, Patriarch José Arcadio Buenda constructs the ideal city of Macondo.
To Kill a Mockingbird By Harper Lee
Harper Lee’s novel To Kill a Mockingbird is set in the fictional town of Maycomb, Alabama, during the Great Depression of the 1930s. The heroine, Jean Louise (“Scout”) Finch, is a brilliant but strange young girl who grows from six to nine years old. Her father, Atticus Finch, raises her and her brother, Jeremy Atticus (“Jem”). He is a well-known lawyer who instils empathy and fairness in his children. Killing a mockingbird is “a sin,” he says, meaning that the birds are innocent and harmless.
The work was lauded for portraying a child’s exposure to racism and discrimination in the American South in a compassionate manner.
This list is not at all exhaustive as there are myriads of great books. This list was just a recommendation of some best books to read if you are getting started with reading and you are having a hard time selecting a book. You can choose books that suit your taste and which you enjoy reading.
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