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Beautifully Written Books to Get Lost In

Sometimes we forget how important good writing can be to the art of story telling. Here are 100 modern , post-modern, and contemporary works which contain beautiful prose styles that inform, enhance, and elevate the reading experience. I have limited the list to works written in English; translation can only approximate the prose styles of writers in other languages. Much as I love "The Name of the Rose", for example, I do not read Italian, so I don't know how much of what I read is actually Umberto Eco and how much is the translator William Weaver.
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from bookriot.com · made by James Loranger
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How many have you read?

Page 1 of 3
1
All the Light We Cannot See (Anthony Doerr)
All the Light We Cannot See
Anthony Doerr
2
The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay (Michael Chabon)
The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay
Michael Chabon
3
Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe (Benjamin Alire Saenz)
Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe
Benjamin Alire Saenz
4
Atonement (Ian McEwan)
Atonement
Ian McEwan
5
Beloved (Toni Morrison)
Beloved
Toni Morrison
6
The Bonfire of the Vanities (Tom Wolfe)
The Bonfire of the Vanities
Tom Wolfe
7
The Book Thief (Markus Zusak)
The Book Thief
Markus Zusak
8
The Bostonians (Henry James)
The Bostonians
Henry James
9
Call Me by Your Name (André Aciman)
Call Me by Your Name
André Aciman
10
A Canticle for Leibowitz (Miller)
A Canticle for Leibowitz
Miller
11
A Certain Slant of Light (Laura Whitcombe)
A Certain Slant of Light
Laura Whitcombe
12
Cloud Atlas (David Mitchell)
Cloud Atlas
David Mitchell
13
Collected Ghost Stories (M.R James)
Collected Ghost Stories
M.R James
14
The Comedians (Greene)
The Comedians
Greene
15
Daughter of Smoke and Bone (Lani Taylor)
Daughter of Smoke and Bone
Lani Taylor
16
Deathless (Catherynne M. Valente)
Deathless
Catherynne M. Valente
17
The Devourers (Indra Das)
The Devourers
Indra Das
18
The Dispossessed (Ursula K. Le Guin)
The Dispossessed
Ursula K. Le Guin
19
Doomsday Book (Willis)
Doomsday Book
Willis
20
Dubliners (Joyce)
Dubliners
Joyce
21
Everything Everything (Nicola Yoon)
Everything Everything
Nicola Yoon
22
Far From the Madding Crowd (Hardy, Thomas)
Far From the Madding Crowd
Hardy, Thomas
23
Farewell My Lovely (Chandler)
Farewell My Lovely
Chandler
24
Fierce Femmes and Notorious Liars (Kai Cheng Thom)
Fierce Femmes and Notorious Liars
Kai Cheng Thom
25
The Garden Party (Katherine Mansfield)
The Garden Party
Katherine Mansfield
26
Ghost Story (Peter Straub)
Ghost Story
Peter Straub
27
Giovanni's Room (James Baldwin)
Giovanni's Room
James Baldwin
28
The God of Small Things (Arundhati Roy)
The God of Small Things
Arundhati Roy
29
The Gods of Tango (Carolina De Robertis)
The Gods of Tango
Carolina De Robertis
30
The Green Man (Kingsley Amis)
The Green Man
Kingsley Amis
31
The Haunting of Hill House (Shirley Jackson)
The Haunting of Hill House
Shirley Jackson
32
Heart Berries (Terese Marie Mailhot)
Heart Berries
Terese Marie Mailhot
33
Heart of Darkness (Joseph Conrad)
Heart of Darkness
Joseph Conrad
34
The Heart of the Matter (Greene)
The Heart of the Matter
Greene
35
The House of Mirth (Edith Wharton)
The House of Mirth
Edith Wharton
36
The House of the Spirits (Isabel Allende)
The House of the Spirits
Isabel Allende
37
Ice (Anna Kavan)
Ice
Anna Kavan
38
In Sunlight and in Shadow (Mark Helprin)
In Sunlight and in Shadow
Mark Helprin
39
Invisible Man (Ralph Ellison)
Invisible Man
Ralph Ellison
40
Jellicoe Road (Melina Marchetta)
Jellicoe Road
Melina Marchetta
Page 1 of 3
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