70 Books Everyone Should Read At Least Once In Life

#41 The Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald

SasquatchButterpants said:
“I’d add The Great Gatsby. F. Scott Fitzgerald is a literary genius.”

Commenter replied:
“I read that in high school, kind of enjoyed it. Now I’m blown away by the genius of the writing.”

#42 The Demon-Haunted World: Science As A Candle In The Dark By Carl Sagan And Ann Druyan

gambit_- said:
“The Demon Haunted World by Carl Sagan.”

laflavor replied:
“This is criminally underrated in this thread. A book about evidence and how to think and why science works is essential.”

#43 Dracula By Bram Stoker

“Dracula. One of the first horror novels to successfully use the readers own imagination and to really build suspense. Told through diaries and accounts from characters within the story rather than an omniscient narrator. I read it in one night.”

#44 Cat’s Cradle By Kurt Vonnegut

blbrd30 said:
“I’m putting a vote in for Cat’s Cradle. It’s my fav.”

screeching_janitor replied:
“This book make me hate Vonnegut. I try really hard to like him, but I can’t.”

zcen replied:
“I read and wrote a report on Cat’s Cradle at the end of high school. I don’t know if it would have pleased Vonnegut but my teacher handed the report back to me and the only thing she wrote on it was ‘Did you even read this book?'”

#45 The Name Of The Wind By Patrick Rothfuss

Colorado-Pineapples said:
“Name of the Wind – Patrick Rothfuss.”

EclecticDreck replied:
“It was the book that somehow planted a seed in my head that suggested I could write stuff. It wasn’t that it made me think I could do better – far from it – just that maybe I could.

Then, I did write a book and am on a second.

I love the book and the man inspired me to write. That’s enough to buy him another year for the third book, I think.”

The_Guber replied:
“This book got me back into reading so +1 on this.”

#46 Johnny Got His Gun By Dalton Trumbo

_AskMyMom_ said:
“Johnny’s Got His Gun. It’s so intense, but it’s so good.

Metallica’s song One is based off this book. Guy has his arms and legs blown off, goes blind and deaf, and is left to live like that. I only read it once, but it’s forever engrained into my memory. It hits you like a freight train.”

WeightyToastmaster replied:
“Yes! I was gonna comment with this book but wanted to see if anyone had already put it. It’s a great read and I have had to stop myself reading it several times because of how intense it gets. It really makes you think about life, war, and so many other things. It really messes with your mind. I believe all public officials should read the book as well.”

#47 The Westing Game By Ellen Raskin

schroedingersnewcat said:
“The Westing Game.”

Commenter replied:
“Love love love this book! No one has ever heard of it when I mention it!”

DFRacing98 replied:
“Read this book in 5th grade, loved it. Constantly kept guessing.”

#48 House Of Leaves By Mark Z. Danielewski

roflspammer said:
“House of Leaves by Danielewski. Amazing, intricate, arousing at times and generally deep.”

timeiscoming replied:
“This is a great answer, unfortunately, I’d imagine its greatest strengths (complexity and allegorical merits) are also the reasons why it’s super inaccessible to casual fiction readers.”