100 Books to Read in a Lifetime

This is one of the 759 lists we use to generate our main The Greatest Books list.

About this list

Amazon.com (USA), 100 Books

A bucket list of books to create a well-read life, from Amazon Book Editors.

This list was originally published in 2014 and was added to this site over 12 years ago.

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Cover of 'Nineteen Eighty Four' by George Orwell

Nineteen Eighty Four

Cover of 'A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius' by Dave Eggers

A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius

Cover of 'A Wrinkle In Time' by Madeleine L'Engle

A Wrinkle In Time

Madeleine L'Engle

Cover of 'Selected Stories of Alice Munro' by Alice Munro

Selected Stories of Alice Munro

Cover of 'Alice's Adventures in Wonderland' by Lewis Carroll

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland

Cover of 'Angela's Ashes' by Frank McCourt

Angela's Ashes

Cover of 'Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret' by Judy Blume

Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret

Cover of 'Bel Canto' by Ann Patchett

Bel Canto

Cover of 'Beloved' by Toni Morrison

Beloved

Cover of 'Catch-22' by Joseph Heller

Catch-22

Cover of 'Charlie And The Chocolate Factory,' by Roald Dahl

Charlie And The Chocolate Factory,

Cover of 'Charlotte's Web' by E. B. White

Charlotte's Web

Cover of 'Dune' by Frank Herbert

Dune

Cover of 'Great Expectations' by Charles Dickens

Great Expectations

Charles Dickens

Cover of 'Guns, Germs, and Steel' by Jared Diamond

Guns, Germs, and Steel

Cover of 'In Cold Blood' by Truman Capote

In Cold Blood

Cover of 'Interpreter of Maladies' by Jhumpa Lahiri

Interpreter of Maladies

Cover of 'Invisible Man' by Ralph Ellison

Invisible Man

Cover of 'Jimmy Corrigan, the Smartest Kid on Earth' by Chris Ware

Jimmy Corrigan, the Smartest Kid on Earth

Cover of 'Lolita' by Vladimir Nabokov

Lolita

Vladimir Nabokov

Cover of 'Love in the Time of Cholera' by Gabriel García Márquez

Love in the Time of Cholera

Gabriel García Márquez

Cover of 'Love Medicine' by Louise Erdrich

Love Medicine

Cover of 'Man's Search for Meaning' by Viktor Frankl

Man's Search for Meaning

Cover of 'Me Talk Pretty One Day' by David Sedaris

Me Talk Pretty One Day

Cover of 'Middlesex' by Jeffrey Eugenides

Middlesex

Jeffrey Eugenides

Cover of 'Midnight's Children' by Salman Rushdie

Midnight's Children

Cover of 'Of Human Bondage' by W. Somerset Maugham

Of Human Bondage

W. Somerset Maugham

Cover of 'On the Road' by Jack Kerouac

On the Road

Cover of 'Out of Africa' by Isak Dinesen

Out of Africa

Cover of 'Portnoy's Complaint' by Philip Roth

Portnoy's Complaint

Cover of 'Pride and Prejudice' by Jane Austen

Pride and Prejudice

Cover of 'Silent Spring' by Rachel Carson

Silent Spring

Cover of 'Slaughterhouse-Five' by Kurt Vonnegut

Slaughterhouse-Five

Cover of 'The Age of Innocence' by Edith Wharton

The Age of Innocence

Cover of 'The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay' by Michael Chabon

The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay

Cover of 'The Autobiography of Malcolm X' by Alex Haley

The Autobiography of Malcolm X

Cover of 'The Book Thief' by Markus Zusak

The Book Thief

Cover of 'The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao' by Junot Diaz

The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao

Cover of 'The Catcher in the Rye' by J. D. Salinger

The Catcher in the Rye

Cover of 'The Corrections' by Jonathan Franzen

The Corrections

Jonathan Franzen

Cover of 'The Diary of a Young Girl' by Anne Frank

The Diary of a Young Girl

Cover of 'The Giver' by Lois Lowry

The Giver

Cover of 'The Great Gatsby' by F. Scott Fitzgerald

The Great Gatsby

F. Scott Fitzgerald

Cover of 'The Handmaid's Tale' by Margaret Atwood

The Handmaid's Tale

Margaret Atwood

Cover of 'The Liars' Club' by Mary Karr

The Liars' Club

Cover of 'A Brief History of Time' by Stephen Hawking

A Brief History of Time

Stephen Hawking

Cover of 'A Long Way Gone' by Ishmael Beah

A Long Way Gone

Cover of 'All the President's Men' by Bob Woodward, Carl Bernstein

All the President's Men

Bob Woodward, Carl Bernstein

Cover of 'A Series of Unfortunate Events #1' by Lemony Snicket

A Series of Unfortunate Events #1

Cover of 'Born to Run' by Chris McDougall

Born to Run

Chris McDougall

Cover of 'Breath, Eyes, Memory' by Edwidge Danticat

Breath, Eyes, Memory

Edwidge Danticat

Cover of 'Cutting for Stone' by Abraham Verghese

Cutting for Stone

Abraham Verghese

Cover of 'Daring Greatly' by Brené Brown

Daring Greatly

Cover of 'Diary of a Wimpy Kid' by Jeff Kinney

Diary of a Wimpy Kid

Cover of 'Fahrenheit 451' by Ray Bradbury

Fahrenheit 451

Cover of 'Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas' by Hunter S. Thompson

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas

Hunter S. Thompson

Cover of 'Gone Girl' by Gillian Flynn

Gone Girl

Cover of 'Goodnight Moon' by Margaret Wise Brown

Goodnight Moon

Margaret Wise Brown

Cover of 'Kitchen Confidential' by Anthony Bourdain

Kitchen Confidential

Anthony Bourdain

Cover of 'Life After Life' by Kate Atkinson

Life After Life

Cover of 'Little House on the Prairie' by Laura Ingalls Wilder

Little House on the Prairie

Laura Ingalls Wilder

Cover of 'Moneyball' by Michael M. Lewis

Moneyball

Michael M. Lewis

Cover of 'Persepolis' by Marjane Satrapi

Persepolis

Marjane Satrapi

Cover of 'Team of Rivals' by Doris Kearns Goodwin

Team of Rivals

Doris Kearns Goodwin

Cover of 'The Color of Water' by James McBride

The Color of Water

Cover of 'The Devil In The White City' by Erik Larson

The Devil In The White City

Cover of 'The Fault in Our Stars' by John Green

The Fault in Our Stars

Cover of 'The Golden Compass' by Philip Pullman

The Golden Compass

Cover of 'The House at Pooh Corner' by A. A. Milne

The House at Pooh Corner

Cover of 'The Hunger Games' by Suzanne Collins

The Hunger Games

Suzanne Collins

Cover of 'The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks' by Rebecca Skloot

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

Cover of 'Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Book One' by Rick Riordan

Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Book One

Cover of 'The Little Prince' by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

The Little Prince

Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

Cover of 'The Long Goodbye' by Raymond Chandler

The Long Goodbye

Raymond Chandler

Cover of 'The Looming Tower' by Lawrence Wright

The Looming Tower

Lawrence Wright

Cover of 'The Lord Of The Rings' by J. R. R. Tolkien

The Lord Of The Rings

J. R. R. Tolkien

Cover of 'The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat' by Oliver Sacks

The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat

Cover of 'The Omnivore's Dilemma' by Michael Pollan

The Omnivore's Dilemma

Cover of 'The Phantom Tollbooth' by Norton Juster

The Phantom Tollbooth

Cover of 'The Poisonwood Bible' by Barbara Kingsolver

The Poisonwood Bible

Barbara Kingsolver

Cover of 'The Power Broker' by Robert Caro

The Power Broker

Cover of 'The Right Stuff' by Tom Wolfe

The Right Stuff

Cover of 'The Road' by Cormac McCarthy

The Road

Cormac McCarthy

Cover of 'The Secret History' by Donna Tartt

The Secret History

Cover of 'The Shining' by Stephen King

The Shining

Cover of 'The Stranger' by Albert Camus

The Stranger

Cover of 'The Sun Also Rises' by Ernest Hemingway

The Sun Also Rises

Ernest Hemingway

Cover of 'The Things They Carried' by Tim O'Brien

The Things They Carried

Cover of 'The Very Hungry Caterpillar' by Eric Carle

The Very Hungry Caterpillar

Cover of 'The Wind in the Willows' by Kenneth Grahame

The Wind in the Willows

Kenneth Grahame

Cover of 'The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle' by Haruki Murakami

The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle

Haruki Murakami

Cover of 'The World According to Garp' by John Irving

The World According to Garp

Cover of 'The Year of Magical Thinking' by Joan Didion

The Year of Magical Thinking

Cover of 'Things Fall Apart' by Chinua Achebe

Things Fall Apart

Cover of 'To Kill a Mockingbird' by Harper Lee

To Kill a Mockingbird

Cover of 'Unbroken' by Laura Hillenbrand

Unbroken

Laura Hillenbrand

Cover of 'Valley of the Dolls' by Jacqueline Susann

Valley of the Dolls

Jacqueline Susann

Cover of 'Where the Sidewalk Ends' by Shel Silverstein

Where the Sidewalk Ends

Shel Silverstein

Cover of 'Where the Wild Things Are' by Maurice Sendak

Where the Wild Things Are

Cover of 'Harry Potter And The Philosopher's Stone' by J. K. Rowling

Harry Potter And The Philosopher's Stone