The 50 books Everyone Needs to Read, 1963-2013

1.
Possession
Possession 3.90 avg rating — 83,121 ratings
2.
The Handmaid’s Tale (The Handmaid's Tale, #1)
The Handmaid’s Tale (The Handmaid's Tale, #1) 4.15 avg rating — 2,323,067 ratings
3.
Maus I: A Survivor's Tale: My Father Bleeds History (Maus, #1)
Maus I: A Survivor's Tale: My Father Bleeds History (Maus, #1) 4.39 avg rating — 365,577 ratings
4.
The Color Purple
The Color Purple 4.27 avg rating — 737,182 ratings
5.
Beloved (Beloved Trilogy, #1)
Beloved (Beloved Trilogy, #1) 3.97 avg rating — 476,943 ratings
6.
The Secret History
The Secret History 4.16 avg rating — 950,467 ratings
7.
The Master and Margarita
The Master and Margarita 4.28 avg rating — 401,063 ratings
8.
Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret
Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret 3.94 avg rating — 252,107 ratings
9.
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (Maya Angelou's Autobiography, #1)
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (Maya Angelou's Autobiography, #1) 4.30 avg rating — 568,930 ratings
10.
The Bloody Chamber and Other Stories
The Bloody Chamber and Other Stories 3.91 avg rating — 63,236 ratings
11.
The Shipping News
The Shipping News 3.88 avg rating — 150,735 ratings
12.
Disgrace
Disgrace 3.86 avg rating — 114,205 ratings
13.
Invisible Cities
Invisible Cities 4.10 avg rating — 93,528 ratings
14.
The Sea, the Sea
The Sea, the Sea 3.96 avg rating — 24,391 ratings
15.
The Things They Carried
The Things They Carried 4.14 avg rating — 337,458 ratings
15.
Jesus’ Son
Jesus’ Son 4.13 avg rating — 39,234 ratings
17.
Infinite Jest
Infinite Jest 4.25 avg rating — 98,657 ratings
18.
The Epicure's Lament
The Epicure's Lament 3.74 avg rating — 1,514 ratings
19.
Middlesex
Middlesex 4.04 avg rating — 657,096 ratings
20.
Magic for Beginners
Magic for Beginners 3.80 avg rating — 10,117 ratings
21.
The Known World
The Known World 3.84 avg rating — 44,320 ratings
22.
The Road
The Road really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 1,001,679 ratings
23.
The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao
The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao 3.89 avg rating — 274,956 ratings
24.
A Visit from the Goon Squad
A Visit from the Goon Squad 3.70 avg rating — 244,153 ratings
25.
The Autobiography of Malcolm X
The Autobiography of Malcolm X
by: Malcolm X
4.37 avg rating — 285,175 ratings
26.
Against Interpretation
Against Interpretation 4.14 avg rating — 9,995 ratings
27.
Slouching Towards Bethlehem
Slouching Towards Bethlehem 4.19 avg rating — 78,746 ratings
28.
The Complete Stories
The Complete Stories 4.39 avg rating — 40,389 ratings
29.
Gravity’s Rainbow
Gravity’s Rainbow 4.01 avg rating — 46,893 ratings
30.
The Dispossessed: An Ambiguous Utopia
The Dispossessed: An Ambiguous Utopia 4.25 avg rating — 143,151 ratings
31.
The Great Railway Bazaar: By Train Through Asia
The Great Railway Bazaar: By Train Through Asia 3.90 avg rating — 21,057 ratings
32.
Speedboat
Speedboat 3.76 avg rating — 7,257 ratings
33.
The Shining (The Shining, #1)
The Shining (The Shining, #1) 4.28 avg rating — 1,650,363 ratings
34.
Ender’s Game (Ender's Saga, #1)
Ender’s Game (Ender's Saga, #1) 4.31 avg rating — 1,449,735 ratings
35.
Outside Over There
Outside Over There 3.86 avg rating — 3,970 ratings
36.
Cathedral
Cathedral 4.24 avg rating — 38,961 ratings
37.
Money
Money 3.70 avg rating — 25,092 ratings
38.
Bad Behavior
Bad Behavior 3.87 avg rating — 13,208 ratings
39.
Geek Love
Geek Love 3.95 avg rating — 71,405 ratings
40.
The Ice Storm
The Ice Storm 3.65 avg rating — 6,085 ratings
41.
Sabbath's Theater
Sabbath's Theater 3.89 avg rating — 11,952 ratings
42.
Underworld
Underworld 3.95 avg rating — 33,127 ratings
43.
Birds of America: Stories
Birds of America: Stories 4.09 avg rating — 16,399 ratings
44.
Pastoralia
Pastoralia 4.07 avg rating — 25,642 ratings
45.
Austerlitz
Austerlitz 3.98 avg rating — 25,612 ratings
46.
Dangerous Laughter
Dangerous Laughter 3.82 avg rating — 2,339 ratings
47.
Lit
Lit
by: Mary Karr
3.94 avg rating — 27,991 ratings
48.
Pulphead
Pulphead really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 7,972 ratings
49.
Building Stories
Building Stories 4.33 avg rating — 7,322 ratings
50.
The Flamethrowers
The Flamethrowers 3.51 avg rating — 23,701 ratings