Famous Books That Should Be on Every Bookshelf

One of the most difficult things to store sometimes can be books. For those people who have an extensive library of novels, it can be a real chore finding traditional shelving units, or sometimes even wire shelving, in which to store all those volumes. However, despite the fact that they are sometimes hard to find space for, there are certain books that almost everybody should have in their personal collection because of the great themes and messages within their pages. Nonfiction to biographies to science fiction and fantasy, everybody should have some of these novels in their homes and be able to refer to them or enjoy them again whenever they want.

One book that should be widely purchased and read is Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury. Bradbury originally wrote the novel as a short story that was published in a science fiction magazine featuring short stories, but then lengthened it and had it published as a full novel on its own. The book is set in a future America in which all thought has been abandoned and hedonism is the order of the day. Americans in this dystopian future enjoy nothing more than sitting back and watching their television walls and being vacuous and thoughtless is largely encouraged. The main character works as a fireman, which in this futuristic world means that he burns books and then sends the owners at the very least to a mental hospital. The plot of the book moves along as the fireman realizes he should not be doing this terrible work and rebels against his government and fellow book burners.

Another book that should be in almost everyone’s collection or personal library is 1984. Written by George Orwell in 1949 this book is also about a dystopian future. However, in this future world the government runs everything and is known as Big Brother. The citizens of the nation are always being watched and told what to do and what to think by their great leader. The book is essentially a cautionary tale of what can happen when too much power is given to a government and how it can lead to horrible things.

Finally, a last novel that should be widely read is called Crime and Punishment and was written by Fyodor Dostoevsky, a novelist from Russia. The book is about a former student in St. Petersburg who is poor and kills a wealthy pawn broker because he feels that with her money he can do good deeds, and also to test his hypothesis that some people are allowed to commit severe crimes in order to achieve a higher purpose. The novel progresses as the main character, Raskolnikov, feels pangs of regret for his actions and is investigated by a quick witted police officer. The novel ends with Raskolnikov confessing to the crime and finding redemption for his misdeeds in a number of different things and people.

While they may be hard to store sometimes, books are still the ultimate medium to enhance the mind and should be collected and read by as many people as possible.

Famous Books That Should Be on Every Bookshelf