Top Books List

Set in the racially charged South during the Depression, the novel follows a young girl and her older brother as they navigate their small town's societal norms and prejudices. Their father, a lawyer, is appointed to defend a black man falsely accused of raping a white woman, forcing the children to confront the harsh realities of racism and injustice. The story explores themes of morality, innocence, and the loss of innocence through the eyes of the young protagonists.

This novel is a multi-generational saga that focuses on the Buendía family, who founded the fictional town of Macondo. It explores themes of love, loss, family, and the cyclical nature of history. The story is filled with magical realism, blending the supernatural with the ordinary, as it chronicles the family's experiences, including civil war, marriages, births, and deaths. The book is renowned for its narrative style and its exploration of solitude, fate, and the inevitability of repetition in history.

Jack Kerouac’s On the Road is a vibrant and free-spirited chronicle of adventure, self-discovery, and the search for meaning in postwar America. The novel follows Sal Paradise, a young writer, and his charismatic, reckless friend Dean Moriarty as they crisscross the country on a series of road trips. Together, they encounter a cast of colorful characters, wild parties, and the open landscapes of America, from bustling cities to vast deserts.

The novel follows the story of a teenager named Holden Caulfield, who has just been expelled from his prep school. The narrative unfolds over the course of three days, during which Holden experiences various forms of alienation and his mental state continues to unravel. He criticizes the adult world as "phony" and struggles with his own transition into adulthood. The book is a profound exploration of teenage rebellion, alienation, and the loss of innocence.

Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s The Little Prince is a whimsical yet deeply profound story about love, friendship, and the search for meaning. The tale begins when a stranded pilot meets a mysterious young boy, the Little Prince, in the Sahara Desert. The Prince recounts his journey from his tiny home planet, where he cared for a singular rose, to visits on other planets inhabited by quirky, symbolic characters, each representing a different human flaw or obsession.

"Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" by Lewis Carroll is a whimsical tale about a young girl named Alice who falls down a rabbit hole into a fantastical world filled with peculiar creatures and nonsensical events. As she navigates this strange land, she encounters characters like the White Rabbit, the Cheshire Cat, the Mad Hatter, and the Queen of Hearts, each presenting her with surreal challenges and riddles. The story explores themes of curiosity, identity, and the fluid nature of reality.

The Magic Mountain by Thomas Mann is a richly layered novel that explores themes of time, illness, and personal transformation through the story of Hans Castorp, a young German engineer. Hans arrives at a luxurious sanatorium in the Swiss Alps to visit his cousin, who is recovering from tuberculosis, intending to stay for only three weeks. However, he becomes drawn into the secluded, introspective world of the patients and doctors, where life takes on a different, almost timeless rhythm.

Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart is a powerful tale of tradition, change, and personal tragedy set in pre-colonial Nigeria. The story follows Okonkwo, a proud and ambitious leader in the Igbo village of Umuofia, who is determined to overcome the shame of his father’s failures. His life is shaped by his fierce adherence to tradition and his drive to prove his strength, but a series of misfortunes begins to unravel his world.

"The Fellowship of the Ring," the first book in J.R.R. Tolkien's "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy, follows the journey of Frodo Baggins, a young hobbit from the Shire, who is tasked with destroying a powerful ring that could bring about the end of the world if it falls into the wrong hands. Guided by the wise wizard Gandalf, Frodo forms a fellowship that includes humans, elves, dwarves, and hobbits, all united to protect him on his perilous quest.

Salman Rushdie’s Midnight’s Children follows Saleem Sinai, born at the exact moment of India’s independence in 1947, who discovers he shares a mysterious connection with other children born in that hour, each gifted with extraordinary powers. As Saleem grows, his life mirrors the tumultuous events of India’s postcolonial history, from political upheavals to societal transformations.

The narrative follows a man who, after the death of his mother, falls into a routine of indifference and emotional detachment, leading him to commit an act of violence on a sun-drenched beach. His subsequent trial becomes less about the act itself and more about his inability to conform to societal norms and expectations, ultimately exploring themes of existentialism, absurdism, and the human condition.

Absalom, Absalom! follows the rise and fall of Thomas Sutpen, a poor but ambitious man who arrives in Mississippi in the 1830s with a plan to create a grand plantation and establish a lasting dynasty. Sutpen’s drive for wealth and power leads him to build a sprawling estate, Sutpen’s Hundred, and marry into a prominent family, but his relentless ambition is marred by dark secrets from his past.

Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man is a powerful story of a young Black man’s journey to find identity and meaning in a racially divided America. The unnamed narrator begins his life in the rural South, earning a scholarship to a prestigious Black college, only to face betrayal and disillusionment.

Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain follows the journey of Huck Finn, a young boy who escapes from his abusive father by faking his own death and setting out on a raft down the Mississippi River. Along the way, he teams up with Jim, a runaway slave, and the two form a close friendship as they face various challenges and dangers.

Silent Spring by Rachel Carson is a groundbreaking exposé on the devastating environmental impacts of pesticides and industrial chemicals. Through vivid storytelling and meticulous scientific evidence, Carson reveals how the indiscriminate use of substances like DDT is poisoning ecosystems, endangering wildlife, and threatening human health.

The Trial by Franz Kafka follows the story of Josef K., a bank employee who is unexpectedly arrested one morning by mysterious agents for an unspecified crime. Despite not knowing the charges against him, Josef becomes entangled in a bizarre and nightmarish legal process, facing a labyrinth of bureaucratic obstacles and increasingly surreal encounters.

In Marcel Proust's "Within a Budding Grove," the second volume of "In Search of Lost Time," we follow the narrator's journey from adolescence to early adulthood. The story vividly portrays his burgeoning fascination with the world around him, particularly through his infatuation with Gilberte Swann, the captivating daughter of Charles Swann and Odette de Crécy.

"The Return of the King," the final book in J.R.R. Tolkien's "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy, brings the epic journey to a climactic conclusion. As Sauron's forces launch a full-scale assault on Gondor, Aragorn steps into his role as the rightful king, rallying the forces of Middle-earth to fight against the dark lord's armies.

Brave New World by Aldous Huxley is a chilling vision of a future society where technological advancement and strict social control have created an illusion of utopia. In this world, people are engineered and conditioned from birth to fit into rigid castes, and emotions are suppressed with a drug called soma. Individuality and free will are sacrificed for stability, and happiness is manufactured rather than earned.

The novel is a complex exploration of the tragic Compson family from the American South. Told from four distinct perspectives, the story unfolds through stream of consciousness narratives, each revealing their own understanding of the family's decline. The characters grapple with post-Civil War societal changes, personal loss, and their own mental instability. The narrative is marked by themes of time, innocence, and the burdens of the past.

Marcel Proust's "Swann's Way" introduces readers to the captivating world of Charles Swann, whose passionate love affair with Odette de Crécy unfolds in the novella "Swann in Love." This story delves into the complexities of desire and jealousy, portraying Swann's emotional turmoil and the intensity of his feelings for Odette.

The novel tells the story of Humbert Humbert, a man with a disturbing obsession for young girls, or "nymphets" as he calls them. His obsession leads him to engage in a manipulative and destructive relationship with his 12-year-old stepdaughter, Lolita. The narrative is a controversial exploration of manipulation, obsession, and unreliable narration, as Humbert attempts to justify his actions and feelings throughout the story.

Set in the summer of 1922, the novel follows the life of a young and mysterious millionaire, his extravagant lifestyle in Long Island, and his obsessive love for a beautiful former debutante. As the story unfolds, the millionaire's dark secrets and the corrupt reality of the American dream during the Jazz Age are revealed. The narrative is a critique of the hedonistic excess and moral decay of the era, ultimately leading to tragic consequences.

Fictions by Jorge Luis Borges is a mesmerizing collection of short stories that blur the boundaries between reality, imagination, and the infinite. Each tale plunges readers into intricate labyrinths of ideas, where secret societies, infinite libraries, and enigmatic puzzles challenge perception and logic.

Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert is a novel that tells the story of Emma Bovary, a doctor's wife who becomes dissatisfied with her provincial life and yearns for passion, excitement, and luxury. Disillusioned by her mundane marriage to Charles Bovary, she engages in a series of adulterous affairs and lives beyond her means, seeking to escape the banality of her existence.