Designing your own bookshelf: Essential books for every collection

Those who love to read know how important it is to have a good collection of books. Whether it's reading material for cozy evenings on the couch or inspiration for the next project, the right books can bring a lot of joy. But which books should not be missing from any collection? We introduce some literary classics, bestsellers, and authors, and give book recommendations for various genres.

Fiction

An absolute must-have for every bookshelf is, of course, fiction. Here are some classics that one should read:

• Jane Austen - Pride and Prejudice
• Ernest Hemingway - The Old Man and the Sea
• Thomas Mann - Buddenbrooks
• Leo Tolstoy - War and Peace
• F. Scott Fitzgerald - The Great Gatsby

In addition to the classics, there are also many modern bestsellers in fiction. Here are some book recommendations:

• Elena Ferrante - The Neapolitan Novels
• Gillian Flynn - Gone Girl
• Jojo Moyes - Me Before You
• Hanya Yanagihara - A Little Life
• Paula Hawkins - The Girl on the Train

Non-fiction

If you enjoy reading non-fiction books, you will find something here. These books should be in your collection:

• Stephen Hawking - A Brief History of Time
• Yuval Noah Harari - Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind
• Bill Bryson - A Short History of Nearly Everything
• Richard Dawkins - The God Delusion

Classic Literature

Finally, here are some classics of world literature:

• William Shakespeare - Hamlet
• Geoffrey Chaucer - The Canterbury Tales
• Franz Kafka - The Metamorphosis
• Friedrich Nietzsche - Thus Spoke Zarathustra
• Dante Alighieri - The Divine Comedy

Those were some book recommendations for various genres. Of course, there are many more great authors and books that should be in your collection. Ultimately, it depends on personal preferences. We wish you lots of fun reading!