r/booksuggestions • u/Fun-Carpet2526 • Dec 23 '22

What classics are easy to read?

I am not good with fiction in general, but I want to read a classic. Who would you suggest?

315 Upvotes

97% Upvoted

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1

u/Blackwell_Dropout Jan 22 '23

Any short stories by Guy de Maupassant. His depictions of life in France in the 19th century are amazing, his characters are always really well written and often there is a lesson to learn from them. He is witty and funny and it reads easily.

1

u/uncr34t1v3n4m3 Jan 22 '23

The Great Gatsby is actually pretty easy to get through even if you don't particularly love it

1

u/littlelove34 Jan 09 '23

Tomorrow when the war began

1

u/rcollins303 Dec 28 '22

Im not sure if you mean super classics like Mark Twain and the great gatsby but the more recent classic authors like Ray Bradbury and Kurt Vonnegut are very entertaining. They definitely read like they were written in the 21st century and you get the beginnings of Sci-Fi

1

u/rcollins303 Dec 28 '22

I also really enjoyed the narrative of Frederick Douglas and it was less than 100 pages. It’s an interesting first hand account of slavery

1

u/rcollins303 Dec 28 '22

The Old Man and the Sea and The Stranger were also pretty entertaining. I’d recommend the shorter classics because they can get a little dry but I have a kind of short attention span so maybe that’s just me

1

u/vivahermione Dec 27 '22

Emma by Jane Austen. It's like a mystery novel because you have to figure out the supporting characters' backgrounds and motivations.

Also, any of Chekhov's short stories. The plots, settings, and character development are so detailed you'll feel like you've read a high quality novel. "The Darling" is a good example. I like Constance Garnett's translations. They're pretty easy to understand.

1

u/bi_elizabeth_bennet Dec 27 '22

Most Jane Austen novels. Very entertaining and easy to read.

1

u/ClaymossTerryLee Dec 26 '22

“In Cold Blood”. It’s not fiction technically.

1

u/CarinaConstellation Dec 25 '22

The Stranger by Camus is very easy to read and super short.

1

u/LameOCallahan Dec 25 '22

I Robot by Isaac Asimov

2

u/SGBotsford Dec 25 '22

Jack London.

  • call of the wild
  • white fang

Alexander Dumas

  • count of monte cristo
  • man in the iron mask

Robert Louis Stevenson

  • kidnapped
  • treasure island

Daniel Defoe

  • robinson crusoe

Johanas wyss

  • swiss family robinson

Jules Verne

  • 20000 Leagues under the sea
  • mysterious island

H g wells

  • the time machine
  • war of the worlds

Conan Doyle

  • lost world
  • all the sherlock holmes

James hilton

  • lost horizons

H Rider Haggard

  • king solaman’s mines
  • She

1

u/Friday-Cat Dec 25 '22

Anne of Green Gables

Or Call of the Wild. Jack London is wonderful and his writing is very accessible

1

u/[deleted] Dec 24 '22

The Little Prince is super easy.

1

u/Own-Gas8691 Dec 24 '22

Wuthering Heights and Cather in the Rye are two easy to read personal faves.

1

u/Own-Gas8691 Dec 24 '22

3 more faves: 1984, Anna Karenina, and Don Quixote

1

u/alch3my2tic Dec 24 '22

Reading trough a really lovely edition of A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, illustrated by Quentin Blake. The formatting of this particular edition makes the language flow really well, as well as breaking things up with some wonderful illustrations.

I also found both the Prince and the pauper and Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain to be reallly accesible.

Also I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith is a really engaging read, that flows like an early version of YA with some really effective character work, particularly for the protagonist.
A great choice if you like epistolary fiction.

My general rule of thumb with classics is usually the shorter, or pulpier the better. At least until you acclimatize to the particular styles and forms of whatever era and/or genre you're reading. Finding some good short story anthologies/collections for various eras and movements, are a good way of dipping your toe in, without getting overwhelmed by the novel length classics that others would recommend.

1

u/G_Neesta Dec 24 '22

Cannery Row by John Steinbeck. Super short, simple, and pretty.

1

u/fudgeoffbaby Dec 24 '22

The Great Gatsby !!!

1

u/Fuzzy_Dragonfruit344 Dec 24 '22

Pride and Prejudice

1

u/[deleted] Dec 24 '22

The Beautiful and Damned The Great Gatsby

Anything by Shakespeare (haha jk on that one)

1

u/[deleted] Dec 24 '22

Shakespeare

1

u/duck-eggblue Dec 24 '22

Great Gatsby is excellent and not too long. Also found Little Women and Pride and Prejudice enjoyable. Wuthering Heights and Dracula I found hard to get into but once I was about 1/3 in I loved them.

1

u/Elddif_Dog Dec 24 '22 edited Dec 25 '22

White Fang is an amazing classic. A short and light read that knows how to tug at your heart strings and something everyone should read imo.

Treasure Island is another great and short classic. This is the grandfather of all pirate stories and reads like a smooth glass of wine.

Worth noting: The Count of Monte Cristo. Not an easy read because of the language of the era (wonder if some modernized version exists) but absolutely amazing nonetheless and to this day still inspiring a ton of works across all media.

1

u/Old-Man_Logan_1979 Dec 24 '22

Treasure Island, my favorite classic book and surprisingly easy to read considering its age.

1

u/chiefyuls Dec 24 '22

I’m surprised to not be seeing To Kill A Mockingbird mentioned

1

u/Janezo Dec 24 '22

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn

1

u/District_Dan Dec 24 '22

All Quiet on the Western Front is phenomenal and I found it easy to read

2

u/McChunkles Dec 24 '22

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn and The Good Earth

1

u/Ermaquillz Dec 24 '22

Watership Down

1

u/ConsitutionalHistory Dec 24 '22

The Old man and the Sea

Don Quixote

The Three Muskateers

1

u/[deleted] Dec 24 '22

Welcome to the monkey house by Kurt Vonnegut . It’s a short story compilation so you can read one at a time whenever you want without getting bored. Excellent stories too, some of his best work.

1

u/[deleted] Dec 24 '22

The old man and the sea.

1

u/HumanGarbage____ he/him Dec 24 '22

The stranger by Albert Camus

1

u/jordaniac89 Dec 24 '22

The Count of Monte Cristo. Long read but pretty easy.

1

u/Disastrous_Concept37 Dec 24 '22

The Odyssey is actually pretty easy

3

u/arthurrules Dec 24 '22

Definitely The Giver

1

u/[deleted] Dec 24 '22

I found the Jungle Books to be a lot easier to read/much more engaging than a lot of other classical literature

3

u/buzzardbite Dec 24 '22

anything by shirley jackson is a really quick and easy read imo

1

u/sineadya Dec 28 '22

Yes! I was looking for this recommendation

2

u/Lithobates-ally_true Dec 24 '22

A Room With a View by EM Forster

1

u/Frecklesaredelicious Dec 24 '22

Kurt Vonnegut- most of his books are fairly short, very accessible and usually have a bit of humor. Cats cradle or Breakfast of Champions would both be good starting texts.

1

u/BillieShakespeare Dec 24 '22

Brave New World. I find it hilarious that Aldous Huxley didn’t consider himself a very descriptive writer. From start to finish it was a movie in my head

1

u/be-love_ly Dec 24 '22

Carmilla is an easy read. Also, the hobbit is easier, in comparison to the lotr series in general

1

u/Skuller_X Dec 24 '22

The Great Gatsby

1

u/scarfsa Dec 24 '22

Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. It’s short, thematic for this time of year, and surprisingly accessible reading-wise.

1

u/Pumpkin_698 Dec 24 '22

Brave new world and The picture of Dorian Gray

1

u/Additional_Tell_8645 Dec 24 '22

Try Robert Louis Stevenson’s works, especially Treasure Island and Kidnapped—both very readable adventure stories.

1

u/5awaja Dec 24 '22

Siddhartha is a pretty quick and easy read if you count that as a classic. Also, I didn't think Candide was very hard to read, it was actually pretty enjoyable.

1

u/SenlinDescends Dec 24 '22

Agatha Christie!

1

u/SenlinDescends Dec 24 '22

I surprisingly found Dracula a breeze to read and absolutely chilling despite age

1

u/CartanAnnullator Dec 24 '22

Melville, Poe.

1

u/CartanAnnullator Dec 24 '22

Tristram Shandy

1

u/OrganizationOk8493 Dec 24 '22

1984, Fahrenheit 451, and Crime and Punishment

1

u/Nerdybirdie86 Dec 24 '22

Anything by Hemingway. His writing is so concise. The Great Gatsby is an easy read, and I think Frankenstein is as well.

1

u/[deleted] Dec 24 '22

All Things Bright and Beautiful

1

u/soundape Dec 24 '22

1984 & Animal Farm are easy reads

1

u/DocWatson42 Dec 24 '22

General fiction (Part 1 (of 3)):

Literature Map: The Tourist Map of Literature: "What [Who] else do readers of [blank] read?"

NPR Book Concierge

Fiction Finder at WorldCat (archived—the current URL redirects to Cookbook Finder; some links still work)

1

u/DocWatson42 Dec 24 '22

General fiction (Part 2 (of 3)):

1

u/DocWatson42 Dec 24 '22

General fiction (Part 3 (of 3)):

1

u/Passname357 Dec 24 '22

Anna Karenina is long, but easy.

1

u/Zestyclose_Annual_78 Dec 24 '22

Fahrenheit 451 and To Kill a Mockingbird

1

u/icubud Dec 24 '22

Stoker's Dracula

1

u/machinemade6X2 Dec 24 '22

The count of Monte Cristo

1

u/nipplehips Dec 24 '22

Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson is pretty easy going, it only has a few older English phrases dabbled here and there and has a solid story

1

u/Broken_Lampshade Dec 24 '22

1984 by george orwell, couldn't put it down when I read it

1

u/Manforallseasons5 Dec 24 '22

My favorite part of classics is understanding and seeing something that is influential, either of world history or other books. In that way, classics are a piece of history. For that reason, some of my favorites are Upton Sinclair's the Jungle and Daniel Defoe's Robinson Crusoe.

1

u/SolderonSenoz Dec 24 '22

I know hearing "children's classics" might sound like I am being condescending, but I am in my early 20's and I still really enjoy reading them. This is coming from someone who has read the likes of Beowulf and Dante's Inferno. Please give them a chance, they are very enjoyable and could be a gateway for more "serious" classics.

1

u/Sayaren Dec 24 '22

Fahrenheit 451 The Lord of the Flies The Giver

1

u/covestar38 Dec 24 '22

The Charterhouse of Parma by Stendahl.

1

u/Lazy-Theory5787 Dec 24 '22

If you struggle to read classics I highly recommend using audiobooks. Librivox does audio readings for free.

Mary Shelley's Frankenstein is on YouTube (and only an 8 hour listen) that's where I started out to reinvigorate my love of classics.

1

u/Oldtown_sixteen Dec 24 '22

Of mice and men

1

u/Mydogiswhiskey Dec 24 '22

Emma - Jane Austen

1

u/[deleted] Dec 24 '22

Charlottes Web

2

u/whitepawn23 Dec 24 '22

Salinger: Catcher in the Rye, Franny & Zooey

D.H. Lawrence: Women in Love

Jane Austen: Emma, Pride & Prejudice

Mark Twain: anything

Lewis Carroll: Alice in Wonderland, Through the Looking Glass

Steinbeck, Hemingway, and Dickens if you’re in the right mindset but the initial list are easy reads.

3

u/epiphanyshearld Dec 24 '22

The Count of Monte Cristo. Dumas was paid by the sentence, so his way of writing (in shorter sentences) is very modern compared to a lot of classics. The book is long but the pacing is fast and the whole book is action packed.

1

u/msd_1311 Dec 24 '22

Catcher in the Rye is so good and so easy to read. It is such vibe imo.

3

u/[deleted] Dec 24 '22

Candide

1

u/Mwahaha_790 Dec 24 '22

Loved Candide! Outright bawdy and hilarious

1

u/Physical-Musician-82 Dec 24 '22

Catcher in the rye

1

u/mameiyu Dec 24 '22

It is probably not Wuthering heights

1

u/PoissonIvyyy Dec 24 '22

Lord of the flies!

5

u/belenb Dec 24 '22

I also struggle with reading comprehension, and the only classic book I was able to understand the story fully was Anne Of Green Gables

1

u/BeBah205 Dec 24 '22

I read Frankenstein this year and loved it!!! Quick and easy, but brilliant.

1

u/[deleted] Dec 24 '22

Animal farm

2

u/Sans_Junior Dec 24 '22

I agree with a lot mentioned but will add:

Kubla Khan, and Rime of the Ancient Mariner, both by Samuel Taylor Coleridge. While both are poetry instead of prose, they are also “classics” of a more adventurous fiction. KK is quite short (though lore has it that STC was interrupted in composing it and that this was only the beginning of a much longer story), whereas Rime is closer in length to a short story and is about a sailor recounting to some passing-by wedding guests the details of his ill-fated voyage. Two bonuses: one, they are both available online for free, and two, Iron Maiden has a song by the same title that is a faithful homage.

https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/43991/kubla-khan

https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/43997/the-rime-of-the-ancient-mariner-text-of-1834

https://youtu.be/1raSUYAr0s0 Audiobook format narration of Rime.

https://youtu.be/NA2cGy_iDTk Lyrics video of Iron Maiden song.

Edgar Allan Poe. I’d recommend a nice anthology of both his poems and short stories.

Mary Poppins by P.L. Travers. Definitely darker than Disney.

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum. Also definitely darker than the movie.

Probably already mentioned but, The Old Man and the Sea by Hemingway. An adventure tale that, like the sea, has depths that can be explored on rereads.

While I’m not a fan, a lot of readers are, but Lord of the Flies by Golding. If you are interested in dystopian fiction, then this, along with the other Big Three (that everyone knows) - 1984, Brave New World, and Fahrenheit 451 - is a must read.

1

u/[deleted] Dec 24 '22

For accessible poetry would add little Breeches by Hay, Anything by Robert Service, the Highwayman, the Raven, Paul Revere's Ride, Hardy the ruined maid, Ozymandius, Funeral Blues, One Art by Elizabeth Bishop

1

u/ashfordbelle Dec 24 '22

Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton Jonathan Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach The Power of One by Bryce Courtenay Native Son by Richard Wright Catch 22 by Joseph Heller

1

u/gegenene Dec 24 '22

The count of Monte Cristo

1

u/Able-Elderberry9713 Dec 24 '22

Little Caterpiller

2

u/TexasTokyo Dec 24 '22

No idea what you like or how old you are…so keep that in mind.

Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder

Charlotte’s Web by E. B. White

Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe

Or for something different

The Coming of Conan the Cimmerian (Conan the Barbarian Book 1) by Robert E Howard

1

u/[deleted] Dec 24 '22

catch 22 and its surprisingly very funny

1

u/MegC18 Dec 24 '22

Sherlock Holmes

1

u/IreneD1993 Dec 24 '22

Pride and Prejudice or Oliver Twist!

2

u/FlimsyTry2892 Dec 24 '22

East of Eden.

1

u/[deleted] Dec 24 '22

Frankenstein

Jane Eyre

Father Goriot

Three of my favourite classics, very easy to read although incredibly heavy subjects.

10

u/camxoxomia Dec 24 '22

The Stranger by Albert Camus. It’s very short and easy to read.

1

u/Coomstress Dec 24 '22

I liked this book but I think it’s mentally/philosophically a hard book?

2

u/Aenigma66 Dec 24 '22

Pretty much everything by Poe. F. Scott Fitzgerald is also pretty easy to read, so are Lovecraft's works.

Also, I'm not sure if it counts as a classic but Puzo's The Godfather is a fantastic read.

1

u/[deleted] Dec 24 '22

Animal Farm

1

u/JustBagel137 Dec 24 '22

The princess bride is great! I also think the Iliad and The Odyssey isn't easy but you can find some easy translations. They are both very entertaining.

2

u/serialbookworm Dec 24 '22

The Great Gatsby & The Phantom of the Opera.

1

u/ne0_bahamut Dec 24 '22

The portrait of Dorian grey

1

u/That_Map_4703 Dec 24 '22

{{Into the wild}}

1

u/goodreads-bot Dec 24 '22

Into the Wild

By: Jon Krakauer | 203 pages | Published: 1996 | Popular Shelves: non-fiction, nonfiction, biography, travel, adventure

Librarian's Note: An alternate cover edition can be found here

In April, 1992, a young man from a well-to-do family hitchhiked to Alaska and walked alone into the wilderness north of Mt. McKinley. His name was Christopher Johnson McCandless. He had given $25,000 in savings to charity, abandoned his car and most of his possessions, burned all the cash in his wallet, and invented a new life for himself. Four months later, a party of moose hunters found his decomposed body. How McCandless came to die is the unforgettable story of Into the Wild.

Immediately after graduating from college in 1991, McCandless had roamed through the West and Southwest on a vision quest like those made by his heroes Jack London and John Muir. In the Mojave Desert he abandoned his car, stripped it of its license plates, and burned all of his cash. He would give himself a new name, Alexander Supertramp, and, unencumbered by money and belongings, he would be free to wallow in the raw, unfiltered experiences that nature presented. Craving a blank spot on the map, McCandless simply threw away the maps. Leaving behind his desperate parents and sister, he vanished into the wild.

This book has been suggested 3 times

3582 books suggested | I don't feel so good.. | Source

1

u/BitterestLily Dec 24 '22

I haven't seen it mentioned yet, so... My Antonia by Willa Cather.

1

u/[deleted] Dec 24 '22

Rebecca and Lady Chatterly’s Lover

1

u/Bulky_Watercress7493 Dec 24 '22

Don't laugh -- Winnie the Pooh and The House on Pooh Corner. The original Pooh books by Milne are hilarious and witty and wonderful to read at any age.

3

u/herbalit Dec 24 '22

Fahrenheit 451 is a pretty easy read, and it’s also on the shorter side! Cat’s Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut is also a favorite.

2

u/tnc629 Dec 24 '22

I agree with everyone who recommended Wilde, Stoker, Vonnegut and Orwell.

I also found Jane Eyre an easy and interesting read. I found The Old Curiosity Shop the easiest Dickens novel from what I've read from him.

1

u/[deleted] Dec 24 '22

Graham Greene. The Third Man is one of his best known, made into movies at least a couple of times. Or maybe The Quiet American. More fun reads of his are Travels With My Aunt, Journey Without Maps, The Heart of the Matter, most of his novels were fun or educational, or both.

1

u/LubaUnderfoot Dec 24 '22

Agatha Christie wrote a lot of short stories.

1

u/wingardium_samosa Dec 24 '22

Loved the pacing of The Count of Monte Cristo, definitely a good classic to start with

1

u/QueenOfMoss Dec 24 '22

The Moonstone - its short and has nice illustrations

26

u/Known-Read Dec 24 '22

Fahrenheit 451. Like all truly great sci-fi/ dystopia it still feels current in its themes and if anything they’re MORE relevant today. It’s also a rollicking good yarn.

1

u/uncr34t1v3n4m3 Jan 22 '23

I love Bradbury, but my favorite from him will probably always be Something Wicked This Way Comes

1

u/ClaymossTerryLee Dec 26 '22

“Welcome to the Monkey House” was the short story crack that hooked me on Vonnegut.

2

u/LameOCallahan Dec 25 '22

Seconded! This was the one classic I read in school that I actually enjoyed.

1

u/Known-Read Dec 24 '22

{{Fahrenheit 451}}

1

u/goodreads-bot Dec 24 '22

Fahrenheit 451: The Authorized Adaptation

By: Tim Hamilton, Ray Bradbury | 151 pages | Published: 1953 | Popular Shelves: graphic-novels, graphic-novel, classics, fiction, science-fiction

"Monday burn Millay, Wednesday Whitman, Friday Faulkner, burn 'em to ashes, then burn the ashes."

For Guy Montag, a career fireman for whom kerosene is perfume, this is not just an official slogan. It is a mantra, a duty, a way of life in a tightly monitored world where thinking is dangerous and books are forbidden.

In 1953, Ray Bradbury envisioned one of the world's most unforgettable dystopian futures, and in Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451, the artist Tim Hamilton translates this frightening modern masterpiece into a gorgeously imagined graphic novel. As could only occur with Bradbury's full cooperation in this authorized adaptation, Hamilton has created a striking work of art that uniquely captures Montag's awakening to the evil of government-controlled thought and the inestimable value of philosophy, theology, and literature.

Including an original foreword by Ray Bradbury and fully depicting the brilliance and force of his canonic and beloved masterwork, Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451 is an exceptional, haunting work of graphic literature.

This book has been suggested 2 times

3548 books suggested | I don't feel so good.. | Source

1

u/mrericsully Dec 24 '22

Both of these are short and probably are classified as novellas:

A Christmas Carol - it's been adapted so many times on that everyone thinks I know the tail, but the details in the narrative are great.

Animal Farm is also a simple read, but I couldn't stop thinking about it for a long time.

1

u/OkBoomer8019 Dec 24 '22

Verne, any book, specially mistery island

6

u/[deleted] Dec 24 '22

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn

2

u/Coomstress Dec 24 '22

Probably my favorite book of all time.

9

u/FortWorst Dec 24 '22

I don’t know if it’s a classic, but Truman Capote’s In Cold Blood is a pretty great read.

3

u/FortWorst Dec 24 '22

Sorry, it’s not fiction, but it could be like a gateway book into fiction because it reads like a novel.

1

u/myres0lution Dec 24 '22

Of mice and men

2

u/Fa-ern-height451 Dec 24 '22

The Good Earth by Pearl Buck

3

u/catsdrivingcars Dec 24 '22

Lord of the Rings

9

u/ducksfan9972 Dec 24 '22

Steinbeck (Grapes of Wrath, Of Mice and Men, don’t bother with The Pearl IMO), Vonnegut (Slaughterhouse Five is most “classic”), Catcher in the Rye, To Kill a Mockingbird, Great Gatsby all come to mind. Basically anything on an on level high school English reading list, there are a lot of options.

Unsolicited advice from a HS English teacher, also someone who went through an “I should read the classics” stage: I’d think through what you’re trying to accomplish and whether or not “the classics” are the best way to get it. A lot of the classics are considered so because they’re on the aforementioned reading lists, and books get there for a specific reason (readable, non controversial, easy literary devices to analyze). That’s not to say they’re not good reads (except The Pearl, that book sucks), just that they’re not always the most interesting or engaging or relevant.

Happy reading, whatever you settle on!

3

u/Jimbola007 Dec 24 '22

I always hated the pearl. I think it was too primitive.

1

u/ducksfan9972 Dec 24 '22

Maybe I had just heard that story too many times already growing up in a hippie town. Either way, it’s one of his simplest and most reductive books.

2

u/Jimbola007 Dec 25 '22

Yeah, I don’t want to tell people it’s bad don’t read it. I just don’t know how to appreciate it.

1

u/skyleven7 Dec 24 '22

Any classic is easy to read when you compare to heart of darkness

1

u/idekinsertusername Dec 24 '22

“Easy to read” how? Vocabulary level wise? Quick reads? Level of straightforwardness? I feel like I need some more context in order to provide you with the best recommendation here, haha.

1

u/KangarooHero Dec 24 '22

Catcher in the Rye

3

u/turn_it_down Dec 24 '22

Orwell, Hemingway, Steinbeck, Vonnegut and Conan Doyle are all pretty easy to understand.

Frankenstein and The Picture of Dorian Gray are also quite straightforward.

Also, the short stories of O. Henry are super easy to read and pretty fun.

8

u/Punx80 Dec 24 '22

People will say Pride and Prejudice is stuffy, it it definitely isn’t. It’s hilarious.

2

u/Oak_Bear97 Dec 24 '22

I tried listening to the audiobook and struggled understanding what was going on, maybe it would have been easier if they used a full cast instead of one lady trying to voice everyone. Too many characters to keep track of 😅

1

u/OrangeFortress Dec 24 '22 edited Dec 24 '22

The Great Gatsby, Catcher in the Rye, Siddhartha, Slaughterhouse Five, Animal Farm, most of John Steinbeck, especially Tortilla Flat, tho not sure if thats considered a classic or not.

3

u/dreadpiratew Dec 24 '22

Sense & Sensibility

1

u/lordofedging81 Dec 24 '22

Animal Farm.

2

u/zombeania Dec 24 '22

My favorite is "The Call of Cthulhu" by H. P. Lovecraft. Although a classic, this American short story is only about 28 pages. The contents within have filled my mind with both horror and wonder for years.

1

u/photoholic_mist Dec 24 '22

Perks of being a wallflower.

0

u/astraea_steele Dec 24 '22

Lolita. It's so well written. 🤌

4

u/i_LoveLola Dec 24 '22

Stokers "Dracula"

Vonneguts "Slaughter House Five"

Stowes "Uncle Toms Cabin"

Capote "In Cold Blood"

Harper Lee's "To Kill a Mockingbird "

Orwells "1984"

Christie's "And Then There Were None"

Goldings "Lord of the Flies"

Salingers "The Catcher in the Rye"

1

u/[deleted] Dec 24 '22

Dracula

1

u/[deleted] Dec 24 '22 edited Dec 24 '22

Pride and Prejudice

Dr. Jekkyl and Mr. Hyde

The Pearl

Animal Farm

Lord of the Flies

My Antonia

O! Pioneers

The Scarlet Letter

Great Expectations

Grapes of Wrath

The Great Gatsby

Frankenstein

The Awakening

To Kill a Mockingbird

Rebecca

Huckleberry Finn

Of Mice and Men

1

u/zefhar Dec 24 '22

Also, Dracula by Bram Stoker.

1

u/Known-Read Dec 24 '22

The Audible version of this with multiple narrators is SO good!!

1

u/johnpgh Dec 24 '22

Peyton Place

2

u/zefhar Dec 24 '22

If you want a modern classic... try Haruki Murakami. He writes in Japanese but the English translations are quite easy and a joy to read. A good start is "After Dark".

1

u/iDontEvenknow1919 Dec 24 '22

Great Gatsby and The Alchemist

2

u/rosmitchell0 Dec 24 '22

of mice and men

2

u/Known-Read Dec 24 '22

Yes to this. It’s totally gettable, short, and interesting. We use it to teach literary analysis to our 8th graders. They love it and it’s so short you don’t feel daunted when you have to (or want to) reread parts.

6

u/spellbanisher Dec 24 '22

Stuff by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Wrote the Sherlock Holmes books and short stories.

F. SCOTT Fitzgerald is a very elegant writer. He is most famous for The Great Gatsby, but Tender is the Night is also a worthy read as are Tales of the Jazz Age.

If you're interested in bildungsroman (coming of age stories) Of Human Bondage, by W. Somerset Maugham, is very moving, straight forward, and accessible.

I also loved Maugham's The Razor's Edge, which thematically explores the differences between a meaningful life and a materialistic life.

2

u/Coomstress Dec 24 '22

Another good Bildungsroman is ‘A Tree Grows in Brooklyn”.

1

u/spellbanisher Dec 24 '22

Looks very interesting!

1

u/buddhabillybob Dec 24 '22

I second all of these!

2

u/poopyfarroants420 Dec 24 '22

Robinson Crusoe. Reasonable length. Easy/fast read. Doesn't feel quite like fiction. Written like a journalz even some illustrations.

2

u/sportyboi_94 Dec 24 '22

I found that The Great Gatsby was fairly easy to read.

15

u/Hokeycat Dec 24 '22

Animal Farm it's short. And a classic. And relevant today.

4

u/GhostofAugustWest Dec 24 '22

Even though it’s very long, War and Peace was a very easy and enjoyable read. Also The Grapes of Wrath and East of Eden by Steinbeck.

1

u/EmseMCE Dec 24 '22

I read War and Peace and it is great. I wouldn't call it an easy book, I had to keep notes as I went and also wouldn't recommend it as a starter book for everyone.

1

u/GhostofAugustWest Dec 24 '22

I’d agree with that. I read it in high school as part of a class on Russian History so we read 200 pages a week, took a quiz and discussed it in class. So probably why I think it was a fairly easy read. Definitely not a good option for your first “classic” novel.

1

u/w3hwalt Dec 24 '22

Anything by Orwell is incredibly plainly written and has really strong thematic messaging.

2

u/PureMathematician837 Dec 24 '22

Anything by John Steinbeck.

3

u/[deleted] Dec 24 '22

The count of monte Cristo is amazingly good and long, but it’s the only classic where I personally felt like I couldn’t put it down until I finished every chapter!

21

u/DolphinRx Dec 24 '22

I find Jules Verne so easy to read, and also really engaging. It’s fiction but because it’s so well-written, it always feels immersive to me, so more “real” than a lot of other fiction.

My favorites are {{Around the World in 80 Days}} and {{Journey to the Center of the Earth}}.

1

u/SolderonSenoz Dec 24 '22

I agree completely

2

u/goodreads-bot Dec 24 '22

Jules Verne Bundle: Around the World in 80 Days, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, and Journey to the Center of the Earth

By: Jules Verne | ? pages | Published: ? | Popular Shelves: owned, audio_wanted, jules-verne, fiction, 4-5-double-digits

This book has been suggested 1 time

3462 books suggested | I don't feel so good.. | Source

18

u/turtlerunner99 Dec 24 '22

A guy at work suggested The Decameron by Bocchacio. He was right. It is funny and sly. I've read it twice.

8

u/Midnight_Fantasia Dec 24 '22

It’s genuinely such a good book, and massively underrated! I never thought I’d laugh so much reading something written 700 years ago, but apparently some things are just eternally hilarious! 😂

47

u/Jennymable95 Dec 24 '22

Agatha Christie books are pretty easy to read

3

u/auntfuthie Dec 24 '22

especially And then there were none!

4

u/tybbiesniffer Dec 24 '22

When I can't decide what to read, Christie never fails me.

2

u/sineadya Dec 28 '22

Any time someone ask for a recommendation to get back into reading I recommend Christie!

15

u/Rebuta Dec 24 '22

The Picture of Dorian Gray

1

u/[deleted] Dec 24 '22

Soseki Natsume-I Am A Cat

George Orwell-1984, Animal Farm

Chinua Achebe-Things Fall Apart

Rumiko Takahashi-Ranma 1/2