{"id":98470,"date":"2024-12-27T14:52:53","date_gmt":"2024-12-27T14:52:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/?post_type=articles&p=98470"},"modified":"2024-12-27T14:52:53","modified_gmt":"2024-12-27T14:52:53","slug":"21-must-read-books-for-a-lifetime","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/articles\/21-must-read-books-for-a-lifetime\/","title":{"rendered":"21 Must-Read Books for a Lifetime"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Reading-books-on-bed\"There are countless books worth reading, and in general, the more you read, the better. However, the ones we want to discuss today are fundamental\u2014books that everyone should dive into at least once.<\/strong><\/p>\n

These are literary masterpieces, filled with emotions and stories that have enchanted generations of readers and become part of the fabric of society.<\/p>\n

From Madame Bovary<\/em> to Anna Karenina<\/em>, via Dorian Gray<\/em> and Holden Caulfield<\/em>:<\/strong> their adventures have left a mark on humanity.<\/p>\n

Immersing oneself in the struggles of a dissatisfied 19th-century wife, a 1950s teenager expelled from school, or a mid-20th-century clown who can no longer make people laugh\u2014this is the magic that only literature makes possible. It allows us to live multiple lives, moving back and forth through time.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Here, then, are the 21 books to read in a lifetime, listed chronologically. Happy reading and bon voyage!<\/p>\n

21 Books to Read in Your Lifetime (at Least Once)<\/strong><\/h2>\n

\"pile-of-book-different-genre\"<\/p>\n

1. Madame Bovary<\/em> by Gustave Flaubert (1857)<\/h4>\n

One of the first realist novels,<\/strong> astonishingly modern for its time. Emma Bovary,<\/em> dissatisfied with her husband and sterile life, seeks thrills in the arms of lovers, with tragic consequences.<\/p>\n

2. Anna Karenina<\/em> by Leo Tolstoy (1877)<\/h4>\n

Like Madame Bovary<\/em>, this novel centers on a woman who seeks solace outside her marriage.<\/strong> Tolstoy\u2019s masterpiece is an ode to love and passion, exploring the tragic conflict between personal choices and societal norms.<\/p>\n

3. The Pleasure<\/em> by Gabriele D\u2019Annunzio (1889)<\/h4>\n

Andrea Sperelli,<\/em> a Roman dandy, indulges in beauty and hedonism, suffering heartbreak and self-destruction in his quest for fulfillment.<\/strong><\/p>\n

4. The Picture of Dorian Gray<\/em> by Oscar Wilde (1890)<\/h4>\n

Inspired by Goethe\u2019s Faust<\/em>, Wilde\u2019s novel follows Dorian, who trades his soul to retain his youth.<\/strong> His secret portrait bears the marks of his debauchery.<\/p>\n

\"library-with-yellow-lights\"<\/p>\n

5. Zeno\u2019s Conscience<\/em> by Italo Svevo (1923)<\/h4>\n

An introspective dive into the life of Zeno Cosini,<\/em> a neurotic and flawed man who is impossible not to love.<\/strong><\/p>\n

6. The Magic Mountain<\/em> by Thomas Mann (1924)<\/h4>\n

Set in a Swiss sanatorium, this novel explores the transformation of a young man<\/strong> during a lengthy stay.<\/p>\n

7. The Trial<\/em> by Franz Kafka (1925)<\/h4>\n

A bank clerk\u2019s life spirals into chaos after he\u2019s arrested without explanation. Kafka<\/em>\u2019s surreal classic is a study of existential anxiety and bureaucratic absurdity.<\/strong><\/p>\n

8. One, No One, and One Hundred Thousand<\/em> by Luigi Pirandello (1926)<\/h4>\n

A man\u2019s obsession with how others perceive him<\/strong> triggers a quest to dismantle his own identity.<\/p>\n

\"books-and-coffee-perfect-combination\"<\/p>\n

9. In Search of Lost Time<\/em> by Marcel Proust (1927)<\/h4>\n

A monumental seven-volume exploration<\/strong> of memory, time, and identity, sparked by the taste of a madeleine.<\/p>\n

10. Nausea<\/em> by Jean-Paul Sartre (1938)<\/h4>\n

A man\u2019s existential crisis<\/strong> reveals the absurdity of existence in Sartre\u2019s groundbreaking philosophical novel.<\/p>\n

11. 1984<\/em> by George Orwell (1948)<\/h4>\n

A dystopian vision of totalitarianism, surveillance, and control, centered on the chilling figure of Big Brother.<\/strong><\/p>\n

12. The Catcher in the Rye<\/em> by J.D. Salinger (1951)<\/h4>\n

Holden Caulfield narrates his troubled teenage years in this classic tale of alienation and rebellion.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"open-pages-books-reading\"<\/p>\n

13. Lord of the Flies<\/em> by William Golding (1954)<\/h4>\n

Stranded on a desert island, a group of boys descends into chaos and savagery,<\/strong> exploring humanity\u2019s darker instincts.<\/p>\n

14. Boredom<\/em> by Alberto Moravia (1960)<\/h4>\n

A painter’s struggle<\/strong> with disconnection and obsessive love paints a vivid portrait of postwar Italian bourgeois life.<\/p>\n

15. The Clown<\/em> by Heinrich B\u00f6ll (1963)<\/h4>\n

A disillusioned clown<\/strong> critiques societal hypocrisy and the lingering shadows of Nazi-era Germany.<\/p>\n

16. One Hundred Years of Solitude<\/em> by Gabriel Garc\u00eda M\u00e1rquez (1967)<\/h4>\n

The multigenerational saga of the Buend\u00eda family, steeped in magical realism, explores the essence of humanity.<\/strong><\/p>\n

17. Invisible Cities<\/em> by Italo Calvino (1974)<\/h4>\n

Through Marco Polo\u2019s descriptions of fantastical cities, Calvino meditates on imagination and reality.<\/p>\n

18. The Name of the Rose<\/em> by Umberto Eco (1980)<\/h4>\n

A medieval murder mystery combining history, theology, and detective work.<\/strong><\/p>\n

19. American Psycho<\/em> by Bret Easton Ellis (1991)<\/h4>\n

A dark, graphic critique of consumerism through the eyes of a wealthy serial killer.<\/strong><\/p>\n

20. Blindness<\/em> by Jos\u00e9 Saramago (1995)<\/h4>\n

A gripping allegory of a society grappling with a mysterious epidemic of blindness.<\/strong><\/p>\n

21. A Visit from the Goon Squad<\/em> by Jennifer Egan (2010)<\/h4>\n

A Pulitzer-winning tapestry of interconnected stories, weaving through time and space.<\/p>\n

Classic Books to Read Based on Your Zodiac Sign<\/a><\/p>\n

Accumulating Books on Your Nightstand? That\u2019s a Great Sign<\/a><\/p>\n

This article first appeared on Grazia.it- Author: Camilla Sernagiotto<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":42690,"featured_media":98476,"template":"","format":"standard","categories":[2563,16],"yoast_head":"\n21 Must-Read Books for a Lifetime - Grazia USA<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Discover 21 timeless books everyone should read at least once in their lives, from classics to modern masterpieces.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/articles\/21-must-read-books-for-a-lifetime\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"21 Must-Read Books for a Lifetime\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Discover 21 timeless books everyone should read at least once in their lives, from classics to modern masterpieces.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/articles\/21-must-read-books-for-a-lifetime\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Grazia USA\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2024\/12\/Reading-books-on-bed.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1600\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"567\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/articles\/21-must-read-books-for-a-lifetime\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/articles\/21-must-read-books-for-a-lifetime\/\",\"name\":\"21 Must-Read Books for a Lifetime - Grazia USA\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2024-12-27T14:52:53+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-12-27T14:52:53+00:00\",\"description\":\"Discover 21 timeless books everyone should read at least once in their lives, from classics to modern masterpieces.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/articles\/21-must-read-books-for-a-lifetime\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/articles\/21-must-read-books-for-a-lifetime\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/articles\/21-must-read-books-for-a-lifetime\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"21 Must-Read Books for a Lifetime\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/\",\"name\":\"Grazia USA\",\"description\":\"Driving tastemakers in Fashion, Beauty and Culture\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"21 Must-Read Books for a Lifetime - Grazia USA","description":"Discover 21 timeless books everyone should read at least once in their lives, from classics to modern masterpieces.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/articles\/21-must-read-books-for-a-lifetime\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"21 Must-Read Books for a Lifetime","og_description":"Discover 21 timeless books everyone should read at least once in their lives, from classics to modern masterpieces.","og_url":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/articles\/21-must-read-books-for-a-lifetime\/","og_site_name":"Grazia USA","og_image":[{"width":1600,"height":567,"url":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2024\/12\/Reading-books-on-bed.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/articles\/21-must-read-books-for-a-lifetime\/","url":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/articles\/21-must-read-books-for-a-lifetime\/","name":"21 Must-Read Books for a Lifetime - Grazia USA","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/#website"},"datePublished":"2024-12-27T14:52:53+00:00","dateModified":"2024-12-27T14:52:53+00:00","description":"Discover 21 timeless books everyone should read at least once in their lives, from classics to modern masterpieces.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/articles\/21-must-read-books-for-a-lifetime\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/articles\/21-must-read-books-for-a-lifetime\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/articles\/21-must-read-books-for-a-lifetime\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"21 Must-Read Books for a Lifetime"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/#website","url":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/","name":"Grazia USA","description":"Driving tastemakers in Fashion, Beauty and Culture","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"}]}},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Grazia USA","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/articles\/98470"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/articles"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/articles"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/42690"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/98476"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=98470"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=98470"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}