What books should read?

If you're looking to create a robust and diverse reading list, here are some highly recommended books across various genres and periods, as highlighted in several sources:

Classic Novels

• Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen: A timeless romance about Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy, exploring themes of manners, morality, and marriage234.
• Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë: The story of an orphan's journey to self-discovery and love in a rigid Victorian society13.
• Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë: A tale of love, revenge, and social class set in the Yorkshire moors23.
• Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes: A classic novel critiquing chivalric romances and exploring reality and illusion12.
• War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy: A sweeping narrative of Russian society during the Napoleonic era, exploring love, war, and the meaning of life23.

Modern Classics

• To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee: Set in the racially charged South during the Depression, it explores themes of morality, innocence, and justice234.
• The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald: A critique of the American Dream during the Jazz Age, focusing on love, excess, and moral decay234.
• 1984 by George Orwell: A dystopian novel exploring themes of surveillance, censorship, and the manipulation of truth24.

Literary Fiction

• Ulysses by James Joyce: A complex exploration of identity, heroism, and everyday life in Dublin, known for its stream-of-consciousness style24.
• One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez: A multi-generational saga blending magical realism with the ordinary, exploring themes of love, loss, and the cyclical nature of history24.
• Middlemarch by George Eliot: A detailed exploration of relationships in a small English town, reflecting themes of love, marriage, ambition, and moral dilemmas2.

Sci-Fi and Fantasy

• The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien: An epic high-fantasy novel about a hobbit's journey to destroy a powerful ring, exploring themes of good vs. evil, friendship, and heroism2.
• Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll: A fantastical tale exploring the boundaries of reality through a young girl's adventures in a strange land2.

Historical and Social Fiction

• The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck: The story of the Joad family during the Great Depression, exploring themes of man's inhumanity to man, dignity, and family unity23.
• Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain: A journey down the Mississippi River, exploring themes of friendship, freedom, and societal hypocrisy2.

Crime and Thrillers

• Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky: A psychological exploration of a young man's guilt and paranoia after committing a crime, delving into themes of morality and redemption2.
• The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle: Classic detective stories featuring the iconic Sherlock Holmes1.

Dystopian

• Catch-22 by Joseph Heller: A satirical critique of military bureaucracy and the absurdity of war, set during World War II2.

These books are widely regarded as must-reads due to their significant impact on literature, their exploration of profound themes, and their enduring popularity.