Table of Contents

• Origin of My List
• Source Overview
• The Compilation Process
• The Top Choices
• Conclusion

# Origin of My List

I began my research using both physical and digital libraries, magazines, news platforms, online databases, publishing houses, and influencers. For instance, I had to overlook Denzel Washington's recommendations from The Equalizer since they mirrored those from the Norwegian Book Club.

Just when I was about to abandon my quest for 5,000 titles, a friend mentioned he had books that included lists of 100 and 1,000 books. This discovery enabled me to surpass my initial target. After refining my findings and removing duplicates, I ended up with over 6,000 book references from 50 different sources.

# Source Overview

7 Libraries

1. Abebooks’ 100 Fiction Books to Read in a Lifetime.
2. Boston Public Library’s Most Influential Books of the 20th Century.
3. Library Heaven’s 100 Books Everyone Should Read.
4. Library of Congress’ Books That Shaped America.
5. New York Public Library’s 125 Books We Love for Adults.
6. Online Computer Library Center’s Complete 500 Book List.
7. The Gutenberg Project’s Top 100 Ebooks.

6 Magazines

1. The Art of Manliness’ 100 Must-Read Books.
2. GQ Magazine’s 110 Best Books to Read Right Now.
3. New Internationalist’s Top 10 Third World Novels.
4. Reader’s Digest’s 100 Best Books of All Time.
5. Stylist’s 100 Most Powerful Closing Lines in Literature.
6. Time’s All-Time 100 Novels.

14 News Sites

1. Business Insider’s 100+ Books Everyone Should Read Before They Die.
2. BBC’s Big Read Top 100.
3. Entertainment Weekly’s Top Fiction Books of the Decade.
4. Houston Public Media’s Top 100 Science Fiction and Fantasy Novels.
5. Le Monde’s 100 Books of the Century.
6. New York Times Readers’ Best Books of the Past 125 Years.
7. New York Times’ 15 Remarkable Books by Women.
8. PBS’s The Great American Read.
9. Stacker’s 100 Best Science Fiction Novels of All Time.
10. The Guardian’s 100 Greatest Novels of All Time.
11. The Guardian’s 100 Best Non-Fiction Books of All Time.
12. The Independent’s 40 Best Novels to Read Before You Die.
13. The Telegraph’s 100 Greatest Novels of All Time.
14. Thirteen WNET Group’s 100 Books on the Great American Read List.

4 Online Catalogues & Encyclopedias

1. Infoplease’s Top 100 Works in World Literature.
2. Wikipedia’s Best Selling Books.
3. Montana State University’s The Greatest Books.
4. University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee’s 100 Selected Books.

9 Publishing Companies

1. Barnes and Noble’s 37 Best Books of All Time You Must Read.
2. Modern Library’s 100 Best Novels.
3. Modern Library’s 100 Best Non-Fiction.
4. Norwegian Book Club’s Top 100 Works in World Literature.
5. Pac Macmillan’s 44 Vital Books to Read Before You Die.
6. Penguin Random House’s 100 Must-Read Classics.
7. Reedsy’s 100 Books to Read Before You Die.
8. TCK Publishing’s 100 Books to Read Before You Die.
9. The Book Riot’s 100 Greatest American Novels.

6 Influencers

1. Darius Fox’s 100 Great Books to Read in a Lifetime.
2. David Bowie’s Top 100 Favorite Books.
3. Elevate Abundance’s 100 Best Personal Development Books to Read Before You Die.
4. Jamie Lee’s 100 Greatest Books Challenge.
5. List Challenge’s Top 100 Books You Need to Read Before You Die.
6. National Book Foundation’s 100 Life-Changing Books.

4 Books

1. 100 Most Influential Books Ever Written by Martin Seymour-Smith.
2. 1000 Books to Read Before You Die.
3. For the Love of Books.
4. Ten Greatest Novels and Their Authors.

# The Compilation Process

After collecting all the data, I categorized the book references by title, source, and author. Using this database, I summarized the repeated titles and counted how many times each appeared.

From this summary, I compiled the list, ranking the books based on their frequency of mention. Each entry includes the title, author, number of mentions, and a brief synopsis.

I aimed to keep the descriptions concise, spanning 3 to 4 paragraphs without revealing the endings, and selected the top 100 books based on their frequency.

# The Top Choices

1. 1984 by George Orwell — 35 mentions. A haunting vision of the future, published in 1949, following Winston Smith, a member of the ruling party, as he grapples with the all-seeing Big Brother.
2. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald — 34 mentions. The tragic tale of millionaire Jay Gatsby’s pursuit of his lost love, Daisy Buchanan, set against the backdrop of 20th-century America.
3. The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger — 30 mentions. Holden Caulfield narrates his experiences after being expelled from Pencey Prep, exploring New York and his struggles with adolescence.
4. Catch-22 by Joseph Heller — 28 mentions. Captain John Yossarian, a WWII bomber crew member, fights for his survival on the fictional island of Pianosa.
5. One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez — 28 mentions. A groundbreaking work chronicling the Buendía family's seven generations in the magical town of Macondo.
6. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen — 27 mentions. Elizabeth Bennet navigates love, marriage, and societal expectations in the early 19th-century British aristocracy.
7. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee — 26 mentions. Scout Finch recounts her father’s struggle to defend a black man falsely accused of rape in the racially charged South of the 1930s.
8. Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov — 25 mentions. A middle-aged professor becomes obsessed with a 12-year-old girl, delving into themes of obsession and morality.
9. The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck — 24 mentions. The Joad family’s migration from Oklahoma to California during the Great Depression reveals societal injustices.
10. Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison — 23 mentions. An unnamed narrator reflects on his experiences growing up in a Black community and navigating life in New York.
11. Beloved by Toni Morrison — 22 mentions. Sethe, an escaped slave, confronts her haunting past and the ghost of her deceased child in post-Civil War America.
12. Moby Dick by Herman Melville — 22 mentions. Ishmael recounts Captain Ahab’s obsessive quest for revenge against the elusive whale, Moby Dick.
13. On the Road by Jack Kerouac — 21 mentions. Following the author’s adventures with Neal Cassady, this novel captures the spirit of the Beat Generation.
14. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn — 21 mentions. Huck Finn’s journey alongside Jim, a runaway slave, explores themes of friendship and morality.
15. Ulysses by James Joyce — 21 mentions. A single day in Dublin follows Leopold Bloom, intertwining various characters and narratives in a groundbreaking stream-of-consciousness style.
16. Wuthering Heights — 21 mentions. Heathcliff’s tumultuous relationship with Catherine Earnshaw unfolds against the backdrop of the Yorkshire moors.
17. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley — 20 mentions. This dystopian novel presents a future society obsessed with conformity and technology.
18. Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky — 20 mentions. Raskolnikov’s moral dilemmas following his crime lead him to confront the nature of guilt and redemption.
19. Great Expectations by Charles Dickens — 20 mentions. Pip’s journey from humble beginnings to wealth explores themes of ambition and identity.
20. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë — 20 mentions. The novel follows the life of an orphaned girl as she faces challenges and finds love.
21. Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy — 19 mentions. Anna’s passionate affair leads to tragic consequences, exploring societal hypocrisy.
22. Midnight’s Children by Salman Rushdie — 19 mentions. The tale of Saleem Sinai reflects India’s tumultuous transition from colonialism to independence.
23. Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut — 19 mentions. A nonlinear narrative delves into the horrors of war and the concept of time.
24. Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll — 18 mentions. A young girl’s journey into a fantastical realm filled with whimsical characters.
25. Animal Farm by George Orwell — 18 mentions. A group of farm animals revolts against their human oppressors in this allegorical tale of power and corruption.
26. Frankenstein by Mary Shelley — 18 mentions. Victor Frankenstein’s creation leads to tragic consequences as he grapples with guilt and responsibility.
27. Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell — 18 mentions. Scarlett O’Hara navigates love and loss during the Civil War and its aftermath.
28. The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood — 18 mentions. A dystopian narrative explores themes of oppression and resistance in a totalitarian society.
29. The Stranger by Albert Camus — 18 mentions. Meursault’s apathetic view of life leads to existential reflection and societal critique.
30. Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe — 18 mentions. The story of Okonkwo’s downfall reflects the impact of colonialism on traditional society.
31. War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy — 18 mentions. This epic novel captures the experiences of various characters during Napoleon’s invasion of Russia.
32. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury — 17 mentions. A future society that bans books leads one man to question the nature of happiness and conformity.
33. Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad — 17 mentions. Marlow’s journey into the Congo reveals the depths of colonial exploitation.
34. The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien — 17 mentions. An epic quest to destroy a powerful ring unfolds in a richly imagined world.
35. Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra — 16 mentions. A delusional nobleman embarks on adventures, blending reality with his chivalric fantasies.
36. The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky — 16 mentions. A philosophical exploration of faith, morality, and the complexities of family dynamics.
37. The Color Purple by Alice Walker — 16 mentions. Celie’s journey of self-discovery unfolds through letters and relationships in the early 20th-century South.
38. The Lord of the Flies by William Golding — 16 mentions. A group of boys stranded on an island descends into chaos, revealing the darkness of human nature.
39. The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway — 16 mentions. A depiction of the Lost Generation’s disillusionment and hedonism in post-war Europe.
40. A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess — 15 mentions. A dystopian exploration of free will and the nature of evil through the eyes of a young delinquent.
41. Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White — 15 mentions. A touching tale of friendship between a pig and a spider, highlighting themes of love and sacrifice.
42. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott — 15 mentions. The coming-of-age story of the March sisters as they navigate life and love during the Civil War.
43. Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert — 15 mentions. Emma Bovary’s quest for passion leads to her tragic downfall in a repressive society.
44. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams — 15 mentions. A comedic journey through space begins as Earth is destroyed.
45. Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston — 15 mentions. Janie Crawford’s search for identity and love unfolds in early 20th-century America.
46. Dracula by Bram Stoker — 14 mentions. Jonathan Harker’s encounter with Count Dracula sets off a chilling tale of horror and suspense.
47. Les Misérables by Victor Hugo — 14 mentions. Jean Valjean’s quest for redemption amidst the backdrop of revolutionary France.
48. Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf — 14 mentions. A day in the life of Clarissa Dalloway reveals the complexities of human relationships.
49. Native Son by Richard Wright — 14 mentions. Bigger Thomas’s story confronts issues of race and poverty in 1930s America.
50. The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas — 14 mentions. Edmond Dantès’s journey of revenge unfolds after years of wrongful imprisonment.
51. A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens — 13 mentions. A story of love and sacrifice during the tumult of the French Revolution.
52. Middlemarch by George Eliot — 13 mentions. A rich tapestry of life in a provincial town, exploring themes of marriage and ambition.
53. The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry — 13 mentions. A pilot’s encounter with a young prince reveals profound insights about life and love.
54. The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner — 13 mentions. The decline of the Compson family unfolds through multiple perspectives.
55. The Trial by Franz Kafka — 13 mentions. A man’s struggle against an incomprehensible legal system becomes a haunting exploration of existence.
56. Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery — 12 mentions. The adventures of an imaginative orphan who transforms the lives around her.
57. Atonement by Ian McEwan — 12 mentions. A misunderstanding leads to a lifetime of consequences in this exploration of love and guilt.
58. David Copperfield by Charles Dickens — 12 mentions. The life journey of David Copperfield from childhood to maturity showcases the struggles of Victorian society.
59. Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier — 12 mentions. A young bride grapples with the legacy of her husband’s first wife.
60. The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway — 12 mentions. Santiago’s epic struggle against nature embodies themes of resilience and perseverance.
61. Walden by Henry David Thoreau — 12 mentions. Thoreau reflects on simple living and nature during his time at Walden Pond.
62. Watership Down by Richard Adams — 12 mentions. A group of rabbits embarks on a perilous journey in search of a new home.
63. A Passage to India by E.M. Forster — 11 mentions. Cultural misunderstandings arise during a trip to India, culminating in a disastrous expedition.
64. Dune by Frank Herbert — 11 mentions. Paul Atreides’s destiny unfolds on the desert planet Arrakis in this sci-fi epic.
65. Go Tell It on the Mountain by James Baldwin — 11 mentions. A young man's coming-of-age story reveals the complexities of race and identity.
66. Gulliver’s Travels by Jonathan Swift — 11 mentions. A satirical tale of adventure and political commentary through the eyes of Lemuel Gulliver.
67. In Cold Blood by Truman Capote — 11 mentions. A non-fiction narrative of the brutal murder of a Kansas family.
68. The Call of the Wild by Jack London — 11 mentions. Buck’s transformation from a domestic pet to a wild creature unfolds in the Yukon.
69. The Iliad by Homer — 11 mentions. The epic tale of the Trojan War explores themes of honor and heroism.
70. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis — 11 mentions. Four siblings embark on a magical adventure in the land of Narnia.
71. Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh — 10 mentions. A reflection on love, faith, and the passage of time amidst the English elite.
72. Life of Pi by Yann Martel — 10 mentions. A young man's survival at sea alongside a Bengal tiger leads to profound revelations.
73. Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck — 10 mentions. George and Lennie’s dream of owning a ranch reveals the harsh realities of the Great Depression.
74. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak — 10 mentions. A young girl's love for books blossoms during the horrors of WWII.
75. The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien — 10 mentions. Bilbo Baggins's unexpected journey leads to adventure and discovery.
76. The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini — 10 mentions. A poignant tale of friendship and redemption set against the backdrop of Afghanistan.
77. To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf — 10 mentions. The intricacies of family dynamics unfold during a summer visit to a seaside home.
78. In Search of Lost Time by Marcel Proust — 9 mentions. The exploration of memory and time through the narrator’s reflections.
79. Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden — 9 mentions. A young girl's journey into the world of geishas reveals the complexities of love and sacrifice.
80. The Adventures of Augie March by Saul Bellow — 9 mentions. A coming-of-age story during the Great Depression.
81. The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho — 9 mentions. A young shepherd’s quest for treasure leads to profound life lessons.
82. The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath — 9 mentions. Esther Greenwood's struggle with identity and mental health in a conformist society.
83. The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler — 9 mentions. A private investigator navigates a web of crime in this classic noir tale.
84. The Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri — 9 mentions. Dante's allegorical journey through the afterlife explores themes of sin and redemption.
85. The Giver by Lois Lowry — 9 mentions. Jonas's awakening to the complexities of life and emotion in a seemingly perfect society.
86. The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne — 9 mentions. Hester Prynne’s struggle for identity and dignity in Puritan society.
87. The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame — 9 mentions. The charming adventures of animal friends in the English countryside.
88. A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens — 8 mentions. Ebenezer Scrooge’s transformation after encounters with three spirits.
89. A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce — 8 mentions. Stephen Dedalus’s exploration of identity and artistry.
90. Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle — 8 mentions. The legendary detective solves mysteries with his partner, Dr. Watson.
91. All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque — 8 mentions. The harrowing realities of World War I from the perspective of young soldiers.
92. As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner — 8 mentions. The Bundren family’s journey to bury their matriarch unfolds through multiple viewpoints.
93. Emma by Jane Austen** — 8 mentions. The romantic entanglements and growth of a young woman in Regency England.