The habit of reading builds imagination and sparks creativity. And fiction is a great way to escape reality and live a thousand lives all at once. Here are some of the best fictional books that I believe everyone should read at least once in their lives:
- “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee
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It’s a classic of modern American literature that was published in 1960. It was instantly successful and also won the Pulitzer Prize. The book is told through the eyes of young Scout Finch and its main plot revolves around the trial of a black man accused of molesting a white girl. The book is very well-written and explores the themes of racial prejudice and injustice.
- “The Book Thief” by Markus Zusak
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My personal favorite — this book was published in 2005 and became an international bestseller. It’s a historical novel about a girl, Liesel, growing up in Germany during World War II. The story revolves around a small town, Molching, where Liesel is sent to be raised by her foster parents. Even though it’s a fictional book, it shows a lot of details about the war and its effects on people. It will make you laugh and cry at once. It’s an extraordinary masterpiece! Fun fact: the story is narrated by death!
- “Wuthering Heights” by Emily Brontë
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It’s a remarkable love story of Heathcliff and Cathy. It was published in 1847 and is one of the best classics of all time. It’s an epic story of love, envy, betrayal, and revenge. It’s set in the lonely and bleak Yorkshire moors. This classic tale of thwarted passion shows how Heathcliff and Catherine come together in romance and how that romance destroys them and those around them. It’s a true masterpiece, written with so much power of imagination.
- “The Great Gatsby” by F. Scott Fitzgerald
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This novel was published in 1925 and is considered one of the greatest American novels ever written. This book follows Jay Gatsby, the host of the most extravagant parties, who orders his life in order to be reunited with his lost love: Daisy Buchanan.
- “Crime and Punishment” by Fyodor Dostoyevsky
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It’s a psychological fiction novel written by a Russian author and was published in 1866. This book tells a story about an isolated student, Rodion Raskolnikov, who murders an old pawnbroker for the betterment of society. It delves into the mind of a young man who commits a crime but finds it hard to escape his own conscience. It has gone through several film adaptations and it continues to remain a literary sensation!
- “The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas” by John Boyne
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This is a Holocaust novel published in 2006 by an Irish novelist. It’s a very simple and easy book that tells the story of little Bruno during World War II. The story revolves around a Nazi soldier and his family, who are forced to leave their home to go to live near a concentration camp in Auschwitz. Bruno loves exploring new things, and he ends up meeting a new friend in striped pyjamas on the other side of a fence. It makes the readers see how Jews were treated during the war through the eyes of a nine-year-old.
- “All the Light We Cannot See” by Anthony Doerr
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It’s a war novel written by an American author and was published in 2014. It won the 2015 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. This book tells us how war affects the lives of everyone it touches. Through this book, the author emphasizes on the idea of finding light in darkness.
- “And Then There Were None” by Agatha Christie
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Pick any Agatha Christie novel and you won’t regret it! Agatha Christie is known as the queen of mystery and is one of the best-selling novelists of all time. The best things about her novels are: interesting characters, unpredictable plots, satisfying endings and gripping storylines. Her books are written with so much simplicity, and her writing clearly suggests how extremely well she understood human nature. “And Then There Were None is my favorite Agatha Christie novel and it’s also ranked first in a global vote to find the world’s favorite Agatha Christie books for her 125th birthday. Some of her best novels are: “The Murder on the Orient Express,” “The ABC Murders,” “The Murder of Roger Ackroyd,” “Endless Night,” etc.
- “Tuesdays with Morrie” by Mitch Albom
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This philosophical and biographical fiction novel was published in 1997. It tells the story of Mitch Albom who meets his old, dying college professor every Tuesday to learn life lessons his professor has garnered throughout his life.
- “The Maze Runner” by James Dashner
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The best sci-fi I’ve ever read! It’s a very exciting and adventurous book published in 2009. Young Thomas wakes up in a maze only to find out that his memories have been wiped. He learns that he and his friends are trapped in a massive maze and the only way out is to solve it!
- “The Fault in Our Stars” by John Green
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This book, published in 2012, tells a story about a 16-year-old girl, Hazel Grace, who’s had cancer for three years. She meets a 17-year-old boy, Augustus Waters, who’s in remission and once had a tumor in his leg, and falls in love with him. He changes her life by giving her “forever within the numbered days,” changing her attitude towards life. This book will make you cry out your eyes, because it’s written beautifully and with so much simplicity!
- “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone” by J. K. Rowling
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The best-selling novel of all time! An eleven-year-old boy, Harry Potter, learns that he is the orphaned son of two powerful wizards and possesses magical powers himself. He is soon invited to be a student at Hogwarts, a boarding school of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
- “Game of Thrones (A Song of Fire and Ice)” by George R. R. Martin
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“Game of Thrones” is the first book in “A Song of Ice and Fire.” It’s a fantasy novel written by an American author and published in 1996. It’s an epic story about nine noble families who wage war against each other to gain succession over the Iron Throne of the Seven Kingdoms. Meanwhile, a force of white walkers is rising after millenniums and threatens the existence of all living men.
- “Pride and Prejudice” by Jane Austen
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It’s a romantic novel published in 1812. It follows the relationship of Elizabeth Bennet, the daughter of a country gentleman, and Fitzwilliam Darcy, a rich aristocratic landowner. The novel focuses on the different ways love grows or disappears, and whether or not society has room for romantic love and marriage to go together.
- “The Diary of a Young Girl” (Non-fiction) by Anne Frank
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This is a book, I believe, everyone should read once in their lifetime. It’s a non-fictional book. This book is a collection of writings from the Dutch-language diary kept and written by Anne Frank while she was in hiding for two years with her family during World War II when Nazis captured the Netherlands. She writes about all the real-life details about the war and the conditions of Jews. What’s remarkable though is that Anne Frank was just 13 at the time and she was so optimistic about her future despite her current living situation at that time. Despite everything, she viewed her life from a completely different and positive perspective.
Now if you’re wondering what to read next? Just look at the list and pick up a book — happy reading!