What Are The Best Books To Read?

There is really nothing that compares to picking up a good book from time to time and becoming completely engrossed in a story. Some of the best books to read over the history of literature have topped lists around the world time and again, despite the constant flow of new writing every year. Here is a list of some of the world's greatest stories of all time.

'Don Quixote' was published in 2 volumes in the early 1600s. Miguel De Cervantes, the author, has been attributed with writing one of the best works of Spanish literature ever. In the book, Alonso Quixano is the lead character, who reads far too many romances and actually begins to believe every word he reads. As a result of the ensuing loss of sanity, he decides to go on a journey to restore chivalry and undo all wrongdoings in the world, with Sancho Panza at his side.

'A Tale of Two Cities' is set in Paris and London simultaneously before the French Revolution. In this book, Charles Dickens details the plight of peasants who are frustrated with the poor treatment they have been receiving from the aristocracy and the actions that follow. This story was released in monthly installments in the mid-1800s in Dickens' literary periodical called All The Year Round.

J. R. R. Tolkien has two of his works on bestselling lists around the world and both were made into blockbuster Hollywood movies. 'The Hobbit' and 'Lord of the Rings' are both classed as fantasy novels for children. However, the writing in these works is so wonderful that, much like J. K. Rowling's 'Harry Potter' series, the books are read by audiences of all ages.

Published in 1937, 'The Hobbit' follows a human-like creature - a hobbit - named Bilbo Baggins, a rather homely character. Baggins is thrown into adventure as he sets out on a journey to discover treasure watched over by a dragon. 'The Hobbit' was nominated for the prestigious Carnegie Medal title, and has also won an award, named by the New York Herald Tribune as the best juvenile fiction.

'The Lord of the Rings' is originally the sequel for 'The Hobbit'. However, it stands alone as a work of genius as well. Finished in in the late forties, the story follows 3 hobbits who leave the Shire and travel across Middle Earth, witnessing the War of the Ring. The work is so large that it is split into three volumes.

Antoine de Saint-Exupery's 'The Little Prince' is in fourth place when it comes to the most translated books in the world. It has also been voted as the 20th century's best book in France. The story documents the interaction between a stranded pilot who meets a young boy, a prince who has fallen to Earth from an asteroid. The book contains many themes and lessons.

The greatest books in the world cannot be mentioned without naming 'The Alchemist' by Paulo Coelho. Though the Brazilian author has a number of literary accomplishments, 'The Alchemist' is undoubtedly a novel that speaks to everyone in a different, albeit significant, way. This is a story about a boy's journey to find his destiny and how he finds himself in the process.