4.26 avg rating — 6,873,942 ratings

"Among the best books of the twentieth century. The southern town, the characters, are all so real. The story is multi-layered, told by Scout, a precocious young girl. The framing of a black man accused of rape; the trial; the mad dog; Boo Radley, the mysterious neighbor; the storytelling itself, all make for a book you can read over and over. Most recently, I've listened to an audio version, read by Sissy Spacek. And if you haven't seen the movie, put in on your list."

3.74 avg rating — 2,819,535 ratings

"The love of two teenagers from feuding families is just as relevant now as it was when Shakespeare wrote it. ( West Side Story was based on Romeo and Juliet.)"

4.16 avg rating — 2,319,847 ratings

"I've read this book so many times, and seen so many movie versions, good and bad, but I still have it on my shelf and will read it again, I'm sure. Jane is a young woman who knows who she is, makes tough moral decisions, and has a core of goodness that is incorruptible. And a great, gothic love story."

4.17 avg rating — 2,456,503 ratings

"Four sisters growing up in Concor, MA during the Civil War. Great love between sisters who are all distinctly themselves, and Jo, the tomboy and writer in the family. I read it recently, and it's still good after all these years. Read it. Give it to a girl/young woman you love."

4.03 avg rating — 1,049,204 ratings

"Teenage angst amid real murder, betrayal. Ghosts, madness, tragedy."

4.28 avg rating — 751,413 ratings

"This book changed the literary landscape. Through Celie's letters to God and later her sister, Walker takes on racism, violence against women, the jazz age and freedom; spirituality and religion; and most importantly women's love for women in so many complicated relationships, sisters, lovers, daughters-in-law, mothers. The movie with Whoopie Goldberg as Celie is splendid, except for the the overly romantic sound-track, and Spielberg's cowardice in not showing a black woman hitting a black man. Shame on him. Oprah Winfrey has a great role, and proves she is a terrific actress as well as a talk-show host. Always on my bedside shelf."

4.03 avg rating — 993,129 ratings

"If you've ever wondered about that Great Depression everyone refers to, this is its classic depiction. The story of an Okie family forced to leave home because of the dust-bowl, how they become migrant workers, how they survive or don't. Magnificent. The movie is good, too, with Henry Fonda."

4.09 avg rating — 937,645 ratings

"Or see the movie with Alistair Sims. Classic story of greed and redemption, with the three famous ghosts, clanking chains, and Bah-humbug. First read this when I was eight years old, before I ever saw the movie, and was totally mesmerized. I thought it was going to be a, well, you know, Christmas story. :)"

4.38 avg rating — 394,971 ratings

"Of all the children's classics, hurray for Pooh, and all his friends. Great characters and stories, wise and funny. I still feel affection towards them, even as I write this."

4.12 avg rating — 1,102,958 ratings

"Another favorite first line, and the book does not disappoint. The book is set in Macondo, a town isolated from the outside world. Full of marvelous characters and magical stories. Not a beach book. It is dense and earthy and worth every moment spent reading it."

3.44 avg rating — 918,710 ratings

"The stigma that gets attached to sins, the scapegoating communities do. Hester is a character I won't forget. The classic woman protecting the man is realistic and frustrating. Pearl, Hester's daughter, raised away from the Puritan town, makes for an interesting contrast to the Puritan values. This was not written at the time of the Puritans, but is an historical novel which Hawthorne wrote around the same time that Poe was writing his gothic stories."

4.32 avg rating — 1,021,739 ratings

"This was a surprise. Free on my kindle, so I read it. To my surprise, it was terrific. The mother of all adventure stories (think Princess Bride, but better). "

4.10 avg rating — 1,481,447 ratings

"One of the best books coming out of WWI. Like Heller, he uses humor, but in a more accessible way. Billy Pilgrim has come unstuck in time. One of the great science fiction as social commentary.
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4.41 avg rating — 3,144,583 ratings

"Best of the trilogy, full of magic before all the battles in the Two Towers (the weakest)."

3.89 avg rating — 1,018,846 ratings

"Where do I start? The three witches, betrayal, blood, power and corruption. The best.
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3.91 avg rating — 1,882,501 ratings

"Had to read this after seeing the movie when I was a teenager. Still a great read. "

4.08 avg rating — 875,416 ratings

"An interesting re-telling of the Buddha story. Simple, beautiful language."

3.87 avg rating — 944,214 ratings

"Nabokov is so over-rated. "

4.15 avg rating — 2,416,833 ratings

"A chilling book about a take-over by the religious right, in a society so polluted that it is hard to conceive children."

4.36 avg rating — 157,177 ratings

"All of these books are so offensive in their depictions of Native people. I cannot forgive Wilder for this.
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3.90 avg rating — 1,421,557 ratings

"Strange shape-shifting story."

4.17 avg rating — 365,411 ratings

"Beautiful writing and compelling writing. The actual war segment goes on a bit longer than I would like."

4.11 avg rating — 792,900 ratings

"An amazing look at christianity as a tool of colonialism."

4.01 avg rating — 260,561 ratings

"I read this so long ago. As a Native person, I understand this love for the land, and the struggle to keep it."

4.39 avg rating — 385,497 ratings

"Great characters; passionate writing; a look into Russia in the 19th century. Not the quiet Russia of Tolstoy, but the passionate, ideological Russia. Each brother is an embodiment of a way of being: sensual, intellectual, spiritual, dispossessed. Brilliant. I read this in an after-school job when I was supposed to be typing, and in English class when we supposed to be reading Dickens. "

3.97 avg rating — 1,283,747 ratings

"Good kid's sci-fi. "

4.02 avg rating — 1,473,904 ratings

"The original vampire story. A classic and must-read if you like vampire stories. One of the first gothic horror stories."

4.19 avg rating — 244,631 ratings

"My father and I used to recite Poe to each other at breakfast. The first line of the Tell-Tale Heart is one of my favoites. "True, nervous, very nervous, I have been and am, but why do you say that I am mad?" Keep reading, it gets better."

4.44 avg rating — 636,238 ratings

"What you've seen in the move with James Dean is only part of this amazing story that deals with good and evil in the guise of two brothers, their parents, and the girl who loves them."

4.44 avg rating — 27,371 ratings

"To understand what the US has aspired to be and how far we've fallen from that ideal."

4.03 avg rating — 396,736 ratings

"The craziness of the logical world turned topsy turvy.
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4.29 avg rating — 1,623,948 ratings

"Herbert created an entire ecosystem on this desert planet. If you like sci fi, this is a must."

4.21 avg rating — 631,531 ratings

"Early biblical story told through the voice of a woman. "

4.62 avg rating — 144,095 ratings

"Classic Fantasy"