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20 Books Every Smart Person Should Read

'Because Some Classics Just Shouldn't Be Skipped.' Some classics are definitely worth the read, even if they seem intimidating. This list contains books that can help you expand your vocabulary, change your worldview, and even become smarter.
13,935 users · 86,603 views
 
from bustle.com · made by Angie Valerio
avg. score: 5 of 20 (24%)
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1
Pale Fire (Vladimir Nabokov)
Pale Fire
Vladimir Nabokov
2
The Tempest (William Shakespeare)
The Tempest
William Shakespeare
3
Middlesex (Michigan)
Middlesex
Michigan
4
As I Lay Dying (William Faulkner)
As I Lay Dying
William Faulkner
5
The Collected Short Stories of Eudora Welty
The Collected Short Stories of Eudora Welty
6
Beloved, by Toni Morrison
Beloved, by Toni Morrison
7
Gravity's Rainbow (Thomas Pynchon)
Gravity's Rainbow
Thomas Pynchon
8
Howl (1955) - Allen Ginsberg
Howl (1955) - Allen Ginsberg
9
To Kill a Mockingbird (Harper Lee)
To Kill a Mockingbird
Harper Lee
10
A Tale of Two Cities (Charles Dickens)
A Tale of Two Cities
Charles Dickens
11
To the Lighthouse (Virginia Woolf)
To the Lighthouse
Virginia Woolf
12
The Unbearable Lightness of Being (Milan Kundera)
The Unbearable Lightness of Being
Milan Kundera
13
The Year of Magical Thinking (Joan Didion)
The Year of Magical Thinking
Joan Didion
14
On the Origin of Species (Charles Darwin)
On the Origin of Species
Charles Darwin
15
Underworld (Don Delillo)
Underworld
Don Delillo
16
Moby Dick (Herman Melville)
Moby Dick
Herman Melville
17
One Hundred Years of Solitude (Gabriel Garcia Marquez)
One Hundred Years of Solitude
Gabriel Garcia Marquez
18
The Art of War (Sun Tzu)
The Art of War
Sun Tzu
19
Ulysses (James Joyce)
Ulysses
James Joyce
20
Crime and Punishment (Fyodor Dostoevsky)
Crime and Punishment
Fyodor Dostoevsky
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