15 books you should have read by now

Between classics to best-sellers to contemporary classics, here's a comprehensive list of books you should have read by now. If you haven't, about time you did: there's everything from Merchant of Venice and Pride and Prejudice to the Harry Potter Series.

Between classics to best-sellers to contemporary classics, here's a comprehensive list of books you should have read by now. If you haven't, about time you did.

1 Merchant of Venice

Writer: William Shakespeare

Genre: Drama, Comedy

Publisher: IR for Thomas Heys

First Published: 1600 AD

Among the most read comedies by Shakespeare, Merchant of Venice is a popular romantic comedy set in Venice and Belmont in Italy. Between Shylock, the Jew and the Bard’s celebrated and off-quoted ‘pound of flesh’ dialogue and Portia's spirited defence of Bassanio, we have some of the best lines in English literature.

2 Gulliver’s Travels

Writer: Jonathan Swift

Genre: Satire

Publisher: Benjamin Motte

First Published: 1726 AD

One of the best-loved books in English literature, Gulliver’s Travels by the Irish clergyman and novelist Jonathan Swift, is a satire on human nature. It comes under the sub-genres of children’s literature and travel writing. The four books has Lemuel Gulliver going on four different voyages across seas to Lilliput, Brobdingnag, Laputa and Houyhnhnms.

3 Pride and Prejudice

Writer: Jane Austen

Genre: Drama, Romance

Publisher: T Egerton, Whitehall

First Published: 1813 AD

A story set in England and unfolding in the family of country gentleman of the landed English gentry has captivated the audiences till date. The story follows the life of Elizabeth Bennett as she deals with marriage, manners and education in 19th century England. Who can forget Mr Darcy?

4 Stories of Sherlock Holmes

Writer: Arthur Canon Doyle

Genre: Crime Fiction

Publisher: Serialised in dailies such as Beeton's Christmas Annual, Lippincott's Monthly Magazine and The Strand Magazine

First Published: 1887

A fictional character created by Scottish novelist Sir Arthur Canon Doyle, Sherlock Holmes is a London-based detective with an uncanny knack at solving crime cases, thanks to his logical reasoning, ability to adopt a disguise and use of forensic science. Doyle wrote 56 short stories and four novels with Sherlock Holmes as the hero. An eternal favourite.

5 Fountain Head

Writer: Ayn Rand

Genre: Fiction (Philosophical novel)

Publisher: Bobbs Merrill

Published: 1943

An epic tale of clash between individualism and collectivism, Fountain Head details the life of young architect Howard Roark who broke convention by refusing to compromise on his artistic and personal vision. The novel follows his trajectory as he struggles to fight against traditions who oppose his notions of modern architecture.

6 Harry Potter Series

Writer: JK Rowling

Genre: Fantasy

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing (UK), Arthur A Levine Books (US)

Published: 1997

Harry Potter is a series of fantasy novels chronicling the adventures of young wizard Harry Potter and his two friends, Ronald Weasley and Hermione Granger, all of whom study at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. On young Harry is the onerous responsibility of tackling the nefarious designs of evil Lord Voldemort who wants to become immortal and subjugate all non-magical people.

7 India After Gandhi

Writer: Ramchandra Guha

Genre: Non fiction, History

Publisher: Harper Collins

Published: 2007

From the stable of one of India’s most respected modern historians, Ramchandra Guha, comes a book that traces the ebb and tide of the Indian narrative post 1947. It remains one of the best books of modern Indian history.

8 City of Djinns

Writer: William Dalrymple

Genre: Non fiction, Travel

Publisher: Penguin

Published: 1993

This book marks the first on the series of books William Dalrymple would go on to write on India. Set in Delhi, this is a travelogue on the many Delhis we live in. In diving deep into the many stories, Dalrymple touches upon tales of his Sikh landlady, 1984 sikh roits, survivors of the Raj, eunuchs, dervishes, Sufis and more.

9 Midnight’s Children

Writer: Salman Rushdie

Genre: Magic Realism

Publisher: Jonathan Cape

Published: 1980

One of the best examples of post-colonial literature and magic realism, it details the life of Saleem Sanai, set against actual historical events. Midnight's Children charts India’s transition from British colonialism to independence, partition of India leading up to Emergency. The book won Salman Rushdie the Booker Prize.

10 A Farewell to Arms

Writer: Ernest Hemingway

Genre: Fiction

Publisher: Scribner

Published: 1929

By far one of the best American War novels to be written, A Farewell to Arms has at its heart the love affair between two American expatriates in Italy with the backdrop of World War I. It is a first-person account of American Frederic Henry, employed with the Ambulance corps. At another level, the book deals with disillusionment with war, cynical soldiers and displacement of populations.

11 The Grapes of Wrath

Writer: John Steinbuck

Genre: Fiction

Publisher: The Viking Press

Published: 1939

An epic tale of tenant farmers set in the great depression of 1930s, it chronicles the life of Joads, a poor family who must deal with economic hardship, changes in agricultural practices and banking woes. Here’s a family which is driven out of their Oklahoma home and must move west wards to California for work, dignity and a better future. The book won Steinbuck Pulitzer and Nobel Prizes.

12 To Kill a Mockingbird

Writer: Harper Lee

Genre: Fiction

Publisher: NA

Published: 1960

A compassionate and warm tale of defence of a black man, wrongly implicated in rape charge and the death of innocence not only become an instant bestseller but went on win Pulitzer Prize. It remains one of the best works of Harper Lee.

13 Life of Pi

Writer: Yann Martel

Genre: Fiction, Adventure

Publisher: Knopf Canada

Published: 2001

Yann Martel’s fantasy adventure follows the journey of Pi, who is shipwrecked in the middle of the Pacific with a royal Bengal Tiger for company. What ensues is an engaging tale and lesson in explorations of spirituality and practicality. A best seller which has sold more than 10 million copies worldwide, it also won the Man Booker Prize for Fiction.

14 Interpreter of Maladies

Writer: Jhumpa Lahiri

Genre: Fiction, Short Stories

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin

Published: 1999

This collection of nine short stories by Indian American writer Jhumpa Lahiri spoke of the trials and tribulations of being Indian an America, caught between the world they had inherited and the New World they had made their own. The book won Lahiri the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction.

15 The God of Small Things

Writer: Arundhati Roy

Genre: Drama

Publisher: IndiaInk

Published: 1997

Arundhati Roy’s debut novel created a flash when it first appeared. It charts the life of two fraternal twins and that of their mother as the story travels from Kerala to Calcutta and then back to Kerala. The story while giving insights into the world of Syrian Christians is replete with references to the cultural tensions, forbidden love and discrimination. The book won Booker Prize in 1997.