Looking for the best fiction books of all time?
You're in the right place!
Here's what you'll find on this page...
Why These Best Fiction Books Matter
Why include a list of the best fiction books of all time on a blog that’s mostly devoted to nonfiction book recommendations?
Partly because there’s more to life than reading instruction manuals.
But mostly because devouring the best nonfiction AND fiction books is what keeps reading enjoyable and exciting. And keeping reading enjoyable and exciting is vital to reading more overall; it’s the secret to a voracious, sustainable and life-long passion for books.
The most impressive people I know always have at least one nonfiction and one fiction book going at the same time. That way, whether it’s an hour in bed, or 5 minutes in a line, they always have something perfect for their time, mood and appetite.
If you don’t normally read fiction books – give them a chance. You’ll learn as much (if not more) about being human from the best novels and poems than from hundreds of their nonfiction counterparts.
And if you already love fiction? Then you’re in the right place. I hope you find something below that touches and lightens your soul.
Here’s the list of the 100 best fiction books of all time…
(P.s., If you enjoy this list, don’t forget to check out my lists of the best fantasy books of all time and best sci-fi books of all time.)
The 100 Best Fiction Books Ever Written (by Rank)
Why these best fiction books and not others? To stay objective, I rank all my book recommendations by what’s most loved (Goodreads rating), what’s most popular (Goodreads review count) and what’s proven timelessly relevant (first publication date).
This isn’t a whimsical list. It’s a data-driven, crowdsourced collection of the best fiction books ever published as decided by book lovers just like you. (Note: To maximise diversity, I only include the top ranking book from any series in a list.)
And if you think something's missing? I LOVE book recommendations so if there are any other best fiction books that you think deserve mentioning, email me and I’ll be sure to include them in the next round of updates.
Until then, enjoy this ultimate list of the 100 best fiction books of all time...
Books 1-10: The Top 10 Best Fiction Books of All Time
The top 10 best fiction books of all time are...
1. Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen (FREE Summary)
Pride and Prejudice is THE unforgettable, ever-popular and genre-defining love-story story of the 19th century. It's over 200 years old and still as fresh, charming and unputdownable as the day it was first published - by best-selling author, Jane Austin.
Published 1813 // 279 pages // Rated 4.3 over 3,727,600 reviews on Goodreads
2. The Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas (FREE Summary)
The king of all adventure and slow-burning revenge stories. The Count of Monte Christo may not be a quick read, but fantastic characters, a gripping plot and masterful twists make it an obvious contender for one of the best books of all time - by master novelist, Alexandre Dumas.
Published 1844 // 1,276 pages // Rated 4.3 over 840,800 reviews on Goodreads
3. The Return of the King (Lord of the Rings, #3) - J.R.R. Tolkien (FREE Summary)
The final instalment in the greatest, genre-defining, high-fantasy trilogy of all time. The Return of the King is a thrilling climax to the journey begun in The Fellowship of the Ring and set in the world of The Hobbit - by writer, poet and best-selling author, J.R.R. Tolkein.
Published 1955 // 404 pages // Rated 4.6 over 790,600 reviews on Goodreads
4. Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky (FREE Summary)
Published 1866 // 671 pages // Rated 4.3 over 771,400 reviews on Goodreads
5. Anne of Green Gables (Anne of Green Gables, #1) - L.M. Montgomery (FREE Summary)
Published 1908 // 320 pages // Rated 4.3 over 877,000 reviews on Goodreads
6. The Hobbit, or There and Back Again - J.R.R. Tolkien (FREE Summary)
A timeless classic and the fantasy novel that both introduced us to hobbits AND set the standard for all things dwarf, elf, troll, orc and dragon-related ever since. It's no surprise to see The Hobbit among the best fantasy books of all time - by writer, poet and best-selling author, J.R.R. Tolkein.
Published 1937 // 366 pages // Rated 4.3 over 3,471,500 reviews on Goodreads
7. Gone with the Wind - Margaret Mitchell (FREE Summary)
An epic coming of age and historical romance novel, Gone With the Wind paints a stunning portrait of the hardships endured and created by the young daughter of a wealthy plantation owner as she fights for survival against the chaos of pre-, during- and post-civil war Georgia - by novelist and journalist, Margaret Mitchell.
Published 1936 // 1,037 pages // Rated 4.3 over 1,159,800 reviews on Goodreads
8. The Brothers Karamazov - Fyodor Dostoyevsky (FREE Summary)
Widely acclaimed as one of the best books of all time, The Brothers Karimazov is a masterwork of philosophy and theology that explores the nature of faith, doubt and reason in a fast-changing world, through the lives, mishaps and thoughts of its unforgettable cast of characters - by novelist and philosopher Fyodor Dostoevsky.
Published 1879 // 796 pages // Rated 4.4 over 286,300 reviews on Goodreads
9. And Then There Were None - Agatha Christie (FREE Summary)
Published 1939 // 264 pages // Rated 4.3 over 1,119,100 reviews on Goodreads
10. Les Misérables - Victor Hugo (FREE Summary)
Published 1862 // 1,463 pages // Rated 4.2 over 749,200 reviews on Goodreads
Books 11-100: The Best Fiction Books to Read Next
Here are the next best fiction books from my database...
11. East of Eden - John Steinbeck
Published 1952 // 601 pages // Rated 4.4 over 485,700 reviews on Goodreads
12. Jane Eyre - Charlotte Brontë
Published 1847 // 507 pages // Rated 4.1 over 1,894,700 reviews on Goodreads
13. Persuasion - Jane Austen
Published 1817 // 249 pages // Rated 4.2 over 619,700 reviews on Goodreads
14. To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee
Published 1960 // 324 pages // Rated 4.3 over 5,423,400 reviews on Goodreads
15. The Complete Sherlock Holmes (Sherlock Holmes, #1-9) - Arthur Conan Doyle
Published 1894 // 1,796 pages // Rated 4.5 over 191,500 reviews on Goodreads
16. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (Narnia, #1) - C.S. Lewis
Published 1950 // 206 pages // Rated 4.2 over 2,512,200 reviews on Goodreads
17. Little Women - Louisa May Alcott
Published 1868 // 449 pages // Rated 4.1 over 1,989,800 reviews on Goodreads
18. Rebecca - Daphne du Maurier
Published 1938 // 449 pages // Rated 4.2 over 556,200 reviews on Goodreads
19. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn - Betty Smith
Published 1943 // 496 pages // Rated 4.3 over 429,900 reviews on Goodreads
20. 1984 - George Orwell
Published 1949 // 237 pages // Rated 4.2 over 3,954,500 reviews on Goodreads
21. The Godfather - Mario Puzo
Published 1964 // 448 pages // Rated 4.4 over 383,900 reviews on Goodreads
22. Dune (Dune Chronicles, #1) - Frank Herbert
Published 1965 // 604 pages // Rated 4.3 over 1,124,300 reviews on Goodreads
23. Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen
Published 1811 // 409 pages // Rated 4.1 over 1,091,300 reviews on Goodreads
24. The Tell-Tale Heart and Other Writings - Edgar Allan Poe
Published 1843 // 448 pages // Rated 4.2 over 234,200 reviews on Goodreads
25. Murder on the Orient Express (Hercule Poirot, #10) - Agatha Christie
Published 1934 // 274 pages // Rated 4.2 over 515,400 reviews on Goodreads
26. The Screwtape Letters - C.S. Lewis
Published 1942 // 223 pages // Rated 4.2 over 393,500 reviews on Goodreads
27. The Princess Bride - William Goldman
Published 1973 // 456 pages // Rated 4.3 over 852,200 reviews on Goodreads
28. The Picture of Dorian Gray - Oscar Wilde
Published 1890 // 367 pages // Rated 4.1 over 1,260,700 reviews on Goodreads
29. The Shining - Stephen King
Published 1977 // 659 pages // Rated 4.3 over 1,325,000 reviews on Goodreads
30. Ender's Game (Ender's Saga, #1) - Orson Scott Card
Published 1985 // 324 pages // Rated 4.3 over 1,272,200 reviews on Goodreads
31. A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens
Published 1843 // 104 pages // Rated 4.1 over 726,100 reviews on Goodreads
32. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest - Ken Kesey
Published 1962 // 325 pages // Rated 4.2 over 689,200 reviews on Goodreads
33. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (Hitchhiker's Guide, #1) - Douglas Adams
Published 1979 // 193 pages // Rated 4.2 over 1,675,400 reviews on Goodreads
34. War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy
Published 1867 // 1,392 pages // Rated 4.1 over 300,400 reviews on Goodreads
35. The Master and Margarita - Mikhail Bulgakov
Published 1967 // 335 pages // Rated 4.3 over 299,100 reviews on Goodreads
36. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (Harry Potter, #1) - J.K. Rowling
Published 1997 // 322 pages // Rated 4.5 over 8,796,100 reviews on Goodreads
37. Watchmen - Alan Moore
Published 1987 // 416 pages // Rated 4.4 over 527,300 reviews on Goodreads
38. Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy
Published 1877 // 964 pages // Rated 4.1 over 769,400 reviews on Goodreads
39. A Game of Thrones (A Song of Ice and Fire, #1) - George R.R. Martin
Published 1996 // 835 pages // Rated 4.4 over 2,275,800 reviews on Goodreads
40. The Pillars of the Earth (Kingsbridge, #1) - Ken Follett
Published 1989 // 973 pages // Rated 4.3 over 714,000 reviews on Goodreads
41. I, Robot (Robot, #0.1) - Isaac Asimov
Published 1950 // 224 pages // Rated 4.2 over 318,100 reviews on Goodreads
42. Foundation (Foundation, #1) - Isaac Asimov
Published 1951 // 244 pages // Rated 4.2 over 486,300 reviews on Goodreads
43. The Stand - Stephen King
Published 1990 // 1,153 pages // Rated 4.3 over 701,400 reviews on Goodreads
44. Emma - Jane Austen
Published 1815 // 474 pages // Rated 4.0 over 783,800 reviews on Goodreads
46. The Color Purple - Alice Walker
Published 1982 // 295 pages // Rated 4.3 over 609,500 reviews on Goodreads
47. The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas
Published 1844 // 625 pages // Rated 4.1 over 303,600 reviews on Goodreads
48. Flowers for Algernon - Daniel Keyes
Published 1966 // 216 pages // Rated 4.2 over 580,900 reviews on Goodreads
49. The Idiot - Fyodor Dostoyevsky
Published 1869 // 667 pages // Rated 4.2 over 158,400 reviews on Goodreads
50. Redeeming Love - Francine Rivers
Published 1991 // 479 pages // Rated 4.5 over 273,600 reviews on Goodreads
51. The Thorn Birds - Colleen McCullough
Published 1977 // 692 pages // Rated 4.2 over 336,500 reviews on Goodreads
52. Outlander (Outlander, #1) - Diana Gabaldon
Published 1991 // 850 pages // Rated 4.3 over 956,900 reviews on Goodreads
53. Good Omens - Terry Pratchett & Neil Gaiman
The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch
Published 1990 // 491 pages // Rated 4.3 over 650,300 reviews on Goodreads
54. Cat's Cradle - Kurt Vonnegut Jr.
Published 1963 // 306 pages // Rated 4.2 over 372,700 reviews on Goodreads
55. The Outsiders - S.E. Hinton
Published 1967 // 192 pages // Rated 4.1 over 1,158,000 reviews on Goodreads
56. Shōgun (Asian Saga, #1) - James Clavell
Published 1975 // 1,152 pages // Rated 4.4 over 164,000 reviews on Goodreads
57. Siddhartha - Hermann Hesse
Published 1922 // 81 pages // Rated 4.1 over 688,600 reviews on Goodreads
58. Roots - Alex Haley
The Saga of an American Family
Published 1976 // 729 pages // Rated 4.4 over 155,800 reviews on Goodreads
59. The Silence of the Lambs (Hannibal Lecter, #2) - Thomas Harris
Published 1988 // 338 pages // Rated 4.2 over 518,700 reviews on Goodreads
60. Howl’s Moving Castle - Diana Wynne Jones
Published 1986 // 329 pages // Rated 4.3 over 283,800 reviews on Goodreads
61. North and South - Elizabeth Gaskell
Published 1854 // 521 pages // Rated 4.1 over 159,000 reviews on Goodreads
63. Lonesome Dove - Larry McMurtry
Published 1985 // 945 pages // Rated 4.5 over 170,500 reviews on Goodreads
64. One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel García Márquez
Published 1967 // 417 pages // Rated 4.1 over 875,100 reviews on Goodreads
65. Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe - Fannie Flagg
Published 1987 // 416 pages // Rated 4.3 over 289,700 reviews on Goodreads
66. The Green Mile - Stephen King
Published 1996 // 592 pages // Rated 4.5 over 286,200 reviews on Goodreads
67. Different Seasons - Stephen King
Published 1982 // 560 pages // Rated 4.3 over 193,100 reviews on Goodreads
68. Dracula - Bram Stoker
Published 1897 // 488 pages // Rated 4.0 over 1,112,900 reviews on Goodreads
69. Slaughterhouse-Five - Kurt Vonnegut Jr.
Published 1969 // 275 pages // Rated 4.1 over 1,264,100 reviews on Goodreads
70. The Martian Chronicles - Ray Bradbury
Published 1950 // 182 pages // Rated 4.2 over 240,500 reviews on Goodreads
71. The House of the Spirits - Isabel Allende
Published 1982 // 448 pages // Rated 4.3 over 231,100 reviews on Goodreads
72. The Great Divorce - C.S. Lewis
Published 1945 // 146 pages // Rated 4.3 over 130,600 reviews on Goodreads
73. 2001 - Arthur C. Clarke
A Space Odyssey
Published 1968 // 297 pages // Rated 4.2 over 290,600 reviews on Goodreads
74. Batman - Alan Moore
The Killing Joke
Published 1988 // 50 pages // Rated 4.4 over 197,700 reviews on Goodreads
75. The Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood
Published 1985 // 344 pages // Rated 4.1 over 1,796,600 reviews on Goodreads
76. The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini
Published 2003 // 371 pages // Rated 4.3 over 2,833,700 reviews on Goodreads
77. The Book Thief - Markus Zusak
Published 2005 // 552 pages // Rated 4.4 over 2,244,700 reviews on Goodreads
78. A Prayer for Owen Meany - John Irving
Published 1989 // 637 pages // Rated 4.2 over 305,300 reviews on Goodreads
79. Where the Red Fern Grows - Wilson Rawls
Published 1961 // 272 pages // Rated 4.1 over 378,700 reviews on Goodreads
80. V for Vendetta - Alan Moore
Published 1990 // 296 pages // Rated 4.3 over 294,400 reviews on Goodreads
81. The Eye of the World (The Wheel of Time, #1) - Robert Jordan
Published 1990 // 814 pages // Rated 4.2 over 480,800 reviews on Goodreads
82. The Exorcist - William Peter Blatty
Published 1971 // 385 pages // Rated 4.2 over 208,900 reviews on Goodreads
83. Number the Stars - Lois Lowry
Published 1989 // 137 pages // Rated 4.2 over 519,000 reviews on Goodreads
84. Brave New World - Aldous Huxley
Published 1932 // 288 pages // Rated 4.0 over 1,676,800 reviews on Goodreads
85. The Perks of Being a Wallflower - Stephen Chbosky
Published 1999 // 213 pages // Rated 4.2 over 1,565,400 reviews on Goodreads
86. Preludes & Nocturnes (The Sandman, #1) - Neil Gaiman
Published 1988 // 233 pages // Rated 4.2 over 246,900 reviews on Goodreads
87. Notes from the Underground - Fyodor Dostoevsky
Published 1864 // 96 pages // Rated 4.2 over 117,900 reviews on Goodreads
88. The Name of the Wind (The Kingkiller Chronicle, #1) - Patrick Rothfuss
Published 2007 // 662 pages // Rated 4.5 over 852,600 reviews on Goodreads
89. The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafón
Published 2001 // 487 pages // Rated 4.3 over 563,300 reviews on Goodreads
90. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? - Philip K. Dick
Published 1968 // 258 pages // Rated 4.1 over 406,100 reviews on Goodreads
91. Guards! Guards! (Discworld, #8) - Terry Pratchett
Published 1989 // 376 pages // Rated 4.3 over 186,500 reviews on Goodreads
92. Kindred - Octavia E. Butler
Published 1979 // 287 pages // Rated 4.3 over 152,700 reviews on Goodreads
93. A Thousand Splendid Suns - Khaled Hosseini
Published 2007 // 372 pages // Rated 4.4 over 1,365,100 reviews on Goodreads
94. Batman - Frank Miller
Year One
Published 1987 // 144 pages // Rated 4.2 over 232,000 reviews on Goodreads
95. The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath
Published 1963 // 294 pages // Rated 4.0 over 762,800 reviews on Goodreads
96. The Stranger - Albert Camus
Published 1942 // 123 pages // Rated 4.0 over 867,300 reviews on Goodreads
97. Steppenwolf - Hermann Hesse
Published 1927 // 256 pages // Rated 4.1 over 162,600 reviews on Goodreads
98. The Drawing of the Three (The Dark Tower, #2) - Stephen King
Published 1987 // 463 pages // Rated 4.2 over 240,100 reviews on Goodreads
99. David Copperfield - Charles Dickens
Published 1849 // 882 pages // Rated 4.0 over 219,000 reviews on Goodreads
100. The Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, #1) - Rick Riordan
Published 2005 // 377 pages // Rated 4.3 over 2,539,500 reviews on Goodreads
The 100 Best Fiction Books (by Publication Date)
One of my favourite ways to work through a reading list (both fiction and non-fiction) is chronologically.
It’s amazing to trace the development of and flow of influences in a genre or subject.
So – for the nerds out there like me – here’s a bonus list of the 100 best fiction books of all time above, organised from earliest to latest publication date…
1. Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen
Published 1811 // 409 pages // Rated 4.1 over 1,091,300 reviews on Goodreads
2. Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen (FREE Summary)
Published 1813 // 279 pages // Rated 4.3 over 3,727,600 reviews on Goodreads
3. Emma - Jane Austen
Published 1815 // 474 pages // Rated 4.0 over 783,800 reviews on Goodreads
4. Persuasion - Jane Austen
Published 1817 // 249 pages // Rated 4.2 over 619,700 reviews on Goodreads
5. The Tell-Tale Heart and Other Writings - Edgar Allan Poe
Published 1843 // 448 pages // Rated 4.2 over 234,200 reviews on Goodreads
6. A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens
Published 1843 // 104 pages // Rated 4.1 over 726,100 reviews on Goodreads
7. The Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas (FREE Summary)
Published 1844 // 1,276 pages // Rated 4.3 over 840,800 reviews on Goodreads
8. The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas
Published 1844 // 625 pages // Rated 4.1 over 303,600 reviews on Goodreads
9. Jane Eyre - Charlotte Brontë
Published 1847 // 507 pages // Rated 4.1 over 1,894,700 reviews on Goodreads
10. David Copperfield - Charles Dickens
Published 1849 // 882 pages // Rated 4.0 over 219,000 reviews on Goodreads
11. North and South - Elizabeth Gaskell
Published 1854 // 521 pages // Rated 4.1 over 159,000 reviews on Goodreads
12. Les Misérables - Victor Hugo (FREE Summary)
Published 1862 // 1,463 pages // Rated 4.2 over 749,200 reviews on Goodreads
13. Notes from the Underground - Fyodor Dostoevsky
Published 1864 // 96 pages // Rated 4.2 over 117,900 reviews on Goodreads
14. Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky (FREE Summary)
Published 1866 // 671 pages // Rated 4.3 over 771,400 reviews on Goodreads
15. War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy
Published 1867 // 1,392 pages // Rated 4.1 over 300,400 reviews on Goodreads
16. Little Women - Louisa May Alcott
Published 1868 // 449 pages // Rated 4.1 over 1,989,800 reviews on Goodreads
17. The Idiot - Fyodor Dostoyevsky
Published 1869 // 667 pages // Rated 4.2 over 158,400 reviews on Goodreads
18. Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy
Published 1877 // 964 pages // Rated 4.1 over 769,400 reviews on Goodreads
19. The Brothers Karamazov - Fyodor Dostoyevsky (FREE Summary)
Published 1879 // 796 pages // Rated 4.4 over 286,300 reviews on Goodreads
20. The Picture of Dorian Gray - Oscar Wilde
Published 1890 // 367 pages // Rated 4.1 over 1,260,700 reviews on Goodreads
21. The Complete Sherlock Holmes (Sherlock Holmes, #1-9) - Arthur Conan Doyle
Published 1894 // 1,796 pages // Rated 4.5 over 191,500 reviews on Goodreads
22. Dracula - Bram Stoker
Published 1897 // 488 pages // Rated 4.0 over 1,112,900 reviews on Goodreads
23. Anne of Green Gables (Anne of Green Gables, #1) - L.M. Montgomery (FREE Summary)
Published 1908 // 320 pages // Rated 4.3 over 877,000 reviews on Goodreads
24. Siddhartha - Hermann Hesse
Published 1922 // 81 pages // Rated 4.1 over 688,600 reviews on Goodreads
25. Steppenwolf - Hermann Hesse
Published 1927 // 256 pages // Rated 4.1 over 162,600 reviews on Goodreads
26. Brave New World - Aldous Huxley
Published 1932 // 288 pages // Rated 4.0 over 1,676,800 reviews on Goodreads
27. Murder on the Orient Express (Hercule Poirot, #10) - Agatha Christie
Published 1934 // 274 pages // Rated 4.2 over 515,400 reviews on Goodreads
28. Gone with the Wind - Margaret Mitchell (FREE Summary)
Published 1936 // 1,037 pages // Rated 4.3 over 1,159,800 reviews on Goodreads
29. The Hobbit, or There and Back Again - J.R.R. Tolkien (FREE Summary)
Published 1937 // 366 pages // Rated 4.3 over 3,471,500 reviews on Goodreads
30. Rebecca - Daphne du Maurier
Published 1938 // 449 pages // Rated 4.2 over 556,200 reviews on Goodreads
31. And Then There Were None - Agatha Christie (FREE Summary)
Published 1939 // 264 pages // Rated 4.3 over 1,119,100 reviews on Goodreads
32. The Screwtape Letters - C.S. Lewis
Published 1942 // 223 pages // Rated 4.2 over 393,500 reviews on Goodreads
33. The Stranger - Albert Camus
Published 1942 // 123 pages // Rated 4.0 over 867,300 reviews on Goodreads
34. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn - Betty Smith
Published 1943 // 496 pages // Rated 4.3 over 429,900 reviews on Goodreads
35. The Great Divorce - C.S. Lewis
Published 1945 // 146 pages // Rated 4.3 over 130,600 reviews on Goodreads
36. 1984 - George Orwell
Published 1949 // 237 pages // Rated 4.2 over 3,954,500 reviews on Goodreads
37. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (Narnia, #1) - C.S. Lewis
Published 1950 // 206 pages // Rated 4.2 over 2,512,200 reviews on Goodreads
38. I, Robot (Robot, #0.1) - Isaac Asimov
Published 1950 // 224 pages // Rated 4.2 over 318,100 reviews on Goodreads
39. The Martian Chronicles - Ray Bradbury
Published 1950 // 182 pages // Rated 4.2 over 240,500 reviews on Goodreads
40. Foundation (Foundation, #1) - Isaac Asimov
Published 1951 // 244 pages // Rated 4.2 over 486,300 reviews on Goodreads
41. East of Eden - John Steinbeck
Published 1952 // 601 pages // Rated 4.4 over 485,700 reviews on Goodreads
42. The Return of the King (Lord of the Rings, #3) - J.R.R. Tolkien (FREE Summary)
Published 1955 // 404 pages // Rated 4.6 over 790,600 reviews on Goodreads
43. To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee
Published 1960 // 324 pages // Rated 4.3 over 5,423,400 reviews on Goodreads
44. Where the Red Fern Grows - Wilson Rawls
Published 1961 // 272 pages // Rated 4.1 over 378,700 reviews on Goodreads
45. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest - Ken Kesey
Published 1962 // 325 pages // Rated 4.2 over 689,200 reviews on Goodreads
46. Cat's Cradle - Kurt Vonnegut Jr.
Published 1963 // 306 pages // Rated 4.2 over 372,700 reviews on Goodreads
47. The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath
Published 1963 // 294 pages // Rated 4.0 over 762,800 reviews on Goodreads
48. The Godfather - Mario Puzo
Published 1964 // 448 pages // Rated 4.4 over 383,900 reviews on Goodreads
49. Dune (Dune Chronicles, #1) - Frank Herbert
Published 1965 // 604 pages // Rated 4.3 over 1,124,300 reviews on Goodreads
50. Flowers for Algernon - Daniel Keyes
Published 1966 // 216 pages // Rated 4.2 over 580,900 reviews on Goodreads
51. The Master and Margarita - Mikhail Bulgakov
Published 1967 // 335 pages // Rated 4.3 over 299,100 reviews on Goodreads
52. The Outsiders - S.E. Hinton
Published 1967 // 192 pages // Rated 4.1 over 1,158,000 reviews on Goodreads
53. One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel García Márquez
Published 1967 // 417 pages // Rated 4.1 over 875,100 reviews on Goodreads
54. 2001 - Arthur C. Clarke
A Space Odyssey
Published 1968 // 297 pages // Rated 4.2 over 290,600 reviews on Goodreads
55. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? - Philip K. Dick
Published 1968 // 258 pages // Rated 4.1 over 406,100 reviews on Goodreads
56. Slaughterhouse-Five - Kurt Vonnegut Jr.
Published 1969 // 275 pages // Rated 4.1 over 1,264,100 reviews on Goodreads
57. The Exorcist - William Peter Blatty
Published 1971 // 385 pages // Rated 4.2 over 208,900 reviews on Goodreads
58. The Princess Bride - William Goldman
Published 1973 // 456 pages // Rated 4.3 over 852,200 reviews on Goodreads
59. Shōgun (Asian Saga, #1) - James Clavell
Published 1975 // 1,152 pages // Rated 4.4 over 164,000 reviews on Goodreads
60. Roots - Alex Haley
The Saga of an American Family
Published 1976 // 729 pages // Rated 4.4 over 155,800 reviews on Goodreads
61. The Shining - Stephen King
Published 1977 // 659 pages // Rated 4.3 over 1,325,000 reviews on Goodreads
62. The Thorn Birds - Colleen McCullough
Published 1977 // 692 pages // Rated 4.2 over 336,500 reviews on Goodreads
63. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (Hitchhiker's Guide, #1) - Douglas Adams
Published 1979 // 193 pages // Rated 4.2 over 1,675,400 reviews on Goodreads
64. Kindred - Octavia E. Butler
Published 1979 // 287 pages // Rated 4.3 over 152,700 reviews on Goodreads
65. The Color Purple - Alice Walker
Published 1982 // 295 pages // Rated 4.3 over 609,500 reviews on Goodreads
66. Different Seasons - Stephen King
Published 1982 // 560 pages // Rated 4.3 over 193,100 reviews on Goodreads
67. The House of the Spirits - Isabel Allende
Published 1982 // 448 pages // Rated 4.3 over 231,100 reviews on Goodreads
68. Ender's Game (Ender's Saga, #1) - Orson Scott Card
Published 1985 // 324 pages // Rated 4.3 over 1,272,200 reviews on Goodreads
69. Lonesome Dove - Larry McMurtry
Published 1985 // 945 pages // Rated 4.5 over 170,500 reviews on Goodreads
70. The Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood
Published 1985 // 344 pages // Rated 4.1 over 1,796,600 reviews on Goodreads
72. Howl’s Moving Castle - Diana Wynne Jones
Published 1986 // 329 pages // Rated 4.3 over 283,800 reviews on Goodreads
73. Watchmen - Alan Moore
Published 1987 // 416 pages // Rated 4.4 over 527,300 reviews on Goodreads
75. Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe - Fannie Flagg
Published 1987 // 416 pages // Rated 4.3 over 289,700 reviews on Goodreads
76. Batman - Frank Miller
Year One
Published 1987 // 144 pages // Rated 4.2 over 232,000 reviews on Goodreads
77. The Drawing of the Three (The Dark Tower, #2) - Stephen King
Published 1987 // 463 pages // Rated 4.2 over 240,100 reviews on Goodreads
78. The Silence of the Lambs (Hannibal Lecter, #2) - Thomas Harris
Published 1988 // 338 pages // Rated 4.2 over 518,700 reviews on Goodreads
79. Batman - Alan Moore
The Killing Joke
Published 1988 // 50 pages // Rated 4.4 over 197,700 reviews on Goodreads
80. Preludes & Nocturnes (The Sandman, #1) - Neil Gaiman
Published 1988 // 233 pages // Rated 4.2 over 246,900 reviews on Goodreads
81. The Pillars of the Earth (Kingsbridge, #1) - Ken Follett
Published 1989 // 973 pages // Rated 4.3 over 714,000 reviews on Goodreads
82. A Prayer for Owen Meany - John Irving
Published 1989 // 637 pages // Rated 4.2 over 305,300 reviews on Goodreads
83. Number the Stars - Lois Lowry
Published 1989 // 137 pages // Rated 4.2 over 519,000 reviews on Goodreads
84. Guards! Guards! (Discworld, #8) - Terry Pratchett
Published 1989 // 376 pages // Rated 4.3 over 186,500 reviews on Goodreads
85. The Stand - Stephen King
Published 1990 // 1,153 pages // Rated 4.3 over 701,400 reviews on Goodreads
86. Good Omens - Terry Pratchett & Neil Gaiman
The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch
Published 1990 // 491 pages // Rated 4.3 over 650,300 reviews on Goodreads
87. V for Vendetta - Alan Moore
Published 1990 // 296 pages // Rated 4.3 over 294,400 reviews on Goodreads
88. The Eye of the World (The Wheel of Time, #1) - Robert Jordan
Published 1990 // 814 pages // Rated 4.2 over 480,800 reviews on Goodreads
89. Redeeming Love - Francine Rivers
Published 1991 // 479 pages // Rated 4.5 over 273,600 reviews on Goodreads
90. Outlander (Outlander, #1) - Diana Gabaldon
Published 1991 // 850 pages // Rated 4.3 over 956,900 reviews on Goodreads
91. A Game of Thrones (A Song of Ice and Fire, #1) - George R.R. Martin
Published 1996 // 835 pages // Rated 4.4 over 2,275,800 reviews on Goodreads
92. The Green Mile - Stephen King
Published 1996 // 592 pages // Rated 4.5 over 286,200 reviews on Goodreads
93. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (Harry Potter, #1) - J.K. Rowling
Published 1997 // 322 pages // Rated 4.5 over 8,796,100 reviews on Goodreads
94. The Perks of Being a Wallflower - Stephen Chbosky
Published 1999 // 213 pages // Rated 4.2 over 1,565,400 reviews on Goodreads
95. The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafón
Published 2001 // 487 pages // Rated 4.3 over 563,300 reviews on Goodreads
96. The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini
Published 2003 // 371 pages // Rated 4.3 over 2,833,700 reviews on Goodreads
97. The Book Thief - Markus Zusak
Published 2005 // 552 pages // Rated 4.4 over 2,244,700 reviews on Goodreads
98. The Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, #1) - Rick Riordan
Published 2005 // 377 pages // Rated 4.3 over 2,539,500 reviews on Goodreads
99. The Name of the Wind (The Kingkiller Chronicle, #1) - Patrick Rothfuss
Published 2007 // 662 pages // Rated 4.5 over 852,600 reviews on Goodreads
100. A Thousand Splendid Suns - Khaled Hosseini
Published 2007 // 372 pages // Rated 4.4 over 1,365,100 reviews on Goodreads
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