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

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

Screenshot of JD Vance; Donald Trump
@Acyn/X; Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

JD Vance Just Said The Quiet Part Out Loud About What Trump Really 'Takes Seriously' As President—And Yep, That Tracks

In his announcement this week that the Trump administration will be withholding $1.3 billion in Medicaid payments from California due to alleged fraud, Vice President JD Vance had people raising their eyebrows after claiming that President Donald Trump "takes fraud seriously."

As part of his role overseeing anti-fraud efforts, Vance said the administration is targeting California because state officials are not taking Medicaid fraud seriously enough. Vance claimed both California and American taxpayers were being “defrauded” and alleged that some patients had been given unnecessary medications after fraudsters encouraged “false prescriptions” and improper treatment.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshots from @itsgoobz's TikTok video
@itsgoobz/TikTok

Woman Goes Viral After Revealing How She Caught Her Husband Cheating Thanks To His iCloud Account

Cheating is an absolute dealbreaker in most relationships—but when you add three children to the mix, it escalates to a level of betrayal that there's really no coming back from.

It's even worse when the cheater does little to apologize for or even acknowledge what they have done.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshots from @maggieeatsss's TikTok video
@maggieeatsss/TikTok

Mom Goes Viral After Confronting Her Son About His Bullying Behavior At School—And Parents Are Applauding

Parents might not want to think about it or talk about it, but at some point, their children are going to make some mistakes, and the true test of their parenting is how they respond in those moments.

So when TikToker @maggieeatsss found out that her son had been bullying a kid at school, she knew there was no time to waste.

Keep ReadingShow less
North Carolina Mom Slams MAGA Congresswoman For Attacking Her 10-Year-Old Son And His Teacher In 'Horrific' Letter
FOX8 WGHP/YouTube; Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

North Carolina Mom Slams MAGA Congresswoman For Attacking Her 10-Year-Old Son And His Teacher In 'Horrific' Letter

Greensboro, North Carolina, mother Emily Mango is upset with MAGA Republican Representative Virginia Foxx over a letter the North Carolina legislator sent to her 10-year-old son in response to a school assignment.

Mango shared that her son Christian, who is in the 4th grade, was tasked with a writing exercise. Students were to compose a persuasive essay on a topic of their choosing and send it to a changemaker.

Keep ReadingShow less
Hayden Panettiere
On Purpose with Jay Shetty; Neutrogena

Hayden Panettiere Claims Neutrogena Fired Her After 10 Years For Speaking About Postpartum Depression—And Fans Are Appalled

Despite being in an industry that many people only dream of, Heroes and Bring It On star Hayden Panettiere hasn't had the best of luck.

With her memoir This Is Me: A Reckoning coming out soon, Panettiere has been opening up about her experiences with discrimination and abuse, this time on the On Purpose with Jay Shetty podcast, shedding light on one very popular skincare line.

Keep ReadingShow less