1. The Little Prince by Antoine De Saint-Exupéry
Saint-Exupéry's classic spans the gulf between children's and adult literature. The novella tells the story of a pilot whose plane has crashed in the Sahara Desert. There he meets a young boy — the little prince — who shares the story of his life, including his fall from his tiny home planet and his journey from planet to planet. The story is simple but philosophical and offers smart social criticism on the strangeness of the adult world.
Quote: "All grown-ups were once children...but only few of them remember it."
Pages: 98
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2. The Awakening by Kate Chopin
The Awakening tells the story of Edna Pontellier, a wife and mother in 19th-century Louisiana who is torn between her family and conventional society and the independence — and love — she longs for. And Chopin's classic is about more than just feminism (although it's a must-read for feminists); it's a story for everyone who has struggled to be themselves.
Quote: “She was becoming herself and daily casting aside that fictitious self which we assume like a garment with which to appear before the world.”
Pages: 141 pages
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3. The Hound of the Baskervilles by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
The Hound of the Baskervilles is the third book featuring Detective Sherlock Holmes and his partner, Dr. Watson. In this case, Holmes and Watson investigate the death of Sir Charles Baskerville, who was found with a frightened look on his face and the paw print of huge hound nearby. This novel was responsible for much of Sherlock Holmes' popularity as well as the popularity of the crime genre — and it's a must-read for anyone addicted to true crime documentaries and podcasts.
Quote: “The world is full of obvious things which nobody by any chance ever observes.”
Pages: 117
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4. Night by Elie Wiesel
Night, written by Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel, is an autobiographical novel based on Wiesel's experiences in Nazi German concentration camps. The story follows the narrator, Eliezer, into a Jewish ghetto and from concentration camp to concentration camp before his liberation. Although Night is a short novel, it's definitely not light. It's a tale of survival, family, and humanity.
Quote: “Human suffering anywhere concerns men and women everywhere.”
Pages: 148
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5. Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
Frankenstein is a horror story, a Gothic thriller, and an early sci-fi piece all wrapped into one. Although the name Frankenstein is often used to describe the monster in this story, Frankenstein is actually a young doctor who is obsessed with bringing life to lifeless matter. His experiments go awry (obviously), making this essential reading for horror fans.
Quote: “Nothing is so painful to the human mind as a great and sudden change.”
Pages: 134
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6. A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess
A Clockwork Orange is the classic dystopian novel about an ultra-violent near future. The story follows teenager Alex DeLarge, and his gang of juvenile delinquent friends. Eventually imprisoned, Alex is subjected to behavior modification that will make you question the cost of freedom and the line between good and evil.
Quote: “Is it better for a man to have chosen evil than to have good imposed upon him?”
Pages: 148
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7. Passing by Nella Larsen
Passing tells the story of the reunion between childhood friends Clare Kendry and Irene Redfield. Both African-American, Irene marries a black doctor and moves to Harlem, while light-skinned Clare (passing as white) and marries a white man. The novella raises questions about race and identity that are still relevant today.
Quote: “It hurt. It hurt like hell. But it didn’t matter, if no one knew.”
Pages: 134
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8. Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad
Joseph Conrad's classic follows riverboat captain Charles Marlow up the Congo River into the heart of Africa. There, he encounters infamous ivory trader Mr. Kurtz, who has become depraved. The story offers an interesting comparison between the darkness in London and in Africa, while offering important insights on imperialism, racism, and the evil all human are capable of.
Quote: “The mind of man is capable of anything.”
Pages: 144
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9. Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton
Edith Wharton, the first woman to win a Pulitzer Prize, tells the tale of Ethan Frome, a New England farmer with a hypochondriac wife and an almost-unbearable existence. When his wife's young, vivacious cousin comes to live with them, Ethan becomes obsessed with her (and with what she represents). The novella portrays irony as its finest.
Quote: “The return to reality was as painful as the return to consciousness after taking an anesthetic.”
Pages: 87
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10. Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
Like John Steinbeck's longer novel, The Grapes of Wrath, Of Mice and Men is the tale of migrant workers during the Great Depression. George Milton and Lennie Small, a gentle giant of a man with limited mental abilities, make an unlikely duo whose story is ultimately one of hope, loss, and the pursuit of the American Dream.
Quote: “Because... Because I got you to look after me, and you got me to look after you, and that's why.”
Pages: 116
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11. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
Fahrenheit 451 — named after the temperature at which paper burns — is the dystopian novel of a society in which books are outlawed and burned. Bradbury’s classic serves not only as a warning of a world in which censorship is commonplace, but of a world in which the majority don’t care.
Quote: “Oh God, the terrible tyranny of the majority. We all have our harps to play. And it's up to you to know with which ear you'll listen.”
Pages: 194
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12. Death in Venice by Thomas Mann
Death in Venice, German author Thomas Mann's shortest work, tells the story of an aging writer's attempt to overcome writer's block by traveling to Venice. Instead, he becomes obsessed with a beautiful young Polish boy. Much like Mann's longer works, it's psychological, examining desire and morality.
Quote: “Because man loves and honors man as long as he is not able to judge him, and desire is a product of lacking knowledge.”
Pages: 92
Download it here.