5 Old Books That Are Way More Interesting Than What’s Out Right Now

We get it, the language is weird and the story lines weren’t great. But some books written way back when (we’re talking like the 1800s here) can offer up some pretty spicy plot twists that you may have skimmed over in high school. They all have been made into movies, but trust me when I say that these books are way better read than watch.

1. Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert (1856)

Emma is a bored housewife that spends all her husband's money on pretty things and has affairs with pretty men. Tired of her provincial life (cue "Belle" music from Beauty and the Beast) Emma seeks adventure in the most scandalous of places. Emma's elaborate wardrobe is enough to drool over (even if you're just reading about it) and her romantic rendezvouses put today's gossip columns to shame.

2. Candide - Voltaire (1759)

Voltaire was a philosopher, but don't be fooled into thinking this book is some boring rant on enlightenment. Candide drips with sarcasm and wit, and is chock full of crazy adventures that would never happen in the flimsy novels that line bookstands today. Candide, who has been taught that he lives in "the best of all possible worlds" fights many battles (example: he's banned from his home, leaving behind his beloved teacher Pangloss, who he then believes to be dead) but then overcomes them (Pangloss just got syphilis from sleeping with a prostitute- no biggie). There are a lot more OMG moments in this book than you would expect from an 18th century read.

3. The Picture of Dorian Gray - Oscar Wilde (1890)

Dorian Gray is a young, incredibly handsome man who is admired and adored by everyone he meets. His friend, taken by Dorian's beautiful features, paints a picture of Dorian and gifts it to him. Dorian soon realizes that his good looks allow him to get anything- and anyone- he wants. He is even more pleased when he discovers that his age and evilness never show on his real body- only the one in the picture.

4. Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy (1877)

All love triangles bow down, for Anna Karenina is the Queen of all romantic dramas. Basically everyone falls in love with everyone, and chaos ensues. Buckle down for some passionately crazy affairs, unexpected pregnancies, and madness-driven suicides. No, this isn't MTV's new reality show, this is a novel published 136 years ago. Let's just say if Tolstoy was alive today, gossip magazines would be a lot more interesting.

5. The Importance of Being Earnest - Oscar Wilde (1895)

I couldn't resist throwing one more of Oscar Wilde's beautiful works on here. Two men make up fake identities so they can live a fun life in the city while still carrying out a professional life in the country. They each find a girl and fall in love, and they each tell their lady that their name is Ernest. They decide to come clean with their real identities, until each girl proclaims that she has always envisioned marrying a man named Ernest and can't imagine loving anyone by any other name. Both men are left with a big "well, now what?" problem they just can't seem to wriggle out of.