40 Books You Won't Be Able to Put Down
JulieYou know that book. The one you read in one or two sittings. The one you practically swallowed whole. What an exhilarating experience –– to be so captivated by a book that you cannot bear to do anything until you get to the last page!
I polled our ~3,000 HPB Bibliomaniacs around the country about which books they devoured. And they had much to say on the topic. So, if you've never read them, give these books a try. Without further ado, here are 40 Books You Won't Be Able to Put Down.
There seems to be something for everyone on this list -- mystery, romance, biography, contemporary literature, classics, even paranormal. So, did your favorite quick read make the list? Add yours to our list by making a quick comment below.
-- Julie
This website is made from 100% completely recycled materials.
Reader Comments (300)
The ENTIRE Dark Tower Series. Took me less than 2 weeks to read all 7 books!! Stephen King at his BEST!!
Piece of Cake by Cupcake Brown was by far the best book I HAVE EVER READ. WAS SAD WHEN I FINISHED THE BOOK. READ IT OVER MANY MONTHS TO MAKE IT LAST.
Peace Like a River by Leif Enger is AMAZING! Read it, you'll love it!
R.L Stine The Babysitter series and The Perks of Being a Wallfower by Chbosky
Papillon by Henri Charriere (can't put it down - even people who don't like to read books will not be able to read this entire 500 page novel without not wanting to put it down - I don't care to read a lot and my father never reads books - just the newspaper and he loved Papillon as I did.)
the curious incident of the dog in the nighttime by Mark Haddon (very charming viewpoint from an autistic boy)
Also Anita Shreve wrote several really good, easily readable novels.
the Maze Runner is a great book I just started. Excellent read along the lines of The Hunger Games mixed with Lord of the Flies.
Of those 40, I've read:
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (didn't like at all)...
Da Vinci Code (and all the other Dan Brown Books... Angels and Demons was actually better, in my opinion)
The Hobbit
Anything by Susanna Kearsley...you sit down to read one chapter and all of a sudden it's midnight and you're half way done! She does a great job of asking questions but then giving you answers to different ones...keeps you reading and reading and reading.
I'm really surprised no one has mentioned "The Lovely Bones" by Alice Sebold. Amazing story told from the point-of-view of a 14 year old girl who was murdered and is watching her family (and killer) from heaven. I agree with The Hunger Games; read all three in 3 days.
-the last 3 or 4 Harry Potter books.
- any book in the Sookie Stackhouse series
-any book by Chelsea Handler, particularly "Lies Chelsea Handler Told Me"
- Invisible Monsters by Chuck Palahniuk
-Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt (if you haven't been to Savannah before, this book will make you want to visit.
Tuesday's with Morrie. My favorite book, ever!
Interestly, the 40 books come from such diverse reading interests that what one r eader categorizes as "could not put down" another might call "....a snooze". e.g. A reader such as myself who enjoys action books would give a Thunbs up to DaVinci Code & Dragon Tattoo --- but Sidhartha, the Help & the Road would all get a snooze.
The Fault In Our Stars by John Green. Excellent book. I piicked it up saturday and couldn't put it down for the rest of the day. Amazing book.
The Maze Runner by James Dashner
Catch-22: False, I could and did put that down. One of the worst books I've ever read.
Poison Study, by Maria Snyder. EVERYONE will love this!
My list would have to include The Outsiders by SE Hinton and To Kill a Mockingbird which has already been mentioned several times. My 17 year old son says the list should also include The Boy in the Striped Pajamas.
The Perks of Being a Wallflower! - Stephen Chbosky
Books that should be on this list:
A History of Love - Nicole Krauss
Life of Pi - Yann Martel
On the Road - Jack Kerouac
Looking for Alaska - John Green
"The Time Traveler's Wife" by Audrey Niffenegger is my all time favorite.
I read it at least once every couple of months (sometimes once a month) and always in one sitting.
Neal Shusterman's Unwind and his Full Tilt are stand-outs for me.
South of Broad by Pat Conroy was great and most of Jeffrey Archer's books are well worth the time.
Great list! Of course I have many favorite books, but in the "can't put down" category, I would add:
Midwives by Chris Bohjalian
The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
I love that you have Jeaniene Frost on here....that whole series is fantastic...it may not be the most intellectual of books but super entertaining. I was disappointed that Hitchhikers Guide to the galaxy and A million little pieces werent on there but I'm excited to read all the books on the list that I havn't yet because all those that I have are awesome and deserve to be on the list indeed.
Rebecca by Du Maurier, anything written by Wilbur Smith, Hemingway or Steinbeck
i am seriously confused by this list. i am extremely well read and an avid reader. however, i have not even read half the books on this list--nor do i intend to do so. probably because it is laden with "light reading"-- vampire/contemporary sci fi, young adult lit, and chic lit. there are lots of us out here who read literature and non-fiction. geez o pete.