In honor of World Book Day, here is what Reader's Digest thinks are the 100 Best Books of All Time. The way it's set up on that site, it actually only comes to about 99. There are ads included in the slideshow of books
1. Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy (1878)
-Like the story of Romeo & Juliet, but given a Russian makeover, Anna Karenina tells the story of two star-crossed lovers
2. To Kill A Mockingbird by Lee Harper (1960)
-This iconic novel is one on the reading list for every school around. It tells the story of a lawyer named Atticus Finch who takes the case of a black man accused of raping a white woman. It's told through the eyes of Atticus' daughter Scout
3. Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein (1974)
-A book full of whimsical poetry and artwork suitable for both children and adults
4. Valley of the Dolls by Jacqueline Susann (1966)
-Sex and drugs have a certain dirty glamor that attracts so many to them. But they also have a downward spiral to places hard to get out of. Jacqueline Susann tells the story of three women who want nothing more in life than to reach the absolute top. But just as it seems they can reach it, they lose themselves in a horrible vortex of sex, lust and abandonment
5. The Shining by Stephen King (1977)
-This horror novel from the master of macabre himself, Stephen King, tells the story of an author and his family who go to manage a hotel in the mountains during the winter season. He uses this time to work, but as time goes on, the isolation begins getting to him. The spirits there begin taunting him and pushing him to his breaking point. This is said to be one of the scariest books King has ever written
6. The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery (1943)
-A little prince is on the hunt for adventure. He goes from planet to planet, but instead of adventure, he only finds adults who frustrate him. He meets the book's narrator in the Sahara Desert
7. The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien (1954)
-Part of the famed The Lord of the Rings series, in fact, this is the book that kicks off the famed series. In the area known as Middle Earth, we meet Frodo Baggins, a Hobbit who, along with his friends Samwise Gamgee, Gandalf the Grey, venture to destroy The One Ring in the fires of Mordor, while also evading the dark lord Sauron. It's a good read for those interested in fantasy
8. The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood (1985)
-In the Republic of Gilead, a woman named Offred is taken from her home, family and stripped of the life she once knew. Instead, she's placed into a new world. Where she works as a handmaid, and also a maker of children. With a working reproductive system, the population of Gilead depends on women who are incredibly fertile and can procreate to replace the falling population. It's even been adapted into a television program
9. A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle (1962)
-Thanks to the 2018 film starring Mindy Kaling and Oprah Winfrey, this book has gotten renewed interest. This book talks about the splitting of space and time. This sci-fi novel follows Meg Murry as she comes to terms with her father's strange disappearance with a variety of oddball neighbors
10. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen (1813)
-When eligible young bachelors start moving into their neighborhood, the five Bennett daughters, including young Elizabeth, are groomed and prepared for their future roles as a wife. While the wit of the Bennett sisters keeps them going, this novel is one of the most popular romance novels and considered to be one of the best romance novels
11. All the President's Men by Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein (1974)
-Those interested in political thrillers will love this one. This novel was published just prior to the 1974 resignation of President Richard Nixon. This book shows all of the evidence against Nixon and his small army of political operatives that the two reporters, who are also the authors of this book, uncovered
12. Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl (1946)
-From 1942 to 1945, Viktor Frankl worked in four Nazi death camps. He lost his parents, brother and even pregnant wife in these camps. He later became a psychiatrist and practiced what he calls logotherapy, a type of theory that states our lives are driven by the discovery of and pursuit of what we find important and meaningful. He faces the horrors of the concentration camps and shares the lessons he learned and later taught his patients. That is you can have spiritual revival, even in the aftermath of great suffering
13. Beloved by Toni Morrison (1987)
-A narrative giving a no holds barred look straight at slavery. The story centers on Sethe, the main character. She wants nothing more than freedom. It chronicles her days from the pre Civil War days to her time living as a free woman in Cincinnati, Ohio in 1873
14. In Cold Blood by Truman Capote (1965)
-This is a well known novel by legendary author Truman Capote. It tells the story of the murder of four members of the Clutter family on Nov. 15, 1959 in Holcomb, Kansas. There were no suspects and no evidence saying who the killer was. The book goes into detail the police investigation that led to the arrests of two convicts who had recently been granted parole
15. A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier by Ishmael Beah (2007)
-This memoir tells the story of a child transformed into a child soldier in Sierra Leone, West Africa. It's a first hand look into the world of child soldiers. Children taken from their homes and trained to kill
16. Dune by Frank Herbert (1965)
-A well known sci-fi novel, thanks to the film adaptation made recently, this novel centers on Paul Atreides, who becomes known as Muad Dib. He and his family work to bring the greatest dream to life for humankind while living on a desert planet
17. Great Expectations by Charles Dickens (1861)
-Some of the most well known characters of literature were born here: Miss Haversham, Pip, Uncle Pumblechook. This novel revolves around Pip, an orphan growing up in Kent, London, in the early to mid 1800s
18. Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent and Lead by Brene Brown (2012)
-Brene Brown is a research professor at the University of Houston. She brings to light the topic of vulnerability and emotions in this novel. It's said to be one of the greatest self help books to come out. This book is designed to destroy the stigma that vulnerability is a weakness. Instead, it's an accurate measure of courage and one of the best paths to experience
19. 1984 by George Orwell (1949)
-This futuristic, sci-fi novel deals with the concept of "Big Brother", as in "Big Brother is always watching". This novel is set in a dystopian future society that is ran by an unseen presence known only as "Big Brother".
20. Angela's Ashes: A Memoir by Frank Court (1996)
-The author tells of his days growing up in a slum in Limerick, Ireland. He suffered from poverty, neglect, cruelty and nearly starving to death. But he manages to infuse humor, sarcasm and quick wit into it
21. A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking (1988)
-This legendary genius, physicist and cosmologist manages to take what is normally found in science textbooks and break it down into easy to understand topics. He manages to make it interesting enough to keep you reading on. This book even covers mysterious happenings, like black holes
22. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury (1953)
-This novel takes its title from the supposed temperature in which books can successfully start burning. In this dystopian future, books are banned. Those who are found reading, their sentence is jail. It's essentially about a society aimed at dumbing down its citizens with television and other mind numbing agents. (It's a running joke in my house that I would be on a life sentence in jail for all of the books I own; that I would never survive in the world of this novel. It certainly makes my sister giggle trying to imagine me in this type of society)
23. A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius by Dave Eggers (2000)
-This memoir tells of a college student who finds his life changed by the death of both parents within five weeks and finding himself to now be the guardian of his eight year old brother. Despite the fact it starts out ominously, it takes a hilarious and irreverently funny look on how to live with grief and loss after death
24. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling (1997)
-This iconic book, suitable for all ages, takes the reader into the fantastical world of witches, wizards and fantastical creatures. This is the first installment in the much beloved seven book series by J.K. Rowling. In the first book, we enter a world of witches and wizards who go to a magical school called Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Where non magical people are called Muggles. Harry Potter is a most unusual eleven year old boy. He has a mysterious past that everyone but him seems to know. He enters the magic school and learns magic. But as the year goes on, he feels the current day is combining with his mysterious past
25. Selected Stories, 1968-1994 by Alice Munro (1996)
-This is a collection of short stories by Alice Munro
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