4.45 avg rating — 315,853 ratings

"A classic for the ages... We've been wrestling with these ideas for 2000+ years. Whatever your views, it's a book worth knowing. You might prefer a more modern translation like the NIV or NASB."

4.26 avg rating — 369 ratings

"May turn out to be a life changing book for you."

4.03 avg rating — 1,044,876 ratings

"There was a time when regular joes enjoyed a good Shakespeare play. Today, he can be tough to follow, so find a copy with useful looking annotations. "

3.83 avg rating — 1,334,534 ratings

"Yup, it's long. It has THAT word in it. It's still worth reading. Maybe you'd prefer to hear a recorded version. That can be a good option."

3.83 avg rating — 175,142 ratings

"ULYSSES and FINNEGAN'S WAKE might seem too baffling, but you can handle DUBLINERS. A copy with some annotations would be good. "

3.95 avg rating — 941 ratings

"Don't know what book to read next? Try this one. You may find yourself consulting this volume for decades to come."

3.97 avg rating — 225,053 ratings

"We owe a lot to Plato. You may not agree with him, but he's worth listening to."

4.13 avg rating — 41,448 ratings

"A good single volume history of philosophy. "

4.37 avg rating — 31,961 ratings

"One of the masters of the short story."

4.26 avg rating — 7,219 ratings

"If you only read one Alice Munro collection...you'll be missing out on a lot of good stories."

4.39 avg rating — 40,739 ratings

"Just try it."

4.56 avg rating — 25,624 ratings

"Short story collections can be ideal for people who are always on the go. A Sunday afternoon reading can be a lot more satisfying than afternoon spent reading a couple chapters in a book you're not sure you want to finish."

4.29 avg rating — 37,941 ratings

"Hemingway has some great novels, but you may prefer to tackle some of his short stories."

4.33 avg rating — 2,700 ratings

"Not ready to tackle 'War and Peace'? Me either. Start here, instead."

3.74 avg rating — 411,000 ratings

"Colonialism conflicts with traditionalism in this classic of African literature."

3.82 avg rating — 58,065 ratings

"A good introduction to Murakami's work."

4.38 avg rating — 72,340 ratings

"It's time you read it for yourself."

4.22 avg rating — 258,135 ratings

"A real eye-opener. Often considered a classic of women's rights. Especially the the rights of moderately wealthy white women."

3.93 avg rating — 5,872,598 ratings

"What's so great about Gatsby? Beats me. Lemme know when you figure it out. :)"

3.99 avg rating — 2,065,241 ratings

"Waited almost 40 years to read this. Should have read it sooner. "

4.15 avg rating — 521 ratings

"May not be the best poetry anthology, but it's one of the best poetry anthologies on my book shelf."

3.84 avg rating — 381,215 ratings

"Sick of politicians arguing on tv? Maybe it's time you stoked the fireplace, brewed some hot chocolate, and curled up with another classic philosophical treatise on government. "

4.18 avg rating — 375 ratings

"Who says you need to read ALL the Federalist Papers? Not David Wootton! Some of the most important ideas hashed out during the founding of America."

4.16 avg rating — 2,310,305 ratings

"They made a movie based on it, so it must be good. Pretty sure that's how Hollywood works. 'Twilight' has way more vampires, though, so don't say I didn't warn ya!"

3.98 avg rating — 43,495 ratings

"Here comes the whiskey priest... Greene wrote literary works like P&G as well as 'entertainments'. "

3.90 avg rating — 2,028,381 ratings

"Read it. BECAUSE!!!"

3.68 avg rating — 330,348 ratings

"If I ever got shipwrecked on deserted island far from land, I would probably die really soon. I've read this several times, though, and always enjoy it. Pretty sure I liked it as a kid, too."

4.40 avg rating — 295,229 ratings

"Whodunnit? Poe. "

4.29 avg rating — 4,765,852 ratings

"I prefer humility and open-mindedness, but that's asking a lot from the 19th century. "

4.04 avg rating — 64,545 ratings

"One of the books on this list that I haven't actually read. Let's read it together."

3.81 avg rating — 45,224 ratings

"I was going to recommend Gombrich, but Gardner encompasses so much more."

4.09 avg rating — 39,011 ratings

"Read it before Scorsese films it. Then read it again."

3.85 avg rating — 5,750 ratings

"A classic of economics. Read this, then read that other guy's book. Then decide for yourself who is right. Just don't say Marx."

3.33 avg rating — 2,966 ratings

"Ragged Dick did it. So can you. "

4.15 avg rating — 25,890 ratings

"A classic of economics. Read this book, then read the other guy's book, then go to bed, because no matter who is right you're still going to have to go to work in the morning."

4.20 avg rating — 116,478 ratings

"...that could produce all those carbon emissions? The sort of children's book I should be reading every week."

3.85 avg rating — 91,531 ratings

"A classic American autobiography. "

4.11 avg rating — 3,649 ratings

"A very interesting read, unless you're one of those anti-intellectuals that Hofstadter talks about, in which case you'll probably say it's boring. ;)"

4.11 avg rating — 19 ratings

"Still have your copy from college? You know it's about time you read it."

4.26 avg rating — 6,837,480 ratings

"Accidentally deleted a book from this list. I think it was this one. Folks are rating it far higher than I do, but it is worthwhile. The movie is good too. One of my dad's favorites, and he's not much of a reader."

3.72 avg rating — 186,295 ratings

"Really quite depressing, but I love it."

3.61 avg rating — 446,645 ratings

"The book is way better than the movie. Or so I've heard."

4.05 avg rating — 129,513 ratings

"Spoiler alert: the hare wins."

3.73 avg rating — 3,101 ratings

"A classic of sociology. "

3.97 avg rating — 4,016 ratings

"Another classic!! All sorts of classics on this list..."

3.80 avg rating — 3,873,358 ratings

"Prepare to be offended!!! Or to complain about someone being offended. Either way...be prepared."

3.83 avg rating — 75,821 ratings

"Jude gets held back by the 1%ers and falls in love with his cousin. One of my favorite books."

4.09 avg rating — 3,607 ratings

"I laughed my head off! Your results may vary."

4.26 avg rating — 15,754 ratings

"Terrific short stories."

4.02 avg rating — 8,413 ratings

"Pretty sure that's not a beagle or a finch on the cover. A good travel book."

3.30 avg rating — 109,862 ratings

"War is heck. Read all about it."

3.90 avg rating — 2,816,680 ratings

"Depressing, but short. Like me."

4.02 avg rating — 4,509,490 ratings

"Go ahead... It's a classic. Pretty short too."

4.29 avg rating — 19,829 ratings

"Not an easy read, but worth it, especially for city-dwellers. These are ideas worth wrestling with."

3.84 avg rating — 36,864 ratings

"A classic collection of short stories."

4.31 avg rating — 843,194 ratings

"Be sure to read it out loud. Really loud. Then let your kiddies read it to you. Loudly."

4.28 avg rating — 341,547 ratings

"Classic 'self-help'. Learn from it. "

4.30 avg rating — 4,433,112 ratings

"Fantasy is important. Try to forget the movie. Let Tolkien create a world in your mind."

4.22 avg rating — 1,141,403 ratings

"The grand-daddy of modern self-help books. "

3.88 avg rating — 128 ratings

"Clear thinking matters. "

4.06 avg rating — 607,110 ratings

"You might enjoy a trip down the rabbit hole. There's an annotated version if you're into that sort of thing. "

4.11 avg rating — 517,665 ratings

"Let Remarque take you into the trenches of WWI."

3.92 avg rating — 242,170 ratings

"A 19th century best-seller. "

4.17 avg rating — 38,001 ratings

"Entertainment is delightful, but we musn't let it take over our lives. Take some time to read a 'serious' book. Maybe this one."

4.38 avg rating — 394,111 ratings

"I still find myself buying greeting cards with Winnie-the-Pooh on it. We should all have such friends."

4.17 avg rating — 139,902 ratings

"Adults should be so curious."

4.02 avg rating — 239,747 ratings

"Another childhood gem. "

4.02 avg rating — 3,919 ratings

"The creation / evolution debate still rages. I was tempted to put 'Origin of the Species' on this list, but I decided to go with something more modern. A tough slog for the complete newbie, but worth looking for at the library. If you wish to oppose, first seek to understand. "

4.37 avg rating — 8,975 ratings

"It's the 100 year anniversary of WWI. In my opinion, there is no better one volume general history. Shorter chapters alternate between chronological history and close-up studies of people, places, and technology."

4.23 avg rating — 257,915 ratings

"A classic in our family. So beloved, I accidentally put it on this list twice. "

4.26 avg rating — 2,619 ratings

"Let Pulitzer Prize winning film critic Roger Ebert guide you through the Great Films. Culled from his (free) online essays. Far from definitive, but at least there are two more volumes. There is no one I'd rather discuss a movie with. I'm sorry I never got the chance."

4.19 avg rating — 11,898 ratings

"President Dwight Eisenhower recommended it to his friends. Also recommended by me. Lots of food for thought here."

3.91 avg rating — 470,437 ratings

"Enjoyed this as a child. And it's on the Modern Library list of the best novels of the century."

4.37 avg rating — 440,963 ratings

"Great for all ages. Graduating soon? Read this. Not graduating soon? That's OK. You still might find it inspiring. "

3.79 avg rating — 5,734 ratings

"Money is important to survival, but why not make a living at something you enjoy?"

4.16 avg rating — 817,343 ratings

"Character matters. This book can be rather dry. It's main points could be reduced to a twenty page manual,. But if you are heading off into the corporate world, you should read this first."

4.12 avg rating — 2,655 ratings

"City planning and public infrastructure may not be sexy, but they matter. "

4.51 avg rating — 216,417 ratings

"One of the cleverest men in literature, at least in my opinion. Fans of CSI-style tv shows should eat it up."

4.10 avg rating — 1,567 ratings

"Ever wonder what it takes to keep a city like New York or Chicago functioning? This is a fascinating introduction."

4.29 avg rating — 108,471 ratings

"Reading to children is important (as is letting them read to you). Some of the classic stories of childhood can be found here. Worthwhile reading for adults too."

4.65 avg rating — 3,035 ratings

"I LOVE these books. The artwork is a delight. When I was a child, I read them over and over again."

4.35 avg rating — 1,502,597 ratings

"Silly fun for all ages can be found here."

3.99 avg rating — 3,043 ratings

"A sentimental favorite. "

3.90 avg rating — 15,116 ratings

"If you're interested in economics and its role in society, check this book out. A must read for conservatives and libertarians and all those who disagree with conservatives and libertarians."

4.16 avg rating — 21,493 ratings

"Another classic of economics. The title is a bit deceptive, but the book is worth reading."

3.98 avg rating — 7,016 ratings

"Worth reading if you're into that sort of thing."

4.05 avg rating — 26,985 ratings

4.14 avg rating — 1,760 ratings

"An important work for Christians. Atheists should look for it too."

4.27 avg rating — 516,939 ratings

"The idea of demons writing letters is silly, but Screwtape is still one of the few 'Christian' books I recommend to people. There are some updated versions, but I enjoy the original."

4.30 avg rating — 1,706 ratings

"You need to eat, right? "

3.90 avg rating — 1,709 ratings

"Obesity is taking a toll on the nation's health. If, like me, you've struggled with your weight, you may find this book extremely helpful, maybe even a life-saver."

3.87 avg rating — 61 ratings

"Self-reflection is important. If you struggle with anger, I can think of no better book to help you sort things out."

3.88 avg rating — 946 ratings

"Who doesn't want to overclock their brain? If the title appeals to you, check out the book. Some chapters will seem useless, others extremely helpful."

3.45 avg rating — 29 ratings

"Dissatisfied with your life? The title says it all."

really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 3 ratings

"Prospective couch potatoes should start reading this right now. Unless they'd rather read 'War and Peace'. "

3.91 avg rating — 20,048 ratings

"A sentimental favorite. As a kid, it really fired up my imagination. Pulp fiction for children."

4.03 avg rating — 1,085 ratings

"I enjoy seeing how it all fits together. You might too."

4.50 avg rating — 495 ratings

"Wild flowers are pretty. Newcomb can help you identify them. Short on attractive pictures, but innovative in arrangement, the guide can help you figure out quickly what you are looking at. Best for those living in NE U.S."

4.57 avg rating — 428 ratings

"Birds are all around us. It's time more people got acquainted with them. Peterson's guide isn't really designed for reading straight through, but it's a great reference. There are eastern and western guides so you aren't distracted by birds you're unlikely to see. "

3.69 avg rating — 1,531 ratings

"Life is too short for you to be able to read all the right books. Hirsch's books can give you and your kids a whirlwind tour of the most important ideas out there. Like this list that I'm writing now, CL has lots of holes, but both represent (I hope) an OK start. The Cl dictionary is handy, with very short definitions, but kids may prefer to find info on the internet."