Today is National Book Lovers Day

Today is National Book Lovers Day, and there’s no better way to celebrate it than by diving into a new book!

Need a recommendation? You’ve come to the right place.

How about Beloved by Toni Morrison, The Shining by Stephen King, or The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood? Or you could roll up your sleeves, grit your teeth, and tackle Ulysses by James Joyce.

All of those titles are included in Reader’s Digest’s list of books that every self-respecting book lover should read.

Perhaps you’re in the mood for some non-fiction fare? Try The Future of Capitalism by Paul Collier (analyzes the three major divides in our modern society: cities versus small towns, college-educated citizens versus those without a higher degree, and wealthier countries versus fragile states) or Presidents of War by Michael Beschloss (how US presidents have handled major conflicts from the turn of the 19th century to the 1970s).

Those two selections are from legendary book lover Bill Gates, who reads one book a week (52 each year) and is such a fan of the written word that he created a website dedicated to his top picks.

And if none of these strike your fancy, you can always follow the crowd and read The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides, one of Goodread’s most popular books of 2019.

16 Recommendations from Reader’s Digest

The Reader’s Digest list is a mixture of high-minded, middle-brow, and pure pulp:

1. The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald
2. Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen
3. Ulysses, James Joyce
4. Lord of the Rings, J.R.R. Tolkien
5. Beloved, Toni Morrison
6. The Shining, Stephen King
7. One Hundred Years of Solitude, Gabriel Garcia Marquez
8. The Handmaid’s Tale, Margaret Atwood
9. The Da Vinci Code, Dan Brown
10. The Pillars of the Earth, Ken Follett
11. Harry Potter, J.K. Rowling
12. Great Expectations, Charles Dickens
13. The Book Thief, Markus Zusak
14. Gone Girl, Gillian Flynn
15. The Kite Runner, Khaled Hosseini
16. The Hitch-Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, Douglas Adams

20 Most Popular Books of 2019

Here’s what people have been reading this year, as compiled by Goodreads:

1. Daisy Jones and The Six, Taylor Jenkins Reid
2. An Anonymous Girl, Greer Hendricks
3. The Wicked King, Holly Black
4. City of Girls, Elizabeth Gilbert
5. On the Come Up, Angie Thomas
6. The Huntress, Kate Quinn
7. King of Scars, Leigh Bardugo
8. The Lost Girls of Paris, Pam Jenoff
9. The Priority of the Orange Tree, Samantha Shannon
10. The Unhoneymooners, Christina Lauren
11. Ask Again, Yes, Mary Beth Keane
12. Where The Forest Meets the Stars, Glendy Vanderah
13. My Lovely Wife, Samantha Downing
14. The Mother-In-Law, Sally Hepworth
15. Everything, Jennifer Weiner
16. Red, White and Royal Blue, Casey McQuiston
17. The Bride Test (The Kiss Quotient #2), Helen Hoang
18. Recursion, Blake Crouch
19. Runaway, Harlan Coben
20. I Owe You One, Sophie Kinsella

What books would you add to this list?