Books Everyone Should Read at Least Once

Treat this as a set of doors into different kinds of reading. Familiar novels sit beside translated fiction, memoir, poetry, science and stories told in pictures, chosen for a memorable voice, an enduring question or an experience the form makes possible. Start with Pride and Prejudice for wit, Born a Crime for storytelling, Devotions for a poem at a time or The Arrival for visual discovery. Longer and more demanding works earn their space too; the entries explain where patience or emotional room will help. This is one generous selection to explore at your own pace, with an English-reading emphasis and room for both pleasure and disagreement.