Discover new books on Goodreads
Meet your next favorite book
Modern-day Classics
The book you know will go into the canon of literature, on par with Tolkien, Shakespeare, Austen and other greats. The books that will one day be part of a school curriculum, or are beginning to be accepted as such. These are the books in the last hundred years or so that have really touched many by their literary genius.
Score
A book’s total score is based on multiple factors, including the number of people who have voted for it and how highly those voters ranked the book.
1 |
To Kill a Mockingbird
by
4.26 avg rating — 6,736,799 ratings
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
|
2 |
The Handmaid’s Tale (The Handmaid's Tale, #1)
by
Margaret Atwood (Goodreads Author)
4.15 avg rating — 2,349,525 ratings
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
|
3 |
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest
by
4.20 avg rating — 771,064 ratings
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
|
4 |
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, #1)
by
4.22 avg rating — 1,981,675 ratings
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
|
5 |
The Outsiders
by
S.E. Hinton (Goodreads Author)
4.14 avg rating — 1,554,188 ratings
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
|
6 |
The Kite Runner
by
Khaled Hosseini (Goodreads Author)
4.35 avg rating — 3,425,789 ratings
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
|
7 |
The Hunger Games (The Hunger Games, #1)
by
4.35 avg rating — 9,674,770 ratings
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
|
8 |
The Book Thief
by
Markus Zusak (Goodreads Author)
4.39 avg rating — 2,821,052 ratings
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
|
9 |
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Harry Potter, #3)
by
4.58 avg rating — 4,718,131 ratings
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
|
10 |
The Color Purple
by
4.28 avg rating — 741,381 ratings
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
|
11 |
In Cold Blood
by
4.09 avg rating — 715,131 ratings
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
|
12 |
Atonement
by
Ian McEwan (Goodreads Author)
3.95 avg rating — 555,343 ratings
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
|
13 |
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
by
3.89 avg rating — 1,577,039 ratings
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
|
14 |
Catch-22
by
3.99 avg rating — 876,962 ratings
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
|
15 |
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Harry Potter, #2)
by
4.43 avg rating — 4,384,332 ratings
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
|
16 |
The Giver (The Giver, #1)
by
Lois Lowry (Goodreads Author)
4.12 avg rating — 2,751,673 ratings
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
|
17 |
The Princess Bride
by
4.27 avg rating — 939,793 ratings
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
|
18 |
The Bell Jar
by
4.05 avg rating — 1,172,762 ratings
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
|
19 |
Watership Down (Watership Down, #1)
by
4.09 avg rating — 500,941 ratings
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
|
20 |
The Hobbit, or There and Back Again
by
4.30 avg rating — 4,374,239 ratings
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
|
21 |
The Master and Margarita
by
4.28 avg rating — 406,387 ratings
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
|
22 |
Dune (Dune #1)
by
4.29 avg rating — 1,585,854 ratings
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
|
23 |
The Name of the Rose
by
4.14 avg rating — 389,674 ratings
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
|
24 |
Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe
by
4.28 avg rating — 322,958 ratings
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
|
25 |
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?
by
4.09 avg rating — 500,200 ratings
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
|
26 |
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (Maya Angelou's Autobiography, #1)
by
4.30 avg rating — 572,335 ratings
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
|
27 |
A Clockwork Orange
by
really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 757,654 ratings
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
|
28 |
Fight Club
by
Chuck Palahniuk (Goodreads Author)
4.18 avg rating — 632,655 ratings
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
|
29 |
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (Chronicles of Narnia, #1)
by
4.24 avg rating — 3,082,994 ratings
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
|
30 |
Water for Elephants
by
Sara Gruen (Goodreads Author)
4.11 avg rating — 1,686,047 ratings
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
|
31 |
The Joy Luck Club
by
Amy Tan (Goodreads Author)
3.97 avg rating — 705,146 ratings
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
|
32 |
The Fault in Our Stars
by
John Green (Goodreads Author)
4.12 avg rating — 5,616,812 ratings
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
|
33 |
Ender’s Game (Ender's Saga, #1)
by
4.31 avg rating — 1,456,289 ratings
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
|
34 |
The Perks of Being a Wallflower
by
4.24 avg rating — 1,961,895 ratings
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
|
35 |
The Man Without Qualities
by
4.19 avg rating — 7,235 ratings
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
|
36 |
The Remains of the Day
by
Kazuo Ishiguro (Goodreads Author)
4.14 avg rating — 348,272 ratings
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
|
37 |
The Help
by
Kathryn Stockett (Goodreads Author)
4.47 avg rating — 2,976,837 ratings
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
|
38 |
The Golden Compass (His Dark Materials, #1)
by
4.03 avg rating — 1,599,973 ratings
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
|
39 |
Jurassic Park (Jurassic Park, #1)
by
4.13 avg rating — 1,040,771 ratings
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
|
40 |
Midnight’s Children
by
3.98 avg rating — 131,290 ratings
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
|
41 |
The Alchemist
by
Paulo Coelho (Goodreads Author)
3.92 avg rating — 3,466,160 ratings
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
|
42 |
Memoirs of a Geisha
by
4.16 avg rating — 2,090,033 ratings
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
|
43 |
The Pillars of the Earth (Kingsbridge, #1)
by
Ken Follett (Goodreads Author)
4.35 avg rating — 814,986 ratings
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
|
44 |
A Game of Thrones (A Song of Ice and Fire, #1)
by
4.45 avg rating — 2,689,185 ratings
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
|
45 |
Interview with the Vampire (The Vampire Chronicles, #1)
by
4.02 avg rating — 637,477 ratings
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
|
46 |
The Notebooks of Malte Laurids Brigge
by
3.93 avg rating — 9,738 ratings
score: 890,
and
9 people voted
![]() |
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
|
47 |
The Secret Life of Bees
by
Sue Monk Kidd (Goodreads Author)
4.10 avg rating — 1,341,804 ratings
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
|
48 |
A Wrinkle in Time
by
3.97 avg rating — 1,267,936 ratings
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
|
49 |
The Things They Carried
by
4.14 avg rating — 339,349 ratings
score: 834,
and
9 people voted
![]() |
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
|
50 |
Jaws (Jaws, #1)
by
3.95 avg rating — 176,304 ratings
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
|
51 |
As I Lay Dying
by
3.72 avg rating — 183,701 ratings
score: 824,
and
9 people voted
![]() |
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
|
52 |
Love in the Time of Cholera
by
3.94 avg rating — 538,959 ratings
score: 823,
and
9 people voted
![]() |
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
|
53 |
The Cider House Rules
by
John Irving (Goodreads Author)
4.17 avg rating — 193,489 ratings
score: 802,
and
9 people voted
![]() |
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
|
54 |
The Godfather (The Godfather, #1)
by
4.40 avg rating — 455,928 ratings
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
|
55 |
Lonesome Dove (Lonesome Dove, #1)
by
4.57 avg rating — 226,722 ratings
score: 779,
and
9 people voted
![]() |
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
|
56 |
Holes (Holes, #1)
by
Louis Sachar (Goodreads Author)
4.01 avg rating — 1,342,285 ratings
|
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
|
57 |
Night
by
4.38 avg rating — 1,341,415 ratings
score: 720,
and
8 people voted
![]() |
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
|
58 |
Valley of the Dolls
by
3.86 avg rating — 75,950 ratings
score: 696,
and
8 people voted
![]() |
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
|
59 |
Matilda
by
4.33 avg rating — 1,084,412 ratings
score: 679,
and
8 people voted
![]() |
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
|
60 |
The Incredible Journey
by
4.16 avg rating — 52,557 ratings
score: 675,
and
8 people voted
![]() |
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
|
61 |
The Hunt for Red October (Jack Ryan, #3)
by
4.12 avg rating — 386,094 ratings
score: 669,
and
8 people voted
![]() |
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
|
62 |
The Neverending Story
by
4.18 avg rating — 217,390 ratings
score: 651,
and
8 people voted
![]() |
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
|
63 |
The World According to Garp
by
John Irving (Goodreads Author)
4.11 avg rating — 236,763 ratings
score: 629,
and
7 people voted
![]() |
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
|
64 |
Rosemary’s Baby (Rosemary's Baby, #1)
by
4.05 avg rating — 154,779 ratings
score: 618,
and
8 people voted
![]() |
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
|
65 |
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead
by
4.04 avg rating — 92,337 ratings
score: 615,
and
7 people voted
![]() |
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
|
66 |
The Killer Angels (The Civil War Trilogy, #2)
by
4.33 avg rating — 90,856 ratings
score: 602,
and
7 people voted
![]() |
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
|
67 |
The Shadow of the Wind (The Cemetery of Forgotten Books, #1)
by
4.31 avg rating — 703,298 ratings
score: 599,
and
7 people voted
![]() |
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
|
68 |
The Poisonwood Bible
by
4.11 avg rating — 783,805 ratings
score: 593,
and
7 people voted
![]() |
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
|
69 |
The Thorn Birds
by
4.25 avg rating — 362,152 ratings
score: 590,
and
7 people voted
![]() |
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
|
70 |
Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell
by
3.87 avg rating — 251,280 ratings
score: 578,
and
7 people voted
![]() |
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
|
71 |
Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil
by
3.92 avg rating — 290,928 ratings
score: 573,
and
7 people voted
![]() |
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
|
72 |
The Shipping News
by
3.88 avg rating — 151,304 ratings
score: 568,
and
7 people voted
![]() |
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
|
73 |
Starship Troopers
by
4.01 avg rating — 242,993 ratings
score: 562,
and
7 people voted
![]() |
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
|
74 |
Contact
by
4.15 avg rating — 150,711 ratings
score: 559,
and
7 people voted
![]() |
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
|
75 |
Empire of the Sun
by
3.98 avg rating — 22,218 ratings
score: 550,
and
6 people voted
![]() |
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
|
76 |
The Shell Seekers
by
4.20 avg rating — 119,035 ratings
score: 538,
and
7 people voted
![]() |
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
|
77 |
The Bluest Eye
by
4.13 avg rating — 291,388 ratings
score: 536,
and
6 people voted
![]() |
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
|
77 |
American Gods (American Gods, #1)
by
Neil Gaiman (Goodreads Author)
4.10 avg rating — 982,283 ratings
score: 536,
and
6 people voted
![]() |
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
|
79 |
A Scanner Darkly
by
4.03 avg rating — 108,748 ratings
score: 530,
and
6 people voted
![]() |
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
|
80 |
Presumed Innocent (Kindle County Legal Thriller, #1)
by
Scott Turow (Goodreads Author)
4.09 avg rating — 124,798 ratings
score: 514,
and
6 people voted
![]() |
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
|
81 |
The Diary of a Young Girl
by
4.20 avg rating — 4,103,428 ratings
score: 510,
and
6 people voted
![]() |
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
|
82 |
Gilead (Gilead, #1)
by
3.85 avg rating — 121,991 ratings
score: 482,
and
5 people voted
![]() |
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
|
83 |
Rebecca
by
4.25 avg rating — 704,748 ratings
score: 470,
and
5 people voted
![]() |
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
|
84 |
Cold Mountain
by
3.89 avg rating — 248,638 ratings
score: 469,
and
6 people voted
![]() |
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
|
85 |
A Canticle for Leibowitz (St. Leibowitz, #1)
by
3.99 avg rating — 117,391 ratings
score: 467,
and
6 people voted
![]() |
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
|
86 |
Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch
by
4.25 avg rating — 814,081 ratings
score: 465,
and
6 people voted
![]() |
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
|
87 |
Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close
by
Jonathan Safran Foer (Goodreads Author)
3.97 avg rating — 432,625 ratings
score: 464,
and
5 people voted
![]() |
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
|
88 |
A Fine Balance
by
4.38 avg rating — 157,743 ratings
score: 434,
and
5 people voted
![]() |
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
|
89 |
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
by
4.30 avg rating — 502,941 ratings
score: 427,
and
6 people voted
![]() |
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
|
90 |
All the Pretty Horses (The Border Trilogy, #1)
by
4.06 avg rating — 141,953 ratings
score: 425,
and
5 people voted
![]() |
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
|
91 |
The Client
by
John Grisham (Goodreads Author)
4.06 avg rating — 459,721 ratings
score: 414,
and
5 people voted
![]() |
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
|
91 |
The Selfish Gene
by
Richard Dawkins (Goodreads Author)
4.16 avg rating — 189,970 ratings
score: 414,
and
5 people voted
![]() |
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
|
93 |
Coma
by
Robin Cook (Goodreads Author)
3.88 avg rating — 53,016 ratings
score: 393,
and
5 people voted
![]() |
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
|
94 |
Centennial
by
4.26 avg rating — 44,681 ratings
score: 375,
and
5 people voted
![]() |
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
|
94 |
The Blind Assassin
by
Margaret Atwood (Goodreads Author)
3.96 avg rating — 161,914 ratings
score: 375,
and
4 people voted
![]() |
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
|
96 |
The Pelican Brief
by
John Grisham (Goodreads Author)
4.06 avg rating — 444,218 ratings
score: 368,
and
5 people voted
![]() |
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
|
97 |
Howl’s Moving Castle (Howl’s Moving Castle, #1)
by
4.29 avg rating — 431,848 ratings
score: 339,
and
4 people voted
![]() |
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
|
97 |
Red Storm Rising
by
4.21 avg rating — 83,978 ratings
score: 339,
and
4 people voted
![]() |
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
|
99 |
The Andromeda Strain (Andromeda, #1)
by
3.91 avg rating — 268,535 ratings
score: 336,
and
5 people voted
![]() |
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
|
100 |
The Prince of Tides
by
4.26 avg rating — 214,610 ratings
score: 327,
and
4 people voted
![]() |
Error rating book. Refresh and try again.
Rate this book
Clear rating
|
363 books ·
188 voters ·
list created March 30th, 2012
by Sam Sigelakis-Minski (votes) .
Sam
4182 books
192 friends
192 friends
Susanna - Censored by GoodReads
3384 books
853 friends
853 friends
Soumya
1374 books
38 friends
38 friends
JanBreesmom
2425 books
235 friends
235 friends
Joe
1336 books
45 friends
45 friends
Harry
43 books
13 friends
13 friends
Winnie
700 books
25 friends
25 friends
Michaela
502 books
62 friends
62 friends
More voters…
Comments Showing 1-18 of 18 (18 new)
date
newest »

message 1:
by
Ayesha
(last edited Mar 23, 2013 06:13AM)
(new)
Mar 23, 2013 06:14AM

reply
|
flag


Just cleaned it up a bit; please let me know if there are any other books you find should be removed.

Just cleaned it up a bit; please let me know if there are any other books you find should be removed.

The list does say "fifty years OR SO" for a reason; so that people can loosely interpret that and put books on here that they find are classics that have not entered the standard literary canon yet. That being said, I removed the books you think do not belong there so that there is no more problems.


It's easy to add books to lists; at the top of the list, at the tab next to "all votes."

I just ran the Goodreads "duplicate checker;" it has found and removed five duplicates from the list.

To Kill a Mockingbird (#1)
The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe (#32)
Native Son (#105)
Rebecca (#121)
A Town Like Alice (#129)
On the Beach (#134)
1984 (#246)
Jamaica Inn (#269)
Frenchman's Creek (#271)
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (#302)

To Kill a Mockingbird (#1)
The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe (#32)
Native Son (#105)
Rebecca (#121)
A Town Like Alice (#129)
On the Beach (#134)
1984 (#246)
Jamaica I..."
What part of "or so" did you not understand?

That is a highly subjective opinion. This list is for the people to decide. You, as a person, can add books thst you feel are more fitting.

The Time Machine 1890s - over 100 years. More than twice 50 years.
If the list criteria had a firm date, it would make the list easier to maintain.

The Time Machine 1890s - over 100 years. More than twice 50 years.
If the list criteria had a firm date, it would make the li..."
Make your own list with firm criteria, then. This list was created literally seven years ago, and to be frank, I do not have time to maintain and edit it. People have the ability to add and subtract books at their own will. If you feel that strongly about this, I will change the description to 100 years.

From the Goodreads page:
"Important: if you're on this page you have been granted a special "librarian" status, and can edit list data. Don't take this responsibility lightly—if you can help correct any inaccuracies or add any missing data, please do so! But only make changes if you're sure they're correct."
Related News
Hollywood has been mining the world of books for a long time—since 1899, according to some reckonings. The practice has been ramping up in recent...
Anyone can add books to this list.
How to Vote
To vote on existing books from the list, beside each book there is a link vote for this book clicking it will add that book to your votes.
To vote on books not in the list or books you couldn't find in the list, you can click on the tab add books to this list and then choose from your books, or simply search.