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

50 Amazing and Essential Novels to Enrich Your Library

"I decided to compile my own (somewhat eclectic) list of novels I think are amazing and essential to every library......It's one man's reading list — a writer, a book lover, a lover and a dad, but one man nonetheless." (Recommended)
"OK, this isn't exactly a novel" says the list author about "Me Talk Pretty One Day". No equivalent comment about items 1 & 2!
(The Hobbit/The Lord of the Rings pair was subsumed into one item on the list.)
Read More
2,209 users · 5,500 views
 
from recommended.nz · made by Markd9528
avg. score: 13 of 51 (25%)
required scores: 1, 7, 10, 13, 18 
type to search

How many have you read?

Page 1 of 2
King Lear (William Shakespeare)
King Lear
1
William Shakespeare
Hamlet (William Shakespeare)
Hamlet
2
William Shakespeare
The Great Gatsby (F. Scott Fitzgerald)
The Great Gatsby
3
F. Scott Fitzgerald
Tender Is the Night (F. Scott Fitzgerald)
Tender Is the Night
4
F. Scott Fitzgerald
A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man (James Joyce)
A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man
5
James Joyce
Ulysses (James Joyce)
Ulysses
6
James Joyce
Cat's Cradle (Kurt Vonnegut)
Cat's Cradle
7
Kurt Vonnegut
Slaughterhouse-Five (Kurt Vonnegut)
Slaughterhouse-Five
8
Kurt Vonnegut
Neuromancer (William Gibson)
Neuromancer
9
William Gibson
All Tomorrow's Parties
All Tomorrow's Parties
10
Pattern Recognition (William Gibson)
Pattern Recognition
11
William Gibson
Slow Man (J. M. Coetzee)
Slow Man
12
J. M. Coetzee
The Big Sleep (Raymond Chandler)
The Big Sleep
13
Raymond Chandler
Motherless Brooklyn (Jonathan Lethem)
Motherless Brooklyn
14
Jonathan Lethem
Gun,With Occasional Music (Jonathan Lethem)
Gun,With Occasional Music
15
Jonathan Lethem
Never Let Me Go (Kazuo Ishiguro)
Never Let Me Go
16
Kazuo Ishiguro
When We Were Orphans (Kazuo Ishiguro)
When We Were Orphans
17
Kazuo Ishiguro
Kafka on the Shore (Haruki Murakami)
Kafka on the Shore
18
Haruki Murakami
Bel Canto (Ann Pratchett)
Bel Canto
19
Ann Pratchett
Run (Anne Patchett)
Run
20
Anne Patchett
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (Series) (Douglas Adams)
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (Series)
21
Douglas Adams
Discworld Series
Discworld Series
22
The Stand (Stephen King)
The Stand
23
Stephen King
Harry Potter Series (J.K. Rowling)
Harry Potter Series
24
J.K. Rowling
The Hobbit (J.R.R. Tolkien)
The Hobbit
25
J.R.R. Tolkien
The Lord of the Rings Trilogy (J.R.R. Tolkien)
The Lord of the Rings Trilogy
26
J.R.R. Tolkien
High Fidelity (Nick Hornby)
High Fidelity
27
Nick Hornby
About a Boy (Nick Hornby)
About a Boy
28
Nick Hornby
Water for Elephants (Sara Gruen)
Water for Elephants
29
Sara Gruen
The Unbearable Lightness of Being (Milan Kundera)
The Unbearable Lightness of Being
30
Milan Kundera
Anna Karenina (Leo Tolstoy)
Anna Karenina
31
Leo Tolstoy
Crime and Punishment (Fyodor Dostoevsky)
Crime and Punishment
32
Fyodor Dostoevsky
The Broker (John Grisham)
The Broker
33
John Grisham
The Catcher in the Rye (J.D. Salinger)
The Catcher in the Rye
34
J.D. Salinger
Aztec
Aztec
35
Creation (Gore Vidal)
Creation
36
Gore Vidal
To Kill a Mockingbird (Harper Lee)
To Kill a Mockingbird
37
Harper Lee
Shibumi (Trevanian)
Shibumi
38
Trevanian
Me Talk Pretty One Day (David Sedaris)
Me Talk Pretty One Day
39
David Sedaris
The Grapes of Wrath (John Steinbeck)
The Grapes of Wrath
40
John Steinbeck
Page 1 of 2
Click books you've read
Lists Similar to '50 Amazing and Essential Novels to Enrich Your Library'
DC Essential Graphic Novels 2019 (25 Essential Graphic Novels)
DC Essential Graphic Novels 2019 (25 Essential Graphic Novels)
324
25
100 Books to Enrich Your Life
100 Books to Enrich Your Life
2,844
100
29 Books That Will Enrich Your Inner Literati
29 Books That Will Enrich Your Inner Literati
551
29
20 Amazing Novels You Probably Haven't Read
20 Amazing Novels You Probably Haven't Read
279
20
25 Amazing Historical Fiction Novels About World War One and World War Two
25 Amazing Historical Fiction Novels About World War One and World War Two
298
25
The Essential Man's Library: 100 Must-Read Books
The Essential Man's Library: 100 Must-Read Books
2,906
99
Everyman's Library: 100 Essential Books
Everyman's Library: 100 Essential Books
2,269
100
Essential Geek/Nerd Library
Essential Geek/Nerd Library
1,446
234
100 Must-Read Books: The Essential Man's Library
100 Must-Read Books: The Essential Man's Library
1,231
100
The Essential Man's Library: 50 Fictional Adventure Books Edition
The Essential Man's Library: 50 Fictional Adventure Books Edition
746
50
74 Essential Books for Your Personal Library: A List Curated by Female Creatives
74 Essential Books for Your Personal Library: A List Curated by Female Creatives
704
74
The Essential Adventure Library: 50 Non-Fiction Adventure Books
The Essential Adventure Library: 50 Non-Fiction Adventure Books
422
50
The Strange Library: Ten Essential 'Doctor Strange' Comics
The Strange Library: Ten Essential 'Doctor Strange' Comics
92
10
The Essential Baseball Library
The Essential Baseball Library
80
75
Modern Library's 100 Best Novels
Modern Library's 100 Best Novels
32,383
100
Top 100 Children's Novels - School Library Journal
Top 100 Children's Novels - School Library Journal
28,586
100
The Library 100: The Complete 500 Novels (1-250)
The Library 100: The Complete 500 Novels (1-250)
2,935
250
100 Best Novels by Modern Library
100 Best Novels by Modern Library
2,804
100
Modern Library's 100 Best Novels (Readers' List)
Modern Library's 100 Best Novels (Readers' List)
2,673
100
The Modern Library: The Two Hundred Best Novels in English Since 1950
The Modern Library: The Two Hundred Best Novels in English Since 1950
2,570
203
The Modern Library: 100 Best Novels
The Modern Library: 100 Best Novels
2,361
100
The Library 100: The Complete 500 Novels (251-500)
The Library 100: The Complete 500 Novels (251-500)
2,240
250
Top 100 English Language Novels of the 20th Century (Madison Public Library)
Top 100 English Language Novels of the 20th Century (Madison Public Library)
2,025
100
The Library 100: Top 500 Novels
The Library 100: Top 500 Novels
1,797
500
Modern Library: 200 Best Novels in English Since 1950
Modern Library: 200 Best Novels in English Since 1950
1,679
209
School Library Journal Top 100 Children's Novels
School Library Journal Top 100 Children's Novels
1,188
100
Friendswood Library: the Best 150 English Language Novels of the 20th Century
Friendswood Library: the Best 150 English Language Novels of the 20th Century
1,090
175
Modern Library's 100 Best Novels - The Board and the Readers Agreed on These 32
Modern Library's 100 Best Novels - The Board and the Readers Agreed on These 32
933
32
Beyond the Modern Library: The 35 Greatest Novels of the 21st Century So Far (+15 Rejects)
Beyond the Modern Library: The 35 Greatest Novels of the 21st Century So Far (+15 Rejects)
955
50
450 Novels: Happy's Library
450 Novels: Happy's Library
448
450
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