What you need to read in life. The most interesting books that everyone should read. Ray Bradbury - "Dandelion Wine"

Mikhail Bulgakov: The Master and Margarita

The volume of Mikhail Bulgakov, standing on the bookshelf, testifies to the good taste of the reader. It is no coincidence that what was written by this author survived the death of Soviet literature without loss and today is read as a continuation of the golden fund of Russian classics of the 19th century. Fascinating plots (“fantasy, rooted in everyday life”), vivid images, moral problems raised to a universal scale - all this makes you return to what you read again and again.

Marquez Garcia: One Hundred Years of Solitude

One of the greatest books of the 20th century. A strange, poetic, whimsical story of the city of Macondo, lost in the jungle, from creation to decline. The history of the Buendía family, a family in which miracles are so everyday that they are not even noticed. The Buendia clan produces saints and sinners, revolutionaries, heroes and traitors, dashing adventurers - and women too beautiful for ordinary life. Extraordinary passions boil in him - and incredible events take place.

George Orwell: 1984. Animal Farm

"1984" A peculiar antipode of the second great dystopia of the XX century - "Brave New World" by Aldous Huxley. What, in essence, is more terrible: the “consumer society” brought to the point of absurdity, or the “idea society” brought to the absolute? According to Orwell, there is and cannot be anything more terrible than total lack of freedom ... "Animal Farm" A parable full of humor and sarcasm. Can a humble farm become a symbol of a totalitarian society? Of course yes. But… how this society will be seen by its “citizens” – animals doomed to slaughter.

Herman Melville: Moby Dick, or the White Whale

Herman Melville is a writer and sailor, in whose work and destiny the experience of a traveler and the mythopoetic worldview of the artist surprisingly organically melted. The realization of the magnitude of Melville's talent did not come immediately, and only a quarter of a century after the death of the writer, the outlines of the enormous contribution that he made to the treasury of world literature became visible. Melville's work - the grandiose "Moby Dick" - became one of the pinnacles of American literature.

Francis Fitzgerald: The Great Gatsby

“ The Great Gatsby” - the most famous novel by Francis Fitzgerald, which has become a symbol of the “Jazz Age”. America, 1925, the time of Prohibition and gangster showdowns, bright lights and bright life. But for Jay Gatsby, the epitomeamerican dreamturned into a real tragedy. And the way up, despite fame and fortune, led to a total collapse. After all, each of us, first of all, strives not for material goods, but for love, true and eternal ...

Fyodor Dostoyevsky: Crime and Punishment

“ Crime and Punishment” is a novel about one crime. A double murder committed by a poor student for money. It is difficult to find a simpler plot, but the intellectual and spiritual shock that the novel produces is indelible. And the question that the main character set for himself to decide: “Am I a trembling creature or do I have the right?” - terrifying.Abyssthe fall is explored by the writer in order to rise to the heights of the spirit.

Ray Bradbury: Dandelion Wine

“ Dandelion wine” Ray Bradbury is a classic work that has entered the golden fund of world literature.Enter the bright world of a twelve-year-old boy and live one summer with him, filled with joyful and sad, mysterious and disturbing events; summer, when amazing discoveries are made every day, the main of which is that you are alive, you breathe, you feel!

Daniel Keyes: Flowers for Algernon

This fantastic story has amazing psychological power and makes you think about universal questions of morality: do we have the right to experiment on each other, what results can this lead to, and what price are we willing to pay to become “the smartest”. What about lonely?

Alexander Pushkin: Eugene Onegin

Novel "Eugene Onegin“ – “encyclopedia of Russian life” – presented in thisbookwith the famous comments by Yu.M. Lotman, allowing the reader to better understand the spirit and customs of the era and the novel, whose heroes have been loved by readers for the third century. The book is illustrated with drawings by A.S. Pushkin, made by the poet on the handwritten pages of the novel.

Ernest Hemingway: The Old Man and the Sea. Beyond the river, in the shade of the trees

The story "The Old Man and the Sea" is one of the most famous and beloved by readers of Hemingway's works. She brought the author the Pulitzer Prize, and also played an important role in awarding him the title of Nobel laureate. This is a story about “tragic stoicism” and courage, about how, in the face of a ruthless fate and loneliness, a person, even losing, must maintain dignity.

Jonathan Swift: The Travels of Lemuel Gulliver

Gulliver's Travels is Jonathan Swift's most significant work. Similar at first glance to a funny fairy tale, “Gulliver's Travels” is an allegory, a parable, the author of which is a ruthless and brilliant master of words, ridiculing human and social vices. Masterfully using all shades of humor, from good-natured humor and gentle irony to angry sarcasm and venomous ridicule, Swift created one of the greatest satirical books in world literature.

Leo Tolstoy: War and Peace

Tolstoy's "War and Peace" is a book for all time. It seems that it has always existed, the text seems so familiar, as soon as we open the first pages of the novel, many of its episodes are so memorable: hunting and Christmas time, the first ball of Natasha Rostova, a moonlit night in Otradnoye, Prince Andrei in the battle of Austerlitz ... Scenes of “peaceful” , family life are replaced by paintings that are important for the course of the entire world history, but for Tolstoy they are equivalent, connected in a single stream of time.

Margaret Mitchell: Gone with the Wind

Gone with the Wind is the only novel by Margaret Mitchell (1900-1949) for which she - a writer, emancipe and advocate for women's rights - received a Pulitzer Prize. This is a book about what makes us live and fight - no matter what happens around. For more than 70 years we have been reading this novel, for more than 70 years we have admired Vivien Leigh and Clark Gable in the film adaptation - and the story does not become outdated. Most likely, it is eternal.

Vladimir Nabokov: Lolita

“ Lolita” was released in 1955. Causing scandal on both sides of the ocean, this book liftedauthorto the top of the literary Olympus and became one of the most famous and, without a doubt, the greatest works of the 20th century. Today, when the polemical passions around Lolita have long subsided, we can confidently say that this is a book about great love that has overcome illness, death and time, love that is open to infinity, “loveat first sight, from the last glance, from the eternal glance.

Daniel Defoe: The Life and Wonderful Adventures of the Sailor Robinson Crusoe

The famous novel by Daniel Defoe was published almost 300 years ago. But even now, after many, many decades, the exciting adventures of Robinson Crusoe still captivate readers. The life of a sailor who, by chance, ended up on a desert island, is full of amazing events. And how many difficulties fall to his lot!

Alexandre Dumas: The Three Musketeers

Where can a poor Gascon nobleman go if all he has is courage, a noble heart and ambition? Well of course inParis! And of course, such a brave man has a place among the royal musketeers. However, the honor to be in this privileged regiment still needs to be earned, and the surest way ... to make powerful enemies and make friends. D'Artagnan brilliantly succeeded in both in the shortest possible time ...

Ilf, Petrov: Twelve chairs

The famous feuilleton novel by Ilf and Petrov “The twelve Chairs ” was first published in 1928. The story of two swindlers who set off in search of Madame Petukhova's diamonds brought unprecedented success to the authors. But few people know that one of the most popular works of RussianliteratureThe 20th century, which withstood hundreds of successful reprints, was distorted by Soviet censorship: not only individual phrases and episodes, but entire chapters were not allowed to print.

Ray Bradbury: 451° Fahrenheit

Fahrenheit 451 is a novel that brought the writer world fame. Fahrenheit 451 is the temperature at which paper ignites and burns. The philosophical dystopia of Ray Bradbury paints a hopeless picture of the development of a post-industrial society; this is the world of the future, in which all written publications are mercilessly destroyed by a special detachment of firefighters, and the possession of books is prosecuted by law, interactive television successfully serves to fool everyone ...

Charles Dickens: The Life of David Copperfield as Told by Himself

The novel of the great English writer won the love and recognition of readers all over the world. Largely autobiographical, this novel follows the fate of a boy forced to fight alone against a cruel, bleak world populated by evil teachers, self-serving factory owners and soulless servants of the law. In this war, David can only be saved by moral firmness, purity of heart and a talent that can turn a ragamuffin into England's greatest writer.

Jules Verne: 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea

One of the most fascinating novels by J. Verne. Biologist Pierre Aronnax and harpooner Ned Land set off in search of a strange fish spotted by sailors in different parts of the world. The mysterious creature turns out to be a submarine designed by the mysterious Captain Nemo.

Arthur Doyle: The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes

Peru of the English writer and journalist Arthur Conan Doyle owns historical, adventure, fantasy novels and works on spiritualism, but he entered world literature as the creator of the Great Detective of all times and peoples - Sherlock Holmes. A noble and fearless fighter against Evil, the owner of a sharp mind and extraordinary powers of observation, with the help of his deductive method, the detective solves the most intricate puzzles, often saving human lives.

The fairy tale of the modern classic Leonid Filatov is the best book for family reading, half of the text of which has already been parsed into aphorisms and anecdotes. Here is the first fully illustrated edition. Characteristic characters, witty mise-en-scenes - one of the most striking books of the 20th century is finally coming out in a wonderful design.

Antoine Saint-Exupery: The Little Prince

A touching, kind and philosophical work by Antoine de Saint-Exupery with author's drawings. A book addressed to children will accompany you all your life, each time revealing itself in a new way.

Strugatsky, Strugatsky: It's hard to be a god

Perhaps the most famous of the works of the Strugatsky brothers. One of the most famous stories of Russian science fiction. A fascinating, full of drama story of life, love and adventures of "Don Rumata" from the kingdom of Arkanar on a distant planet - a knight with two swords, under whose name Anton is a resident from the planet Earth of the XXII century.

Lewis Carroll: Alice in Wonderland

If you decide to spend the evening reading an interesting book, then the proposed list of popular literature will help you in choosing a work of art. Famous modern authors and classic writers offer the reader the most fascinating works to date.

Based on the reviews of fiction lovers and the demand for works in stores, a list of the TOP 10 most read books in Russia today was compiled.

The novel of the English writer heads the top ten of the rating. The main characters do not yet know that their meeting will radically change their lives. Lou Clark has a boyfriend she doesn't really have feelings for. The girl loves life and her job at the bar. And it seemed that nothing foreshadowed the appearance of problems that the girl would have to face in the near future.

Fate brings Lou with a guy named Will Taynor. The young man was seriously injured by a motorcycle that hit him. His only goal is to find the culprit and take revenge.

But the acquaintance of Lou and Will becomes a turning point in their lives for the heroes. They had to go through trials to find each other. The novel captivates with its eccentricity, where there is no hint of banality.

Fantasy genre work Dmitry Glukhovsky "Metro 2035" became a sensational novel of this year, which is a continuation of the previous parts: "Metro 2033" and "Metro 2034".

A nuclear war has killed all life on the planet and people are forced to live in the subway.

In the story that concludes the trilogy, readers will find out if humanity will be able to return to earth again, after a long imprisonment under the earth. The main character will still remain Artyom, who is so fond of book lovers. Fantastic dystopia rightfully ranks ninth among the most read books today.

The eighth position of the rating is occupied by a psychological novel with elements of a detective story by a British writer Paula Hawkins "The Girl on the Train". A young woman, Rachel, destroyed her family herself by becoming addicted to alcohol. She has nothing but the image of the perfect couple Jess and Jason, whose life she watches from the train window. But one day this picture of a perfect relationship disappears. Under strange circumstances, Jess disappears.

Rachel, who drank alcohol the day before, struggles to remember what happened and whether she has anything to do with the strange disappearance. She begins investigating a mysterious case.

According to 2015 data, the bestseller is in the top 10 best-selling books in the country.

Donna Tart released the third part of a masterpiece of psychological prose "Goldfinch". Art is closely intertwined with the fate of the teenager Theodore Trekker, under tragic circumstances. A boy loses his mother during an explosion in an art gallery. Fleeing from the rubble, the main character decides to take with him a painting by the famous author Fabricius "Goldfinch". The boy has no idea how a work of art will affect his future destiny.

The novel has already fallen in love with many readers of Russia and rightfully takes 7th place in the top 10 most popular books today.

New detective story of a Russian writer Alexandra Marinina "Execution without malice" entered the top 10 most read books in Russia. Anastasia Kamenskaya, together with her workmate Yuri Korotkov, arrive in a Siberian town to resolve personal issues. The trip becomes for the heroes another investigation of a mysterious wave of crimes. Professionals in their field will have to find out how the murders of environmentalists and the fur farm, which litters the surrounding area, are connected. An exciting story about an unusual investigation awaits the reader.

Immortal manuscript Mikhail Bulgakov "The Master and Margarita" is one of the most read books in Russia today.

The classics of world literature tells about true, devoted love and insidious betrayal. The master of the word managed to create a book within a book, where reality is intertwined with the other world and another era. The arbiter of human destinies will be the dark world of evil, doing good and justice. Bulgakov managed to combine the incompatible, so the novel is firmly in the TOP 10.

"Planet Water"- a new literary work of Boris Akunin, which consists of three works. The first story "Planet Water" tells about the amazing adventures of Erast Petrovich Fandorin, who rushes in search of a maniac hiding on the island. For this reason, he has to interrupt the underwater expedition. The second part of the book "Sail Lonely" tells about the hero's investigation of the murder. The victim is the former lover of Erast Petrovich. The final story "Where do we go" will introduce the reader to the robbery case. The protagonist is looking for traces that will lead him to the criminals. The book was published in 2015 and is rapidly gaining popularity among today's readers.

Paulo Coelho became popular in Russia, thanks to the philosophical creation "Alchemist". The parable tells about the shepherd Santiago, who is in search of treasure. The hero's journey ends with true value. The young man meets an alchemist and comprehends philosophical science. The purpose of life is not material wealth, but love and doing good deeds for all mankind. The book has been the most read in Russia for many years.

Professor Robert Langdon has to solve the mystery of the murder. The cipher, which was found next to the murdered museum employee, will help the hero in this. The solution to the crime lies in the immortal creations of Leonardo da Vinci, and the code is the key to them.

The most read book in Russia today is a dystopia George Orwell "1984". This is a story about a world where there is no place for true feelings. An absurd ideology, brought to automatism, rules here. The consumer society considers the ideology of the Party to be the only correct one. But among the "dead souls" are those who do not want to put up with the established foundations. The protagonist of the novel, Winston Smith, finds a soul mate in Julia. A man falls in love with a girl, and together they try to take steps to change the situation. The couple is soon declassified and tortured. Smith breaks down and renounces his ideas and lover. The book about the totalitarian regime of government to this day remains popular all over the world.

In good or bad weather, there is no sweeter and more interesting activity than to sit on a cozy sofa surrounded by pillows, with a cup of hot tea at hand and, most importantly, a fascinating book in front of your eyes. We all love a good story, an epic story, a tearful story, a story that will drag us into the maelstrom of its events, enchant us with ornate phrases and make us forget about the real world, real people and real problems for an hour or two, or even for a whole day.

Books give us a chance to experience unprecedented adventures with the most diverse set of characters, to feel feelings that we have not been able to experience before, to visit unseen and sometimes non-existent lands. One book can last a day or a week, depending on how fast you read. However, it takes time, nevertheless, decently, and this hobby requires a lot of money. Therefore, every really good book is worth its weight in gold, because it more than pays for all costs, while mediocre or obviously weak literature only spoils the mood and makes you regret the time and money spent on it. We offer you the most interesting books to read, which can be purchased on the shelves of our local stores.

Planet Water, Boris Akunin

Akunin is impossible to miss. All his books, both novels and historical essays, capture from the very first minutes with their smooth narrative speech and fascinating plot. "Planet Water" continues a series of detective novels about the beloved character of Erast Fandorin, who, in his eventful life, managed to solve many crimes and conspiracies, as well as visit various parts of the planet, including mysterious Japan, where he learned the art of ninjutsu and found a faithful Masu's friend and assistant. However, the funny valet does not play a big role in this book. It consists of three stories, three new adventures of Erast with the corresponding subtitle "The Adventures of Erast Fandorin in the 20th century".

Paper Towns, John Green

The author of the tragic novel "The Fault in Our Stars", John Green, has already won a whole army of admirers. So it's no surprise that "Paper Towns" became an immediate best-seller and went off the shelves at record speed. The book is about teenager Q Jacobsen and his enigmatic neighbor Margo Spiegelman, for whom he has had feelings for many years. When one day Margot invites him to participate in a punitive operation against her offenders, Q immediately agrees. But after this enterprise, Margot suddenly disappears, leaving behind only a trail of notes and subtle hints. Like all the most interesting books, "Paper Towns" received a film adaptation, in which the famous supermodel Cara Delevingne played the main role.

Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and the years of his wanderings, Haruki Murakami.

Haruki Murakami is without a doubt one of the top 100 authors to read at least once in a lifetime. Like most Japanese writers, Murakami gives his books a special philosophical atmosphere, full of reflections and inner experiences of the hero, whose thoughts simply cannot be torn off. Every word is a revelation, every event has its own meaning, every detail gives additional meaning to the story. Tsukuru Tazaki is a colorless man whose life once took a sharp turn and rapidly rolled downhill when all his friends turned away from him for no reason. Many years later, the already adult Tsukuru decides to find out exactly when and what exactly went wrong in his life, going first to Nagoya, and later even to distant Finland.

The Martian, Andy Weyer

You know you've stumbled upon a real book when you're greeted with quotes like "duct tape works all over the place. Tape is a gift from the gods and should be worshiped" and "it's not as bad as it looks. I mean, I'm still in the ass." .Just not that deep." And there are plenty of such gems in the book. Andy Weier's science fiction book, which won the film adaptation, does not try to impress the reader with beautiful turns of phrase or cheap action, it takes a completely different course. Mark Watney was left on Mars during the evacuation, presumed dead. Waking up completely alone and having no connection with the Earth, Mark had no choice but to try to survive on an alien planet, using all the means at hand in his arsenal.

Shantaram, Gregory David Roberts

Released in Russian in 2010, Shantaram takes pride of place in the list of the top 100 best books of all time. The plot tells about an Australian who escaped from prison, a former drug addict and robber. With the help of a fake passport and the name Lindsay Ford, he ends up in Bombay, where he begins a completely new life full of adventures, misadventures and all sorts of difficulties. In the book, the experiences of the protagonist himself, his thoughts, the wise statements of his acquaintances and, of course, descriptions of an exotic country and its inhabitants are intertwined in an amazing mix. On February 5, the continuation of the book with the intriguing title "Shadow of the Mountain" is coming out.

After you Jojo Moyes

"After You" is a continuation of the novel "Me Before You", telling about the later life of the main character, Lou Clark, after the death of her loved one. Trying to forget about him and open a new page in her life, Lou returns home and finds sympathy and understanding in a psychological support group among the same people who share with her the whole burden of her situation and her deep feelings. Thanks to them, Lou meets emergency doctor Sam Fielding, and mutual understanding arises between them. But despite the sympathy that Lou feels for a new acquaintance, she is still not sure that she can move on and love again. According to the author himself, "After You" is an unplanned book, but Lou's fate simply did not leave her alone, as, quite likely, many fans of the first book did.

The Mysterious Case of Billy Milligan, Daniel Keyes

Master of the psychological novel, author of the late 20th century masterpiece Flowers for Algernon, Daniel Keyes continues to explore the mysteries of the human mind. Based on the story of the very real man Billy Milligan, who suffered from multiple personality disorder, Keys created a truly amazing and goosebumps novel about how terrible it is to share your body with another consciousness and lose months, if not years, of your life in oblivion, until someone else, standing at the helm, does absolutely unthinkable things. The protagonist, like his real prototype, was accused of crimes that he did not commit. And until he was arrested, no one even suspected what chaos and what a struggle for a place in the sun was going on in Billy Milligan's head.

The Year We Met, Cecilia Ahern

The queen of the sentimental novel, Cecilia Ahern, once again pleases her fans with not only a touching love story, but also food for thought. Jasmine, the main character, had everything your heart could desire - a great job, friends and family. But all this changed overnight when she was suddenly fired and for a whole year she remains idle. However, the girl does not lose heart and takes on all sorts of small chores around the house, takes care of the garden, makes new acquaintances and builds relationships. Jesmine's adventures give you the opportunity to look at your own life from a different angle and learn something new about yourself, which you have not suspected until now.

All the Light We Can't See, Anthony Dorr

Reading about the war is not easy, writing about the war is even more difficult. However, Anthony Dorr took up this task without fear and, after many years of reflection, revealed to the world "The Light We Cannot See", which immediately hit the bestsellers and was awarded the Pulitzer Prize. The plot follows the lives of two completely different characters, a shy German boy and a blind French girl, who, despite the raging war around them, are fighting for survival and for the right to grow up and be happy, while trying to maintain humanity and not lose loved ones.

The Girl on the Train, Paula Hawkins

Exciting detective thriller by former journalist Paula Hawkins immediately gained great popularity after the release and held the leading position in The New York Times bestseller list for 14 weeks. Rachel often watches from the train window for one, seemingly painfully perfect, family, husband and wife, whom she named Jess and Jason for herself. But one day, the beautiful picture is shattered when Rachel notices something shocking while driving by, after which Jess disappears. Rachel is sure she can find out what happened to Jess, but she's not sure if she should interfere in someone else's life.

We hasten to remind you that these are not all interesting books for reading that you can purchase. These are just a few suggestions based on the bestseller list in local stores. Do not be afraid to experiment and perhaps, unexpectedly for yourself, you will greatly expand your horizons and learn something new about yourself.

What

Perhaps the biggest best-seller of the decade is a psychological thriller with more unexpected plot twists than even the most demanding reader could wish for.

Plot

On their fifth wedding anniversary, Nick Dunn's wife, Amy, goes missing under suspicious circumstances, and he becomes the prime suspect in her possible murder.

Context

Critics called Flynn's book a "novel of mirrors": nothing can be trusted here, and on every page everything turns out to be not what it seems. It seems that the reader opens the book for the sake of it, so that he is thoroughly taken aback, but not only. Flynn composes, as it were, a fascinating reading on the favorite topic of a great novel - about the family. She takes two completely glossy protagonists, rips off all the covers from them, so what kind of marriage is there, it’s uncomfortable to stand next to them, but at the same time she implies that such an impossible union of unpleasant people is the ideal formula for a strong marriage.

Screen adaptation

Young, successful, beautiful and, most importantly, emphatically Hollywood protagonists just ask to be on the screen - Flynn seems to be writing a novel about the secret life of American stars. In the novel, by the way, it is repeatedly emphasized what kind of blondes they are - and it seems that the very choice of Ben Affleck for the main role hints that Fincher is up to something out of spite of the text. In any case, this film adaptation will not be difficult to become better than the original - there is nothing in the text except the plot, and Fincher is just known for his ability to do beautifully.

Tom McCarthy "When I Was Real"

What

An avant-garde novel delightfully different from all other novels before and since.

Plot

The protagonist, waking up in the hospital after an unnamed disaster, is compensated for several million in damages and paranoid uncertainty about the reality of today - and spends a fortune to recreate the "real" pictures dormant in his mind. It all starts with the construction of an entire house, where a team of special people recreate the smell of fried liver, the sounds of music from the pianist from above, cats walking on the roof. But it doesn't end there - the scene of a street robbery is recreated behind the house, and then something worse.

Context

Tom McCarthy came to literature from modern art, and his novel is not about the state of modern society, but rather about the state of modern art. Like trying to find out how far Actionist art can go in its pursuit of reality. That is, not only the fantasies of the hero, who suffers from the inability to light a cigarette with the ease of De Niro in Mean Streets, are important here, but also the fact that a whole army of professionals helps him fulfill any whim: from casting to literally choosing wallpaper. This alienation of the process from the result is reminiscent of the movie - it is worth adding that Charlie Kaufman was inspired by this book when writing New York, New York.

Screen adaptation

It is logical that the film adaptation of the novel was also taken up not by the director, but by the artist, and not the last row: the video artist Omer Fast became famous precisely for his works, groping for the line between art and reality - in Spielberg's List (2003) he interviews the team of the film "Schindler's List" On the site of a concentration camp built near Krakow as a set for a film, in Casting, a soldier talking about his service in Iraq turns out to be an actor auditioning for the role of a soldier. The script for the film was written by the author of the book and the director together - and, it seems, they understood each other: Fast describes the movie, where Tom Sturridge tries to reach his own forgotten past with the help of artistic reconstructions, as the story of an artist devoid of talent.

Laura Hillenbrand "Unbroken"

What

One of the top non-fiction bestsellers of the decade, Time Magazine's 2010 Book of the Year is about a man who survived.

Plot

The incredible biography of Louis Zamperini, the street boy who was raised to be an Olympic runner and sent to the Berlin Games. After he became a pilot during World War II, survived a plane crash, drifted on a raft in the ocean for a month - and all to be captured by the Japanese.

Context

An incredible and absolutely real story that Laura Hillenbrand found; our time needs heroes and, not finding them in the present, finds them in the recent past.

Screen adaptation

The script for Angelina Jolie's film, which we will see at the end of the year, was written by the Coen brothers, her joint photo with the main character, taken shortly before his death, went around the Internet, but it may turn out that the desire to make socially responsible cinema will play a bad joke on her: this an already pretentious story is easy to kill with bestial seriousness.

Jeannette Walls "The Glass Castle"

What

A wonderful book about a difficult childhood in a strange family.

Plot

Dad drinks, mom paints pictures, no one works, there is often no food at home and never money, children don’t go to school, but dad can tell them the best fairy tale in the world, and mom teaches them to play the piano - and everyone is happy.

Context

In fact, "The Glass Castle" is almost the best thing that has happened in this decade with the literature of young adults: instead of the fictional suffering of teenagers from dystopias, there is a real difficult childhood, where the bohemian life of parents does not always turn out to be a joy for their four children.

Screen adaptation

The main name of the upcoming film adaptation is already known - this is Jennifer Lawrence, for whom this book will finally be a chance to get out of the Hunger Games swamp somewhere closer to the arthouse. With all the love for Lawrence, a lot depends on her in this film adaptation: the whole book is built on very subtle details, and the “Land of the Tides” should come out of this in a good way, and not just another teenage thriller.

Colm Toibin "Brooklyn"

What

Irish Colm Toybin, one of the most serious modern authors, tragically (for us) not translated into Russian, and his novel, which received the Costa Prize in 2009.

Plot

A young Irish woman leaves her native village for America for a better life - and although Brooklyn is already difficult for her, everything becomes even more difficult when tragic events in her homeland force her to return home.

Context

Colm Toibin is one of the few authors who can write long, slow, unhurried texts and follow his characters with close attention and exceptional sympathy, which have been forgotten by world literature for more than a hundred years. His novel, however, can be read in a simpler way - as a novel about emigrants in reverse, where America becomes a place where you need to leave.

Screen adaptation

Saoirse Ronan, an apprentice confectioner at the Grand Budapest Hotel, will star in an upcoming - very Irish - adaptation of John Crowley: it looks like the heroine's inability to take life into her own hands will be the main plot here.

Kevin Powers "The Yellow Birds"

What

A novel about returning from the war, written by an Iraq War veteran, has become for Americans something like “All Quiet on the Western Front” in the 21st century.

Plot

Private John Bartle went to Iraq with his high school friend Murph. At the beginning of the war, they swear to each other not to die - but the hero returns alone. Survival is still half the battle: it turns out to be completely impossible to adapt back to peaceful life.

Context

The novel by Kevin Powers filled the empty niche of the Greater Iraq Novel; here, for the first time in the literature, all soldier's injuries are fully described - both in the fields and after the fields: why they leave, what they experience and how they return.

Screen adaptation

Benedict Cumberbatch, who has been cast as the lead in David Lowery's forthcoming film, says too much about the upcoming film adaptation: he doesn't look much like an Iraqi mercenary, which means that in the text, which is half poetry and the other half blood call, it's decided was to leave only poetry.

Sebastian Barry "Tables of Destiny"

What

A century of Irish history in notes from a lunatic asylum.

Plot

A hundred-year-old woman, sitting in a madhouse, keeps a diary in which the tragedy of her own life is inseparable from the tragic history of Ireland - and her attending physician sits around the corner and also keeps a diary, a little easier. Sooner or later they meet.

Context

The 2008 Costa Prize, the Booker Prize shortlist and a host of other awards prove, if not the importance, then the literary excellence of a text written by one of the finest Irish writers and playwrights alive today.

Screen adaptation

A rare case when already at the stage of preparation of the film it is clear that he will do justice to the original: Jim Sheridan in the directors, in the roles of the patient and her doctor Vanessa Redgrave and Eric Bana - and a whole sea of ​​​​famous names in flashbacks.

Elizabeth Strout "Olivia Kitteridge"

What

A collection of stories from the life of an American province, in which the main character manages to remain a minor character almost to the end.

Plot

13 stories from a small town in New England, from which the image of the main character gradually develops - an uncomfortable, domineering, aging school math teacher. We meet Olivia Kitteridge when she is not young, but we see her off as old - in general, this is a story, if not about aging, then about the loneliness that inevitably accompanies it.

Context

The 2009 Pulitzer Prize - and a whole bunch of other awards: Elizabeth Strout not only managed to find a new hero, but also completed the task of more difficult - with empathy to tell the story of an uncomfortable heroine.

Screen adaptation

Frances McDormand, who stars in the HBO miniseries due out this fall, doesn't fit well in the role of Kitteridge, as we're repeatedly told in the novel how big, physically uncomfortable she has a body. By miniaturizing the heroine, television cut off the novel itself, turning it into a story about what happens to marriage after the children have grown up, a line that turns out to be far from the main one in the novel.

Jojo Moyes "Me Before You"

What

A sad story of impossible love that sells very well.

Plot

A girl at a crossroads loses her job and gets a job as a nurse for a smart, handsome and completely paralyzed man after an accident.

Context

The genre of social rom-com that Jojo Moyes invented with this novel and has been exploiting with might and main since then is an undoubted success. Here, in general, the same Jane Austen plus the problems of the first world in the XXI century. That is, poor beautiful girls have nothing to pay for loans, Mr. Darcy also cry, in the meantime - many details of the hard life of the working class, laughter through tears, but still more tears. It's not required reading, just a good girl's novel, but it proves that literature can be left-wing in a good way without even being too smart.

Screen adaptation

Estimated release - August 2015. Sentimental prose of this kind, as a rule, becomes something moderately marginal in film adaptations: it gains its strong hundred million (three times the budget), after which everyone tries to forget it, like an unfortunate misunderstanding. Without really counting on anything, the studio gave itself the freedom to play a little: it invited Thea Sharrock, who is more known for her theatrical work, to the director's chair (this will be her feature film debut, but she, as they say, is widely known on Broadway, in particular, it was her we owe naked Daniel Radcliffe with a horse), and called Emilia Clarke aka Khaleesi for the female lead. And Sharrock seems determined not to draw tears from the viewer, but to show him the injustice of the British class system.

If you like to read since childhood, you are a person with a developed imagination, erudition, outlook and independent thinking. You know for sure that you will spend this time on your own development: spiritual or intellectual, emotional or analytical, depending on the subject and genre of the book. Because the knowledge received from books makes our consciousness self-sufficient, independent and free from prejudices and someone else's will.

Only a person with a limited, undeveloped consciousness and a closed worldview can be instilled with any false "truth" and impose someone else's, obviously false, view of the truth.

The level of social success is directly dependent on the level of erudition, and hence the outlook and erudition, their own full-fledged worldview and developed imagination. In addition to this - a sharp mind and light humor, the ability to ironize, support or even initiate any conversation.
And where can a developed figurative and associative thinking come from if there is not a wide range of images of various types and associations with this or that book character, with this or that event, with this or that feeling, perception?

It is not for nothing that in the communication of educated people enriched with knowledge and culture, the method of identification with a certain literary character is often used, such as: Ivan Karamazov, or even the concept of "Karamazovism", Sonechka Marmeladova, Prince Myshkin, Pierre Bezukhov, Dorian Gray, Scarlett, Woland, Azazello , Behemoth cat ...

To understand the language of directors, writers, actors, people who are culturally developed and developing us, and maybe even speak the same language with them, read the main books of world literature.

The authors of not only the heroes of their books, but also us, readers, lead us through a labyrinth of trials, often suffering and, as a result, form our soul, lay spiritual values ​​and instill the right attitude to such important categories of human relationships as friendship, love, kindness, nobility , faith…

There are many more examples in books than life offers us. We get the opportunity to learn and improve.

It's never too late to develop. We suggest using the advice of this article, and we recommend a selection of books of fiction for mandatory reading.

What are the "necessary" books

Remember the words from the song of Vladimir Vysotsky: “... it means that you read the necessary books as a child ...”

Necessary books are books related to the main cultural heritage, educating the soul and shaping consciousness.

The article presents books belonging to different genres, but to the same category - "necessary" books, mandatory reading. Read. You will have something to compare other literary works with. You will be able to independently distinguish high-quality literature from second-rate or even empty low-grade reading matter.

Russian classics for general development

It is in the works of Russian classical literature that a whole gallery of psychological portraits of various types is presented, in which you recognize yourself and the people that surround you. They will be in search of themselves and truth, happiness and love, make mistakes, betrayals and even crimes, suffer and elevate their souls or not endure suffering and perish, atone for guilt or destroy their souls, learn to accept life and love people.

• Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky "The Brothers Karamazov"

The Brothers Karamazov is Dostoevsky's most significant work in terms of its diversity and the study of many spheres of human life and categories of human relationships: from passions to criminal passions, and then to true faith to self-denial - the whole palette of human feelings and impulses.

• Leo Tolstoy "Anna Karenina"

Provided that you have mastered the program work "War and Peace" at school - Tolstoy's most valuable literary work, in which the biographies of the heroes and their personal tragedies unfold against the backdrop of the historical tragedy of Russia in 1812. Together with all the people, they adequately survive what happened and are reborn for life and love.
To continue your acquaintance with the legacy of a beloved and revered writer all over the world, start reading the novel "Anna Karenina".

Do not treat this work as a women's novel. Although the female audience can learn many valuable lessons from female psychology, including behavioral mistakes that are detrimental to a relationship with a beloved man. In general, a man's view of a woman's behavior, women's weaknesses and complexes is guessed.

And for a male audience, the emphasis of the work should be placed on observing Levin's personal development, in which the author himself, Lev Nikolaevich, is guessed, his search for himself and his place in the world of people and life in general.

• Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin - a cycle of 5 stories "Belkin's Tales":

1. "Shot".
2. "Blizzard".
3. "Undertaker".
4. "Young lady-peasant".
5. "Station Master".

In this collection there are lyrics, and vaudeville, and realism, and the tragedy of the "little man".

• Anton Pavlovich Chekhov. Storybook:

1. "Jumper".
2. "Lady with a dog".
3. "Drama on the Hunt"
4. "Anna on the neck."
5. "Darling".

Chekhov is best known for plays and their theatrical productions. But in literature, he is considered a master of a short story, in which the whole essence of a person and his life is accurately conveyed. Read collections of stories in which sadness and deep psychological overtones are visible through subtle irony and satire.

• Mikhail Bulgakov "The Master and Margarita"

A deep mystical psychological phantasmagoria, an encrypted reality that everyone understands in their own way and finds their own truths.

All presented works are filmed, and you can make a comparative analysis of your perception of the work with the director's reading. Maybe yours is better?

• Oscar Wilde "The Picture of Dorian Gray"

A psychological and mystical excursion into the dark and light beginnings of man, into the struggle between good and evil in the soul of one person.

• O.Henry. Storybook:

1. "Gifts of the Magi".
2. "Last page".
3. "Noble Rogue".
4. "Four million".
5. "Burning Lamp"
6. "Russian sables".

O'Henry is an American master of short stories about the fate of a wide variety of people: happy losers, honest swindlers, but all of his characters deserve understanding and sympathy. Moreover, they all show, sometimes unexpectedly, their nobility.

• Jack London "Martin Eden"

Books by the rating American writer Jack London about the fate of strong people with courageous hearts. Severe trials fall to the share of these people, where the real sides of a person's character are easily manifested, where black cannot be disguised as white, where strong people retain themselves, no matter what.

• Margaret Mitchell "Gone with the Wind"

An American bestseller set against the backdrop of the historical events of the Civil War. The main character Scarlett O'Hara is recognized as almost a role model for any American for her indomitable will and healthy egoism.

Many female readers are saved by her phrase: "I will not think about it now ... I will think about it tomorrow."

If you want to get acquainted with female classical English literature, which can be described as follows: subtly, lyrically, romantically, ironically, sometimes sadly, we recommend acquaintance with its famous representatives:

• Jane Austen Pride and Prejudice.
• Charlotte Bronte Jane Eyre.
• Emily Bronte "Wuthering Heights"

There are many “needed” historical works in the literary library, but there is one very large-scale, multifaceted, on the pages of which you will meet and get to know many famous historical characters: Grigory Potemkin, Empresses Catherine the Great and Elizabeth Petrovna, Count Alexei Razumovsky, the great scientist Lomonosov , Orlov, commanders Suvorov and Rumyantsev, admirals Ushakov, Spiridov and Greig, impostors Emelyan Pugachev and Princess Tarakanova ...

• Valentin Pikul "Favorite".

You need to immerse yourself in fantasy without prefaces, figure it out on your own and compose a thoughtful and heartfelt afterword yourself, everyone will have their own.

One generalization can be announced - many analogies with reality. If everyone read and analyzed these books, perhaps the reality would be different.

• Arkady and Boris Strugatsky "It's hard to be a god."
• Ray Bradbury Fahrenheit 451.

John R.R. Tolkien "The Lord of the Rings".

Tolkien's works are classified as "high fantasy" and the classics of this genre, and the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy is classified as a cult book of the twentieth century.

Frequently Asked Questions

What do smart people read?

Quality books - psychological and scientific literature, memoirs and biographies of great people, of course, classics, modern fiction (only good ones - do not drag gangster detectives and flat ladies' novels here), encyclopedic publications.

Classical and fiction for self-development?

The best examples: M. Mitchell "Gone with the Wind", L. Tolstoy "War and Peace", G. Flaubert "Madame Bovary", W. Shakespeare "Romeo and Juliet", A. Ostrovsky "Dowry".

Books to increase iq (ikyu)?

The best books “simulators” of the thought process: E. de Bongo “Teach Yourself to Think”, R. Sipe “Brain Development”, S. Muller “Unblock Your Mind: Become a Genius”, D. Chopra “Perfect Brain”, T. Buzan “Memory cards”, M.J. Gelb “Learn to learn or juggle”, S. Hawking “A Brief History of Time”, O. Andreev “Memory Development Technique”, etc.

It's not about the number of books. It is important to simply read a lot, experiment with genres and styles, reread hundreds of works, choose your own, and most importantly, communicate about them in order to use new words, retell plots, and reflect on the actions of the characters.

Books for spiritual development?

When inspiration and support dries up, and questions arise “Who am I?”, “What is the meaning of life”, the answers can be found on the pages of these books: P. Yogananda “Autobiography of a Yogi”, G. Cutler “The Art of Being Happy”, Y. Rinpoche “Buddha, the Brain and the Neurophysiology of Happiness”, The Tibetan Book of the Dead, G. Hesse “Siddhartha”, G. Mortenson “Three Cups of Tea”, etc.

Literature that instills a beautiful, literate, rich speech: N. Gal "The word is alive and dead", V. Khrappa "From Adam's apple to the apple of discord", K. Chukovsky "Alive like life", L. King "How to talk with someone whatever…”, N. Brown “Oddities of our language”.

What Psychology Books Should You Read?

You can start with M. Labkovsky's book "I want and I will" - interesting, easy and with many examples. Further - V. Frankl "Man in search of meaning", N. Taleb "Black Swan" (helps make the right decisions for the future), G. Altshuller "How to become a genius" (about human capabilities and choosing a goal in life), R. Kiyosaki “Rich dad” (correct financial thinking), D. Gray “Men are from Mars, women are from Venus” (relationships between the opposite sex), A. Jackson “10 secrets of happiness”, V. Sinelnikov “Manual of the owner of life” (how to be responsible for his life), L. Viilma "Soul Light" (about inner fears), R. Cialdini "Psychology of Influence" (about manipulating people).

Instructive books about life?

Instructive, brilliant books: G. Marques "One Hundred Years of Solitude", W. Wolfe "To the Lighthouse", J. Orwell "1984", D. Salinger "The Catcher in the Rye", C. Dickens "Great Expectations", H. Lee "To Kill a Mockingbird", S. Bronte "Jane Eyre", F. Dostoevsky "Crime and Punishment", D. London "The Call of the Wild", W. Golding "Lord of the Flies".

What should a person know for general development?

For everyone - individually, but the basic knowledge that will be needed in life is the competent distribution of time, how to use money, how to maintain health, proper communication skills, self-awareness and self-understanding.

It is worth choosing literature based on an internal request: “What do I lack for happiness?”. Popular aspects of development are personal life, career, personal development. Best books: L. Lowndes "How to make anyone fall in love with you", G. Chapman "Five love languages", B. Tracy "Get out of your comfort zone", S. Kronna "Bitch's Handbook", S. Melnik "Stress resistance", S Covey's The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People.

Books to learn to overcome your shortcomings: H. Elrod "The Magic of the Morning" - reveal your success immediately after waking up, K. McGonigal "Willpower" - training willpower like muscles, M. Ryan "This year I ..." - how change habits and keep promises, D. Allen "How to put things in order" - how to manage your life, E. Larssen "On the limit" - personal development exercises.

Books for the development of fantasy?

Any book develops fantasy, as it makes you visualize what you read. For those who need a rich imagination in life, we can offer: D. Chassapakis "Diary 29" - develops innovative thinking, G. Snyder "In Search of Ideas" - a comic book about thinking and creativity, the McLeod brothers "Create your Universe" - a book about how to make up stories and develop imagination.

The smartest book in the world?

It is impossible to say that any one book is the smartest. Everyone chooses for himself what he lacks in literature for a certain period of his life, and at that moment the work becomes the best storehouse of knowledge. Unless the ABC can compete for this title - without it, we would not be able to read a single book.

Articles to improve erudition?

Analytical articles, critical reviews, specialized sites are important for increasing erudition - about the planet as a whole, about music and cinema, about the latest news from all over the world, "simulators" of horizons, and, of course, books, for example: M. O’Hair “Why don’t penguins’ paws get cold and 114 more questions that will baffle any scientist” (all parts), D. Mitchinson “The Book of General Delusions”, S. Juan “Oddities of our body” and others.

Conclusion

Conclusion

The article does not touch upon all genres and, of course, far from all the “best of the best” writers who can serve as spiritual guides for us and illuminate the path of life. Meet new works and their authors, choose them as friends and enjoy informative and exciting communication. Do not forget that all the works presented are filmed. Extend your enjoyment by watching movie versions of your favorite books.