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49 Books Everyone Should Read in a Lifetime

So many books, so little time! If you're looking for a master list of the books that everyone should read in their lifetime, this list is a great place to start. Featuring iconic classics, timeless bestsellers, and life-changing nonfiction, these are the books that stay with you.
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To Kill a Mockingbird (Harper Lee)
To Kill a Mockingbird
1
Harper Lee
1984 (George Orwell)
1984
2
George Orwell
The Book Thief (Markus Zusak)
The Book Thief
3
Markus Zusak
Brave New World (Aldous Huxley)
Brave New World
4
Aldous Huxley
The Underground Railroad (Colson Whitehead)
The Underground Railroad
5
Colson Whitehead
Beloved (Toni Morrison)
Beloved
6
Toni Morrison
All the Light We Cannot See (Anthony Doerr)
All the Light We Cannot See
7
Anthony Doerr
Pride and Prejudice (Jane Austen)
Pride and Prejudice
8
Jane Austen
Catch-22 (Joseph Heller)
Catch-22
9
Joseph Heller
The Call of the Wild (Jack London)
The Call of the Wild
10
Jack London
Fahrenheit 451 (Ray Bradbury)
Fahrenheit 451
11
Ray Bradbury
Love in the Time of Cholera (Gabriel Garcia Marquez)
Love in the Time of Cholera
12
Gabriel Garcia Marquez
The Lovely Bones (Alice Sebold)
The Lovely Bones
13
Alice Sebold
The Alchemist (Paulo Coelho)
The Alchemist
14
Paulo Coelho
The Joy Luck Club (Amy Tan)
The Joy Luck Club
15
Amy Tan
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (Betty Smith)
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
16
Betty Smith
Siddhartha (Hermann Hesse)
Siddhartha
17
Hermann Hesse
The Great Gatsby (F. Scott Fitzgerald)
The Great Gatsby
18
F. Scott Fitzgerald
Kite Runner (Khaled Hosseini)
Kite Runner
19
Khaled Hosseini
The Handmaid's Tale (Margaret Atwood)
The Handmaid's Tale
20
Margaret Atwood
The Color Purple (Alice Walker)
The Color Purple
21
Alice Walker
The Little Prince (Antoine De Saint-Exupéry)
The Little Prince
22
Antoine De Saint-Exupéry
Their Eyes Were Watching God (Zora Neale Hurston)
Their Eyes Were Watching God
23
Zora Neale Hurston
The Bell Jar (Sylvia Plath)
The Bell Jar
24
Sylvia Plath
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (J.K. Rowling)
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
25
J.K. Rowling
Slaughterhouse-Five (Kurt Vonnegut)
Slaughterhouse-Five
26
Kurt Vonnegut
The Left Hand of Darkness (Ursula K. Le Guin)
The Left Hand of Darkness
27
Ursula K. Le Guin
Eat Pray Love (Elizabeth Gilbert)
Eat Pray Love
28
Elizabeth Gilbert
Braving the Wilderness (Brene Brown)
Braving the Wilderness
29
Brene Brown
Tuesdays With Morrie
Tuesdays With Morrie
30
The Glass Castle (Jeannette Walls)
The Glass Castle
31
Jeannette Walls
Walden (Henry David Thoreau)
Walden
32
Henry David Thoreau
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (Maya Angelou)
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
33
Maya Angelou
Into the Wild (Jon Krakauer)
Into the Wild
34
Jon Krakauer
The Diary of a Young Girl (Anne Frank)
The Diary of a Young Girl
35
Anne Frank
A Walk in the Woods (Bill Bryson)
A Walk in the Woods
36
Bill Bryson
A Return to Love
A Return to Love
37
Year of Yes (Shonda Rhimes)
Year of Yes
38
Shonda Rhimes
On the Road (Jack Kerouac)
On the Road
39
Jack Kerouac
When Breath Becomes Air (Paul Kalanithi)
When Breath Becomes Air
40
Paul Kalanithi
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