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

The Well-Read Retiree: Literary and Mainstream Fiction

Our retired maverick English Teacher lists 50 works of that most elusive of categories- mainstream or literary fiction. Once again he has limited the list to 50 works, with only one title per author. Some of those works are modern classics, while others are more obscure titles that deserve a wider audience.
Read More
732 users · 3,280 views
 
made by James Loranger
avg. score: 5 of 50 (11%)
required scores: 1, 2, 3, 5, 8 
type to search

How many have you read?

Page 1 of 2
All the Light We Cannot See (Anthony Doerr)
All the Light We Cannot See
1
Anthony Doerr
The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay (Michael Chabon)
The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay
2
Michael Chabon
As I Lay Dying (William Faulkner)
As I Lay Dying
3
William Faulkner
Atonement (Ian McEwan)
Atonement
4
Ian McEwan
Billiards at Half-Past Nine (Heinrich Böll)
Billiards at Half-Past Nine
5
Heinrich Böll
The Bridge of San Luis Rey
The Bridge of San Luis Rey
6
Bright Lights, Big City (Jay McInerney)
Bright Lights, Big City
7
Jay McInerney
Call It Sleep (Henry Roth)
Call It Sleep
8
Henry Roth
The Chosen (Chaim Potok)
The Chosen
9
Chaim Potok
Collected Stories by Jean Stafford
Collected Stories by Jean Stafford
10
The Dance of Genghis Cohn (Gary)
The Dance of Genghis Cohn
11
Gary
Down All the Days (Christy Brown)
Down All the Days
12
Christy Brown
Elmer Gantry (Sinclair Lewis)
Elmer Gantry
13
Sinclair Lewis
Empire Falls (Richard Russo)
Empire Falls
14
Richard Russo
Everything That Rises Must Converge (Flannery O'Connor)
Everything That Rises Must Converge
15
Flannery O'Connor
Foucault's Pendulum (Umberto Eco)
Foucault's Pendulum
16
Umberto Eco
The French Lieutenant's Woman (John Fowles)
The French Lieutenant's Woman
17
John Fowles
Giles Goat-Boy (John Barth)
Giles Goat-Boy
18
John Barth
The Grapes of Wrath (John Steinbeck)
The Grapes of Wrath
19
John Steinbeck
The Great Gatsby (F. Scott Fitzgerald)
The Great Gatsby
20
F. Scott Fitzgerald
If on a Winter's Night a Traveler (Italo Calvino)
If on a Winter's Night a Traveler
21
Italo Calvino
Independence Day (Richard Ford)
Independence Day
22
Richard Ford
Invisible Man (Ralph Ellison)
Invisible Man
23
Ralph Ellison
Islands in the Stream
Islands in the Stream
24
Last Year at Marienbad (Alain Robbe-Grillet)
Last Year at Marienbad
25
Alain Robbe-Grillet
Libra (Don Delillo)
Libra
26
Don Delillo
Lucky Jim (Kinglsey Amis)
Lucky Jim
27
Kinglsey Amis
Man's Fate (André Malraux)
Man's Fate
28
André Malraux
On the Road (Jack Kerouac)
On the Road
29
Jack Kerouac
One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovtich (Alexander Solzhenitsyn)
One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovtich
30
Alexander Solzhenitsyn
One Last Thing Before I Go (Tropper)
One Last Thing Before I Go
31
Tropper
One True Thing (Anna Quindlen)
One True Thing
32
Anna Quindlen
The Pledge (Friedrich Dürrenmatt)
The Pledge
33
Friedrich Dürrenmatt
The Quiet American (Graham Greene)
The Quiet American
34
Graham Greene
The Remains of the Day (Kazuo Ishiguro)
The Remains of the Day
35
Kazuo Ishiguro
Revolutionary Road (Richard Yates)
Revolutionary Road
36
Richard Yates
Saturday Night and Sunday Morning (Alan Sillitoe)
Saturday Night and Sunday Morning
37
Alan Sillitoe
Shoeless Joe (W.P. Kinsella)
Shoeless Joe
38
W.P. Kinsella
Somewhere off the Coast of Maine (Ann Hood)
Somewhere off the Coast of Maine
39
Ann Hood
Still Life With Woodpecker (Tom Robbins)
Still Life With Woodpecker
40
Tom Robbins
Page 1 of 2
Click books you've read
Lists Similar to 'The Well-Read Retiree: Literary and Mainstream Fiction'
Guy's Literary Fiction 400: Literary Fiction Classic and Contemporary
Guy's Literary Fiction 400: Literary Fiction Classic and Contemporary
1,012
418
The Well-Read Retiree: Historical Fiction
The Well-Read Retiree: Historical Fiction
759
50
The Well-Read Retiree: Science Fiction
The Well-Read Retiree: Science Fiction
441
50
The Well-Read Retiree: Horror Fiction
The Well-Read Retiree: Horror Fiction
292
50
Literary Hub: Reviews of Literary Fiction
Literary Hub: Reviews of Literary Fiction
346
167
Becoming Well Read: Literary Fiction
Becoming Well Read: Literary Fiction
14,411
50
Literary and Historical Fiction I've Read
Literary and Historical Fiction I've Read
1,141
130
33 Essential Literary Fiction Books to Read Now
33 Essential Literary Fiction Books to Read Now
764
33
50 Essential Literary Fiction Novels to Read
50 Essential Literary Fiction Novels to Read
549
50
Great Classic Literary Fiction (And Drama)James Has Actually Read
Great Classic Literary Fiction (And Drama)James Has Actually Read
483
250
All Literary Fiction Books I've Read - 2025
All Literary Fiction Books I've Read - 2025
343
65
20 Must-Read Genre-Blending Literary Fiction Books
20 Must-Read Genre-Blending Literary Fiction Books
284
20
88 Literary Fiction Books to Read This Fall
88 Literary Fiction Books to Read This Fall
233
88
How Many of Moonshinemagpie's Favorite Literary Fiction Books Have You Read?
How Many of Moonshinemagpie's Favorite Literary Fiction Books Have You Read?
146
88
The Well-Read Retiree: Classics
The Well-Read Retiree: Classics
11,131
51
The Well-Read Retiree: Crime and Detective Stories
The Well-Read Retiree: Crime and Detective Stories
494
50
The Well-Read Retiree: Unique and Unexpected Pleasures
The Well-Read Retiree: Unique and Unexpected Pleasures
393
50
The Well-Read Retiree: Action/Adventure/ Intrigue
The Well-Read Retiree: Action/Adventure/ Intrigue
363
50
The Well-Read Retiree: Plays
The Well-Read Retiree: Plays
207
57
The Well-Read Retiree: The Spiritual Path
The Well-Read Retiree: The Spiritual Path
154
50
Goodreads Popular Literary Fiction Books
Goodreads Popular Literary Fiction Books
3,115
100
The Next 300 From Goodreads Popular Literary Fiction Books
The Next 300 From Goodreads Popular Literary Fiction Books
2,597
300
Goodreads "Best Literary Fiction" (Sort Of)
Goodreads "Best Literary Fiction" (Sort Of)
2,323
528
World Literature -- Classics and Literary Fiction Around the World
World Literature -- Classics and Literary Fiction Around the World
2,229
186
100 Best Contemporary Literary Fiction (Around the Last 30 Years) - From LibraryThing
100 Best Contemporary Literary Fiction (Around the Last 30 Years) - From LibraryThing
1,216
100
Science-Fiction With Serious Literary Value
Science-Fiction With Serious Literary Value
1,200
102
Contemporary Literary Fiction
Contemporary Literary Fiction
964
55
Popular (Genre) Fiction Masterpieces of High Literary Value
Popular (Genre) Fiction Masterpieces of High Literary Value
1,000
187
The Bibliophile's Best Books of Each Genre: Literary Fiction
The Bibliophile's Best Books of Each Genre: Literary Fiction
700
40
Literary Historical Fiction
Literary Historical Fiction
601
50
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