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40 Trashy Novels You Must Read Before You Die

First things first: the history of the novel is already tangled up with the notion of "trash." Peruse the great 19th-century realist novels — particularly Jane Austen's, say — and you'll catch characters insulting each other's reading habits. But there are a lot of reasons to read other than intellectual elevation. Relaxation is one; keeping up with what everyone else is reading is another. Here are 40 of the greatest trashy books written in the last hundred years that, if you're not looking for perfect prose, will surely decrease muscle tension over a weekend, or on vacation. These books aren't perfect, but each has some kind of hook — either unexpectedly good construction, entertainingly inventive salaciousness, or historical import in and of itself. Enjoy!
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1
Peyton Place (New Hampshire)
Peyton Place (New Hampshire)
2
Zoya (Danielle Steel)
Zoya (Danielle Steel)
3
My Sweet Audrina (V.C. Andrews)
My Sweet Audrina (V.C. Andrews)
4
Lace (Shirley Conran)
Lace (Shirley Conran)
5
Scruples (Judith Krantz)
Scruples (Judith Krantz)
6
The Plains of Passage
The Plains of Passage
7
The Best of Everything
The Best of Everything
8
The Carpetbaggers (Harold Robbins)
The Carpetbaggers (Harold Robbins)
9
Valley of the Dolls
Valley of the Dolls
10
The Thorn Birds
The Thorn Birds
11
The Lord Won't Mind (Gordon Merrick)
The Lord Won't Mind (Gordon Merrick)
12
The Other Side of Midnight (Sidney Sheldon)
The Other Side of Midnight (Sidney Sheldon)
13
Riders (Jilly Cooper)
Riders (Jilly Cooper)
14
Delta of Venus (Anaïs Nin)
Delta of Venus (Anaïs Nin)
15
The Second Lady (Irving Wallace)
The Second Lady (Irving Wallace)
16
The Black Moth (Georgette Heyer)
The Black Moth (Georgette Heyer)
17
Lady Chatterly's Lover
Lady Chatterly's Lover
18
The Witching Hour
The Witching Hour
19
Hollywood Wives
Hollywood Wives
20
Bling (Erica Kennedy)
Bling (Erica Kennedy)
21
Loves Music, Loves to Dance (Mary Higgins Clark)
Loves Music, Loves to Dance (Mary Higgins Clark)
22
Comes the Blind Fury (John Saul)
Comes the Blind Fury (John Saul)
23
Strangers
Strangers
24
The Silence of the Lambs (Novel)
The Silence of the Lambs (Novel)
25
The Stepford Wives
The Stepford Wives
26
The Bad Seed
The Bad Seed
27
A Season in Purgatory
A Season in Purgatory
28
The Mists of Avalon
The Mists of Avalon
29
Naked Came the Stranger (Penelope Asch)
Naked Came the Stranger (Penelope Asch)
30
Gone With the Wind (Margaret Mitchell)
Gone With the Wind (Margaret Mitchell)
31
Outlander (Diana Gabaldon)
Outlander (Diana Gabaldon)
32
The Stand
The Stand
33
Shogun (James Clavell)
Shogun (James Clavell)
34
God's Little Acre
God's Little Acre
35
Go Ask Alice (Anonymous)
Go Ask Alice (Anonymous)
36
Wifey (Judy Blume)
Wifey (Judy Blume)
37
Pillars of the Earth, by Ken Follett
Pillars of the Earth, by Ken Follett
38
Queenie (Michael Korda)
Queenie (Michael Korda)
39
Beulah Land (Lonnie Coleman)
Beulah Land (Lonnie Coleman)
40
Hawaii
Hawaii
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