1. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott (Stand-alone (sequels with some of same characters), long length)

Warning: Charming, sweet, and set during the Civil War era. It's full of dialogue that pops off the page and characters you’ll never forget. The March Sisters are lovable and flawed, but they're a team you'll root for. Also, one of my favorite books of all time. I’ve read it too many times!

 

2. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen (Stand-alone, medium length)

Warning: Brilliant wit and Mr. Darcy! A strong female protagonist, plenty of beautiful estates, classism in the Regency Period, must I go on? It's fun and just proves how bright Jane Austen was. 

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3. Angels in America by Tony Kushner (Stand-alone, medium length)

Warning: A fantastical play about the AIDS epidemic in the 1980s. Alters your worldview and bewitches you. It should be on everyone's list. Always!

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4. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury (Stand-alone, short length)

Warning: Dystopian novel about burning books and how we might respond in the height of censorship. Our protagonist, Guy, struggles with his brainwashed wife, a mysterious woman trying to show him the truth, and a deadly, robotic dog. 

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5. A Room with a View by E.M. Forster (Stand-alone, short length)

Warning: A sweet romance with a unique male character and stubborn heroine. The tone is clever, amusing, and honest. As a plus, its first half is set in lush, picturesque Italy.

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6. The Coquette by Hannah Foster (Stand-alone, short)

Warning: An epistolary novel that takes on the late 18th century double standards plaguing women. Its portrayal of the fallen woman was a controversial motif of the time. I was both incensed and sympathetic, the pages flying by as I waited for the end.

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7. Parable of Sower by Octavia Butler (2 books series, medium length)

Warning: A post-apocalyptic world where resources are scarce. Lauren feels an extreme amount of empathy for others around her and while she travels, seeking safety, she begins to create a philosophy and religion to inspire others around her. Fraught with deep musings, questions of morality, and plenty of action, Butler is a master crafter.

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8. Bonesetter’s Daughter by Amy Tan (Stand Alone, medium length)

Warning: Told in two different points of view, one of Ruth living as a middle-aged woman in the US, and the other being her mother Lu Ling who spends most of her adolescence in China. Their relationship has suffered over time, mostly because Lu Ling has kept her past a secret from her daughter. Ultimately, Tan’s novel is powerful, engrossing, and poignant.

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9. Blindness by Jose Saramago (Stand-alone, medium length)

Warning: An in-depth, startling look at how society would function if everyone’s sight was taken away. While this book makes its points with a rawness and a sort of beautiful brutality, it also has some sexual violence and other graphic images, please consider this before reading. Saramogo’s prose style also pointedly lacks lots of punctuation and paragraphing, making it a spiraling, intense read.

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10. Othello by William Shakespeare (Stand-alone, medium length)

Warning: One of my favorite Shakespeare plays, Shakespeare both knowingly and unknowingly opens a powerful dialogue about racism, family, and jealousy. The cunning villain Iago also makes this play an entertaining read/performance.

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11. Hamlet by William Shakespeare (Stand-alone, long length)

Warning: Hamlet has long reigned as one of Shakespeare’s best, and I wish I could disagree. But the dialogue written for the grieving Hamlet, lost without his father and unsure who to trust, is nothing short of genius. A haunting, gripping drama with maddening diction and stark images.

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12. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald (Stand-alone, short length)

Warning: With the luxurious feel of the 1920s, a cast of highly flawed and complex characters, and the star-crossed lovers Gatsby and Daisy, Fitzgerald entrances readers. A beautiful, simple read.

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13. The Crucible by Arthur Miller (Stand-alone, medium length)

Warning: Miller’s famous work is my all-time favorite play. He wrote it in response to McCarthyism and the Red Scare, invoking the history of the Salem Witch Trials to make his point. The flawed, tragic hero John Proctor has some of the most gripping dialogue I’ve read.

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14. The Color of Water by James McBride (Stand-alone, medium length)

Warning: A memoir about McBride’s life that highlights the contrast between his white, Jewish mother and his own biracial identity. While telling heartwarming and heart-wrenching stories, McBride also shares his thoughts on education, Black Power movements, family, and religion. It’s a magnificent journey that I would recommend to anyone.

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15. House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros (Stand-alone, short length)

Warning: A short, sweet novel broken up into punchy vignettes, Cisneros’ work traces the teenage years of Mexican-American girl Esperanza and her life in a Chicano/Puerto Rican neighborhood in Chicago. This book will make you cry and make you think.