Post written by Leo Babauta.

I recently ran into a couple of reading lists (I’ll share them at the end) and realized that I LOVE reading book recommendations. I can’t get enough of them.

So I decided to compile my own (somewhat eclectic) list of novels I think are amazing and essential to every library. I hope you enjoy it.

I should make some notes before diving in. First, this isn’t a comprehensive list of classics. It’s not a comprehensive list of anything. It’s one man’s reading list — a writer, a book lover, a lover and a dad, but one man nonetheless. There are a lot of great books left off the list.

Another note: there are actually many more books listed here than 50 — a number of those listed are actually series of books, in a couple cases series that include 20 or more books. I also recommend must-read books by an author if I really love them, so the total will be well over 100.

There are classics here, but there are cheap thrillers and popular fiction and even a few “kids” books. All I know is that I loved these books — no, I still love them — and I hope you will too. » More »