Latest Top Book for Women to Read
At that place have been many lists of the 100 all-time books to read, just few focusing solely on female writers. For a long time, women were excluded from the literary canon and many were forced to utilize male pseudonyms in guild to be published. We're lucky to live in a fourth dimension where in that location is space for women to be published but literary prizes are still dominated by male writers. Women'southward writing is frequently dismissed as calorie-free, frivolous or 'domestic'.
From gripping works of fiction to literary classics, this list of 100 books to read by women was selected by the Skilful Housekeeping team and shows that women's writing is complex, brilliant, moving, innovative – everything the best writing should exist. Let u.s.a. know how many of these books yous've read and join in the conversation in the online Skilful Housekeeping Book Room.
100 best books to read past women
i. A Little Life past Hanya Yanagihara
"Over the class of four decades, a group of friends share their joys and sorrows in Hanya Yanagihara's stunning A Piffling Life. Information technology's a gruelling read at times as information technology covers some difficult subjects but it'due south one of my favourite books of the last 10 years." Joanne Finney, Books Editor
two. Pride And Prejudice by Jane Austen
"I read it as a teenager at school and savage in love with all the characters and, in my ain head, I was Elizabeth Bennett, of form! She'southward feisty, fearless and different to all the other women – but as all teenage girls call back they are. And, of course, she tames the arrogant Mr Fitzwilliam Darcy. After just the right amount of trials and tribulations, the honey story reaches the right decision. I can read and re-read that book and always notice something new in its pages and Jane Austen's use of language is only beautiful." Gaby Huddart, Editor In Chief
3. Normal People by Emerge Rooney
"Sally Rooney has a beautiful manner of writing that captures every emotion perfectly, from dear to loss to insecurity. When I read it concluding yr, it was the showtime novel that had strongly resonated with me in a very long time, reminding me of highs and lows in past relationships." Susanne Norris, Deputy Digital Editor
4. Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë
As one of the most esteemed British novels e'er, Wuthering Heights is likely a story you read at school. Simply consider giving information technology a re-read, so you can capeesh the hauntingly beautiful love story.
five. Daughter, Adult female, Other by Bernadine Evaristo
This book tells the interconnected stories of 12 different characters, who are mostly women, black and British. While the novel pores over the nuances of different kinds of bonds from maternal to romantic, it likewise centres on friendship, examining how and why it develops and falters.
6. Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman
A heartwarming novel about the importance of reaching out the hand of friendship. Eleanor is a social misfit who lives a alone existence until Raymond joins her office equally a new colleague, and she finds solace in companionship at terminal. Equally Eleanor and Raymond's bail grows, she begins to come to terms with her own fraught past and move on from the trauma she's been haunted by.
7. Queenie by Candice Carty-Williams
Queenie is a twenty-something announcer living in London and navigating some major changes. Not only is her relationship with swain, Tom, disintegrating, things aren't going well at work and the home she's known and loved all her life is quickly changing due to the gentrification of Brixton. As she struggles to keep afloat in the turbulent waters of her life, Queenie'southward eclectic grouping of friends are there to rally round her.
8. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
Little Women is known for existence a must-read tale of sisterhood. While that'due south truthful, the story is also about the special friendships joining the four very unlike siblings – Jo, 1000000, Amy and Beth. In that location's also the affair of Jo's complicated friendship with neighbour Laurie, who comes in between the girls.
ix. My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante
Book 1 in Ferrante's globally successful Neapolitan series introduces readers to the story of Elena and Lila, growing up in the 1950s in a poor only vibrant neighbourhood on the outskirts of Naples. The girls acquire to rely on each other ahead of anyone or anything else, and their friendship becomes a lifeline equally they grow older.
10. Oranges Are Not The Only Fruit by Jeanette Winterson
Winterson'due south novel, published in 1985, is semi-autobiographical: a immature girl growing up in a strict Pentecostal community struggles with her sexuality, her strict mother and teenage angst.
11. The Colour Majestic by Alice Walker
This important and powerful novel made Alice Walker'due south name. Gear up in the segregated American South of the 1930s, the story follows Celie, a 14-twelvemonth-old Blackness daughter living in poverty, separated from her sis and suffering abuse at the hands of her male parent. But when the mysterious jazz singer Shug Avery comes to stay, Celie discovers friendship, love, faith and more importantly, forcefulness. This assuming and emotional story is a must-read.
12. White Teeth by Zadie Smith
An epic novel, Zadie Smith's landmark book centres around two families with immigrant backgrounds in Due north London. Funny, wise and at times devastating, it tracks their journeys over the years roofing subjects including friendship, love, support, religion and racism.
13. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
It's a timeless classic you'll probably know, merely it'south never a bad idea to re-immerse yourself in the poignant writing of Harper Lee. Set in the Deep South of 1930s America, the story follows the Finch family, equally young siblings Scout and Jem watch their father try to defend a Black man charged with the rape of a white girl. The children's innocence compared to the injustice of racism makes for a moving story that'due south just as relevant at present equally when it was published in 1960.
fourteen. Noughts + Crosses past Malorie Blackman
This novel, the commencement in a series, introduces readers to Callum and Sephy, two immature people kept apart by their society's racist and prejudiced views, but joined together by their love for ane another. Set in a world where Black people (Crosses) rule over white people (Noughts), the book is aimed at teenagers but is as as gripping and important for older readers, also.
15. Heartburn by Nora Ephron
The multi-talented film manager, author and announcer based this comic book on the breakdown of her own marriage and, 30 years subsequently information technology was published, it even so resonates today.
xvi. Swimming Home by Deborah Levy
Deborah Levy's Swimming Domicile tells the story of a family vacation gone amiss. When poet Joe Jacobs' family holiday is interrupted by a fan turning upward, dark secrets brainstorm to come up to low-cal. Haunting, beautifully-written and mesmerising, this is one of Levy's best.
17. Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel
In Wolf Hall , nosotros kickoff meet Thomas Cromwell every bit a kid in a dramatic scene in which he is existence beaten by his blacksmith begetter. His male parent'south cruel treatment of him fuels Thomas' desire to escape and the novel follows his climb to become the lawyer of the king's chief adviser, Cardinal Wolsey. He continues his ascent to go Henry VIII's most trusted guide and plays a crucial office in securing his divorce from Katherine and union to Anne Boleyn. Mantel makes a well-known piece of history experience suspenseful, which is testament to her skill every bit a writer. Whether you like historical fiction or not, this is a must-read.
18. Bel Canto by Ann Patchett
This beautifully written novel centres on a group of political party guests, including an opera singer, taken hostage by terrorists. The bond that forms between the 2 groups is unexpected and incredibly moving. This won Patchett the Women's Prize for Fiction in 2002.
19. The Handmaid'due south Tale past Margaret Atwood
"Often harrowing just grippingly brilliant; a terrifying glimpse into a dystopian hereafter where the patriarchy has reached its ultimate goal."
Karen Swayne, Prima Features Editor
20. Selected Stories 1 and 2 by Alice Munro
Human being Booker prize-winner Alice Munro's classic story collections are a affair of beauty. These best-of collections offering illuminating glances into ordinary people'due south lives – from the correspondence of a librarian and a soldier during WWII to a woman who has an affair with her neighbour – all of which brandish her immense souvenir for storytelling.
21. The Power past Naomi Alderman
This gripping feminist thriller is set in a world where women tin transport electrical currents from their hands. Information technology portrays a fascinating power function reversal that tells us so much almost the world today.
22. I Capture The Castle past Dodie Smith
This classic might be over 70 years old merely it even so has the power to lift spirits like few other books. Its heroine Cassandra Mortmain lives in genteel poverty in a crumbling castle with her eccentric family and lodger Stephen. Through teenage heartbreak and wild escapades, Cassandra keeps a diary of all her thoughts and feelings and by the terminal entry there have been keen changes to the Mortmains' lives. A touching, funny coming-of-historic period story.
23. City of Girls by Elizabeth Gilbert
Elizabeth Gilbert's City of Girls is a love letter to female friendships. Tracking the journey of protagonist Vivian Morris from seamstress to showgirls to army volunteer during WWII, this exploration of womanhood and loyalty is a blithesome read.
24. The V past Hallie Rubenhold
Historian Hallie Rubenhold's non-fiction book explores the untold stories of the five women murdered by Jack the Ripper. Meticulously researched, information technology offers an insight into the lives of these women which has never been seen earlier, dispelling any myths and finally putting an emphasis on the victims of the killer.
25. The Cloak-and-dagger History by Donna Tartt
This campus-set up literary thriller became an instant bestseller and regularly appears on nigh loved books lists. Under the guidance of their charismatic classics professor, a group of eccentric students at a New England College stride exterior the boundaries of morality, so accept to deal with the consequences.
26. Trans by Juliet Jacques
"I was but finishing university when Juliet released her memoir in 2015. I was completely enthralled past her honest an articulate account of life every bit a trans woman. This book is deeply personal, and I think feeling so connected to Juliet as she discussed not only her transition, simply her experiences with mental wellness, transphobia and navigating the healthcare organisation. I was completely moved, and withal today I reference her book in discussion."
Victoria Chandler, Delish editor
27. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë
To society, Jane Eyre is a poor, plain governess only she wins the heart of her wealthy employer, the heart-searching Mr Rochester. The path to true love never did run smooth – and he harbours a night secret that threatens to derail their happiness.
28. The Street past Ann Picayune
Published in 1946, this poignant novel tells the story of Lutie Johnson, a young Black adult female, and her spirited struggle to heighten her son amid the violence, poverty, and racial dissonance of New York'due south Harlem in the late 1940s.
29. Mrs Dalloway by Virginia Woolf
Set over a single day, it follows wealthy Clarissa Dalloway every bit she prepares for a party at her home that evening. Through her thoughts and the people she meets the novel touches on ideas of class, mental illness and feminism. A small book filled with big ideas.
30. The Lowland by Jhumpa Lahiri
A powerful piece of writing about ii brothers who cull very different paths. As riots sweep beyond 1970s India, i joins a revolutionary group while the other heads to America – nosotros follow the impact of their decisions over four decades.
31. The Luminaries by Eleanor Catton
Set in New Zealand during the country'due south gold rush, this experimental doorstop of a novel (800 pages) is structured effectually the 12 signs of the zodiac.
32. Half Of A Yellow Dominicus by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
A novel virtually the Nigerian ceremonious war, this is also a beautiful story of love, identity, the empowerment of women and the strength of the human spirit.
33. Five Steps to Happy by Ella Dove
"An uplifting gem and a true joy to read, and I'grand not merely saying that because it was written by Adept Housekeeping'south Commissioning Editor Ella Pigeon. Based on Ella's own accident which led to the amputation of her right leg, the story follows a struggling extra who suffers a devastating injury and must begin to rebuild her life. Quietly powerful, it'southward sprinkled with both hope and humanity."
Bethan Rose Jenkins, Assistant Digital Editor
34. Middlemarch by George Eliot
Looking for a big immersive read? This rich, detailed novel may have a bandage of hundreds, but Eliot is such a sharp observer of human nature that each character is fully fleshed out. At the center is heroine Dorothea Brooke, who learns to live her life for herself, not anyone else.
35. Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston
Hurston was a key member of the Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s but her book didn't really notice an audience until it was rediscovered in the 1970s. The novel focuses on the survival instinct of Janie Crawford, a Black woman navigating 2 divorces and a life marked by poverty.
36. Gone With The Air current past Margaret Mitchell
"In the first six months later its publication, Gone With The Air current sold a million copies and went on to inspire 1 of the all-time-known films of all time. Margaret Mitchell's epic tome has got everything you want: love, drama, tragedy – plus ane of the greatest lines of all time, 'Frankly my honey, I don't give a damn'. Headstrong Scarlett isn't ever likeable merely she's a survivor."
Jackie Brown, Adept Housekeeping Features Manager
37. Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi
This illustrated memoir tells the story of Marjane's turbulent teenage years, growing up in war-torn Iran and her escape with her family to Austria. Although the stakes are high, the feisty teenager stays true to herself.
38. Then There Were None by Agatha Christie
X strangers get in on a remote island off the coast of Devon. Ane past 1 they beginning to die, leaving the survivors desperately trying to figure out which one of them is the murderer. This clever concept has been copied past many criminal offense writers but no one does information technology meliorate than Christie! And then There Were None is one of the biggest selling books of all time, with around 100 meg sales.
39. Brick Lane by Monica Ali
This richly observed tale of a woman who moves from Bangladesh to 1980s London for an arranged wedlock earned Ali a identify on Granta'due south best young British novelists listing.
40. How To Exist Both past Ali Smith
Smith'south sixth novel defies categorisation: it's an exploration of the part of art, a coming-of-historic period tale, and a time jump through history. Challenging, playful and dazzling.
41. Fingersmith by Sarah Waters
"This is a fantastic thriller, set up in the underbelly of Victorian England. It has crime, passion, drama… and quite only the best plot twist of any book I've ever read. It comes and so brilliantly out of the bluish that you can't believe what you're reading. Fantastic!"
Jo Lockwood, Good Housekeeping Motion-picture show Editor
42. Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
"Yous may retrieve you know the story of Frankenstein by heart, but the original is absolutely notwithstanding worth a read. Written by a 20-yr-quondam Mary Shelley and often credited as the first science fiction novel, Frankenstein uses an embedded narrative structure to tell the story of Captain Walton, Victor Frankenstein and the unnamed 'monster'. Information technology explores overambition, parenthood and the cruelty of human nature. Unlike a lot of the classics, it'south a surprisingly brusk read, so it will only take a few hours for you to empathize why it's been historic for then long."
Molly Greeves, Consumer Writer
43. A Spool Of Blueish Thread past Anne Tyler
It's v decades since the acknowledged American writer was first published and her experience shows in every beautifully-written sentence. A Spool Of Blue Thread is a stunning novel near three generations of a family unit that perfectly captures the fights, piddling irritations and deep connections betwixt them. Abby and Ruby-red are getting older and a determination must be made about how best to expect subsequently them, and then their grown-up children return home, bringing with them old hurts and rivalries.
44. Dear by Toni Morrison
The late Toni Morrison was one of the all-time writers of the last century, and this was one of her greatest works. The Pulitzer-prize-winning book takes place in the 1800s and follows the life of Sethe, who is haunted by the memories of slavery.
45. The Age Of Innocence past Edith Wharton
This novel made Wharton the beginning adult female winner of the Pulitzer Prize. Set among the upper classes of New York society in the 1870s, it begins with the upcoming marriage of a young couple and the bride's scandalous cousin who threatens to destroy their happy ever later.
46. The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
"As a child I was captivated by the thought of the ivy-covered door that led to a hole-and-corner space that the children claimed as their own. As an adult reading information technology again with my own children, the book is just equally magical, and its exploration of the healing ability of nature actually resonates with me."
Emilie Martin, Consumer Affairs Director
47. The Garden Party And Other Stories by Katherine Mansfield
New Zealander Mansfield was a pioneer of the modern short story. Her stories ofttimes begin in the middle of the moment and end abruptly rather than a more traditional structure. From a woman who becomes a widow during a garden party to a young woman who sees her future flash before her optics at a ball, Mansfield moves from grief to joy to boredom and every emotion in betwixt.
48. Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier
A haunting tale that follows a young bride who marries an older man and moves into his home, the famous Manderley. Although set in a beautiful location, she finds information technology a agonizing place: the staff all seem to detest her and the more she finds out about his first wife's death, the more suspicious it seems. A creepy, completely addictive read.
49. The God of Minor Things by Arundhati Roy
"An ballsy family drama unfolds within the covers of this book. I was so struck when I read information technology past how nosotros are all shaped by the personal tragedies – minor and big – that we feel throughout our lives and by the powerful need we all have to be loved."
Emilie Martin, Consumer Affairs Managing director
50. We Need To Talk Almost Kevin by Lionel Shriver
"This is a book that still haunts me. I revisit it in my listen and then often, peculiarly since becoming a female parent. I am enthralled by how it examines the concept of nature vs nurture in such a complex, compelling and chilling mode."
Sarah Tomczak, Blood-red Editor
51. Play Information technology As It Lays by Joan Didion
"Ready in 1960s Hollywood, Joan Didion's Play As It Lays follows Maria, a sedated former extra whose identity has been eclipsed by her matrimony to a motion-picture show producer. Consistently controlled and exploited, Maria becomes paralysed by her own life, unable to intendance about anything except her four-yr-old daughter who is being treated in a care facility. Didion manages to tell a depressing, disturbing story in such sparse, straightforward prose. It's an accented must-read."
Molly Greeves, Consumer Writer
52. Mary Barton by Elizabeth Gaskell
"I love this book because you go a moving picture of the huge social and political upheavals of the 1840s aslope a cracking story of love, murder and divided loyalties. Elizabeth Gaskell was 1 of the most famous female authors in Victorian England but sometimes feels disregarded today. I'd like to highlight this fabulous volume to remind us all what a bang-up storyteller she was."
Jo Checkley, Prima Editor
53. The Summer Book past Tove Jansson
"I grew up on Tove Jansson's Moomin stories, offset the wonderful fuzzy felt animation broadcast in the 1980s and later the books themselves. The Summertime Book is written for adults and is about the relationship between a grandmother and her granddaughter, holidaying on the family island in the Finnish archipelago. Like the Moomins, the chapters become well-nigh a serial of curt stories, funny, poignant and at times melancholy."
Simon Swift, Digital Director
54. Cold Comfort Farm past Stella Gibbons
"Published in 1932, this book never fails to cheer me upwardly, being laugh-out-loud funny. I love it so much I even had a passage read out at my nuptials a decade ago. It's the story of Flora Poste, an orphan, who goes to stay with relatives at the titular farm, a place falling apart and seemingly plagued past a night surreptitious. Unperturbed, Flora sets about reorganising not only the subcontract just also the lives of her relatives – one by ane. It really is the perfect book."
Simon Swift, Digital Director
55. A Visit From The Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan
A genre-defying collection of narratives, all from characters continued to the music industry, that come together as something totally new and heady. Each section is written in a different style, from first person to third and even every bit a powerpoint presentation, which in the wrong hands could be awful, but works brilliantly here.
56. The Help past Kathryn Stockett
Fix in early 1960s Mississippi, The Aid is told from the first-person perspectives of three women: Aibileen Clark, Minny Jackson, and Skeeter Phelan. Skeeter is home from college and is curious most the disappearance of the maid who raised her. What she finds out opens her eyes to the way the Blackness maids who piece of work for her family and their friends' families are treated. A very readable insight into what life was similar in the US in the sixties.
57. Life Later on Life by Kate Atkinson
In Life After Life, Kate Atkinson poses some interesting questions about fate and destiny. The story begins on a snowy day in 1910 with the decease of baby Ursula. In a parallel story, Ursula lives and we follow her story as she relives the dramatic events of the early 20th century once again and again. A beautifully written, compelling and genuinely innovative read. The book won the Costa Novel Honor and sold over half a million copies, catapulting Kate Atkinson from much-loved writer to household name.
58. The Time Traveler's Wife past Audrey Niffenegger
Chicago librarian Henry De Tamble suffers from a rare genetic disorder that causes him to travel through fourth dimension. On ane of his trips he meets Clare who becomes the love of his life. But how can their relationship cope with his frequent absences and dangerous experiences? A proper tearjerker that will go on you gripped from beginning to cease.
59. Standard Deviation by Katherine Heiny
"Hands one of my favourite books of the last 10 years, this novel about a New York couple whose young son has Asperger'southward is funny, moving, uplifting and incredibly well written."
Joanne Finney, Books Editor
lx. An American Union by Tayari Jones
"Celestial and Roy are a newlywed African-American couple who have their whole lives ahead of them when Roy is convicted of a crime he didn't commit and sentenced to 12 years in prison house. It'southward a story about racial injustice but also nigh love, loyalty, family unit and a marriage that's put to the ultimate examination. This is one of the most moving, beautifully written books I have always read and one that has really stayed with me."
Anna Bonet, Senior Glory Writer
61. Small Island by Andrea Levy
"Some books just sweep you lot up in the story and won't let you become and Small Island is one of those for me. Ready in London in 1948, Queenie Animated is frowned upon by her neighbours when she takes in Jamaican lodgers, but her own husband hasn't returned since the war and she has no idea if he e'er will. Interweaving the stories of the iv characters, I love this book for how rich and evocative it is, but also for what information technology taught me about the immigrant experience, prejudice, belonging and shared humanity. I know that it fabricated me look at the world anew after I'd finished it."
Anna Bonet, Senior Celebrity Author
62. The Cazalet Chronicles by Elizabeth Jane Howard
"I am then jealous of anyone who hasn't read these however; five chunky books following an extended family through the 1930s, 40s and 50s. The writing is gorgeous, the characters (especially the women) are vibrant, circuitous and flawed, and the world they inhabit is immersive. A friend gave me the get-go when my smallest daughter was old enough for me to pick upwards a book once more, and it helped me rediscover my reading mojo. I so bought them for a friend in lockdown who was besides struggling with the aftermath of breast cancer and chemo, and she said they brought joy dorsum into her life. Be prepared for feelings of real loss when you end the gear up… either that, or immediately start again!"
Alexandra Friend, Senior Beauty Editor
63. The Girl with the Louding Vocalisation by Abi Daré
"The brave, inspiring story of 14 yr old Adunni, who moves from a small Nigerian village to work as a maid in the city. An unsentimental story of promise and courage, Adunni discovers her voice and the strength to stand upward for herself, her educational activity and her future, despite seemingly relentless adversity."
Bethan Rose Jenkins, Assistant Digital Editor
64. My Sis, The Series Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite
"Sharp, witty and utterly original, this darkly comic book delivers a slick tale of sisterhood under the patriarchy and obliterates every trope of the classic serial killer novel. Korede is used to cleaning upwards after her sister's mistakes (literally), merely after Ayoola's tertiary boyfriend has been disposed of in 'self-defence', her sights plough to the doctor Korede is secretly in love with."
Bethan Rose Jenkins, Banana Digital Editor
65. Who Will Run The Frog Infirmary by Lorrie Moore
"For me, Lorrie Moore is one of the most talented novelists writing today. This tale of two women, friends since childhood, finding their feet manages that fragile trip the light fantastic of existence outrageously funny only also wonderfully moving. I tin can't recommend it plenty."
Joanne Finney, Books Editor
66. Happenstance past Ballad Shields
Happenstance is 2 novels in one: the offset part tells Jack's story equally he struggles to cope with running a domicile while his married woman is away. In the second half it's Brenda'south turn to tell her side of the story and how time away from her husband makes her question their long marriage.
67. Restoration by Rose Tremain
"The atomic number 82 grapheme, Merivel, is such a wonderful creation. He tries so hard to be good, merely his lack of willpower and his love of the finer things in life ways he constantly (and hilariously) fails. His lifelong friendship with the dour John Pearce, who is his polar contrary and acts as the human apotheosis of Merivel'southward censor, is funny, touching and endearing and is the thing that I honey virtually about this book."
Jo Lockwood, Picture Editor
68. Housekeeping past Marilynne Robinson
The chaotic childhoods of two sisters Ruth and Lucille, who grow upwardly under the intendance of various relatives, are beautifully portrayed in Robinson's poetic voice. A novel to savor slowly.
69. We Have Ever Lived In The Castle by Shirley Jackson
Narrated by 18-year-sometime Mary Katherine Blackwood (known as Merricat) who lives on the large family estate with her older sis Constance and her Uncle Julian, isolated from the rest of the community. The atmosphere Jackson creates from the first paragraph could exist cut with a knife - a chilling, night read.
seventy. Kitchen by Banana Yoshimoto
"Kitchen is made upward of two curt stories of grief, beloved and gender. Inspired past "the fashion in which terrible experiences shape a person's life", Yoshimoto's writing is comforting and tender while being precipitous and real. To anyone who hates it when people write in books, I claiming you lot not to underline anything in this volume — at that place are and so many quotes that yous'll want to remember for years after you finish this."
Molly Greeves, Consumer Writer
71. The Idiot by Elif Batuman
Post-obit a first-year Harvard student in the 90s, The Idiot is a raw and heartbreaking portrayal of what it's like to be young, gifted and clueless. Its protagonist, Selin, clumsily learns how to brand friends, autumn in love and succeed academically with varying levels of success. Both hilarious and relatable, it'south a fresh take on the coming-of-age novel that will delight whatever fans of the genre.
72. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by J.Chiliad. Rowling
"It would be a consummate injustice not to take at least 1 of the seven Harry Potter books on this list as the series of stories relaying the adventures of Harry, Ron, Hermione and their wizarding friends have sold more than 500 million copies worldwide and been translated into some 80 languages, as well as spawning viii blockbuster movies, countless collectible trade and visitor attractions. And it's not through marketing hype that all of this has been achieved. J.K. Rowling'southward genius is that the world that she created with her pen was so compelling for children that it got fifty-fifty those who plant reading difficult to option up the books and so not put them down. I watched the wonderful HP consequence on my own children – turning their backs on Goggle box in order to choice upward where they'd left off with the tale – and with my niece, whose olfactory organ was so consistently in the latest of the stories when she was young that we couldn't believe her diagnosis with dyslexia at fifteen!
It all began in 1997 with publication of the beginning book, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, which I read myself in a single mean solar day when I was on jury service and stuck in the waiting room before being assigned to a case – hither was 100 per cent pure escapism. Magic."
Gaby Huddart, Editor In Primary
73. Me Before You by Jojo Moyes
This beautiful book has sold more xiv million copies worldwide and with good reason. This tale of love-confronting-the odds between an embittered quadriplegic man and the carer who is trying to give him a reason to live breaks your centre one infinitesimal, only to send it soaring once again. They are both wonderful characters and yous tin't help rooting for them. Proceed the tissues close!
74. Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell
The bestselling author'south get-go historical novel is something really special. Reimagining the story of Shakespeare's lost son (Hamnet, who died age 11), information technology's a moving tale well-nigh spousal relationship, motherhood and sibling bonds. The playwright's magical married woman Agnes is a character you'll even so be thinking nigh long afterwards finishing the book.
75. The Daughter With The Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier
Imagining the story backside one of the globe's best known paintings, Chevalier paints a fallacious portrait of the Dutch artist Johannes Vermeer and his model Griet. Over five 1000000 copies have been sold of this brilliant book, and for a very good reason.
76. The Outsiders by SE Hinton
Written when the author was only 17, this novel for immature adults (although adults love it too) is the story of two gangs in a small American boondocks, told through the eyes of Ponyboy Curtis. A idea-provoking, moving read about what it's like to be a young adolescent with little potential and few escapes. Read it for the loveable characters, whose brotherly bonds are incredibly heartwarming.
77. Carol by Patricia Highsmith
Originally published every bit The Price Of Salt, this moving volume was recently adapted for the large screen (starring Cate Blanchett) and - deservedly - introduced it to a whole new audition. Published in the 1950s, it is known for being the first lesbian novel to portray a happy catastrophe. It tells the story of Therese Belivet, a lonely young woman trapped in a department-shop chore, whose life is turned upside down by glamorous surburban housewife Carol Aird.
78. The Prime Of Miss Jean Brodie by Muriel Spark
"Give me a girl at an impressionable age, and she is mine for life," declares formidable schoolhouse mistress Miss Jean Brodie. Her charm and glamour dazzle her pupils, simply her one thousand ideas are also her downfall. Jean is ane of the greatest characters in 20th-century fiction (and if you've seen the film starring Maggie Smith, y'all can imagine the whole thing read in her voice!).
79. Room by Emma Donoghue
Continue the tissues close for this heartbreaking story well-nigh a adult female held captive with her five-year-onetime son in a unmarried room for seven years. After the pair escape, the boy's eyes are opened equally he finally gets to see the outside world for the first time. Inspired past the Josef Fritzl case (the Austrian who imprisoned his own daughter for 24 years in the cellar of his house), it made Donoghue a household name.
80. Outline past Rachel Cusk
Set in Athens, this is the story of female writer who draws together the narratives of anybody she meets. A novel that manages to be both clever and very readable.
81. The Shipping News by Annie Proulx
After his wife dies, New York journalist Quoyle moves with his 2 young daughters to a remote boondocks in Newfoundland for a fresh showtime. While not without mishaps, the life he builds for himself there makes this a heartwarming read. The writing is funny and simple just packs a dial.
82. The Sea, The Sea past Iris Murdoch
Retired theatre director Charles Arrowby retires to the coast to swim, eat and write his memoirs, but finds himself haunted by his past. Nonetheless unlikeable he is equally a character, Murdoch'southward sublime writing and depictions of his struggle to find a new identity and sense of pregnant make it a powerful read.
83. We Were The Mulvaneys by Joyce Carol Oates
This novel follows the story of a seemingly perfect family whose globe is turned upside downwardly afterwards the daughter, Marianne, is sexually assaulted by the son of her father'due south friend. Each member of the family unit is afflicted differently and their close bonds are shattered. Oates's writing is rich, descriptive and packs a big emotional dial.
84. Daughter past Edna O'Brien
Written when O'Brien was in her late 80s, this harrowing tale about the girls kidnapped in Nigeria past Boko Haram doesn't pull its punches. Each sentence in this curt book hums with raw energy, and echoes her Country Girls trilogy in the way it focuses and so intensely in the emotional lives of women losing their innocence.
85. Olive Kitteridge past Elizabeth Strout
Strout'south deceptively elementary style belies her extraordinary powers of insight. She writes wonderfully near the pettiness, rages and irritations of normal women and retired schoolteacher Olive Kitteridge is her most wonderful creation. These interwoven stories all take identify in a small town in Maine and are all from different viewpoints, showing Olive's many sides as she interacts with family unit, neighbours and friends, as she experiences historic period, loneliness, grief and love.
86. The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan
This intergenerational novel tells the stories of four Chinese-American mothers and daughters in San Francisco who have formed a club to play mahjong that they name the Joy Luck Society. Through their conversations, nosotros acquire most their experiences in Communist china and their new lives in the U.s..
87. My Ántonia by Willa Cather
This classic novel paints an atmospheric and bright portrait of life in the American west in the late 1800s. It's the story of Ántonia Shimerda, whose life is told through the eyes of Jim Brunt, a neighbour who befriends her and teaches her English language.
88. The Regeneration Trilogy by Pat Barker
This collection of novels about the Start Globe War focuses on the treatment of shell-shocked patients in hospital in Scotland in 1917 and the new lives they build after the war. All iii books are a brilliant look at the many contradictions of war and those experiencing it – whether on the frontline or not – written with humanity and compassion.
89. Wild Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys
Rhys wrote this novel equally her mode of giving a vocalism to Jane Eyre's 'madwoman in the cranium', Bertha Rochester. Set in the West Indies, the novel reimagines the life of Antoinette Cosway (Bertha's real name) and her life equally a Creole heiress earlier coming together Mr Rochester. A powerful feminist read full of beautiful imagery.
90. The Bloody Bedroom by Angela Carter
Not for the faint-hearted, Carter's writing mixes fairytale with eroticism to intoxicating effect. In this curt story collection, she takes familiar tales we know well, such as Ruby Riding Hood, and twists them into slices of spooky gothic fiction.
91. We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves past Karen Joy Fowler
A modern classic that completely deserved its place on the Man Booker Prize shortlist. This thought-provoking, moving story of a dysfunctional family like no other delivers an unforgettable 'I didn't see that coming!' moment.
92. The House Of Spirits by Isabel Allende
Allende is known for her particular take on magical realism. This family saga spans four generations and is set confronting i of Chile's most turbulent periods in history.
93. A Thousand Acres by Jane Smiley
A stunning mod retelling of King Lear - just rather than a kingdom, the book is about the inheritance of a male parent's i,000 acres of farmland, and the tensions which arise between the three sisters and their husbands.
94. May We Be Forgiven by AM Homes
Harry Silvery has always been in awe of his younger blood brother George who'southward always been more powerful and successful than him. Then a kiss between Harry and George's wife, Jane, at Thanksgiving sets off a chaotic chain of events. This black comedy balances humor with poignancy.
95. A Daughter is a Half-formed Thing past Eimear McBride
An astonishing debut that tells the story of a young woman's human relationship with her blood brother and how his childhood brain tumour affects their family unit. Told in a stream of thought rather than a cohesive narrative, it'south impressionistic, beautiful and truly original.
96. The Golden Notebook past Doris Lessing
The book is split into several sections, with extracts from the primal character, Anna'due south notebooks. Each covers a different attribute of her life: in Africa before and during Earth War II, her experiences as a member of the Communist political party and a short story that mirrors her own lost honey. Published in 1962, information technology put on its pages subjects non often written about – from menstruum to female person orgasm – and you can encounter her influence on a whole generation of writers.
97. The Earthsea Bike by Ursula Le Guin
Le Guinn is credited as one of the first women to write sci-fi and this five book series plunges you deep into a vividly imagined world. The books outset with a young boy as he learns he is a wizard and trains to harness his powers, and so follows him through his journey. If yous loved Harry Potter, this series is well worth reading.
98. The Children'south Book by AS Byatt
An intensely imaginative novel, fix in the Victorian era and telling the story of children's novelist Olive Wellwood. Woven through the volume are real-life events merely besides stories within stories and it touches on everything from philosophy and religion to women's rights and gender politics.
99. Jonathan Foreign & Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke
This sweeping Victorian fantasy offers insight into an alternative history fix in 19th-century England, around the time of the Napoleonic Wars. Magic has long been lost to England – but two men, Mr Norrell and novice Jonathan Foreign, prepare out to bring it back. So successful it won a cord of awards and was adapted for BBC One, this is a read not to be missed.
100. Flight Behaviour by Barbara Kingsolver
Like Barbara Kingsolver'southward modern classic The Poisonwood Bible, this is a powerful and mesmerising epic that touches on grade, poverty and climate change. Mum-of-two Dell finds herself suffocating in a life she has outgrown in dirt-poor middle America. Merely when she happens upon a vision, it'south the beginning of a transformation that sees her stand up to her family unit and the local church. Not to be missed.
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Source: https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/uk/lifestyle/editors-choice-book-reviews/a38577789/best-books-to-read/
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