List Challenges
Movies Books Travel Food Other
Trending
New
Popular
Sign In
 Make a List Browse Lists Search Lists Leaders Help / Contact Newsletter

161 Essential Books to Read

This list contains 161 books for me to read as soon as possible. Includes classics, recent releases, and books to read just for fun.
Read More
926 users · 4,910 views
 
made by McKenna Rice
avg. score: 40 of 161 (25%)
required scores: 1, 23, 33, 44, 56 
type to search

How many have you read?

Page 1 of 5
1984 (George Orwell)
1984
1
George Orwell
Little Women (Louisa May Alcott)
Little Women
2
Louisa May Alcott
Jane Eyre (Charlotte Bronte)
Jane Eyre
3
Charlotte Bronte
Wuthering Heights (Emily Bronte)
Wuthering Heights
4
Emily Bronte
Emma (Jane Austen)
Emma
5
Jane Austen
Mansfield Park (Jane Austen)
Mansfield Park
6
Jane Austen
And Then There Were None (Agatha Christie)
And Then There Were None
7
Agatha Christie
The Phantom Tollbooth (Norton Juster)
The Phantom Tollbooth
8
Norton Juster
Midnight Sun (Stephenie Meyer)
Midnight Sun
9
Stephenie Meyer
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (Suzanne Collins)
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes
10
Suzanne Collins
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (J.K. Rowling, John Tiffany & Jack Thorne)
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
11
J.K. Rowling, John Tiffany & Jack Thorne
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (Series) (Douglas Adams)
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (Series)
12
Douglas Adams
Milk and Honey (Rupi Kaur)
Milk and Honey
13
Rupi Kaur
Atlas Shrugged (Ayn Rand)
Atlas Shrugged
14
Ayn Rand
Ready Player One (Ernest Cline)
Ready Player One
15
Ernest Cline
Ready Player Two (Ernest Cline)
Ready Player Two
16
Ernest Cline
Animal Farm (George Orwell)
Animal Farm
17
George Orwell
Of Mice and Men (John Steinbeck)
Of Mice and Men
18
John Steinbeck
Bird by Bird (Anne Lamott)
Bird by Bird
19
Anne Lamott
Catch-22 (Joseph Heller)
Catch-22
20
Joseph Heller
The Catcher in the Rye (J.D. Salinger)
The Catcher in the Rye
21
J.D. Salinger
Sense and Sensibility (Jane Austen)
Sense and Sensibility
22
Jane Austen
The Book Thief (Markus Zusak)
The Book Thief
23
Markus Zusak
On Writing (Stephen King)
On Writing
24
Stephen King
Frankenstein (Mary Shelley)
Frankenstein
25
Mary Shelley
Dracula (Bram Stoker)
Dracula
26
Bram Stoker
The Maze Runner (James Dashner)
The Maze Runner
27
James Dashner
The Scorch Trials (James Dashner)
The Scorch Trials
28
James Dashner
The Death Cure (James Dashner)
The Death Cure
29
James Dashner
The Kill Order (James Dashner)
The Kill Order
30
James Dashner
The Fever Code (James Dashner)
The Fever Code
31
James Dashner
The Perks of Being a Wallflower (Stephen Chbosky)
The Perks of Being a Wallflower
32
Stephen Chbosky
Peter Pan (Agnes Baruzzi)
Peter Pan
33
Agnes Baruzzi
Pinocchio (Carlo Collodi)
Pinocchio
34
Carlo Collodi
The Three Musketeers (Alexandre Dumas)
The Three Musketeers
35
Alexandre Dumas
The Graveyard Book (Neil Gaiman)
The Graveyard Book
36
Neil Gaiman
The Wizard of Oz (L. Frank Baum)
The Wizard of Oz
37
L. Frank Baum
The Alchemist (Paulo Coelho)
The Alchemist
38
Paulo Coelho
The Notebook (Nicholas Sparks)
The Notebook
39
Nicholas Sparks
A Tale of Two Cities (Charles Dickens)
A Tale of Two Cities
40
Charles Dickens
Page 1 of 5
Click books you've read
Lists Similar to '161 Essential Books to Read'
Essential Books Read So Far (Personal Opinion)
Essential Books Read So Far (Personal Opinion)
779
132
Xandry's Essential Books (Books Essential to Xandry)
Xandry's Essential Books (Books Essential to Xandry)
96
110
Top 50 Essential Books to Read to Earn "Well-Read" Status
Top 50 Essential Books to Read to Earn "Well-Read" Status
4,127
50
Five Essential Books From Essential Authors
Five Essential Books From Essential Authors
2,116
320
100 Essential Books You Should Have Read in College
100 Essential Books You Should Have Read in College
7,062
100
The Essential Man's Library: 100 Must-Read Books
The Essential Man's Library: 100 Must-Read Books
2,906
99
Essential Books to Read
Essential Books to Read
2,698
250
Essential Books You'll Actually Read
Essential Books You'll Actually Read
2,661
150
Updated '100 Essential Books You Should Have Read in College'
Updated '100 Essential Books You Should Have Read in College'
2,636
100
Essential Books I'm Told I've Gotta Read
Essential Books I'm Told I've Gotta Read
2,294
415
Essential Comic Books/ Graphic Novels That Could and Should Be Read by Anyone.
Essential Comic Books/ Graphic Novels That Could and Should Be Read by Anyone.
2,205
100
Essential Books You've Gotta Read
Essential Books You've Gotta Read
1,595
100
100 Essential Books to Read Before You Die
100 Essential Books to Read Before You Die
1,542
100
Harper's Bazaar's 32 Essential Feminist Books to Read for Women's History Month
Harper's Bazaar's 32 Essential Feminist Books to Read for Women's History Month
1,493
32
Essential Books to Read in a Lifetime
Essential Books to Read in a Lifetime
1,486
106
100 Must-Read Books: The Essential Man's Library
100 Must-Read Books: The Essential Man's Library
1,231
100
33 Essential Literary Fiction Books to Read Now
33 Essential Literary Fiction Books to Read Now
764
33
25 Essential Books Every Woman Should Read in Her Lifetime According to Festivaltopia
25 Essential Books Every Woman Should Read in Her Lifetime According to Festivaltopia
727
25
Essential Books to Read Before You Die
Essential Books to Read Before You Die
577
20
50 Essential Books of Poetry That Everyone Should Read —Flavorwire
50 Essential Books of Poetry That Everyone Should Read —Flavorwire
494
50
Essential Books to Read by Title (Revised)
Essential Books to Read by Title (Revised)
452
584
116 Essential New Books to Read for Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month
116 Essential New Books to Read for Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month
182
116
Essential Books to Read by Author (Revised)
Essential Books to Read by Author (Revised)
173
570
Outside Magazine's 26 Essential Books for the Well-Read Explorer
Outside Magazine's 26 Essential Books for the Well-Read Explorer
168
26
50 Essential Hawai'i Books You Should Read in Your Lifetime
50 Essential Hawai'i Books You Should Read in Your Lifetime
120
50
Essential Books to Read Before College According to Penguin Random House
Essential Books to Read Before College According to Penguin Random House
122
17
Five Essential Books From Authors Who Wrote a Ton of Books
Five Essential Books From Authors Who Wrote a Ton of Books
9,787
225
The Ultimate Bucket List of Books (1,800 Essential Novels, Biographies, Essays, Plays, Science and Sports Books)
The Ultimate Bucket List of Books (1,800 Essential Novels, Biographies, Essays, Plays, Science and Sports Books)
1,180
1800
Books You Should Read According to a Third of 33 '100 Books to Read' Lists
Books You Should Read According to a Third of 33 '100 Books to Read' Lists
3,032
59
Must-Read Books of All Time: 40 Books Everyone Should Read
Must-Read Books of All Time: 40 Books Everyone Should Read
2,106
40
All Similar Lists
Newsletter · Help/Contact · Privacy · Copyright Claim   © 2025 App Spring, Inc. · This product uses the TMDb API but is not endorsed or certified by TMDb.
Seen It - Movies & TV 
Android & iOS
Seen It is a new app from the creators of List Challenges. You can view movies and shows in one place and filter by streaming provider, genre, release year, runtime, and rating (Rotten Tomatoes, Imdb, and/or Metacritic). Also, you can track what you've seen, want to see, like, or dislike, as well as track individual seasons or episodes of shows. In addition, you can see the most watched/liked stuff amongst your friends. Learn more at SEENIT.FUN