25 Books For the Hardcore Reader

Described as "brutal" by the Amazon summary, East of Eden takes place in the farmland of California's Salinas Valley and follows two interwoven families, whose generations reenact the biblical story of Genesis.

"One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them, One Ring to bring them all, and in the darkness bind them." The epic fantasy book by J.R.R. Tolkien is the best-selling novel ever written.

The Goldfinch is a Pulitzer-prize winning novel that tells the tale of Theo Decker, a 13-year-old who survives a terrible accident that kills his mother. He's taken in by a wealthy family, and the tormented boy holds on to a small painting reminiscent of his mother.

The year is 1806, and two very different magicians emerge on the English scene in Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell . . . but one of them is increasingly drawn to the darkest of magic, putting everything at risk.

Considered The Great American Novel far and wide, Gone With the Wind is a massive historical epic, conveying a Civil War story of passion and courage.

A complex tale of adultery in the high society of Moscow and Saint Petersburg, Anna Karenina depicts a disastrous love triangle between Anna, a married woman, and a rich army officer.

In The Historian, a young woman discovers an ancient book of letters. She plummets into a world of family secrets and unimaginable evils. Will she take up the quest to wipe out the world's darkness?

Pandora's Star will change your perception of the sci-fi genre. A complex narration of space travel in the future, a starship is sent to investigate a vanishing star over a thousand light years away — but something deadly is waiting on the other side.

If you weren't assigned Ulysses in high school, it's time to conquer the novel in the present day. Containing one of the longest English sentences ever printed (4,391 words!), the book is described as "possibly mad."

The Tale of Genji was written in the eleventh century (!) and is famously regarded as the world's first novel. The complicated character of the Shining Prince is the essence of this ambitious book.

If you're obsessed with the show of the same name, you'll downright adore the original books. A Game of Thrones is an intricate fantasy masterpiece you won't be able to put down.

In Moby-Dick, Captain Ahab's on a mission to avenge the whale that destroyed his ship and crippled his leg. Does the captain get the retribution he seeks, and if so, at what price?

A legacy of infidelity, betrayal, and jealousy, Penmarric spans the Victorian Era to World War II and chronicles two feuding families.

Set in Tokyo during the 1980s, a young woman realizes she has entered a parallel existence. 1Q84 is a love story, mystery, and fantasy all wrapped into one.

In the first half of the twentieth century, Dr. Wilbur Larch is founder and director of an orphanage in rural Maine. The doc's favorite orphan, Homer Wells, is never adopted. The Cider House Rules is "a thoughtful exploration," according to one Amazon reviewer.

War and Peace charts the adventures of three famous characters — Pierre Bezukhov, Prince Andrei Bolkonsky, and Natasha Rostova — during the French invasion of Russia. The novel is considered to be a major accomplishment of world literature.

"Beginning with a chance encounter with the beautiful Eliza June Watermark and ending, four days and 900 pages later, with the Events of November 17, this is the story of Gurion Maccabee, age ten: a lover, a fighter, a scholar, and a truly spectacular talker," says Amazon's summary of The Instructions, a darkly humorous debut novel.

The Ultimate Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is a collapse of five novels in "one outrageous volume." Safe to say you won't be able to stop turning the highly beloved pages.

In The Count of Monte Cristo, a man is thrown in prison for a crime he did not commit. While incarcerated, he dreams of not only escaping, but also exhuming the treasure hidden on the Isle of Monte Cristo.

One seemingly ordinary day, a northeastern American town is inexplicably cut off from the rest of the earth by an invisible force field. Under the Dome is an apocolyptic thriller that will get your heart racing.

Gary Gilmore robbed and killed two men in 1976 . . . and then insisted on a criminal execution. "[The Executioner's Song] is on my top ten list of all-time favorites," one reviewer writes. "It's a must read."

Night Film follows a veteran journalist as he investigates the mysterious death of a young girl whose famous father has been missing for more than 30 years. Eerie and spellbinding, Night Film will hold you till the end.

Tom Wingo and his troubled twin sister strive to overcome the devastating legacy of the family they were born into in The Prince of Tides, a deep, sometimes difficult read.

Author Victor Hugo plunges readers deep into the underworld of Paris in his dramatic tale Les Misérables, which criticizes the French political systems.

An exciting story of forbidden love, dreams, and passion set in the Australian Outback, The Thorn Birds is a timeless saga.