What to read in your spare time. The most interesting books - lists

If you suffer from insomnia, or just don't know what to do in the evening before going to bed, then start reading! But be careful, because some books are so interesting that you won't notice how the morning comes!

Photo: goodfon.ru

So, a list of fascinating books that will interest both "avid readers" and novice "book lovers":

"Come in large numbers", Narine Abgaryan

This is a tragicomedy about a young and ambitious girl who, at the beginning of the difficult 90s, decided to leave her native small mountainous republic and conquer the capital. And she immediately realized that every visitor, whom the author calls "come in large numbers", has his own Moscow. Someone sees it in the millions of people scurrying through the streets, and someone gets the opportunity to get close to such people. And some of them protect, protect, care for, help, support and just love. The author of the book talks about his small piece of the very "come in large numbers" life of a visitor, which many indigenous residents of big cities do not know about. And there is a place for feats in it, the most important of which is to decide to emigrate and accept a new place as it is, and sincerely love it. And then Moscow will certainly reciprocate.

The Collector, John Fowles

This is the debut story of the author, and for many it practically freezes the blood, because this is a real psychological thriller that excites the mind. The plot is the fate of two people connected with each other. He is a butterfly collector. There is a void in his soul, which he seeks to fill with beauty. And one day Ferdinand finds himself a wonderful victim - the girl Miranda. It is as if she was created in order to create and enjoy freedom. And he understands that he will give everything to possess her. And so, Miranda becomes a prisoner of Ferdinand. But will he be able to keep real Life, Beauty, Freedom and all the most beautiful that can be in the human soul within the walls of the castle?

The story is built on the subtle relationship of the victim and the villain and allows you to rethink many of the stories of world classics that seemed to have long been worn out.

"Forrest Gump", Winston Groom

This is the story of a mentally retarded guy, which he himself outlined on the pages of the legendary book that formed the basis of the film of the same name. The plot can be called practically the embodiment of the myth of the very "American dream" that disturbed the minds of millions of young people who lived in the second half of the last century. But at the same time, this is a sharp and even slightly cruel satirical parody of the society of that time, which was not ready to accept people who were somehow different from the main mass. Forrest Gump was different, and therefore became the object of ridicule. But this boy is not crazy at all. He is different, and he can see and feel what others cannot see and feel. He is special.

"Amsterdam", Ian McEwan

The author of the book is one of the representatives of the "elite" of modern British prose. And for a work that has become a real world bestseller, he received the Booker Prize. Victor Golyshev, who translated this creation into Russian, also got around to the award. It would seem that the story is simple and very relevant. But how many nuances are in it, how many thoughts, how many doubts! The main characters are two friends. One of them is a successful editor of a popular newspaper. The second is a brilliant contemporary composer who is writing the Millennium Symphony. And they enter into an agreement on euthanasia, under the terms of which, if one falls into a state of unconsciousness and ceases to understand what he is doing, then the other will take his life.

Amendment 22 by Joseph Heller

Although more than half a century has passed since the publication of the first book, this work is still legendary and one of the most popular, and many publications have included it in the list of the best novels.

This is not an ordinary story about US Air Force pilots who took part in World War II. All of them get into absurd situations, face awkward people and thoughtless actions, they themselves commit incomprehensible acts. And all this is connected with a certain amendment No. 22, which actually does not exist on paper, but says that every military man who does not want to perform a combat mission is quite normal and therefore fit for service. But in fact, in this story one can see not so much an anti-war novel as a deep and global mockery of modern everyday life, of society and the laws in force.

"Collusion of Dunces" by John Kennedy Toole

The author of this book, who, by the way, lived to see the Pulitzer Prize for this creation, was able to create a literary hero, unlike any described in satirical literature. Ignatius J. Riley is creative, imaginative and eccentric. He fancies himself an intellectual, but in reality he is a glutton, a spendthrift and a quitter. He is similar to the modern Don Quixote or Gargantua, who despises society for its lack of geometry and theology. He is reminiscent of Thomas Aquinas, who launched his own hopeless war against everything and everyone: gay people, the excesses of the century, and even intercity buses. And this image is so interesting, unusual and, unfortunately, relevant that everyone can see a part of themselves in it.

"Monday Starts on Saturday" Strugatsky Brothers

This book is a real masterpiece of Russian science fiction, a kind of embodiment of the utopia of the Soviet era, a kind of artistic fulfillment of the dream of the possibilities of a modern person to learn, create, learn and solve the mysteries of the Universe.

The main characters of the book are employees of NIICHAVO (Research Institute of Witchcraft and Wizardry). They are masters and magicians, real pioneers. And they will face many amazing events and phenomena: a time machine, a hut on chicken legs, a genie and even an artificially grown man!

"The Girl on the Train" by Paula Hawkins

This book has become a real bestseller. This is a mysterious and fascinating story of the girl Rachel, who, from the train window, watches, as it seems to her, the ideal spouses. She even gave them names: Jason and Jess. Every day she sees the cottage of a man and a woman and understands that they probably have everything: well-being, happiness, wealth and love. And Rachel had all this, but not so long ago she lost all this. But one day, approaching the already well-known cottage, the girl realizes that something is going wrong. She sees frightening, mysterious and disturbing events that disturb her consciousness. And after that, the ideal wife Jess disappears. And Rachel understands that it is she who must solve this mystery and find a woman. But will the police take her seriously? And, in general, is it worth interfering in someone else's life? This is for the reader to find out.

The Book of Life: Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom

In the last months of his life, the old professor managed to make several important discoveries.

He realized that death is not the end at all. This is the beginning. And, therefore, dying is the same as preparing for something unknown and new. And it's not scary at all, but even interesting.

Before leaving for another world, the old man passed on such knowledge to everyone who was with him in the last minutes of his earthly life. What's next? Will we know it?

The Process, Franz Kafka

The author is one of the most beloved, mysterious, readable and popular writers of the last century. He managed to create a unique artistic universe in which everything is completely different from real life. She is sad, dreary and almost absurd, but incredibly and bewitchingly beautiful. Her characters constantly become participants in strange adventures, they are looking for the meaning of life and trying to get answers to questions that have been tormenting them for a long time. The novel "The Trial" is the work that will most clearly understand the mysterious nature of Franz Kafka's work.

"Lord of the Flies" by William Golding

This book can be called strange, scary and incredibly attractive.

According to the plot, boys brought up in the best traditions find themselves on a desert island. The author told the readers a philosophical parable about how fragile the world is and what can happen to people who have forgotten about kindness, love and mercy. This is a dystopia with some symbolic overtones, which explores the behavior of children who find themselves on a desert island during wartime. Will they be able to maintain humanity or will they obey natural instincts?

Rita Hayworth, or the Shawshank Redemption by Stephen King

The plot of this book is the story of a man whose nightmare suddenly became a reality. He, innocent of anything, was thrown into prison, into a real hell, in which he will spend the rest of his life. And no one has been able to get out of this terrible place yet. But the main character does not intend to give up and put up with what was destined for him by fate. He took a desperate step. But can he not only escape, but also get used to freedom and the new world, survive in it? By the way, this work of the real fantasy king Stephen King served as the basis for the film of the same name, which starred Morgan Freeman and Tim Robinson.

The events unfold in England in 1960. Jennifer Sterling wakes up after a terrible car accident and realizes that she cannot remember who she is, what happened to her. She does not remember her husband either. She would have continued to live in ignorance if, by chance, she had not found letters addressed to her and signed with the letter "B". Their author confessed his love to Jennifer and persuaded her to leave her husband. Further, the author takes readers to the XXI century. Young reporter Ellie finds one of the letters written by the mysterious "B" in a newspaper archive. She hopes that by taking up the investigation, she will be able to unravel the mystery of the author and recipient of the messages, restore her reputation and even sort out her own personal life.

“Lady with glasses with a gun in a car”, Sebastien Japrisot

The main character of the book is a blonde. She is beautiful, sentimental, sincere, deceitful, restless, stubborn and stupid. This lady, who has never seen the sea, gets into a car and tries to escape from the police. At the same time, she constantly repeats to herself that she is not crazy.

But people around here disagree. The heroine behaves more than strangely and constantly gets into ridiculous situations. She believes that wherever she is, she can be harmed. But if she escapes, she can be alone with herself and free herself from what she hides, from what worries her so much.

Goldfinch, Donna Tartt

The author has been writing this book for ten whole years, but it has become a real masterpiece. It talks about the fact that art has the power and power, and sometimes it can radically change and literally turn our lives upside down, and quite suddenly.

The hero of the work, 13-year-old boy Theo Decker, miraculously survived after the explosion that killed his mother. His father abandoned him, and he is forced to wander through foster families and completely strange houses. He traveled to Las Vegas and New York and almost despaired. But his only consolation, which, by the way, almost led to his death, is the masterpiece of the Dutch old master, which he stole from the museum.

Cloud Atlas, David Mitchell

This book is like a complex mirror maze in which seemingly completely different and unrelated stories echo, intersect and overlap each other in an amazing way.

In total, there are six main characters in the work: a young composer who is forced to sell his soul and body; 19th century notary; a journalist working in California in the 1970s who uncovers a conspiracy of a large company; a clone servant working in a modern fast food business; a modern petty publisher and a simple goatherd living in the decline of civilization.

1984 George Orwell

This work can be attributed to the genre of dystopia, it describes a society in which a harsh totalitarian regime reigns.

There is nothing more terrible than the imprisonment of free and living minds in the fetters of social foundations.

"Blackberry Winter" Sarah Gio

Events unfold in 1933 in Seattle. Vera Ray kisses her little son before going to bed and goes to work at night in a hotel. In the morning, a single mother discovers that the whole city is covered with snow, and her son has disappeared. In a snowdrift near the house, Vera finds the boy's favorite toy, but there are no footprints nearby. A desperate mother is ready to do anything to find her child.

The author then takes readers to present-day Seattle. Reporter Claire Aldridge writes an article about a snowstorm that literally paralyzed the city. By chance, she learns that similar events have already occurred 80 years ago. Starting to explore the mysterious history of Vera Ray, Claire realizes that she is somehow mysteriously intertwined with her own life.

"Blindness" José Saramago

The inhabitants of a nameless country and a nameless city are facing a strange epidemic. All of them rapidly begin to go blind. And the authorities, in order to stop this incomprehensible disease, decide to introduce strict quarantine and relocate all the sick to the old hospital, taking them into custody.

The main characters of the work are an infected ophthalmologist and his wife pretending to be blind. They are trying to collect the world bit by bit and find order in this gradually embracing chaos.

“Three apples fell from the sky”, Narine Abgaryan

This book is the story of a small village, which is somewhere high in the mountains.

Its inhabitants are all a little grumpy, a little eccentric, but at the same time, real treasures of the spirit are hidden in each of them.

This is a witty, sublime and unusual dystopia about the modern consumer society, which is programmed at the genetic level. And in this world, the sad story of the Savage is unfolding, whom the author regards as the Hamlet of our time. It still retains the remnants of humanity, but people divided into social consumption castes do not want to recognize it or simply cannot do it.

If we list noteworthy books by contemporary authors, then we cannot fail to mention the work “Social network “Kovcheg” by Evgeniy Vetsel, which consists of three parts.

The main character falls from the roof, but is reborn again. Having lived a little in the XI century, he finds himself in the distant future - in the XXXVI century in Moscow. The author touches on many interesting devices, techniques of psychology and sales, modern reflections on life and reasons to seriously think about rhetorical questions. The second book describes life in America and the theory of one of the options for a worldwide conspiracy. And the third part tells about the adventures of the hero on another planet, where white angels live.

These were the most interesting books worth reading even for those who think they don't like to read. They will turn your views and even ideas about the world.

P.S. What books do you remember the most?

Reading men, unfortunately, now you will meet not often. After all, this is a big plus in his personal characteristics.
neVipeb.cevy.4.gsr.anonimizing.com has compiled a list of books with a male character. Although, perhaps you have already mastered it?

1. The Call of the Wild by Jack London
Dog dealers kidnap Beck, a young half-breed dog, from his master's house and sell him to Alaska. The harsh land, overwhelmed by the Gold Rush, so unlike his sunny homeland, requires the focus of all vitality from Beck. If he cannot resurrect the memory of his wild ancestors, he will inevitably die.
2. "Sicilian" Mario Puzo
"The Godfather" is the most masculine reading that touches on topics close to any man: friendship, courage, women. The Sicilian is a continuation of the story, in which Michael, the son of Don Corleone, becomes the main character, with the atmosphere and style of the author inherent in the entire trilogy.
3. "Wonderland without brakes and the end of the world" by Haruki Murakami
A book about two people who live in two completely different worlds. Almost everything is different in them: from the passage of time to saturation with incredible events. Two completely different, non-intersecting worlds - the Japanese-style idyllic City behind the wall and the bustling metropolis of Tokyo, with dungeons teeming with mysteries and mysterious creatures. Incredible cocktail - jabberwogs and unicorns, neurosurgery and sex, Tokyo and Leningrad...
4. "Women" Charles Bukowski
It will be difficult for the unprepared reader. Many rushed to read Bukowski after watching the Californication series. If you are a fan of this TV story, then feel free to buy books by Charles Bukowski - you will see who the hero of David Duchovny was written off from. Are you an optimist or a realist? If you're an observer but don't label or rate, then this book should find a place in your library.
5. For Whom the Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway
For Whom the Bell Tolls is one of Hemingway's best novels. Full of tragedy is the story of a young American who arrived in Spain, engulfed in civil war. A brilliant and sad book about war and love, true courage and self-sacrifice, moral duty and the enduring value of human life.
6. "Slaughterhouse Five" Kurt Vonnegut
“Billy went to bed an elderly widower and woke up on the wedding day. He entered the door in 1955 and left in 1941. Then he returned through the same door and found himself in 1961. He says that he saw his birth and his death and many times got into other events of his life between birth and death. That style alone is worth reading this book.
7. "Heart of Darkness" Joseph Conrad
"Heart of Darkness" - an English sailor's journey deep into Africa, a psychological depiction of the struggle between civilization and nature, an exploration of the "darkness of the human heart", created by Joseph Conrad after eight years in the Congo. Based on the story "Heart of Darkness", the script for the famous film by Francis Ford Coppola "Apocalypse Now" was written.
8. The Shining by Stephen King
Everyone leaves the luxurious hotel for the winter ... except the ghosts, and the most unimaginable nightmares come true. Black as midnight, horror reigns all winter in the snow-covered hotel, cut off from the world. And woe to those who have to face the hell-rising souls, for the ghosts will kill again and again!
Even men get really scared!
9. "Dharma Bums" by Jack Kerouac
"Dharma Drifters" is a celebration of the wilderness, Buddhism and the San Francisco poetic revival, a stage in the history of the spiritual quest of a generation that believed in kindness and humility, wisdom and ecstasy.
10. "Lolita" Vladimir Nabokov
Causing a scandal on both sides of the ocean, this book lifted the author to the top of the literary Olympus and became one of the most famous and, without a doubt, the greatest works of the twentieth century. Today, when the polemical passions around "Lolita" have long subsided, we can confidently say that this is a book about great love that has overcome illness, death and time, love that is open to infinity, "love at first sight, from the last glance, from the eternal look."
11. A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking
In his book A Brief History of Time, the famous English physicist Stephen Hawking tries to answer the questions that interest us all: where did the Universe come from, how and why did it come into being, what will be its end (if at all) - and does it so exciting and accessible, that the book, written in 1988, is a bestseller to this day.
12. "Librarian" Mikhail Elizarov
The Librarian is the fourth and largest book by the brilliant debutant of the 1990s. This is, in fact, the first great post-Soviet novel, the reaction of the generation of 30-year-olds to the world in which they found themselves. Behind the fantastic plot lies a parable, a South Russian fairy tale about lost time, false nostalgia and the barbaric present.
13. "The Adventures of the Good Soldier Schweik" Yaroslav Gashek
In the adventures of Schweik there is no objectivity befitting historical novels, the colors are extremely thickened, but for all this, the novel is inhabited by living people: representatives of almost all circles of society pass before the listener. Schweik is not only a funny little man who has fallen into the maelstrom of war, but also a national hero, a kind of spokesman for the feelings and moods of the people, whose common sense exposes the falsity of the dogmas of the church, the state, and official patriotism.
14. The Road by Cormac McCarthy
The novel "The Road" makes an indelible impression. To some extent, this is an emotional shock! The plot is simple. After the catastrophe, the Father and the Son go through the scorched lands, crossing the continent. Deep, heart-wrenching questions permeate the entire book. Is there any point in living if there is no future? Absolutely not. Does it make sense to live for the sake of children? This is a novel about the fact that everything in life is relative, that such concepts as good and evil, under certain conditions, stop working and lose their meaning.
15. The Catcher in the Rye by Jerome D. Salinger
A book to look at yourself from the outside. If you are over 16-17 years old and you still look like the main character of the book, then it's time to change something in yourself.
16. "All about life" Mikhail Veller
The most important thing in life is LIFE itself. The foundation of life is GOOD, LOVE! Not sex, namely LOVE: sacrificial and all-forgiving. Everything else is just additions, often destroying the foundation. The book shows very well how MAN becomes the main enemy of MAN in particular and HUMANITY in general.
17. Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand
Fundamental work, a monster among books, worth reading. He challenges man and shows what can happen to a world in which people stop following their ideals and instead seek power.
18. White Noise by Don DeLillo
Social satire, in which the author conducts research work on various kinds of phobias and the main paranoia of all mankind (within the inhabitants of an American city) - death.
19. "Netherlands" Joseph O "Neill
The story in the book comes from the perspective of a Dutch financier whose carefree existence in Manhattan stops overnight after the tragic events of September 11, 2001. Critics compare this novel to Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby.
20. "Yellow Birds" Kevin Powers
Guardian Award for Best Debut of the Year. The author of this novel was seventeen when he went as a soldier to Iraq. In his book, he tells the story of the friendship between two young soldiers in a daily struggle for survival. But, having survived the war, they do not find a place for themselves at home.
This is not just an anti-war pamphlet, but rather a touching and wise novel about growing up, about friendship and loss.

A vampire novel, the first edition of which sold a record 100,000 copies in the US alone! A book that delighted the youth not only in English-speaking countries, but also in France, Spain, Scandinavia, Japan and China! A literary debut that critics have compared to Anne Rice's "Interview with the Vampire" and Barbara Hambley's "Those Who Hunt in the Night"! Falling in love with a vampire... Is it scary? It's romantic... It's beautiful and painful... But it can't end well, especially in the eternal confrontation between vampire clans, where the slightest difference from those around you already turns you into an enemy.

• "Loneliness on the Web"

  Janusz Wisniewski

  One of the most poignant love novels published in Russia in recent times. "Of all that is eternal, love has the shortest time" - this is the leitmotif of the European bestseller by Ya. Vishnevsky. The heroes of "Loneliness on the Web" meet in Internet chats, exchange erotic fantasies, tell stories from their lives that turn out to be worse than any fiction.

• "The Thorn Birds"

  Colin McCullough

  The novel "The Thorn Birds" is a recognized masterpiece of world literature. Millions of women have read to them for many decades! According to research conducted by one of London's universities, two copies of the novel by Colin McCullough "The Thorn Birds" are sold every minute in the world.
  

• "Pride and Prejudice"

  Jane Austen

  This book has been the most beloved for many generations of women around the world. She was read in aristocratic living rooms, literary salons and rural estates, she was hidden from the parents of the schoolgirl, for whom Jane Austen's novel literally became a "school of life". And now this book, forever included in the golden fund of world literature, has not lost a drop of its inimitable charm, sophistication and brilliance...

• "Perfumer. The Story of a Murderer

  Patrick Suskind

  The best-selling thriller, describing the life story of the brilliant perfumer and murderous murderer Jean-Baptiste Grenouille, instantly became a worldwide sensation. The total circulation of the novel amounted to more than 15 million copies, it has been translated into 42 languages, among which there is even Latin! 21 years after the publication of the novel, he continues to excite his readers; it is studied by students of universities around the world, and students of various faculties and specialties.

• "The Master and Margarita"

  Michael Bulgakov

  "The Master and Margarita" is undoubtedly Bulgakov's best work, in which he summed up his reflections on life and death, good and evil, the dark and light principles in man and history.





• "Bury Me Behind the Baseboard..."

  Pavel Sanaev

  Pavel Sanaev (b. 1969) wrote at the age of 26 a story about childhood, which is guaranteed a place in the history of Russian literature. If only because it is a hyperbole and an extract of states that are familiar to almost everyone, and especially to Soviet children, but have never been presented in such a concentrated form.

• "Gone With the Wind"

  Margaret Mitchell

  Roman-era! This is where true American literature began! The film, based on the book "Gone with the Wind", was watched by every second inhabitant of the planet. Margaret Mitchell's novel was recognized as the most popular book of the 20th century. More than four have already been sold in Russia...

• "Robinson Crusoe"

  Daniel Defoe

  The book contains the canonical text of the world-famous novel by Daniel Defoe, an extensive literary and critical appendix, which includes fragments of the most popular European "Robinsonades", statements about Defoe and his novel by contemporaries, writers and critics of subsequent generations. Interesting materials related to the fate of this novel by Defoe in Russia.

• "Alchemist"

  Paulo Coelho

  The Alchemist, which has become a "cult" novel by Paulo Coelho, is a parable for our time, and it is not for nothing that it is a favorite book of millions of people in 117 countries of the world. "To achieve the realization of one's destiny is the only true duty of a person ...".

• "Profession: Witch"

  Olga Gromyko

  Every sane person knows for sure: there are no vampires, vampires are very fond of human blood, vampires are afraid of garlic, aspen and sunlight. I wonder what they think about this. the vampires themselves? They would have told if there had been a sufficiently impartial and brave listener! Before you is a detailed report based on personal observations, compiled by a resilient adept of the Starma School of Magicians, Pythia and Herbalists. But didn't the vampires manage to mislead her too?..

• "Chronicles of Amber (Amber Chronicles)"

  Roger Zelazny

  Prince of Amber Corvin is the main contender for the royal crown in the true world - in the eternal city of Amber. His memory is lost, he is abandoned to one of the distant shadows of Amber in the ocean of Chaos. The locals call this shadow the Earth... It is from here that the magical path of Prince Corvin begins through the center of the world, through the throne, through the Shadow cast by Amber in Chaos...

• "Angels and Demons"

  Dan Brown

  Illuminati. An ancient mysterious order, famous in the Middle Ages for its fierce struggle with the official church.
  Legend of the distant past? Maybe...
  But - why, then, is the symbol of the Illuminati carved on the chest of a scientist killed under mysterious circumstances?
  A specialist in symbolism invited from Harvard and his partner, the daughter of the murdered man, begin their own investigation - and soon come to incredible results ...

• "The little Prince"

  Antoine de Saint-Exupery

  The world-famous work of the French author Antoine de Saint-Exupery "The Little Prince" won the hearts of millions of readers with the ideas of goodness, love, human affection proclaimed in it. It is read and reread by people of all ages.

• "Gate of Ptolemy. The Bartimaeus Trilogy. Book 3"

  Jonathan Stroud

  Wizards from time immemorial summon spirits and force them to serve themselves. And no one cares about what the spirits have to do. Just imagine: you live quietly, do not touch anyone - and then bam! Some kind of merciless force pulls you out into a completely alien world, where a magician bursting with complacency meets you, calls you a malicious demon and, under the threat of the Sizzling Flame, forces you to settle his affairs, the magician. However, in the long history of mankind there was one - but only one! - a wizard who looked at it differently. Ptolemy of Alexandria. He even found a way to visit the spirit world himself. But for thousands of years, no one dared to repeat his experience ...
  Keep in mind, Ptolemy's Gate is the final book of the Bartimaeus Trilogy.
  There will be no continuation!

• Amulet of Samarkand. The Bartimaeus Trilogy. Book 1"

  Jonathan Stroud

  This story took place in London, at the beginning of the third millennium. But this is not at all the London that we know. If only because magicians there are a very common occurrence. As well as demons - genies, demons, afrites and many others. Wizards summon demons and use spells to force them to do their bidding. The demons, of course, don't like it at all. So, when the young wizard's apprentice summoned a genie named Bartimaeus, the genie wanted only one thing: to quickly fulfill the master's whim - to steal the powerful Amulet of Samarkand from another wizard - and forget about the stubborn boy. However, things were not so easy...

• "Only for the Initiates"

  Tatyana Kogan

  It all started as a joke, a game for four initiates. Lisa came up with an idea, and they worked it out together. The essence was this: one of the friends voices a task that he is not able to cope with alone. Comrades should help. As soon as the first one gets what he wants, the turn of the next one comes ... With each new round, the problems became more serious, and the ways to solve them became more cynical and scary. When the drunken Ivan knocked down a man, his friends gave false testimony, and the pedestrian who remained disabled was found guilty of the accident ... Gleb found it increasingly difficult to maintain this friendship, but he could not get out of the game - his brother needed a kidney transplant, and Max donated his. And then Lisa asked to save her from her annoying husband ...

• "The Count of Monte Cristo"

  Alexandr Duma

  The story of terrible betrayal and inexorable revenge - that's what stands behind the name "Monte Cristo". A disenfranchised prisoner of the castle of If, who has become an all-powerful count, pursues his enemies, who have stolen his love, freedom and position in society, as inevitably as fate itself. However, what will this revenge bring him besides the joy of revenge itself?

• P.S. I love you"

  Cecilia Ahern

  P.S. I Love You, bestselling Irish author Cecilia Ahern, is a contemporary story about how love is stronger than death. Having lost her beloved husband, thirty-year-old Holly Kennedy falls into despair, stops leaving the house and communicating with people. And suddenly she receives a packet of letters in the mail: they can only be printed out once a month, and they are written by the same person, parting with whom brings her such suffering. It turns out that shortly before his death, he decided to help her live on. Every time she looks forward to the first day in order to open the next envelope and, strictly following the instructions, take one more step that brings her back to life: buy a new dress, take part in a karaoke contest, go to the sea.

• "The Da Vinci Code"

  Dan Brown

  The secret code is hidden in the works of Leonardo da Vinci...
  Only he will help to find Christian shrines that gave unthinkable power and might...
  The key to the greatest mystery that humanity has wrestled with for centuries may be found...
  In the novel The Da Vinci Code, the author took all the accumulated experience of investigations and invested it in the main character, a Harvard professor of iconography and the history of religion named Robert Langdon. The plot of the current story was a night call that notified Langdon of the murder in the Louvre of the old curator of the museum. An encrypted note was found near the body of the murdered man, the keys to which are hidden in the works of Leonardo da Vinci...

• "Eclipse"

  Stephenie Meyer

  The third book of the famous vampire saga, which topped the bestseller lists in seven countries and sold two million copies. True love is not afraid of danger... Bella Swan is ready to become the friend of her beloved Edward forever, because it is eternity that the life of a vampire lasts. But then she will have to betray her best friend - the werewolf Jake, and thereby, perhaps, rekindle the ancient enmity between the "night hunters" and their primordial enemies - werewolves...

• "Godfather"

  Mario Puzo

  The Godfather is a classic novel about the life of one of America's most powerful crime syndicates, the Don Corleone mafia clan. Written with stunning authenticity, the book allows the reader to look into the holy of holies of the mafia without risk to life.

• "Eleven Minutes"

  Paulo Coelho

  A young Brazilian woman, succumbed to the persuasion of a recruiter, heads to Switzerland to become a dancer in a closed club and earn money for a farm for her parents. But everything, as it usually happens in such cases, turns out quite differently ...
  Pilar's story ends with a meeting with the "handsome prince".
  As a rule, such meetings occur at the moment when we reach the limit, when we feel the need to die and be reborn. And when we came to despair, realizing that we have nothing to lose, the unknown appears, and our life changes its orbit...

• "Dawn"

  Stephenie Meyer

  The fourth book of the famous vampire saga that topped the bestseller lists in ten countries! True love is not afraid of danger... Bella Swan is willing to become the wife of her lover, the vampire Edward, and accept his gift of immortality. However, after the first days of unfading happiness, her life turns into a nightmare. Bella and Edward are expecting a child, and the birth of a child from a human and a vampire, according to the cruel laws of the "night hunters", is the gravest crime. The child and his parents face a brutal execution at the hands of vampire elders. Bella, Edward and their werewolf friend Jake realize that they cannot stand alone. But what to do?!

• "New moon"

  Stephenie Meyer

  This is the second book in the famous vampire saga to top the bestseller lists in seven countries. Falling in love with a vampire is scary and romantic... But losing a loved one who decided at the cost of a break to save his girlfriend from the role of a pawn in the eternal confrontation between the clans of "night hunters" is simply unbearable. Bella Swan painfully experiences the disappearance of her lover and unsuccessfully seeks oblivion in her friendship with the Indian boy Jake Black. She does not even suspect that her best friend is the product of another "people of Darkness". A people much more cruel and dangerous than the vampire aristocrats... Read Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse and wait for the sequel.

• "The health of the child and the common sense of his relatives"

  Evgeny Komarovsky

  This book is about children in general. His way of life, his parents, his relatives. And about diseases in particular. The book talks about serious things in a fascinating and accessible way. Gives answers to questions about what is good and what is bad. The book gives tips to help strengthen the nervous system of moms, dads, grandparents.

• "Lord of the Rings. In 3 volumes"

  J. Tolkien

  The Lord of the Rings trilogy undoubtedly tops the list of "cult" books of the 20th century. Its author, J. R. R. Tolkien, a professor at Oxford University, a specialist in ancient and medieval English, created an amazing world - Middle-earth, which has been irresistibly attracting millions of readers for nearly fifty years now.

  There, in Middle-earth, in a country ruled by a council of wizards, where elves sing in silver forests, dwarves mine precious mithril in deep caves, and the disinterestedness of good sorcerers is constantly tested, the battle of Light and Darkness flares up, the outcome of which, by the will of providence, depends from the smallest inhabitants - Hobbits.

• "The Lovely Bones"

  Alice Sebold

  "On the sixth of December, one thousand and seventy-three, when I was killed, I was fourteen years old" - this is how the most amazing bestseller of the early 21st century begins, a tragic story written on an incredibly bright note.
  The Lovely Bones has been translated into forty languages, has sold millions of copies, and will serve as the basis for Peter Jackson's next film project after The Lord of the Rings and King Kong. In this novel, Susie Salmon adjusts to life in heaven and watches from above as her killer tries to cover his tracks and her family comes to terms with their loss...
  

• "Crime and Punishment"

  Fedor Dostoevsky

  Included in all school and university programs, repeatedly filmed, Dostoevsky's novel "Crime and Punishment" has not ceased to be one of the brightest and "cornerstone" works of Russian and world literature.
  This novel is not only about crime and punishment, but also about sacrifice, love and compassion.

• "Labyrinth of Reflections"

  Sergey Lukyanenko

  Near future. In Russia, a deep program has been invented that allows the user to completely merge with the computer world, not to be an outside observer, but to become a direct participant in any virtual action. But so that a person wandering in virtuality does not die in real life - divers come to the rescue - only they can completely control this world ....

• "Empire of Angels"

  Bernard Werber

  World bestseller!
  All over the world, the name of Bernard Werber on the cover of a book means only one thing - a masterpiece!
  The writer has seven novels that have become bestsellers in Europe, America and Japan.
  "Empire of Angels" is one of the most sensational books of the French writer.
  The total world circulation of his books is more than 10 million!

• "High School Musical"

  Before meeting Gabriella, Troy's most cherished dream was to win the basketball championship. However, from the moment they duet karaoke on New Year's Eve, Troy can't put off the idea of ​​casting for the lead role in the school musical - and of course with Gabriella in the female lead! Gabriella also overcomes many obstacles. Her help is needed by the Science Decathlon team, but how she longs to sing with Troy again. Troy and Gabriella feel like they have the talent to star in a musical, so why is everyone against the idea? Will Troy and Gabriella try to make their stage dreams come true? Or will they abandon them to lead their teams to victory?

• "Mu Mu"

  Ivan Turgenev

  Deaf-mute from birth, the janitor Gerasim is accustomed to unquestioningly fulfill all the whims of an evil and capricious lady. And even Gerasim's tender attachment to a small dog cannot overcome the fear of disobedience.
  This touching and immensely sad story will teach a child an important skill - to empathize and sympathize with another person in his misfortunes.

• "Triumphal Arch"

  Erich Maria Remarque

  pre-war Paris. The main character, a refugee Ravik, works illegally as a surgeon in a clinic where he constantly faces pain and suffering of people. Having survived the horrors of the concentration camp and the fear of loneliness, he considers the murder of the Gestapo Haacke, who hid hundreds of his compatriots in the dungeons, no less humane than saving a seriously ill patient. Erich Maria Remarque's novel The Arc de Triomphe was written in 1946.

• "Just together"

  Anna Gavalda

  An amazingly wise and kind book about love and loneliness, about life. About happiness. The second novel by Anna Gavalda is an amazing story, full of laughter and tears, gracefully woven from painfully familiar everyday life, from failures and unexpected victories, from accidents, happy and not so happy.

• "One Hundred Years of Solitude"

  Gabriel Garcia Marquez

  The name of the Nobel Prize winner, Colombian Gabriel Garcia Marquez is inscribed in golden letters in the history of literature of the 20th century. The writer's works are loved and read all over the world. This edition publishes the famous parable novel by Garcia Márquez "One Hundred Years of Solitude". Having weaved the artistic fabric of the work from fairy tales, ancient traditions and legends, fables and parables and pushing the boundaries of the real to the boundaries of the fantastic, Garcia Márquez makes his own contribution to the formation of "magical realism".

• "50 essential exercises for health"

  Sergey Bubnovsky

  The new book of Doctor of Medical Sciences, Professor S.M. Bubnovsky is an excellent illustrated guide for those who are already familiar with his unique patented method of treating and improving the spine and joints, known as kinesitherapy. The proposed exercises are successfully systematized by groups of diseases, so each reader can easily find those that will help him. What to do with pain in the neck or lower back? What exercises can be done with hypertension and prolapse of internal organs? In the book, for each exercise, indications and contraindications are indicated that will help those involved in achieving maximum efficiency of classes and avoiding injuries. Many of the exercises can be done at home with simple aids. The author singled out 50 basic exercises from a variety of exercises, performing which regularly, you can get rid of the ailments that torment you and significantly improve the quality of life. For those readers who are caught off guard by severe back pain, the book is accompanied by a DVD with a set of practical exercises "Acute back pain. Recommendations for home" with detailed advice from Dr. Bubnovsky. Be healthy!

• "Three Comrades"

  Erich Maria Remarque

  Here is `Three Comrades` - the famous novel about the post-war world of `Weimar` Germany, hostile to man, by the famous German writer E.M. Remarque (1898 - 1970). For many years this book has been one of the favorites for millions of readers around the world.

• "Diamond Chariot"

  Boris Akunin

  "Diamond Chariot" was published in two volumes, with both volumes placed under one cover.
  In the first book "Dragonfly Catcher" the reader follows two characters - Good (railroad official Fandorin) and Bad (Japanese super spy Rybnikov). They act in secret from each other against the backdrop of the Russo-Japanese war of 1905 and the pre-revolutionary unrest. The bad one wants to blow up the railway and arrange a rebellion in the capital city, the good one wants to interfere with the villainous plans.
  The second book, Between the Lines, tells about Fandorin's adventures in Japan in 1878, his unarmed conflicts with samurai and ninja, his love for a courtesan, and listening to a course of recruiting lectures on the topic "Killers and thieves - the lucky ones of Buddha.

• "Happy baby: without zapar and diapers"

  Milana Kasakina

  The first book in the series "Happy baby" is called "Happy baby: no bras and diapers" will be published in the Publishing House

Many believe that today the beautiful half of humanity is mostly interested in books. They say that men have more important things to do: “roll up” millions, plant trees and raise sons, go to the garage, watch football, in the end ...

And indeed: when I interviewed men for writing this material, really reading, and fiction, and not just fantasy in bright covers, there were not so many. There were those who were even proud of the fact that in their life they had read only one or two books in full (as a rule, by Jules Verne, and even then in deep childhood).

But there are still real bookworms among men. Books, in their own words, help them to be stronger, wiser, more experienced. “The more you read, the faster you think, you become more human and you understand this world better,” they say.

Here are the top ten favorite books of the men we interviewed:

Stephen King "The Dark Tower"

Yuri, 36 years old, individual entrepreneur:"This is a cycle of seven books that King wrote over the course of thirty years. A cycle that unites and reflects all the work of the "king of horrors". While reading, you get so used to this mystical world of Strelka that by the end of the seventh book you want to re-read everything again, only this time everything would turn out differently ... The story is deep, exciting and multi-layered. The best that King has. I warmly recommend!"

Favorite quotes:

"Never" is the very word that God listens to when he wants to laugh."

"Permanent cold is one of the surest means to break a person. Even not so strong as to kill, constant cold takes away energy, willpower and fat, drop by drop."

"When love leaves the world, all hearts stop."

Antonia Byatt "Possess"

Pavel, 26 years old, teacher:“I read this book in one of those faceless February weeks, when life was stubbornly knocking everything out of my hands, and my confidence was freezing through.

The book clears. Sobering. Adjusts the vertebrae. It tells about the essence of the relationship between a man and a woman, which we forgot about, which we overlooked, exchanged for the pettiness of everyday life.

This book brings back the desire to love and dispels despair like ashes in the wind."

Favorite quotes:

“And this image pops up all the time: an empty, clean bed in an empty, clean room, where I don’t need anything from anyone, and nobody wants anything from me. Perhaps such thoughts arise due to my personal circumstances. But there is and some general pattern.

“In this life, this happens at every step. How often, having decided not to wander without a path, to arrange our life according to the rules, we find that our decision is too late, the rules are unfounded, and the chosen path sometimes leads the wrong way.”

"Only masculine heroism is able to find pleasure in constructing dungeons for the innocent in the imagination, and only female patience is able to endure imprisonment in them in reality."

Erich Maria Remarque "Life on loan"

Alexander, 28 years old, legal adviser:"One of my favorite works by Remarque. Atypical for this author, but wonderfully written. Usually Hemingway is praised for his ability to describe the subject to the state of almost touch - but in this work Remarque is in no way inferior to his talent.

The main idea of ​​the book is in the feeling of wonderful, unique simplicity of life going through the whole story. Her laconic beauty. Something that we constantly pass by and do not appreciate. Until the time comes to count your last days in this world. And then we suddenly realize that we lived our lives completely absurdly, without saying and without doing the main thing".

Favorite quotes:

“Almost no one thinks about death until she comes close to him. The tragedy and at the same time the irony lies in the fact that all people on earth, from the dictator to the last beggar, behave as if they will live If we lived constantly with the consciousness of the inevitability of death, we would be more humane and merciful.

"And more impatient, desperate and fearful," Lillian said, laughing.

- And more understanding and generous ...

- And more selfish...

“And more selfless, because you won’t take anything with you to the next world.”

"Reason is given to man so that he understands: it is impossible to live by reason alone."

They don't understand life, she thought. They stick around in their offices and bend their backs at their desks. they behave not like heroes, but like hucksters! They drive away the idea of ​​the transience of life, they hide their heads like ostriches, pretending to have the secret of immortality. Even the most decrepit old people try to deceive each other, multiplying what has long turned them into slaves - money and power.

John F. Kennedy "Profiles of Courage"

Dmitry, 32 years old, soldier:"This is a novel written by an American president about his own path and the people he considered to be a model of courage in politics. The book was awarded the Pulitzer Prize. This is a story of virtue, a political career, betrayal, the weaknesses of a strong man. An amazing story. This can only be created for real great people and even when they make mistakes, they do it sincerely and beautifully".

Favorite quotes:

"My political prospects are deteriorating. I am sure that I will soon return to the position of a private citizen. However, I hope that my mind is sufficiently prepared for this event."

“I have already experienced, as I previously had reason to expect, the danger of strictly observing my own principles. The country has succumbed to the spirit of the party so recklessly that not blindly following one or the other party is an inexcusable crime ... Choosing between them, I do not see the possibility of following the dictates of my own conscience without sacrificing all prospects, not only progress, but even the preservation of moral character and the reputation I had. And yet my choice is made, and if I cannot hope to satisfy my country, I am at least determined to win the approval of my own thoughts.

“People are under the burden of hard times and lack of funds, and their representatives felt obliged to achieve something that could bring relief, but how or for what purpose, few of them could explain.”

Guy de Maupassant "Dear Friend"

Vasily, 31 years old, lawyer:"I decided to read the book before the release of the film of the same name in order to feel the difference and be able to say afterward that "the book is more interesting."

The book is really more interesting, the whirlpool of events draws you in from the first pages. This social drama captures like a detective, and the hero's attitude to life,

intrigues with women, the embodiment of the principle "the end justifies the means" are recognizable and topical. Of course, the main character is far from an icon of moral principles, but this does not detract from the author's merits in recreating the atmosphere, describing the mores and traditions of the era.

Favorite quotes:

Nothing compares to the joy of the first handshake, when one hand asks: "Do you love me?" - And the other answers: "Yes, I love you."

"You know what I'll tell you, my friend? After all, you really have success with women. We must use it. You can go far with this. Women most often lead us to people."

"Does a bastard stop being a bastard just because he fought a duel?"

Ilya Ilf and Evgeny Petrov "12 chairs"

Victor, 24 years old, artist:"I have not seen more subtle humor. In my opinion, every page of this wonderful book is saturated with it. Moreover, the concentration is so great that it is difficult to single out any particularly striking moments, because I read, constantly smiling, savoring and rereading chic juicy phrases marveling at the sense of humor of the authors. A real masterpiece of literature, after which it is no longer possible to find a more perfect example of sparkling humor and a pure positive attitude!"

Favorite quotes:

"The door opened. Ostap went into a room that could only be furnished by a creature with the imagination of a woodpecker."

"Young was no longer young."

"Whoever says it's a girl, let him be the first to throw a stone at me!"

Irwin Shaw "Young Lions"

Konstantin, 26 years old, sales specialist:"A book that has become one of my favorites while still reading. You live three very different lives, converging at one point by chance. Three different starts, but for each character the war finds its own version of polishing, and a strange lottery in the final leaves a bunch of thoughts in your head and questions. I do not think that this novel can leave anyone indifferent. "

Favorite quotes:

"War is the most exciting occupation invented by mankind, because it most fully corresponds to our essence, because by nature a person is a predator and an egoist."

"Michael understood how banal all his reasoning about this fatal" if ", but it was impossible not to think about him, it was impossible not to think about the will of chance, which saves our lives, so that tomorrow we will again face the next "if" .

"It's a pity that no one thought to teach us such things. We were taught anything, but not tact, responsiveness and the ability to help a person in difficult times."

Jack London "Martin Eden"

Alexey, 23 years old, student:"The novel is autobiographical. The desire for a false ideal and bitter disappointment in it, incredible endurance, perseverance in achieving the goal, constant work on oneself, a broad outlook combined with a critical look at the basics - all this is inherent in the protagonist of the book and, of course, cannot but to excite.

Martin is trying to break out of the dogmatic values ​​of society, but he does not find like-minded people. He goes from the very bottom to the top, but recognition and fame do not give him peace. A talented person, due to his complex nature and firm position in life, is swallowed up by loneliness.".

Favorite quotes:

"... when playing an unfamiliar game, don't make the first move."

“He saw that the sister and her fiancé, and everyone and everyone, whether people of his class or the class to which Ruth belongs, equally adjust their insignificant existence to miserable, insignificant patterns; inert, they huddle together in a herd, constantly looking at each other friend, they are slaves of common truths and therefore faceless and incapable of living a true life.

“The reasoning of everyone around her was understandable. She always understood what her mother and father, brothers and Olney were saying, and therefore, when she did not understand Martin, she considered him guilty. prejudice."

Mark Jacobson "American Gangster"

Maxim, 27 years old, investigator:"This is the history of New York streets. This is the delightful history of these streets. And, it seems like every swindler and drug dealer, every prostitute has told you the story of her life here.. And you fall in love with this terrible and dark story, you understand that without it there would be no this magnificent glory of the main city of the world. It's enchanting. And it seems that then, in the distant seventies, which made the world what it is now, everything was different - even bandits and their customs.

Favorite quotes:

“According to Frank, federal agents took from him something on the order of “nine to ten million dollars” that fateful evening. shove it," strongly denied Lucas' accusation."

“The chronicles of the crimes and deceit of the Big City are endless. Each district has its own Robin Hood, who withdraws funds from the rich, and at the same time from the poor, and appropriates everything that is taken away. But that, of course, is not mentioned in Law & Order.”

“Immigrants from China… These guys are a no-brainer. They manage to squeeze the entire thousand-year-old philosophy of their homeland into a three-minute street shootout.”

Arkady and Boris Strugatsky "Roadside Picnic"

Vitaly, 28 years old, doctor:"I first read this book as a child and have since managed to re-read it several times. This is a small but really incredible work that touches on an unprecedented range of topics and problems, many of which are even written somewhere between the lines, or something. You I read the book, but still mentally constantly return to it for a very long time. The most powerful, very impressive book, blowing templates to smithereens! Plus juicy language, an unusual plot and characters, a solid style and a finale from which the hair stands on end. "

Favorite quotes:

"A person needs money in order to never think about it."

"Everything had to be changed. Not one life and not two lives, not one fate and not two destinies - every screw of this stinking world had to be changed..."

"Happiness for everyone, for nothing, and let no one leave offended."

Hermann Hesse "The Glass Bead Game"

Alexander, 27 years old, programmer:"After this book, despite the seemingly complicated language, indescribable clarity of thoughts and readiness to move mountains remain in the head. The very idea of ​​a fictional city - Castalia - where the wise men rule and people of science and art live, strikes to the core. The interweaving of human knowledge accumulated by generations in the form of an intellectual game is unthinkable horizons for human development.

Many do not like this book, it seems heavy, boring. But I think if it "didn't go" from the first pages, then you just need to wait for a certain moment in life when the perception of such literature becomes the most subtle and sensitive.

Favorite quotes:

“There is truth, my dear! But the “teaching” that you crave, absolute, bestowing perfect and only wisdom, there is no such teaching. Yes, and you need to strive, my friend, not at all for some kind of perfect teaching, but for perfection yourself. The Divine is in you, and not in concepts and books. They live by the truth, they do not teach it."

He also became convinced that people of the spirit evoke some amazing indignation and disgust in others, that, respecting them from afar and turning to them when necessary, they not only do not like them and do not look at them as equals, but also avoid them in every possible way. ".

"God sends despair to us not to kill us, He sends it to us to awaken new life in us."

Men, what would you add to this list?

Despite the abundance of e-books, tablets and audio formats, it is impossible to discourage the book lover from “rustling the pages”. A cup of coffee, an easy chair, the incomparable smell of book pages - and let the whole world wait!

Your attention - TOP-20 most interesting books. Read and enjoy...

• Hurry to love (1999)

Nicholas Sparks

The genre of the book is a love story.

It is generally accepted that only female authors succeed in romance novels. "Hurry to Love" is an exception in this specific genre. Sparks' book won the love of readers around the world and became one of his most popular works.

A touching and incredible love story between the daughter of a priest, Jamie, and a young man, Landon. The book is about a feeling that intertwines the destinies of two halves only once in a lifetime.

• Foam of days (1946)

Boris Vian

The genre of the book is a surreal love story.

A deep and surreal love story based on real events from the life of the author. The allegorical presentation of the book and the unusual plane of events are the highlight of the work, which has become for readers a complete postmodern with a chronology of despair, spleen, shocking.

The heroes of the book are tender Chloe with a lily in her heart, the author's alter ego is Colin, his tiny mouse and the cook, friends of lovers. A work full of bright sadness that everything ends sooner or later, leaving only the foam of days.

Twice screened novel, in both cases unsuccessfully - to convey the whole atmosphere of the book, without missing important details, no one has yet succeeded.

• Hungry Shark Diaries

Stephen Hall

The genre of the book is fantasy.

The action takes place in the 21st century. Eric wakes up with the thought that all the events of his former life have been erased from his memory. According to the doctor, the cause of amnesia is a severe injury, and the relapse is already the 11th in a row. From that moment on, Eric begins to receive letters from himself and hide from the "shark" that devours his memories. His task is to understand what is happening and find the key to salvation.

Hall's debut novel, entirely consisting of puzzles, allusions, allegories. Not for the general reader. They don’t take such a book with them on the train - they don’t read it “on the run”, slowly and with pleasure.

• White tiger (2008)

Aravind Adiga

The genre of the book is realism, romance.

The boy from the poor Indian village of Balram stands out from his sister-brothers with his unwillingness to put up with fate. A combination of circumstances throws the "White Tiger" (approx. a rare beast) into the city, after which the fate of the boy changes dramatically - from falling to the very bottom, his steep rise to the very top begins. Whether crazy or national hero, Balram struggles to survive in the real world and break out of his cage.

The White Tiger is not an Indian "soap opera" about the "prince and the pauper", but a revolutionary work that breaks stereotypes about India. This book is about the India that you will not see in beautiful films on the TV screen.

• Fight Club (1996)

Chuck Palahniuk

The genre of the book is a philosophical thriller.

An ordinary clerk, exhausted by insomnia and the monotony of life, by chance meets Tyler. The philosophy of a new acquaintance is self-destruction as the goal of life. An ordinary acquaintance quickly develops into friendship, crowned with the creation of the "Fight Club", the main thing in which is by no means victory, but the ability to endure pain.

Palahniuk's special style gave rise not only to the popularity of the book, but also to the already well-known film adaptation with Brad Pitt in one of the main roles. The book is a challenge about a generation of people for whom the boundaries of good and evil have been erased, about the insignificance of life and the pursuit of illusions, from which the world is going crazy.

A work for people with already formed consciousness (not for teenagers) - for understanding and rethinking their lives.

• Fahrenheit 451 (1953)

Ray Bradbury

The genre of the book is science fiction, romance.

The title of the book is the temperature at which the paper burns. The action takes place in the "future", in which literature is prohibited, reading books is a crime, and the job of firefighters is to burn books. Montag, who just works as a firefighter, reads a book for the first time ...

A work that Bradbury wrote before and for us. More than fifty years ago, the author was able to look into the future, where fear, indifference to others and indifference completely replace the feelings that make us human. No unnecessary thoughts, no books - only mannequins.

• Complaint book (2003)

Max Fry

The genre of the book is a philosophical novel, fantasy.

No matter how hard it is for you, no matter how unsuccessful your life is, never curse it - neither in your thoughts nor out loud. Because someone near you will gladly live your own life for you. For example, that smiling girl over there. Or that old lady in the yard. These are the Nakhi, who are invariably by our side…

Self-irony, subtle banter, mysticism, an unusual plot, realistic dialogues (sometimes too much) - with this book, time flies by unnoticed.

• Pride and Prejudice (1813)

Jane Austen

The genre of the book is a love story.

The time of action is the 19th century. The Bennet family has 5 unmarried daughters. The mother of this poor family, of course, wants to marry them ...

The plot seems to be beaten to "eye calluses", but for more than one hundred years, Jane Austen's novel has been reread by people from various countries again and again. Because the characters of the book stick in the memory forever, and, despite the calm pace of development of events, the work does not let the reader go even after the final page. An absolute masterpiece of literature.

A nice “bonus” is a happy ending and the opportunity to steal away a tear from sincere joy for the heroes.

• Golden Temple (1956)

Yukio Mishima

The genre of the book is realism, philosophical drama.

The action takes place in the 20th century. The young man Mizoguchi, after the death of his father, finds himself in a school at Rinzai (approx. Buddhist academy). It is there that the Golden Temple is located - the legendary architectural monument of Kyoto, which gradually fills the mind of Mizoguchi, crowding out all other thoughts. And only death, according to the author, determines the Beautiful. And everything Beautiful, sooner or later, must die.

The book is based on the real fact of the burning of the Temple by one of the novice monks. On the bright path of Mizoguchi, temptations are constantly encountered, good fights evil, and in contemplation of the Temple, the novice finds peace after the failures that haunt him, the death of his father, the death of a friend. And one day Mizoguchi comes up with the idea - to burn himself along with the Golden Temple.

A few years after writing the book, Mishima, like his hero, made himself hara-kiri.

• Master and Margarita (1967)

Michael Bulgakov

The genre of the book is romance, mysticism, religion and philosophy.

The ageless masterpiece of Russian literature is a book worth reading at least once in a lifetime.

• Portrait of Dorian Gray (1891)

Oscar Wilde

The genre of the book is romance, mysticism.

Once thrown words of Dorian Gray (“I would give my soul for the portrait to grow old, and I was forever young”) became fatal for him. Not a single wrinkle on the eternally youthful face of the protagonist, and his portrait, according to the wish, grows old and gradually dies. And, of course, you have to pay for everything in this world ...

A repeatedly filmed book that once blew up a prim reading society with a Puritan past. A book about a deal with a tempter with sad consequences is a mystical novel that is worth re-reading every 10-15 years.

• Shagreen leather (1831)

Honore de Balzac

The genre of the book is a novel, a parable.

The action takes place in the 19th century. Rafael gets shagreen leather, with which you can fulfill your desires. True, after each wish fulfilled, both the skin itself and the life of the hero are reduced. Raphael's delight is quickly replaced by insight - too little time has been allotted to us on this earth to waste it so mediocrely on unaccountable momentary "joys".

A time-tested classic and one of the most fascinating books from the word master Balzac.

• Three comrades (1936)

Erich Maria Remarque

Genre of the book - realism, psychological novel

A book about male friendship in the post-war period. It is with this book that one should begin acquaintance with the author who wrote it away from her homeland.

A work filled with emotions and events, human destinies and tragedies - heavy and bitter, but bright and life-affirming.

• Diary of Bridget Jones (1996)

Helen Fielding

The genre of the book is a love story.

Light "reading" for women who want a little smile and hope. You never know where you will fall into a love trap. And Bridget Jones, already desperate to find her soul mate, will wander in the dark for a long time before the light of her true love dawns.

No philosophy, mysticism, psychological spirals - just a love story.

• The Man Who Laughs (1869)

Victor Hugo

The genre of the book is a novel, historical prose.

The action takes place in the 17-18 century. One day in his childhood, the boy Gwynplaine (who was a lord by birth) was sold to the Comprachos bandits. During the fashion for freaks and cripples that amused the European nobility, the boy became a fair jester with a mask of laughter carved on his face.

Despite the trials that fell to his lot, Gwynplaine was able to remain a kind and pure person. And even for love, the mutilated appearance and life did not become an obstacle.

• White on black (2002)

Ruben David Gonzalez Gallego

The genre of the book is realism, an autobiographical novel.

The work is true from the first to the last line. This book is the life of the author. He cannot bear pity. And communicating with this person in a wheelchair, everyone immediately forgets that he is a disabled person.

The book is about the love of life and the ability to fight for every moment of happiness, against all odds.

• Dark tower

Stephen King

The genre of the book is epic romance, fantasy.

The Dark Tower is the cornerstone of the universe. And the last noble knight in the world, Roland, must find her...

A book that occupies a special place in the fantasy genre - unique twists from King, close interweaving with earthly reality, completely different, but united in one team and reliably described heroes, vivid psychologism of each situation, adventure, drive and the absolute effect of presence.

• Future (2013)

Dmitry Glukhovsky

The genre of the book is fantasy novel.

The recoded DNA at the output gave immortality and eternity. True, at the same time, everything that used to make people live was lost. Temples have become brothels, life has turned into an endless hell, spiritual and cultural values ​​are lost, everyone who dares to have a child is destroyed.

Where will mankind come to? A dystopian novel about the world of immortal, but "inanimate" people without a soul.

• Catcher in the Rye (1951)

Jerome Salinger.

The genre of the book is realism.

In the 16-year-old Holden, everything that is characteristic of a complex teenager is concentrated - harsh reality and dreams, seriousness, giving way to childishness.

The book is a story about a boy who is thrown into the cycle of events by life. Childhood suddenly ends, and the chick pushed out of the nest does not understand where to fly and how to live in a world where everyone is against you.

• You were promised to me

Elchin Safarli

The genre of the book is a novel.

This is a work that people fall in love with from the first pages and are pulled apart into quotes. A terrible and irreparable loss of the second half.

Is it possible to start living again? Will the main character cope with his pain?