Classic books can seem a little intimidating. The severe covers, the unfamilliar language and world long gone by, is usually why people quit before they even begin. But the truth is, classic books are just the best, most evergreen stories ever written and you can find a lot to love in them.
If you don’t know where to begin, this guide will take you through some easy to read classics like Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice or White Nights by Fyodor Dostoevsky, to the more difficult classics (Crime and Punishment, Brothers Karamazov), and various classics in between.
You can browse by subgenre as well to find something that will suit your tastes based on what you love to read in general. I hope you find your next favorite book here!
Quick Navigation: Find Your Classic Based on Genre You Love
If you want to just skip to the section you’d most enjoy, here are some quick links.
- Are you new to classics and want to start with something easy to read? Go to this section!
- Do you normally read romance? Try these classics!
- Want something moody, gothic, dark academia-coded? I recommend these books.
- Would you like some mystery, crime, thrillers? These books will be your jam.
- Prefer horror? There’s a classic book for you in here.
- Want something funny? There are plenty of funny classic books here.
- A SciFi fan? Check out some of these legendary reads.
- Like fantasy? These books started it all.
- Want something appropriate for all ages? These books are deep but also hopeful and lighthearted.
- Prefer heavy, challenging or philosophical reads? I recommend these books.
And if you’re still not sure where to start, I have a guide here that might help you out.
New to Classics? Here are some easy to read picks
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
This is one of my favorite classics ever written, and you’ve probably heard of it before. If you’ve only ever seen the adaptations, this will be a treat! So, Elizabeth Bennet and her family are excited because a rich man is moving into the neighborhood and he could be a good catch for one of the sisters. Things go very badly due to one overeager mother, a few embarassing sisters, and one very grumpy, socially anxious man. Elizabeth must face her own pride and prejudice (heh) to finally find love and happiness. It’s a perfect first classic to read and one that will stay with you forever.
The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman
If you want a short classic you can read in one sitting, this is your perfect pick! The Yellow Wallpaper is only 64 pages long but it packs a powerful punch. In this story, a woman is sequestered in a room with a yellow wallpaper after a difficult childbirth and what her husband perceives as failing mental health. However, being trapped there is making her mental health worse, and she keeps seeing a woman trapped in the wallpaper. It’s a magnificent, feminist story that I can’t recommend enough.
Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
Rebecca is one of my favorite classics and easily one of the most readable ones. If you want something moody, gothic and kind of spooky, this is it. So, in Rebecca, a young woman is swept off her feet and out of her miserable life as a companion to a horrible lady by Maxim de Winter. He’s charming, handsome and rich, and they end up in a whirlwind romance. But when they finally get to his famous home, Manderley, she realizes not all is at it seems and Maxim becomes different. There’s the ghost of the previous wife to contend with, hateful staff, and the mystery of what happened to Rebecca.
White Nights by Fyodor Dostoevsky
While I famously disliked White Nights, it’s undeniable this book is a good intro to Russian writers and their style (melancholy, philosophical). This is a pretty short book at 113 pages, but it does give you a lovely, sad love story between our unnamed narrator and the much-mentioned Nastenka, who meet on one of those famous Russian white nights and strike up a friendship borne of loneliness and desperation. I won’t spoil anything, but I do hope you love this book much more than I did.
Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
I first read Wuthering Heights when I was 13 and I’ve been an absolute fan of this book ever since. And since I read and loved it at such a young age, you know it’s easy to read. You can find my full review here. This book is about Catherine and Heathcliff, who fall in love as children and get separated by life and their own hubris, and then make it everyone else’s problem. Jokes aside, this book has a lot to say on class, race, injustice of certain systems, how abuse travels through generations, and more. Read it, love it, ignore the Emerald Fennel movie, it doesn’t do this book justice!
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
This is a mandatory addition, and one that you’ll find both easy to read and relatively short at only 160 pages. I got seriously obsessed with this at about 15 and I desperately wanted to live in this era, but alas, it is not to be. Great Gatsby tells you a story about a young man getting roped into the toxic, decades-old romance between his rich neighbor and his cousin Daisy. There’s parties and drinking and tragedy, of course, so you’ll have fun with this book.
The Blue Castle by L. M. Montgomery
I adore The Blue Castle and I cannot imagine anyone wouldn’t. It’s a wonderful, romantic story about Valancy Stirling who has lived her whole life under her family’s thumb, afraid to be herself. And then she gets a diagnosis that changes everything. She takes off on her own, and in the process finds love, friendship, and the life she always dreamed of. This is one of my favorite books ever and I cannot recommend it enough. Plus, it’s only about 200 pages long, so you know Valancy’s brilliant narration will keep you glued to the page.
A Single Man by Christopher Isherwood
This is another one of my favorite classics and I implore you to read it. It’s a brilliant story about a grieving professor whose partner of many years has recently died. He cannot talk about it to anyone because being gay in the 60s is a crime, and he moves through life with indifference. We follow him through one of his days as he realizes that maybe life isn’t so bad and maybe it’s worth living. It’s so beautifully written and I just don’t know how to explain the way this book makes me feel. Just read it, it’s only 180 pages! You can also see my full review here.
Passing by Nella Larsen
This is another quite short classic book at only about 150 pages, but I feel like it’s easy enough to read while dealing with some serious topics. If you enjoyed The Vanishing Half, this book might be for you. So, this book centers on a chance encounter of two childhood friends. Both are white-passing, but Clare has forsaken her heritage and family, and is married to a white man, while Irene has stayed with the African-American community, though she doesn’t acknowledge the racism her family has to go through.
Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes
Flowers for Algernon is compulsively readable because of the way it was written: in diary entries of a low IQ man who gets a treatment which makes his IQ grow. The more it grows, the more his writing changes. From simple, gramatically incorrect sentences, to philosophical writing and back again. It tells you a story of loneliness, and how being on either end of the spectrum is isolating and crushing. This book made me cry more times than I can count (more than that, it made my dad tear up! my dad never tears up!) and it’s quite short as well at around 300 pages.
The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson
Shirley Jackson is the queen of horror and uneasy-feeling books, and this one is legendary in the genre. In this story, Dr. Montague wants to investigate ghostly sightings in the mysterious Hill House and he brings along Eleanor, Theodora and Luke. I won’t spoil a thing, just go into it and enjoy seeing what fear does to people. This book is also short, at only about 200 pages.
The Remains of The Day by Kazuo Ishiguro
Though I prefer Never Let Me Go (another great book you should read), I highly recommend this one as well. It’s shorter, at just about 250 pages, and it tells you a story about an ageing butler who takes a holiday in the countryside and faces his past. While Never Let Me Go gets more mixed reactions, you’d be hard-pressed to find someone who doesn’t like this book. And Ishiguro’s prose is so melancholy and lovely that you’ll sink into this book like a warm bath.
Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
Steinbeck is notoriously difficult to get into, so I recommend this book of his if you’d prefer something shorter and more easily accessible. It’s about 100 pages long, so you can read it in an afternoon, but it touches on some of the same topics that his longer books do. We have two very different men working together across the dusty vegetable fields, facing cruelty and petty tyranny. Their goal is to have an acre of their own land and a shack, and their friendship and shared goals are what help them face life with hope rather than despair.
The Old Man and The Sea by Ernest Hemingway
The Old Man and The Sea is one of my favorite books they made us read in high school. It was no hardship for me, though there’s not much of a plot here. Across about 100 pages, you follow an old, down-on-his-luck man who struggles to capture a giant marlin. He’s joined by a boy and they share some conversations which may make you think as well. I absolutely adore Hemingway’s economical prose and would highly recomend this book if you want something easy to read, but philosophical at the same time.
Best Classics With Romance
North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell
This is like Pride and Prejudice, but moodier, with even more banter, and more focused on class. In this book, Margaret Hale is forced to move from her pleasant life in charmed southern England to the grittier, industrial small town in the North, where she encounters restless textile-manufacturing workers and a self-made man John Thorton. They clash over his treatment of his workers, but he falls almost immediately in love with Margaret. It’s really funny at times, and very romantic while still discussing topics and themes that are relevant to this day.
A Room With a View by E. M. Forster
A Room With a View is probably one of the most romantic classics out there. I got this book as a gift when I was about eight, and couldn’t really appreciate it until I was about 20, but it’s a lovely, tender love story. We follow Lucy who lives a rigid middle-class life and knows everything that will ever happen to her, until she takes a trip to Italy and her life changes forever due to some quirky hotel guests and most of all, the charming George Emerson. It’s so good and also very easy to read, and it has about 230 pages, so it’s short too.
Persuasion by Jane Austen
Persuasion is hailed as Jane Austen’s most romantic book and I have to agree. At the very least, it has one of the most beautiful love confessions ever written (even better than Darcy’s, yes), and it’s overall such a lovely, tender story. You’ll learn all about Anne and how she let the love of her life go eight years ago. Now her family is almost destitute but her love, Captain Wentworth is back, now rich and desirable by every young lady. Anne has to watch from the sidelines as other women pursue him, heartbroken and still deeply in love with him. Persuasion is quite short at around 250 pages, so you’ll read this in no time, and it will stay with you forever.
Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen
Sense and Sensibility gets overlooked so much that it should be a crime at this point. But it’s such a wonderful story, and I love it despite the fact that my English teacher made us read it in class one by one, passage by passage. In this story, you fillow the lives of Eleanor and Marianne, sisters whose father just died, leaving them and their mother and younger sister Beth destitute. They move into a cottage and try to make the best of it, while Eleanor misses her love and tries to stay strong and sensible for everyone, and her sister Marianne dashes off after handsome Captain Wiloughby. It’s a really cozy, lovely story, so do give it a try.
Far from the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy
I watched the movie first and then read the book, and I have to say that the book is better. In it, Bathsheba Everdene moves into the area as a farmer and draws in different suitors: different suitors: another farmer Boldwood, a handsome soldier Sergeant Troy and a soft-hearted shepherd Gabriel Oak. They all complicate her life in different ways and she must learn what she wants out of life and her future to find her true love.
The Color Purple by Alice Walker
This is another book I wouldn’t call romantic or a romance, but it is about love, friendship, sisterhood, and just… you know what, just read it. It made me cry, it made me go wow, it made me hold my sister closer. This is beautiful storytelling at its very best. We see this story through a series of letters across years, and the main character is Celie, who goes through so much (and I mean so so much) and still remains open-hearted and full of love. There are lots of other women whose stories are told here, and it’s just magnificent. It’s not a light read, but it’s so worth it.
Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel García Márquez
I mean, I’m not saying the romance in this book is very healthy, but you cannot deny it’s a love story (and kind of romantic). Florentino and Fermina fall madly in love in their youth, but then Fermina marries another man and Florentino waits for his chance for 50 years until her husband finally dies and he can once again be with his Fermina.
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë
Again, not saying “healthy” romance, but you know what, it does have a love story, so it counts. In Jane Eyre, Jane becomes a governess in the home of broody Mr. Rochester. He tries to seduce her but even as she falls for him, her spirit is strong and her convictions as well, so you’ll enjoy plenty of put-downs from Jane (she’s no meek heroine). And there are, of course, secrets in Rochester’s home that she has to uncover. I’d say this could comfortably sit in the gothic section, but we’re keeping it here!
Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys
No one can tell me fan fiction is a new, shameful thing to read when books like this exist. Jean Rhys wrote an exquist fanfic of Jane Eyre, exploring the character of the woman in the attic. This story focuses on Antoinette Cosway, who has hopes and dreams of her own, as she gets sold to the famous Mr. Rochester and how this, and the society in general, can drive a woman to madness. It’s a very short read, about 100 pages, but it’s really good and while I wouldn’t call it a romance, it’s a good book to read if you enjoyed Jane Eyre.
Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton
Ethan Frome works his almost barren farm and lives an unhappy existence with his wife Zeena (who is a hypochondriac and difficult overall). And then her young, vivacious cousin is hired in their house as help, and he falls deeply in love with her. You see how it has to end in tragedy, right? But there’s romance and it’s really wonderfully written.
The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Brontë
Say what you will, by Anne Bronte is probably the most feminist Bronte of them all and she wrote a book about what happens after you marry the broody man (ehm, Heathcliff and Mr. Rochester), and how women often end up. So, obviously, this book is about a mysterious widow who moves into the titular Wildfell Hall, and Gilbert Markham who is simultaneously interested in her and also mistrustful of her because she’s keeping secrets.
Madonna in a Fur Coat by Sabahattin Ali
We’re skipping a century or two here, but Madonna in A Fur Coat is a quintessential love story of literary canon. A shy young man leaves Turkey to go to Germany to learn a trade, and there he falls deeply in love with a woman who will haunt him for the rest of his life. If you want yearning, this is the yearniest, most melancholy love story you can read.
The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton
Another Edith Wharton, but well worth a read. This one is longer, though, at around 300 pages. Countess Olenska returns to New York just as Newland Archer is about to announce his engagement to her cousin May. Newland gets smitten and they both feel a passionate bond between them, but Newland’s life is complicated and the society is against Countess Olenska and on the side of her cousin May, so there’s a conflict between love and duty.
Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
Yes, it’s tragic, we all know that, but you can’t deny there’s romance in there. We have a heroine who seems to have everything: wealth, beauty, a wonderful son. Unfortunately, from her perspective, her life is empty and void of joy until she meets the handsome, charming Count Vronsky with whom she starts a scandalous affair. Of course, it can only end badly, so she goes on a downward spiral. At the same time, we have the story of Konstantin Lev, who is sort of a stand in for Leo Tolstoy, and dives deeper into Russian peasant culture and wanting to make their life better.
The English Patient by Michael Ondaatje
In which the nurse Hana falls in love with the mysterious burn victim and refuses to leave with the rest of the nurses when the war moves north. Set in an Italian monastery, with great characters such as the thief Caravaggio and Kip, it’s a heartbreaking sort of love story that does much more than tell you of a doomed love. This book won the Booker prize, and the prose is truly something to be experienced. Though, I’ve seen mixed reactions, so it may not work for you after all, but do give it a try if you want something unique and WWII themed.
Atonement by Ian McEwan
A little girl sees her sister in a passionate moment with a man, misunderstands and sets off a series of events that will haunt both her, her sister and the man forever. Look, this is not a happy story, but it is a story of love and how enduring it can be. You’ll hate Briony, though.
Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston
This is less a romance and more a journey of self-discovery, but it does have some love stories and it’s a wonderful, often heartbreaking but always hopeful story. So, Janie takes off in search of her destiny in the time when it was no easy feat for a Black woman to do so. Through three marriages, and many adventures, Janie finally returns to her roots and finally finds who she is.
Gothic, Atmospheric and Moody Classics
The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
This is another one of those books I got obsesed with at around 16 and it never left my mind since. The Picture of Dorian Gray is about Dorian Gray who is so obsessed with his own portrait that he exchanges his soul for eternal beauty and youth. He also gets pulled into a decadent, scandalous life by his friend Henry. It’s pretty short at 250 pages (thereabouts) but it will prove mesmerizing.
The Castle of Otranto by Horace Walpole
In Otranto Castle, where its heir Conrad has just died, his father Manfred becomes obsessed with getting another heir and he’s set on seducing his son’s young fiancee, but there are mysterious forces in his way. This is widely regarded as the first Gothic novel, so it’s well worth reading for that alone (it’s also good, so!).
Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka
This is quite weird and philosophical, but it struck me as a moody and atmospheric read as well, so here it goes. In this one, Gregor Samsa, a perfectly ordinary man, finds himself turned into a cockroach one morning. (what did I tell you, it’s weird) He struggles to adjust to this (obviously) and this book is only about 60 or 70 pages long so you can give it a go and come up with your own interpretation.
The Secret History by Donna Tartt
If you’re looking for a more modern classic and something more readable than say, Horace Walpole, I highly suggest The Secret History. It’s a fantastic dark academia story about a group of students who kill one of their friends, and then the story tries to explain why and how this happened at this elite college. It’s fun, full of great themes and you’ll definitely have a good time with these pompous yet strangely fun to follow people.
The Bloody Chamber by Angela Carter
In this short story collection, Angela Carter takes familiar and unfamiliar fairy tales and gives them a daker, more feminist twist. I don’t want to spoil anything, but it’s a short collection of even shorter stories (240 pages total), and you should give it a go if you like fairytale retellings.
The Turn of the Screw by Henry James
The Turn of The Screw is a classic short story that’s about 140 pages long (with the mandatory introductions), so you can easily read it in one sitting. A young governess begins caring for two children (Miles and Flora) but then she starts to believe there’s something malevolent inside the house stalking the children. It’s a bit horrory too, so give it a go if that’s your cup of tea!
The Woman in the Dunes by Kōbō Abe
A man is searching the dessert for beetles (he’s an entomologist), but he gets stuck in the dessert overnight and has to seek shelter in a creepy village where (surprise surprise) they trap him in a sand pit with a woman and force him to work or they’ll kill him. This book is so claustrophobic and eerie, so don’t go into it lightly but it’s an excellent moody, grim read. Kind of like Kafka!
My Cousin Rachel by Daphne du Maurier
If you already like Rebecca, here’s another du Maurier to try. I found it even more gripping perhaps, and I’m sure you’ll appreciate its similar yet different narrative. In this book we meet Phillip who was raised by his eccentric uncle Ambrose, who has sworn never to marry and avoids women. They live a charmed life together until Ambrose travels to Italy during the colder months in Cornwall for his health. There he meets and marries their cousin Rachel, and sends letters to Phillip which increasingly become sporadic and confusing. Phillip decides to travel to Italy where he finds that Ambrose is dead. Could the mysterious Rachel have something to do with it or is Phillip’s perception colored by grief?
The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins
This book can fit many categories, because it’s moody and gothic but also there’s a mystery and a bit of horror as well. You’ll follow the story of Walter Hartright, a young drawing teacher who encounters a mysterious woman dressed entirely in white on a London road. His new position at Limmeridge House soon connects him to her and to a dangerous conspiracy involving identity, inheritance, deception, and murder. As Walter and others try to uncover the truth, they find themselves caught in a web of secrets that threatens the lives and fortunes of everyone involved.
Classic Novels With Mystery or Crime
The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie
This is a famously good mystery that follows Hercule Poirot as he investigates the mysterious murder of wealthy businessman Roger Ackroyd in a quiet English village. When Ackroyd is found dead in his study shortly after receiving a disturbing letter, Poirot begins uncovering a web of secrets, blackmail, and hidden motives among the suspects.
The Hound of the Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle
The Hound of the Baskervilles follows Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson as they investigate the mysterious death of Sir Charles Baskerville, whose family is said to be cursed by a terrifying supernatural hound. When the new heir, Sir Henry Baskerville, arrives at the family estate, strange events suggest that the legendary creature may be more than just a story. If you want a good starting point for Shelock Holmes, this is my favorite pick!
Devil in a Blue Dress by Walter Mosley
If you like detective stories and noir, with jazz clubs and mysteries and all that, I highly recommend Devil in a Blue Dress. In this story, Easy Rawlins is a war veteran recently fired from his job, and as he’s drowning his sorrows at a bar, he’s approached by a mysterious man who tasks him with finding an elusive woman named Daphne Monet.
The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler
I love noir fiction and movies, and Raymond Chandler especally, so I can’t recommend this book enough. The Big Sleep follows hard-boiled private detective Philip Marlowe as he is hired by a wealthy Los Angeles family to deal with a blackmail threat. What begins as a relatively straightforward case quickly turns into a tangled investigation involving murder, missing people, corruption, and dangerous secrets.
The Talented Mr. Ripley by Patricia Highsmith
Our main character, Tom Ripley is hired by a wealthy man to go to Italy, find his son, and get him to come back to America. And Tom does find him (Dickie), but things don’t go as planned. He’s charmed by him and his lifestyle, so much so that he wants to be him. Obviously, it turns dark.
The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett
Another classic of detective fiction, The Maltese Falcon follows private detective Sam Spade as he becomes entangled in a dangerous hunt for a statue of Maltese Falcon. After his partner is murdered, Spade finds himself surrounded by a group of ruthless criminals, con artists, and double-crossers, all desperate to get their hands on the mysterious artifact.
The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins
I do so love Wilkie Collins’ body of work, and because this just might be one of the first (if not the first) detective novels, it earns its spot. In this book, a soldier steals a yellow diamond from a Hindu idol before he escapes to England, and fifty years later, the diamond is given to his niece Rachel for her birthday. But by next morning the diamond is gone and everyone is confused. It’s really fun and explores some themes well, while also employing some mystery novel tropes that we still know and love today.
The 39 Steps by John Buchan
If you love spy thrillers, try this classic of the genre. Richard Hannay, an adventurer just returned from South Africa to London is accused of murder of a man he was harboring in his apartment. He flees to Scotland where he must uncover what’s going on and prevent the disaster that could create a war.
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson
This is kind of horrory, kind of moody and gothic, but there’s a bit of a mystery to it as well. This famous story follows the respectable Dr. Henry Jekyll, who becomes obsessed with separating the good and evil sides of human nature. After creating a mysterious potion, he transforms into the cruel and violent Edward Hyde, allowing his darker impulses to run free. As Hyde’s actions become increasingly disturbing, Jekyll struggles to control the terrifying alter ego he has unleashed.
In Cold Blood by Truman Capote
In Cold Blood is a chilling true-crime account of the brutal 1959 murder of the Clutter family in rural Kansas. Capote reconstructs the lives of the victims, the investigation into their deaths, and the experiences of the two men responsible, exploring the motives, circumstances, and psychological aftermath of the crime.
And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie
This is one of the most defining works of mystery fiction, and so worth reading. Ten complete strangers are summoned to an island by a mysterious rich man and the only thing they have in common is that they all have sordid secrets. There’s a nursery rhyme in every room, and soon they discover that they’re being murdered, one by one, in much the same way. Who will survive?
The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas
I couldn’t decide where this amazing book belongs on this list because it has a little bit of everything, but I settled on mystery because there’s revenge and crime and it’s incredibly satisfying seeing it all come together. So, a young sailor who has everything going for him (a new job, a girl he loves and plans to marry), gets reported for a crime he didn’t commit by three jealous men. He’s put into prison where he stews and comes up with a diabolical plan to get back at the people who wronged him.
Horror Classics
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
Victor Frankenstein, a young scientist, becomes obsessed with uncovering the secret of creating life. After bringing a creature to life, Victor is horrified by his creation and abandons it, leaving the lonely and intelligent creature to fend for itself. Rejected by society and consumed by anger, the creature seeks revenge against Victor, setting both of them on a tragic path of destruction.
Dracula by Bram Stoker
A young English solicitor travels to Transylvania to help Count Dracula purchase property in England. When Harker discovers the count’s terrifying nature, he returns to London, where strange things start to happen. A group led by Professor Van Helsing joins forces to uncover Dracula’s secrets and stop the vampire before he can spread his influence further.
Villette by Charlotte Bronte
This is probably the weirdest, most melancholy Bronte book, and that’s saying something. We follow the story of Lucy Snowe who escapes England and her past to become a teacher at a French boarding school. She keeps herself guarded and away from the world to avoid heartbreak, but it catches her anyway, when she falls for a man she cannot have. And if you want both this and Jane Eyre to hit even harder, learn a little about Charlotte Bronte’s life and her infatuation with a certain married professor.
Carmilla by Sheridan Le Fanu
Laura, a young woman living in an isolated Austrian castle is changed when mysterious and alluring Carmilla arrives at her home. As Laura grows increasingly fascinated by her new companion, strange illnesses and unexplained deaths begin occurring in the surrounding area. And Carmilla’s secrets are slowly revealed.
Beloved by Toni Morrison
Sethe is haunted by the ghost of her dead, unnamed child, whose grave is still at the farm where Sethe was kept as a slave. This is very literary but also very much a horror of the kind Stephen King would flinch at. Yes, there’s a ghost but also horrors of slavery, abuse, torture, and so much more, which to the reader prove much scarier and more disturbing. It’s not an easy read, but do read it if you like horror.
We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson
Merricat Blackwood is a young woman who lives in isolation with her older sister Constance and their ailing uncle Julian in a large family home. Years earlier, several members of the Blackwood family died from arsenic poisoning, and Constance was accused of the murders. When their cousin Charles arrives and begins disrupting their secluded life, long-buried tensions and unsettling secrets rise to the surface, threatening the fragile world the sisters have built.
The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux
Christine Daaé is a talented young opera singer who becomes the obsession of the mysterious Phantom, a disfigured man secretly living beneath the Paris Opera House. As Christine’s childhood friend Raoul tries to protect her, the Phantom’s jealousy and possessiveness escalate into a terrifying struggle.
The Complete Tales and Poems by Edgar Allan Poe
The Complete Tales and Poems by Edgar Allan Poe is a collection of his most famous works of Gothic horror, mystery, and macabre poetry. It includes haunting stories such as “The Tell-Tale Heart,” “The Fall of the House of Usher,” and “The Black Cat,” alongside iconic poems like “The Raven” and “Annabel Lee.” Across the collection, Poe explores madness, death, grief, obsession, guilt, and the darker corners of the human mind.
Ring by Koji Suzuki
I mean, you’ve likely seen the movie or some sort or snippet that tells you what this is: it’s the famous see-a-tape-then-die thing, and it’s scary. So, four teenagers see a tape and then they die a week later. An uncle of one of the girls who died, and a journalist, becomes obsessed with this phenomena and goes searching for answers.
Interview With The Vampire by Anne Rice
You’ve likely seen the movie, but have you read the book? This is the novel that sort of turned vampires from these scary monsters to perhaps something more relatable in our collective conciousness. We hear a story of one young man’s life as he’s gifted eternal life and everything that happens since. It’s kind of a mix of scary but also erotic which somehow works.
The Funniest Classics to Read
Emma by Jane Austen
Emma follows Emma Woodhouse, a wealthy and confident young woman who enjoys matchmaking her friends and acquaintances. Convinced of her own skill at understanding romance, Emma repeatedly interferes in the love lives of others, often misunderstanding their feelings and creating unintended complications. As her matchmaking schemes go awry, Emma is forced to confront her own feelings and learn to recognize the difference between imagination and reality.
The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde
The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde is a witty comedy about two men, Jack Worthing and Algernon Moncrieff, who invent false identities to escape their social responsibilities and pursue romance. Their deceptions become increasingly complicated when both become entangled with women who insist on marrying a man named Ernest.
Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackeray
This is the story of the ambitious and clever Becky Sharp as she navigates the social world of 19th-century England. Determined to rise above her modest upbringing, Becky uses charm, intelligence, and manipulation to pursue wealth and status, while her kind-hearted friend Amelia Sedley takes a very different path through love, loss, and marriage.
The Code of the Woosters by P.G. Wodehouse
Meet the affable but hapless Bertie Wooster as he becomes caught up in a series of increasingly ridiculous schemes involving romance, family feuds, stolen silverware, and a blackmailing aunt. With the ever-resourceful Jeeves at his side, Bertie must navigate the demands of his formidable Aunt Dahlia while trying to help his friends. Full of misunderstandings, witty dialogue, and comic disasters, it is one of Wodehouse’s classic Jeeves and Wooster adventures.
Erasure by Percival Everett
This book is kind of a mix between satire and a family saga, so parts of it are funny while parts are very sad. It’s more of a modern classic as well, but so worth reading for the themes it explores. So, we follow a man named Thelonious Ellison whose books are not selling because his voice is not “Black enough” so he writes a satire, a parody of the experience white people expect Black people to have, and it does incredibly well. Ellison’s resentment just grows at this, because it’s his inauthentic experience that’s successful.
A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole
In this book, you’ll meet Ignatius J. Reilly, an eccentric, lazy, and highly opinionated young man who lives with his mother in New Orleans. After being forced to find a job, Ignatius becomes involved in a series of bizarre schemes and encounters with the city’s equally eccentric characters. This novel pokes fun at work, society, class, and Ignatius’s own inflated sense of superiority.
Catch-22 by Joseph Heller
This is the story of an American bombardier stationed on a Mediterranean island during World War II who desperately wants to survive the war. However, a military rule known as “Catch-22” traps him in a paradox: anyone who asks to be relieved from dangerous missions because they are insane demonstrates rational concern for their own safety and therefore cannot be considered insane.
Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov
I adore this book with all my heart! I got a copy for my birthday a few years ago from my husband and it will always be one of my favorite books. The Devil and his bizarre entourage arrive in Soviet Moscow, causing chaos and exposing the hypocrisy of the people around them. Alongside this strange story is the tale of Margarita, a devoted woman who makes a supernatural bargain to reunite with the man she loves, the troubled Master. The novel also features a parallel story about Pontius Pilate and explores love, freedom, morality, faith, and the nature of good and evil.
Sci-Fi Classics
Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne
In Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, Professor Pierre Aronnax, his servant Conseil, and harpooner Ned Land are captured by the mysterious Captain Nemo aboard his technologically advanced submarine, the Nautilus. As they travel beneath the oceans, they encounter breathtaking marine life, sunken cities, dangerous creatures, and spectacular underwater landscapes.
The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin
An envoy from Earth is sent to the distant planet Gethen to convince its nations to join a wider interplanetary alliance. But he struggles to understand Gethenian society, where people are neither permanently male nor female, and finds himself relying on Estraven, a political exile he initially distrusts. As the two journey across the planet’s harsh frozen landscape, their relationship deepens, while the novel explores gender, identity, politics, loyalty, and human connection.
Kindred by Octavia E. Butler
Kindred follows a young Black woman as she celebrates her 26th birthday in 1976 in California. And then she’s suddenly pulled back through time to antebellum Maryland, where she saves a young boy’s life, but then finds herself staring at the barrel of a shotgun. And this keeps happening to her, until she realizes she has to keep saving this white boy until he can father her great-grandmother. It’s an exploration of how people come to accept slavery as the norm, and how easily, in fact, that can happen. It’s chilling and not pleasant, but it does make us face the hard truths about the dark history of humanity.
Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell
Winston Smith, a low-ranking government worker is living under the oppressive rule of the Party in a dystopian future where citizens are constantly watched and controlled. Dissatisfied with the regime, Winston secretly begins questioning its version of reality and enters a forbidden relationship with Julia. As their rebellion grows, they discover just how far the Party is willing to go to maintain absolute power and control over the individual.
A Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood
A Handmaid’s Tale is set in the dystopian Republic of Gilead, where women have been stripped of their rights and forced into rigid social roles. Offred, a Handmaid, is assigned to a powerful Commander and his wife, whose only purpose for her is to bear them a child. But Offred secretly clings to memories of her former life and searches for ways to resist the regime.
A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess
Alex, a charismatic but violently delinquent teenager leads a gang through a near-future dystopian society. After being arrested and imprisoned, Alex volunteers for an experimental treatment designed to eliminate his capacity for violence. The treatment raises disturbing questions about free will, morality, and whether a person can truly be considered good if they have been deprived of the ability to choose.
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
Guy Montag is a fireman in a dystopian society where books are forbidden and firemen are tasked with burning them. At first, Montag accepts his role without question, but his encounters with a curious young woman and a group of people who secretly preserve books cause him to question the society he lives in. As he begins to resist the system, Montag must risk everything to protect knowledge, independent thought, and his own freedom.
The Time Machine by H.G. Wells
An unnamed inventor builds a machine capable of traveling through time. He journeys far into the future, where humanity has evolved into two distinct species: the peaceful, childlike Eloi and the terrifying, subterranean Morlocks. As he explores this strange future world, the Time Traveller discovers a disturbing vision of humanity’s evolution and the possible consequences of social inequality.
Solaris by Stanislaw Lem
In Solaris, we see a different kind of alien, the kind humanity doesn’t normally imagine. Usually when we think of aliens, we think of something human-like, even when strange, but in this the alien is an ocean. The ocean is something a human cannot relate to so it’s infinitely more alien. And even more offensively, it doesn’t seem to care one way or another about humanity, it doesn’t attack or communicate, we are unsure if it’s really intelligent or not. And it sends people into a frenzy, so that it’s less about the aliens, and more about the humans at the centre of this story.
Fantasy Classics
The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien
You know the story: Bilbo Baggins, a comfort-loving hobbit, is interrupted in his life when the wizard Gandalf and a company of dwarves recruit him for an adventure. Their goal is to reclaim the dwarves’ homeland and treasure from the fearsome dragon Smaug.
The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis
It only makes sense to put these two frenemies close together, so next up is the famous Narnia. This is a seven-book fantasy series that follows children who discover the magical world of Narnia, where animals speak, mythical creatures roam, and the forces of good and evil are constantly at odds. I love how everlasting this book is. I read it as a child and now my daughter loves it too.
The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
This is the beloved story of Frodo Baggins, a young hobbit who inherits the One Ring, an ancient weapon capable of giving its creator, the dark lord Sauron, immense power. With a fellowship of companions, Frodo sets out to destroy the Ring in the fires of Mount Doom while Sauron’s forces wage war across Middle-earth. I love the movies, but the books are so much better!
A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle
Meg Murry, a bright but insecure girl whose scientist father mysteriously disappears while working on a secret project travels through space and time with the help of three strange celestial beings. With her on this journey are her borther and their friend, and together they have this amazing, slightly dangerous adventure.
The Princess Bride by William Goldman
Buttercup, a beautiful young woman who believes her true love Westley is dead, is forced to become engaged to Prince Humperdinck. When she is kidnapped by a trio of unusual criminals, a mysterious masked man sets out to rescue her, leading to sword fights, escapes, revenge, and romance. This book is so charming and so funny that yoi can’t help but love it.
Alphabet of Thorn by Patricia A. McKillip
This is very short (for a fantasy novel) at only 290 pages, but it’s mesmerizingly beautiful. We follow an orhaned girl who lives in the library of Raine and translates books fervently. But then she receives a book from a young mage that cannot be translated: it’s written in the language of thorns. Our heroine becomes obsessed with its translation and as she succeeds, the book’s story is revealed to us. A mage named Kane falls for a conquering emperor as he helps him in this mission, even though the emperor only cares about finding new lands. But there’s magic in this book that may threaten the land and people our heroine cares about.
The Neverending Story by Michael Ende
Bastian Balthazar Bux is a lonely boy who discovers a mysterious book about the magical land of Fantastica. As he reads, he becomes increasingly drawn into the story and eventually discovers that he has a role to play in saving Fantastica from the destructive Nothing. I loved this book as a child, and it left a lasting impact on me.
The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle
There’s a unicorn who discovers that she may be the last of her kind after learning that other unicorns have mysteriously disappeared. Determined to find them, she sets out on a journey with the bumbling magician Schmendrick and the fiercely loyal Molly Grue. Their quest leads them to the kingdom of King Haggard, where they uncover the terrifying truth behind the missing unicorns.
Daughter of The Forest by Juliet Marillier
This is the first book in the Sevenwaters series, and it’s a fantasy saga like no other. In this one, we follow Sorcha, whose father is charmed by his new wife and her brothers put under a spell. Only she can help them, but she cannot speak before she completes her quest, and so she sets off on a journey, and finds love along the way as well. I absolutely adore this series, and the prose especially, so give it a try if you want something romantic and epic.
A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. LeGuin
Ursula K. LeGuin write fantasy too! And what a fantasy book it is. It tells you all about Ged, the most powerful wizard of Earthsea, who in his youth did some very bad things in his quest for power. You’ll see him tame a dragon, and do a bunch of great things in order to fix his mistakes. And if you like this, there are six more books.
Best Classics For All Ages
Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery
Anne Shirley, an imaginative and spirited orphan, is mistakenly sent to live with siblings Marilla and Matthew Cuthbert on their farm in Prince Edward Island. Although they originally intended to adopt a boy, Anne gradually wins them over with her lively personality, endless imagination, and determination.
The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
Mary Lennox is a lonely and spoiled orphan who is sent to live with her uncle in a gloomy English manor after her parents die. There, she discovers a hidden, neglected garden and begins restoring it with the help of her new friend Dickon. When Mary also discovers her sickly cousin Colin, the children work together to bring the garden and their own lives back to health.
Charlotte’s Web by E. B. White
This is one of the most heartwarming stories you’ll ever read. In it, a spider named Charlotte works very hard to save a pig named Wilbur from slaughter. It’s all about friendship, loyalty, and saying goodbye, and it’s suitable for just about everyone.
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
You probably already know this story, but if you haven’t read the book, give it a try, you won’t regret it. It’s a story about four very different sisters, whose father is at war and their mother working to support the family. So they build a world of their own and this book follows them as they grow up and apart into their different fates.
The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame
Mole, Rat, Badger, and the reckless but charming Mr. Toad live in the English countryside. Their adventures range from peaceful days by the river to wild escapades caused by Toad’s obsession with motorcars. When Toad’s reckless behavior lands him in serious trouble, his friends must come together to help him reclaim his home and learn some responsibility.
Heidi by Johanna Spyri
Heidi was one of my favorite books when I was a child and I loved sharing it with my kids. A cheerful orphan girl is sent to live with her reclusive grandfather in the Swiss Alps and she quickly grows to love the mountains, her grandfather, and her friendship with the local goatherd Peter. When she is taken to Frankfurt to keep a lonely, disabled girl named Clara company, Heidi struggles to adjust to city life and longs to return to the Alps.
I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith
Seventeen-year-old Cassandra Mortmain records her life in a journal while living with her eccentric family in a crumbling English castle. When the wealthy American Cotton family inherits a nearby estate, Cassandra and her siblings become entangled in their world, bringing romance, jealousy, and new possibilities into their lives.
Silas Marner by George Eliot
Silas Marner is a lonely weaver who becomes a bitter recluse after being falsely accused of a crime and betrayed by his closest friend. Living in isolation, Silas finds comfort in the gold he secretly saves until it is stolen from him. His life changes when a young orphan girl, Eppie, comes into his care, helping him rediscover love, trust, and a sense of belonging
Best Philosophical Classics
The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky
Follow three very different brothers, Dmitri, Ivan, and Alyosha, as they struggle with their relationships, beliefs, and their deeply flawed father, Fyodor. When their father is murdered, suspicion falls on the brothers, particularly Dmitri, whose turbulent relationship with him gives him a clear motive. The novel combines family drama and murder mystery with profound questions about faith, morality, free will, guilt, and the nature of evil.
Stranger by Albert Camus
Meursault, an emotionally detached man, seems largely indifferent to the expectations and conventions of society. After his mother’s death, a series of seemingly ordinary events leads him to commit a senseless murder on a beach. As he faces trial and confronts the consequences of his actions, Meursault becomes increasingly aware of the absurdity of existence and society’s demand that people conform to its ideas of morality and meaning.
A Room of One’s Own by Virginia Woolf
This is an extended essay exploring women, literature, creativity, and the barriers that have historically prevented women from becoming writers. Woolf argues that a woman needs financial independence and a private space of her own in order to write freely and develop her creative potential. A Room Of One’s Own examines how education, poverty, gender inequality, and cultural expectations have shaped women’s literary history.
The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
The Joad family are forced to leave their Oklahoma farm during the Great Depression and travel west to California in search of work and a better life. Along the way, they face poverty, exploitation, hunger, and harsh living conditions alongside thousands of other displaced families. Through the Joads’ journey, the novel explores family, resilience, injustice, poverty, and the struggle for dignity in the face of economic hardship.
War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy
Several aristocratic Russian families are transformed by the Napoleonic Wars and the French invasion of Russia. The novel centers on characters such as Pierre Bezukhov, Andrei Bolkonsky, and Natasha Rostova as they manage love, marriage, friendship, loss, and personal growth amid the chaos of war.
Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe
Okonkwo, a respected but fiercely ambitious warrior and leader in an Igbo community in pre-colonial Nigeria is determined to avoid the weakness he associates with his father, Okonkwo builds his life around strength, status, and tradition. However, his world begins to change as British missionaries and colonial authorities arrive, challenging the customs and beliefs of his community and ultimately forcing Okonkwo to confront a society he can no longer control.
Middlemarch by George Eliot
Idealistic Dorothea Brooke longs for intellectual and moral fulfillment but finds herself trapped in a disastrous marriage, while ambitious young doctor Tertius Lydgate struggles to advance his pioneering medical ideas as his marriage begins to threaten his career. Alongside them are characters driven by love, money, religion, and social ambition.
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Great article and book list. I also found an article which is really helpful for beginners like me if they wanna get into classics -https://deadauthorsnation.blogspot.com/2026/06/Classic%20Literature%20Reading%20Order%20for%20Beginners%20By%20Difficulty%20Not%20Date.html