‘To Kill A Mockingbird’ is America’s most-loved classic book. The book is recorded to sell a million copies every year. It needs to be read more than once if you want to inhale its essence fully. The book is quite slow. But, trust me! All the events make sense in the end. The book will leave you with some of the best lessons in life. It is really hard to find a plot that is as innocent, magnificent and powerful as this book. 

The 'War and Peace' is a complete experience in itself! You might feel daunted when you see the size of the book. But, take a leap! Multi-threaded stories and a large whizz of characters are the power cells of the book. The web of exploration of human brainwave and glory of history that the book brings along, is outstanding!

There is a polarity in the reviews of 'Wuthering Heights'. You either love it or you hate it. Either way, you got to read it! If you don’t, you will regret it. The prime characters are not the usual 2-dimensionally moulded statues. This characteristic makes it stand out from other contemporary novels. The plot is set up in the shades of grey. Though it has the old-school charm, the emotions are relatable even in today’s life.

The first feel that we get after reading ‘Pride and Prejudice’ is ‘Why didn’t I read it before?’ If you are an 8 old year kid or if you are not a nerd of English, don’t expect to get it in the first read. But, it is worth all the time and efforts. You will fall in love with the language as you progress. Jane Austen has articulated the moral intelligence and psychological sagacity in a very soothing, satisfying, subtle succinct, blunt and painless style.

'Moby Dick', the ultimate, gives you a slight sense of reading three books. If you are just beginning to read Herman Neville, you might want to have ‘Billy Budd’ or ‘Bartleby, the Scrivener’ as an appetizer. Moby Dick is generally called the most famous novel in American history.

'Les Misérables' is a French historical novel. It is the story of the darkest sides of French history during the first half of the nineteenth century. Hugo takes his own pace to serve the main thing for us. But, somehow, it works wonderfully! It is often acknowledged as ‘the greatest story ever told!’ 

Describing '1984' in a few lines is a daunting task. Orwell had taken the herculean challenge of sketching a future nearly half a century away from the time period in which he was writing. And, the horror part about this future is that it is so much recognizable. Let’s not elaborate any further. Just jump into it!

It is a general trade-off that you will probably mark it 2/5 on first reading 3/5 on second and 5/5 on third! The story is dark and tangled. The (tragic) protagonist, Jane Eyre does her best through the whole story. She keeps looping in a sequence of unfortunate situations. One thing that you can be sure of - this story will hold you longer than other classics. 

There is something about ‘Great Expectations’ that will hit you hard, on completely different levels (only if you give it enough time). The characters are rigorously original that cross the time bound. The symbolism is affluent and spicy. The narrative is juicy and has overflowing complexity. The quotes in the book are super strong and apposite. 

After finishing ‘The Iliad’ you might want to call yourself a Greek Mythology lover. The plot is set during the time period of the Trojan War. It points to the ten-year siege of the city of Troy (Ilium) by a coalition of Greek states. It portrays the battles and events happened during the period of a dispute between King Agamemnon and the warrior Achilles.

No doubt ‘The Great Gatsby’ is florid with some of the most elegant English prose ever published. This beauty of the book makes it hard to describe it without being tempted to express the impulse of astonishment.’The Great Gatsby’, is an easy read. It is a life-assistant to anyone from a wondering teen to a new mother. 

• The Catcher in the Rye

‘The Catcher in the Rye’ is one of those classic ‘read twice to understand’. You might want to re-read it to go from ‘hate this book’ to ‘love this book’. (Well, exceptions are there, always!) Try it on!

How would you react if I say that the protagonist of this classic is actually a dog, named Buck? Interesting, is it not? The often put violence and cruel treatment to animals make it an emotional read. There are multiple shades of darkness in this book but the obstinacy is quite satisfying. 

“All right, then, I'll go to hell.” Have you ever read a line so makes-me-speechless like this? This is the first reason you should read this book! The second reason? This:

“All modern American literature comes from one book by Mark Twain called Huckleberry Finn. American writing comes from that. There was nothing before. There has been nothing as good since.” ― Ernest Hemingway

I reckon I have shared ample food for your reading appetite. 

More book recommendations coming soon! 

Stay tuned!

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