Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

People Explain What Everyone Should Read At Least Once In Their Lifetime

People Explain What Everyone Should Read At Least Once In Their Lifetime
woman wearing pink shirt in front of bookshelf
Photo by Rabie Madaci on Unsplash
Make us preferred on Google

To Kill a Mockingbird, Lord of the Flies, Catcher in the Rye.

Books are often found on the list of the greatest novels ever written.

But they are also commonly found on the list of books most people had to read in high school.

Which doesn't mean they aren't among the greatest pieces of literature.

But more often than not, people find the books that turn out to be their "favorites" not because they were assigned to them, but because they chose to read them for their own enjoyment.

Some people’s favorite reading material might not even be a novel or biography, but rather a juicy blog or message board.

A Recent Redditor was curious to hear what books, or other reading material, the Reddit community believed demanded to be read, leading them to ask:

'What should you read at least once in your entire life?"


An important lesson for everyone

"Don't let the pigeon drive the bus."- skmeibe

Anything, as long as it's one you'll enjoy

"Something fun."

"So many people only read the books they are assigned in school, or what random people in a reddit thread like this recommend, and walk away feeling unsatisfied, like reading is a chore."

"And sometimes it is a chore, but other times it's joyous, extraordinary, mind-blowing, or just plain fun."

"Tl;dr - read something that makes you happy, not just something you 'should' read."- bozec

An old, old old, classic

"The Epic of Gilgamesh."- Truebetold

Thought provoking and entertaining!

"The Master and Margarita."

"It's a very fun read, but also makes you think. Kind of like Discworld books."- AkechiJubeiMitsuhide

Black Cat GIF by Artitudes DesignGiphy

Hopefully, it will help you find just that!

"Man’s Search for Meaning by Victor Frankl."- post-death_wave_core

Any Sci-fi/Fantasy fans in the house?

"The discworld novels by Terry Pratchett."

"Christopher Moore's The Gospel according to Biff, Christ's childhood Pal."- rokki82

"The Hitchhiker's Guide to The Galaxy."

"Despite the title, it's hilarious."

"A relatively short read (about 200 pages iirc), the science can be a bit hard to keep up with sometimes, but it's a fun time regardless."- KiiWii4972

The Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy Space GIFGiphy

Valuable lessons on growing up.

"Hatchet."

"It is a good 'learning to read' book."

"Suspenseful, easy to understand and it was one of the first books that I wasn't happy the entire way through."

"One of the first books that I had to know how it ended."

"Yet, at the same time it touches upon topics that a year earlier may have been hard to grasp, such as the human instinct to survive when you've lost all hope."- Ramen_Beef_Baby

Who needs fiction, when you have real life?

"The local police report for a rural Appalachian community. "

"Never fails to disappoint."- Butwinsky

Something far too people neglect to read...

"You should read the f*cking manual."- Sirhc978

90S Help GIFGiphy

Unexpectedly Timely

"With all the books being banned by Republicans I think everyone needs to read, Fahrenheit 451"- VivaLasVegasGuy

A classic for all ages

"The Very Hungry Caterpillar."- SvenskaAlvar

Religious text, for inspiration, or out of curiosity

"The Bible."

"Either as holy testament or as fiction."

"I actually read it in a college class 'the Bible as Fiction' and it’s very interesting and dramatic."- Background-Eye-8883

"If you follow a religion, your religious text."- DrSealMan

season 7 flanders bible GIFGiphy

Gets you every time

"Charlotte’s Web."

"I was given a copy by a neighbor and fell in love."

"It was a rollercoaster of emotions for me, both good and bad."- The_Poptart_Cat

No one should be beholden to one genre

"A trashy romance."

"A 'classic' story, like Jane Eyre, or something Bronte, lol."

"A Shakespeare play, I suggest the comedies, because they're hilarious, and the tragedies, well, they're tragic, lol."

"A good mystery book."

"A YA fiction book, so you can see what the kids are into these days."

"A sad story that can make you cry just through the written word - it's very cleansing, maybe Tucker's Way or There There."

"Somebody's memoir or autobiography."- DishyPanHands

"All for one, and one for all!"

"Three musketeers."

"An adventure about friendship, betrayal, and coming out of age."

"Worth reading."

"Very beautiful tale."- lavendershift-ofc

Sure, you read it for the articles...

"Any 'Playboy' magazine...they have really good articles..."- rap31264

Worth refreshing every now and again

"The Constitution of the United States, especially the Bill of Rights and subsequent amendments."- Unable_Fig_3130

Season 15 Television GIF by The SimpsonsGiphy

Worth tracking down

"This probably only me, but the Rangers Apprentice series by John Flanagan is a great series that I feel like more people should read."- Commander-Appa

There is nothing more transporting than a juicy piece of reading material.

Be it from the fiction section at the library, in your local paper, or on Reddit.

More from Trending/best-of-reddit

Nicolle Wallace; Marco Rubio and Donald Trump
MS NOW; Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty Images

Nicolle Wallace Offers Hilariously Brutal Suggestion For 'Addled' Trump Amid 'Bizarre' NATO Press Conferences

MAGA Republican President Donald Trump has been participating in the NATO Summit in Ankara, Turkey, since Tuesday afternoon, but the visit has been anything but successful for the embattled POTUS.

Trump's appearances before the international press on hand for the summit have been rife with gaffes that have the domestic and international communities both amused and concerned over the 80-year-old's continued cognitive decline.

Keep ReadingShow less
Catherine Zeta-Jones; Bonnie Tyler
Monica Schipper/Getty Images; Christian Augustin/Getty Images

Catherine Zeta-Jones Pens Touching Tribute To Singer Bonnie Tyler After Death—And Fans Are Emotional

Bonnie Tyler, singer of "Total Eclipse of the Heart" and "Holding Out for a Hero," died on July 8, 2026, just a month after her 78th birthday.

She was in a hospital in Portugal, and she died unexpectedly from the illness she was being treated for.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshot of Rasmus Svaneborg; Mark Rutte
@atrupar/X; Altan Gocher / Hans Lucas / AFP via Getty Images

Reporter Puts NATO Secretary General On The Spot With Brutal 'Self-Respect' Question About Trump

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte found himself on the spot after Danish reporter Rasmus Svaneborg questioned whether sitting silently beside President Donald Trump as he discusses "conquering" Greenland and criticizing allies has impacted his "self-respect."

Rutte, a former Dutch prime minister, has been forced to manage Trump's repeated criticism of NATO while contending with his public insistence that the United States should acquire Greenland from Denmark.

Keep ReadingShow less
Andrew Garfield
Darren Gerrish/WireImage/Ralph Lauren/Getty Images

Andrew Garfield's New Long Hair Has Fans Completely Swooning—And We So Get It

One thing that fans have always appreciated about Andrew Garfield is his very healthy head of hair.

Even when he wore his hair shorter for The Social Network, or just slightly longer and spiked up for The Amazing Spider-Man, it was obvious that he had very thick and luscious hair.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshot of JD Vance; Julia Louis-Dreyfus
@HQNewsNow/X; Angela Weiss/AFP via Getty Images

JD Vance Pauses Rally To Check If He Got A Call From Trump—And It's Giving Major 'Veep' Vibes

Vice President JD Vance drew comparisons to Selina Meyer, the bumbling vice president played by actor Julia Louis-Dreyfus on HBO's hit political satire Veep after he stopped a rally speech to check whether President Donald Trump had called him.

As Selina Meyer, Julia Louis-Dreyfus won multiple Emmy Awards and numerous other accolades for portraying the perpetually dysfunctional vice president.

Keep ReadingShow less