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The Ultimate Contemporary Novels List

Below is a curated selection of must-read modern literature that captures the diverse voices and themes of our time. Check off the books you have read and discover new ones to add to your reading journey. Happy reading!
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The Handmaid's Tale (Margaret Atwood)
The Handmaid's Tale
1
Margaret Atwood
1984 (George Orwell)
1984
2
George Orwell
One Hundred Years of Solitude (Gabriel Garcia Marquez)
One Hundred Years of Solitude
3
Gabriel Garcia Marquez
The Girl on the Train (Paula Hawkins)
The Girl on the Train
4
Paula Hawkins
All the Light We Cannot See (Anthony Doerr)
All the Light We Cannot See
5
Anthony Doerr
Where the Crawdads Sing (Delia Owens)
Where the Crawdads Sing
6
Delia Owens
The Lovely Bones (Alice Sebold)
The Lovely Bones
7
Alice Sebold
Twilight (Stephenie Meyer)
Twilight
8
Stephenie Meyer
Lolita (Vladimir Nabokov)
Lolita
9
Vladimir Nabokov
Gone Girl (Gillian Flynn)
Gone Girl
10
Gillian Flynn
Little Fires Everywhere (Celeste Ng)
Little Fires Everywhere
11
Celeste Ng
Circe (Madeline Miller)
Circe
12
Madeline Miller
The Time Traveler's Wife (Audrey Niffenegger)
The Time Traveler's Wife
13
Audrey Niffenegger
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (Stieg Larsson)
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
14
Stieg Larsson
A Man Called Ove (Fredrik Backman)
A Man Called Ove
15
Fredrik Backman
Station Eleven (Emily St John Mandel)
Station Eleven
16
Emily St John Mandel
The God of Small Things (Arundhati Roy)
The God of Small Things
17
Arundhati Roy
American Gods (Neil Gaiman)
American Gods
18
Neil Gaiman
Love in the Time of Cholera (Gabriel García Márquez)
Love in the Time of Cholera
19
Gabriel García Márquez
Never Let Me Go (Kazuo Ishiguro)
Never Let Me Go
20
Kazuo Ishiguro
Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine (Gail Honeyman)
Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine
21
Gail Honeyman
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo (Taylor Jenkins Reid)
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo
22
Taylor Jenkins Reid
Mexican Gothic (Silvia Moreno-Garcia)
Mexican Gothic
23
Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Good Omens (Terry Pratchett)
Good Omens
24
Terry Pratchett
Big Little Lies (Liane Moriarty)
Big Little Lies
25
Liane Moriarty
The Alchemist (Paulo Coelho)
The Alchemist
26
Paulo Coelho
The Underground Railroad (Colson Whitehead)
The Underground Railroad
27
Colson Whitehead
The Nightingale (Kristin Hannah)
The Nightingale
28
Kristin Hannah
It (Stephen King)
It
29
Stephen King
Flowers for Algernon (Daniel Keyes)
Flowers for Algernon
30
Daniel Keyes
The Silent Patient (Alex Michaelides)
The Silent Patient
31
Alex Michaelides
The Da Vinci Code (Dan Brown)
The Da Vinci Code
32
Dan Brown
The Vanishing Half (Brit Bennett)
The Vanishing Half
33
Brit Bennett
Looking for Alaska (John Green)
Looking for Alaska
34
John Green
The Shadow of the Wind (Carlos Ruiz Zafon)
The Shadow of the Wind
35
Carlos Ruiz Zafon
A Thousand Splendid Suns (Khaled Hosseini)
A Thousand Splendid Suns
36
Khaled Hosseini
I Am Malala (Malala Yousafzai)
I Am Malala
37
Malala Yousafzai
Holes (Louis Sachar)
Holes
38
Louis Sachar
Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell (Susanna Clarke)
Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell
39
Susanna Clarke
The Midnight Library (Matt Haig)
The Midnight Library
40
Matt Haig
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