Books everyone should read at least once in their life

I'm about to make your TBR that bit longer.

My copy of A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini is dog-eared and tattered. Its pages are covered in underlines and annotations. It has been passed from household to household, in an almost-constant rotation since I first got my hands on it when I excitedly bought my A Level English Literature reading list in the summer of 2016.

It’s the first book I ever read that left me thinking “everybody needs to read this”.

A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini

I don’t mean what happens and the book had an impact on me and will have an impact on others (there are far earlier examples of that). I mean I know the characters, feel myself welling up just thinking about their journeys, and can categorically say this book changed my outlook on life.

It tells the story of Miriam and Laila, two women born decades apart, and their lives in Afghanistan and the rise of the Taliban rule. Without shadow of a doubt, it’s one of the best books I’ve ever had the pleasure of reading.

I’ve not read A Thousand Splendid Suns in a year or so now. I’m keen to revisit it soon, which got me thinking about other books which I think everyone should read at least once. Get ready to go book shopping…

The Midnight Library by Matt Haig

“A novel about all the choices that go into a life well lived.”

I devoured The Midnight Library in approximately 24 hours on a solo trip. It’s one of the first books I name when people ask for recommendations, along with A Thousand Splendid Suns.

The story follows Nora as she finds herself at The Midnight Library, the space between life and death where each book details another life she could have lived.

Even as I think about The Midnight Library I’m covered in goosebumps. It’s a thought-provoking novel, somewhat settling - I love the thought of a different me living a different life - and definitely leaves you reflective and grateful.

Man and Boy by Tony Parsons

I read this on the same trip as I read The Midnight Library - it was clearly a great time for good books.

Harry, almost 30, has done something terrible which tears his family apart. It leaves him having to navigate single parenting his four-year-old son, which leads him to consider his relationship with his own father.

Anyone who has had any form of father figure will adore this book. It’s a charming exploration of parenthood in its many forms. I certainly viewed my relationship with my own father differently after reading it.

One Day by David Nicholls

I’m sure this has been bought a lot lately thanks to the hit Netflix series (which I actually haven’t seen).

Similarly to A Thousand Splendid Suns, my copy of One Day is extremely well loved. Since first reading it in 2014 I’ve probably picked it up every summer, and have loaned it to friends and family members in the months between.

One Day shares the lives of Emma and Dex, reconnecting with them (no matter where either of them are) on the same day every year for two decades. They’re a perfectly imperfect pair, and Nicholls’ book taught me a lot about both friendships and romantic relationships.

To paraphrase… “I love you Dex, I just don’t think I like you anymore.” Is one of my favourite lines ever written. It’s so simple yet so gut-wrenching.

Bonus recommendation: Everything I Know About Love by Dolly Alderton

Okay, this recommendation isn’t for everyone (sorry) but I had to include it. This one is for those with female friendships or a ‘girl gang’. It’s a beautifully written memoir looking back on Dolly’s “messy years”, as she puts it.

The book reflects on dating disasters and romantic fails, but the running theme throughout is the power of female friendships through the rough and the smooth. Anyone with a group of women around them, or who grew up surrounded by amazing women, will love this.

Please let me know if you’ve read any of these and what you thought. What other books would you add to this list?