99 Books You Must Read Public

Created by pygospa

On June 22nd, 2019 I saw a scratch poster at my local book store, titled "99 Books You Must Read" - the poster features each book with a cover artwork which is covered by a scratch-off panel, so that you can just make out the title, plus a sentence about the book underneath it. This list collects those 99 books, and the little sentence underneath each cover as a note (translated from German to English by me).

Because I wanted to read more, plus I felt like not only reading my typical leisure reads (fantasy, horror and sci-fi), I bought that poster and pinned it to my door. I wasn't too successful till now, but maybe this list will further motivate me in finishing that poster (some books I have already read, but I'll be re-reading those again, just for the fun of it, probably - if possible - …

  1. The Great Gatsby by 

    Here is a novel, glamorous, ironical, compassionate – a marvelous fusion into unity of the curious incongruities of the life …

    pygospa says:

    1925 - Jay Gatsby's life revolves around decadence, parties, idealism and an unattainable love in the "Roaring Twenties".

    Added by pygospa

  2. Nineteen eighty-four by 

    Nineteen Eighty-Four: A Novel, often referred to as 1984, is a dystopian social science fiction novel by the English novelist …

    pygospa says:

    1949 - two citizens secretly rebel against the dictatorship in a totalitarian surveillance state, are exposed and psychologically broken.

    Added by pygospa

  3. Nausea by 

    A story of the troubled life of an introspective historian, Antoine Roquentin, and an exposition of one of the most …

    pygospa says:

    1938 - Living in solitude, Roquentin writes a book. He is increasingly overcome by disgust at the randomness and meaninglessness of existence.

    Added by pygospa

  4. Deutschland. Ein Wintermärchen by 

    Germany. A Winter's Tale (German: Deutschland. Ein Wintermärchen) is a satirical epic poem by the German writer Heinrich Heine (1797–1856), …

    pygospa says:

    1844 - Heine, living in exile in France, denounces Prussian militarism and nationalism.

    Added by pygospa

  5. The Robbers by 

    pygospa says:

    1781 - Franz Moor intrigues against his brother Karl, so that the latter is disowned by his father and joins the robbers.

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  6. Don Quixote by ,

    A new translation by Edith Grossman

    pygospa says:

    1615 - Don Quixote, the dreamer, is convinced he is a knight. To gain more fame, he decides to set out on an adventure.

    Added by pygospa

  7. The Hunchback of Notre-Dame by 

    The Hunchback of Notre-Dame (French: Notre-Dame de Paris, lit. 'Our Lady of Paris', originally titled Notre-Dame de Paris. 1482) is …

    pygospa says:

    1831 - Embedded in descriptions of medieval life in Paris, the novel tells the story of the deformed Quasimodo.

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  8. The Divine Comedy by 

    Presents a translation of Dante's allegorical poem.

    pygospa says:

    1321 - An adventure through the three realms of the afterlife: Hell, Purgatory, and Paradise.

    Added by pygospa

  9. The adventures of Tom Sawyer by  (Illustrated classics)

    The adventures and pranks of a mischievous boy growing up in a Mississippi River town in the early nineteenth century.

    pygospa says:

    1876 ​​- The story of an exciting and carefree childhood full of adventures.

    Added by pygospa

  10. Hamlet by 

    In this quintessential Shakespeare tragedy, a young prince's halting pursuit of revenge for the murder of his father unfolds in …

    pygospa says:

    1609 - Hamlet embarks on a tragic quest for revenge to avenge the cold-blooded murder of his father.

    Added by pygospa

  11. Die unendliche Geschichte by 

    The Neverending Story (German: Die unendliche Geschichte) is a fantasy novel by German writer Michael Ende, published in 1979. The …

    pygospa says:

    1979 - The fantastical parallel world of Phantásien is destroyed by the "Nothing". Only imagination can save the world.

    Added by pygospa

  12. The Odyssey by ,

    The Odyssey (; Greek: Ὀδύσσεια, Odýsseia, Attic Greek: [o.dýs.sej.ja]) is one of two major ancient Greek epic poems attributed to …

    pygospa says:

    8th century BC - Oldest poem in Western literature about Odysseus' ten-year wanderings and return home after the conquest of Troy.

    Added by pygospa

  13. Oliver Twist by  (Everyman's library ;)

    ONE OF THE MOST SWIFTLY MOVING AND unified of Charles Dickens's great novels, Oliver Twist is also famous for its …

    pygospa says:

    1838 - Oliver grows up in a poor orphanage. He escapes to London, where he joins a gang of thieves.

    Added by pygospa

  14. Der Prozess by ,

    The Trial (German: Der Process, later Der Proceß, Der Prozeß and Der Prozess) is a novel written by Franz Kafka …

    pygospa says:

    1925 - One morning, Josef K. is arrested. Caught in the clutches of a surreal bureaucracy, he tries to find out what crime he is accused of.

    Added by pygospa

  15. Robinson Crusoe by 

    The Life and Strange Surprizing Adventures of Robinson Crusoe, Of York, Mariner: Who lived Eight and Twenty Years, all alone …

    pygospa says:

    1719 - Robinson Crusoe fights for survival on a deserted island.

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