Avid Readers Debate Which Books Are True Treasures That Everyone Should Read

The Brothers Karamazov

"The Brothers Karamazov. It's about three brothers in Tsarist Russia with opposing viewpoints about life and its meaning. Aliosha is a quiet monk who has trouble justifying God or his religion to his atheist and educsted brother Ivan. Dimitri is a soldier who is a total hedonist but very violent when angry."

"Okay, it's really, really long, but the characters are fleshed out really well. It might take you a couple rereads (I know I had to read some paragraphs a few times in a row to understand what was going on)."

anonimogeronimo

Definitely one of the more moving books I've read.

An uncle of mine was a huge fan of Russian literature and pushed it on me.

I was pleasantly surprised.

The Neverending Story

"The Neverending Story. So much more to this than the movie portrays. It is beautifully written fantasy that makes the movies almost unwatchable but remains little known."

_manicpixie

Definitely a book that makes the film pale in comparison.

I remember watching the movie and wondering what the hell I was watching.

All Quiet on the Western Front

“All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque. Such a tragic and beautifully written book on war, especially from the perspective of an 'enemy' of the United States (my country)."

ProperEmu-1558

A massively influential book.

It even has two film adaptations, of which the first, which won the Academy Award for Best Picture, is the most worth seeing.

East of Eden

"East of Eden. There are single chapters of that book that are more riveting and have a better story arc than most movies… Amazing book."

SpaceToaster

Steinbeck could craft prose like no one else.

East of Eden is indeed a treasure.

Maus

"Maus. It's a graphic novel about the holocaust with the Jews represented as mice and the Nazis as cats. It's so compelling and it just blew me away."

gatorinmypocket

I read Maus while on a bit of a graphic novel kick and was simultaneously horrified and so, so moved.

Recommended reading for everyone, for sure.

The Art of Racing in the Rain

"The Art of Racing in the Rain. It's about an aging dog watching his owner's life get ripped away from him after being wrongly accused of a crime, and how the dog tries his hardest to do his part to get his owner's life back on track."

placeholdernull

This is a book I have yet to pick up myself but I've heard great things about it over the years.

Definitely going to add this to my (admittedly very long) reading list.

A Confederacy of Dunces

"A Confederacy of Dunces.My English teacher in 10th grade would give us extra credit for reading this, I was one of the few people that did and it was one of the funniest books I have ever read."

"I liked it so much I read it in my other classes. One day my AP Anatomy teacher was telling a sad story about her friend dying from cancer and I was just cracking up in the back of the room reading the book and not listening to her talk at all."

"I look up to see the whole class looking at me like I just stomped a kitten to death."

Cracklin_Cornfed

This story is hilarious (though watch where you're reading this undoubtedly funny book next time around).

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

"Huckleberry Finn. On the surface it is a nice adventure book, but it was intelligently subversive and I think helped shape American culture against slavery."

Pateloporturtle

The language can be a bit much for people.

I know that when I read this in school, many bristled at the use of the "n-word."

It's important to view Huckleberry Finn in context and for what it is, it definitely shaped public perceptions of a horrible American institution.

The God of Small Things

"Some of the most beautiful prose I've ever read. Arundhati Roy is a treasure. Jaw droppingly shocking moments in that book also."

mankindmatt5

This is indeed a magnificent book.

Roy is a master.

One of the world's finest writers.

In Cold Blood

"In Cold Blood. Sentence for sentence, maybe the single best-written book I’ve ever read. Absolutely airtight in terms of style. A supreme piece of reportage."

loopster70

Anyone with an interest in journalism and literary non-fiction has to read this book.

It's highly influential—and for good reason!

Having trouble figuring what to gift someone for the holidays?

Well, if they happen to love reading (and you know they haven't read any of these) why not pick one or two off this list?

Spread the love of the written word! It's truly priceless.

Have some book recommendations of your own? Feel free to share them with us in the comments below!