Jane Austen is brilliant, Wuthering heights, anything by Charlotte Bronte(though I admantly suggest Jane Eyre), Frankenstein, War and Peace(this one’s quite long) The great Gatsby, to kill a mockingbird, The Catcher in The Rye, Moby Dick, 1984, great expectations, A tale of two cities
The Adventures of Sherlock Homes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. They are not long winded or full of bloviated prose like many 19th C classics and are a good intro for modern readers. Also, some of Dickens’ shorter works, like A Christmas Carol are better than diving into Dostoyevsky et al
Lés Miserables, The Hunchback of Notre Dame(This made me cry), All of Sherlock Holmes of course, I count Lord of The Rings and Harry Potter as classics too??
Oh, and you should also read Russian Fairy tales and everything that’s European Fairytale. Especially the Grimm Brothers compilation. Look at The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde too. It’s all Gothic and dark. Dostoevsky is a brilliant writer too. Check his novels out.
I suggest you try something short first. Try Charles Dicken’s A Christmas Carol and see if You’d love it. If not, give Pride and Prejudice a chance. You’ll fall in love with Mr. Darcy.
The Great Gatsby sucks. Agree with everything else on here, though I’m not sure stuff that was written in the 1950’s would be considered ‘classic’. I’ll throw in The Count of Monte Cristo, Poe’s short stories (especially the gothic horror) and Don Quixote.
Too kill a mockingbird Pride and prejudice Middlemarch Bram Storkers Dracula Frankenstein Schindler’s list (sometimes called Schindler’s arc) Alice in wonderland
Paradise lost, once you get used to how it’s written it’s rather beautiful
Down and out in Paris and London – George Orwell, semi autobiographical, capturing the true nature of poverty in a way that still rings true now I think.
Lord of the Flies, Catcher in the Rye, Lolita, Sister Carrie, Rebecca, My Brother Sam is Dead, Flowers for Algernon, The Good Earth and the Call of the Wild.
I mean it really depends on the kinda style you’re looking for. Great Gatsby is one of my favorites, and if you like satire and social commentary on the upper class Jane Austen is good. Edgar Allen Poe is really good for dark humor/dark stuff, the importance of being earnest is a wonderful play by oscar Wilde with really quick wit. Virginia Woolf can be hard to adapt to at first but her writing in beautiful (Mrs. Dalloway is fantastic)
Honestly the best thing to do, go into a small bookstore (we had a Boarders here when I was younger) and you can find a really passionate bookseller that can help get you with some great books. At my old bookstore there was a girl there that lived to connect people with just the right book. She really made me reach out and try new genres
I’m probably repeating some options here, but my fave classics are The Great Gatsby, Pride and Prejudice, Dracula, 1984, and pretty much anything by Edith Wharton (but especially Summer, and The House of Mirth). I also LOVE Oscar Wilde, and even though it’s a play, The Importance of Being Earnest is one of my favorites (and probably one of the funniest works I’ve ever read).
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Pride & Prejudice, The Great Gatsby (one of my favorites), Wuthering Heights, The Turn of the Screw 🙂 anything by dickens – but a tale of 2 cities is my favorite. Little Women (one of my first loves), Little Men. The Outsiders. lord of the flies. 1984. to kill a mockingbird. there are SO many great books!!
If you like plays: Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream If you like epics: Homer’s Iliad If you like epic poems: Dante’s Inferno If you like romance: Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice If you like philosophy: Plato’s Apology If you like tragedy: Fitzgerald’s Great Gatsby
Here’s my 10 top list for classic: 1.The Count of Monte Cristo 2. Oliver Twist 3. Pride and Prejudice 4. The Little Prince 5. The Picture of Dorian Grey 6. Sherlock Holmes 7. How to Kill a Mockingbird 8. Flowers for Algernon 9. The Tale of Two Cities 10. Catcher in the Rye
Its just ‘To kill a mocking bird” not a guide on how to do it lol..? but seriously..l love all of your suggestions and could probably add another 50 or so of own.
I’ll be blasphemous here…I’ve gotten zero enjoyment out of the shelf full of classics in my home library. I did love Little Women when I was a girl. I also liked To Kill a Mockingbird but those are the only two I can speak of with love in my heart
Haven’t seen this one listed: Watership Down! Just finished it recently ?? I also remember enjoying The Picture of Dorian Grey, which has already been mentioned a lot!
Pride and Prejudice!!! I just finished listening to the audiobook for free on Audible (because even though I love the story, I never could finish the book). It is amazing! Funny and witty and the language is beautiful.
I think the only classics I’ve read are Jane Eyre and Little Women. Unless you’re like me & also consider Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit as classics. I know some people don’t. The only one I didn’t like was Jane Eyre, but I was in junior high when I read it, so I might like it better now that I’m older. I started reading The Count of Monte Cristo, though & it’s been pretty good so far.
Anything by Jane Austin or Bronte sister, Dracula, Frankenstein
The list can be long xD
Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky
Jane Austen is brilliant, Wuthering heights, anything by Charlotte Bronte(though I admantly suggest Jane Eyre), Frankenstein, War and Peace(this one’s quite long) The great Gatsby, to kill a mockingbird, The Catcher in The Rye, Moby Dick, 1984, great expectations, A tale of two cities
Russian old literature Tolstoy, Dostoyevsky, Gogol, Maxim Gorky, Ivan Turgenev. Brilliant
Fathers and Sons in particular
The Count of Monte Cristo, The Canterbury Tales, Oliver Twist, The scarlet letter, Emma
The Adventures of Sherlock Homes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. They are not long winded or full of bloviated prose like many 19th C classics and are a good intro for modern readers. Also, some of Dickens’ shorter works, like A Christmas Carol are better than diving into Dostoyevsky et al
Lés Miserables, The Hunchback of Notre Dame(This made me cry), All of Sherlock Holmes of course, I count Lord of The Rings and Harry Potter as classics too??
Oh, and you should also read Russian Fairy tales and everything that’s European Fairytale. Especially the Grimm Brothers compilation. Look at The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde too. It’s all Gothic and dark. Dostoevsky is a brilliant writer too. Check his novels out.
oh my its too many.. can you guys give me your #1pick. i cant decide which to read.???
I suggest you try something short first. Try Charles Dicken’s A Christmas Carol and see if You’d love it. If not, give Pride and Prejudice a chance. You’ll fall in love with Mr. Darcy.
I agree, Pride and Prejudice is a go too
Or Jane Eyre
thank you so much!
Oh, brooding mysterious guys with dark hair?
Will Herondale xD (sorry xD)
@Merry I hope you enjoy them 🙂
ALL DAT SASS? HERONDALES ARE THE HOTTEST???
WILL IS SITS ON THE THRONE LIKE THE QUEEN HE IS
Yes, Ema. A drama queen 😛 (but we love him :3)
Great gatsby, catcher in the rye , of mice and men
Animal farm
little women by loiusa may alcott
I will start today in Great Gatsby … I didn’t read it before
The Great Gatsby sucks. Agree with everything else on here, though I’m not sure stuff that was written in the 1950’s would be considered ‘classic’. I’ll throw in The Count of Monte Cristo, Poe’s short stories (especially the gothic horror) and Don Quixote.
The picture of Dorian Gray
Little Women
To kill a mockingbird
The handmaids tale? Or um…pride and prejudice ?
Too kill a mockingbird
Pride and prejudice
Middlemarch
Bram Storkers Dracula
Frankenstein
Schindler’s list (sometimes called Schindler’s arc)
Alice in wonderland
picture of dorian gray and jane eyre
Highly recommend the Gothics. Dracula, Frankenstein, Picture of Dorian Gray, Jekyll and Hyde. Just in time for Halloween. ?
Paradise lost, once you get used to how it’s written it’s rather beautiful
Down and out in Paris and London – George Orwell, semi autobiographical, capturing the true nature of poverty in a way that still rings true now I think.
Lord of the Flies, Catcher in the Rye, Lolita, Sister Carrie, Rebecca, My Brother Sam is Dead, Flowers for Algernon, The Good Earth and the Call of the Wild.
The Alchemist
Great Gatsby
The Picture of Dorian Gray
To Kill A Mockingbird
To Kill A Mockingbird ??
The great Gatsby, to kill a Mockingbird, a picture of Dorian Gray. All great. Steer clear of the Victorian women, snooze fest
My blog is dedicated to classic novels! Check it out 🙂 http://www.thewoodenbookshelf.com/
Check out my podcast for mostly classic literature shorts 😉
http://www.gcmckay.com/
Pride and Prejudice is a good one to start 🙂
Avoid wuthering heights, try an Agatha Christie novel or around the world in 80 days
My big three. The Count of Monte Cristo, The Great Gatsby, To Kill a Mockingbird. Of those three, start with Mockingbird.
I mean it really depends on the kinda style you’re looking for. Great Gatsby is one of my favorites, and if you like satire and social commentary on the upper class Jane Austen is good. Edgar Allen Poe is really good for dark humor/dark stuff, the importance of being earnest is a wonderful play by oscar Wilde with really quick wit. Virginia Woolf can be hard to adapt to at first but her writing in beautiful (Mrs. Dalloway is fantastic)
Oliver Twist.
Wuthering heights
Wuthering Heights
Three Musketeers
David Copperfield by Charles Dickens. The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins. The Mysteries of Udolpho by Anne Radcliffe.
Picture of Dorian Grey, Lolita, Anna Karina, anything by Stephen King and Maya Angelou. 1984 and a Clockwork Orange are fabulous as well.
Honestly the best thing to do, go into a small bookstore (we had a Boarders here when I was younger) and you can find a really passionate bookseller that can help get you with some great books. At my old bookstore there was a girl there that lived to connect people with just the right book. She really made me reach out and try new genres
David Copperfield, Jane Eyre, Pride & Prejudice
The great gatsby, pride and prejudice, Lolita, sister Carrie, Jane eyre, wuthering heights
Wuthering Heights
The Catcher in the Rye
I’m probably repeating some options here, but my fave classics are The Great Gatsby, Pride and Prejudice, Dracula, 1984, and pretty much anything by Edith Wharton (but especially Summer, and The House of Mirth). I also LOVE Oscar Wilde, and even though it’s a play, The Importance of Being Earnest is one of my favorites (and probably one of the funniest works I’ve ever read).
yes!!! that play is amazing.
Star by jane austin and conan doyle
Pride and prejudice! ❤️❤️
War of the worlds
Wuthering heights
Jane Eyre
Jane Eyre, Pride and Prejudice
Little Women by LM Alcott. Such a beautiful book.
The Secret Garden
Me either and I prob never will.
Ethan Frome
Dracula
Oh I loved the secret garden in elementary school
Moby Dick
White Fang!
The Invisible Man by H.G. Wells is a good one. And it’s free on Kindle at Amazon, so there you go 🙂
Plus their making it into a major motion picture.
Jane Eyre, my all timefav
Wuthering Heights- Emily Bronte
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Pride & Prejudice, The Great Gatsby (one of my favorites), Wuthering Heights, The Turn of the Screw 🙂 anything by dickens – but a tale of 2 cities is my favorite. Little Women (one of my first loves), Little Men. The Outsiders. lord of the flies. 1984. to kill a mockingbird. there are SO many great books!!
Wuthering Heights
Dracula.
The Pearl by Steinbeck..every human should read it!
East of Eden by John Steinbeck
Catcher in the Rye
The Complete Sherlock Holmes.
If you like plays: Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream
If you like epics: Homer’s Iliad
If you like epic poems: Dante’s Inferno
If you like romance: Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice
If you like philosophy: Plato’s Apology
If you like tragedy: Fitzgerald’s Great Gatsby
Jane Eyre and Bleak House
The Count of Monte Cristo
Humboldt’s Gift by Saul Bellow
crime and punishment . lolita . hunger
It depends on what stories you like. Classic can cover a lot of things and a lot of genres. There is always something you will probably like
I liked huthering heights
The Scarlett letter, little women
Jane eyre?
TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD!!!!
https://bit.ly/2fE6W4K
speaking of classics! This is a really good giveaway for The Great Gatsby. You could wear some gear while you read 🙂
Pride and Prejudice
The Yearling
Following
Crime and Punishment – Fyodor Dostoevsky. This is one tale that’ll stay with you throughout your lifetime
Tess of the D’urbervilles by Thomas Hardy. It’s kind of depressing but still really good.
Here’s my 10 top list for classic:
1.The Count of Monte Cristo
2. Oliver Twist
3. Pride and Prejudice
4. The Little Prince
5. The Picture of Dorian Grey
6. Sherlock Holmes
7. How to Kill a Mockingbird
8. Flowers for Algernon
9. The Tale of Two Cities
10. Catcher in the Rye
Its just ‘To kill a mocking bird” not a guide on how to do it lol..? but seriously..l love all of your suggestions and could probably add another 50 or so of own.
The Count of Monte Cristo By Alexandre Dumas. My favorite ❤️
Bram Stokers Dracula
Les Mis!
Count of Monte Cristo!
Pride and prejudice is not the easiest of read in my opion but its such and amazing storey and Black beauty
Jane eyre is one of the must reads
Little Women ❤️
1984 – George Orwell
A tale of two cities by Charles Dickens
Little Women
I’ll be blasphemous here…I’ve gotten zero enjoyment out of the shelf full of classics in my home library. I did love Little Women when I was a girl. I also liked To Kill a Mockingbird but those are the only two I can speak of with love in my heart
Its not a guide to killing mocking birds lol..its just To kill a mocking bird..but your choices are great ?
@Karen I think I somehow copied the guy up above me. I know the right title. Lmao
The Great Gatsby is probably the favorite i’ve read 🙂
secret garden, les miserable, gatsby, little men too name a few
The secret garden
Haven’t seen this one listed: Watership Down! Just finished it recently ?? I also remember enjoying The Picture of Dorian Grey, which has already been mentioned a lot!
Jane Eyre ❤️
Farenheight 451
Crime and Punishment
Wow..l feel so well read..l have read all the suggested books mentioned..and then some ?
Pride and Prejudice!!! I just finished listening to the audiobook for free on Audible (because even though I love the story, I never could finish the book). It is amazing! Funny and witty and the language is beautiful.
Wuthering Heights, I am sure you’ll love it. Or The Count of Monte Cristo.
Silas Marner, one of my favorites
A Clockwork Orange! Difficult read with a powerful message ?
Little Women, Pride and Prejudice, Middlemarch, Northanger Abbey and Gulliver’s Travels are some of my favourites ?
pride and prejudice
Anything jane Austen to ease into it
Dorian Gray is a favorite of mine
The Count of Monte Cristo is a really great book, but the unabridged version is over 1,000 pages ?
1984, the Crucible (even though it’s a script)
Brave New World, Of Mice and Men, or The Jungle.
I think the only classics I’ve read are Jane Eyre and Little Women. Unless you’re like me & also consider Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit as classics. I know some people don’t. The only one I didn’t like was Jane Eyre, but I was in junior high when I read it, so I might like it better now that I’m older. I started reading The Count of Monte Cristo, though & it’s been pretty good so far.
Old man and the Sea
Siddhartha is a must also