Classics for Your 2020 Reading List That Are Actually Enjoyable

Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen

Hands-down my very favorite classic novel, Pride and Prejudice is perfect for any season or mood!

If you’ve never been exposed to the language, it may take a minute to get used to it. But I highly suggest giving it a chance, even if you don’t usually go for Brit Lit or romance novels. Jane Austen has a Shakespearean way of cutting straight to the heart of human nature, creating characters that painfully (and hilariously) resonate with real life, no matter the distance of years and society.

Austen was a true revolutionary of her time; yes, her novels are mostly marriage plots — but she subverts the mindset of her day by emphasizing innate qualities such as wit, wisdom, and compassion over wealth or social standing.

And Lizzie Bennett is the best friend you never knew you always wanted.

All the King’s Men, by Robert Penn Warren

This novel is a bit longer, but definitely a compelling and contemporary read. If you like gangsters and political corruption, with a little bit of sleuthing, you’ll love this one.

Warren won the Pulitzer Prize for this masterpiece, which paints a vivid, cynical picture of political life in the Louisiana of the early twentieth century. When I read it for the first time, I could not get over the juxtaposition of poetic language with often gritty, coarse subject matter.

Dracula, by Bram Stoker

Who doesn’t love a good vampire story? And this one, if not the first, is the most famous of the early vampire novels.

Side note: if you really want to do a deep dive of “original” vampire literature, see John William Polidori’s The Vampyre, or Sheridan Le Fanu’s Carmilla, which are both earlier than Dracula.

Stoker’s description of the infamous Count is absolutely chilling. I will say that the first half of the novel is better than the second half, and the ending could have used a Hollywood upgrade. But you won’t be sorry to experience the vampire story on which we base all of our contemporary versions.

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, by Maya Angelou

The only book on this list which veers into the nonfiction category, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings is a masterpiece of autobiographical fiction. Maya Angelou wrote this novel as a literary exploration of her own early life, weaving in themes of trauma, racism, maturation, and self-possession.

TW: sexual assault.

The Handmaid’s Tale, by Margaret Atwood

If you haven’t seen it, you’ve undoubtedly heard of the excellent Hulu adaptation of Margaret Atwood’s famous, horrifying dystopian novel. This one is compelling and terrifying, especially since a future like Atwood’s Gilead is becoming more and more possible.

TW: sexual assault and spiritual abuse.

The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald

What’s not to love about a decadent 1920’s romp with intoxicating characters? Gatsby is thrilling, intense, and unexpectedly dark. And it’s a quick read, which is always a plus for those of us who have a number goal for the year!

Their Eyes Were Watching God, Zora Neale Hurston

No list of classics is complete without Hurston’s masterful and influential novel.

This novel is compelling and moving, while also being a quick read (you might be spotting a pattern in my selections for this list). It deals with gender roles, liberation, and choice while being both challenging and easy to lose yourself in.

1984, by George Orwell

Another dystopian classic, this book is a disturbing and creepy addition to anyone’s TBR list!

If you somehow missed out on reading 1984 in high school, I would highly recommend catching up now. I recently read it all the way through for the first time, and I was much more invested than I expected to be.

Orwell was a master of social commentary, and his warnings of what Western society could become are growing increasingly relevant.