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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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Peyton Place (New Hampshire)
Peyton Place (New Hampshire)
1
Zoya (Danielle Steel)
Zoya
2
Danielle Steel
My Sweet Audrina (V.C. Andrews)
My Sweet Audrina
3
V.C. Andrews
Lace (Shirley Conran)
Lace
4
Shirley Conran
Scruples (Judith Krantz)
Scruples
5
Judith Krantz
The Plains of Passage
The Plains of Passage
6
The Best of Everything
The Best of Everything
7
The Carpetbaggers (Harold Robbins)
The Carpetbaggers
8
Harold Robbins
Valley of the Dolls (Jacqueline Susann)
Valley of the Dolls
9
Jacqueline Susann
The Thorn Birds (Colleen McCullough)
The Thorn Birds
10
Colleen McCullough
The Lord Won't Mind (Gordon Merrick)
The Lord Won't Mind
11
Gordon Merrick
The Other Side of Midnight (Sidney Sheldon)
The Other Side of Midnight
12
Sidney Sheldon
Riders (Jilly Cooper)
Riders
13
Jilly Cooper
Delta of Venus (Anaïs Nin)
Delta of Venus
14
Anaïs Nin
The Second Lady (Irving Wallace)
The Second Lady
15
Irving Wallace
The Black Moth (Georgette Heyer)
The Black Moth
16
Georgette Heyer
Lady Chatterly's Lover (Lawrence, D.H.)
Lady Chatterly's Lover
17
Lawrence, D.H.
The Witching Hour (Anne Rice)
The Witching Hour
18
Anne Rice
Hollywood Wives
Hollywood Wives
19
Bling (Erica Kennedy)
Bling
20
Erica Kennedy
Loves Music, Loves to Dance (Mary Higgins Clark)
Loves Music, Loves to Dance
21
Mary Higgins Clark
Comes the Blind Fury (John Saul)
Comes the Blind Fury
22
John Saul
Strangers
Strangers
23
The Silence of the Lambs (Thomas Harris)
The Silence of the Lambs
24
Thomas Harris
The Stepford Wives (Ira Levin)
The Stepford Wives
25
Ira Levin
The Bad Seed (William March)
The Bad Seed
26
William March
A Season in Purgatory
A Season in Purgatory
27
The Mists of Avalon (Marion Zimmer Bradley)
The Mists of Avalon
28
Marion Zimmer Bradley
Naked Came the Stranger (Penelope Asch)
Naked Came the Stranger
29
Penelope Asch
Gone With the Wind (Margaret Mitchell)
Gone With the Wind
30
Margaret Mitchell
Outlander (Diana Gabaldon)
Outlander
31
Diana Gabaldon
The Stand (Stephen King)
The Stand
32
Stephen King
Shogun (James Clavell)
Shogun
33
James Clavell
God's Little Acre
God's Little Acre
34
Go Ask Alice (Anonymous)
Go Ask Alice
35
Anonymous
Wifey (Judy Blume)
Wifey
36
Judy Blume
Pillars of the Earth (Ken Follett)
Pillars of the Earth
37
Ken Follett
Queenie (Michael Korda)
Queenie
38
Michael Korda
Beulah Land (Lonnie Coleman)
Beulah Land
39
Lonnie Coleman
Hawaii (James. A. Michener)
Hawaii
40
James. A. Michener
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