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Browse the library of books we recommend

Instant Classics for the Modern Reader

A wildly ambitious novel, a beyond-brave memoir, and an expansive modern history: We loved them from the first page, and we’d like to re-introduce them to the Aesthetes.
1.
Lila

Lila

By Marilynne Robinson
2.
The Dog

The Dog

By Joseph O'Neill
3.
Beautiful Ruins

Beautiful Ruins

By Jess Walter
4.
The Twelve Tribes of Hattie

The Twelve Tribes of Hattie

By Ayana Mathis
5.
Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage

Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage

By Haruki Murakami
6.
Middlesex

Middlesex

By Jeffrey Eugenides
7.
A Different Bed Every Time

A Different Bed Every Time

By Jac Jemc
8.
A God in Every Stone

A God in Every Stone

By Kamila Shamsie
9.
On Such a Full Sea

On Such a Full Sea

By Chang-rae Lee
10.
The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter

The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter

By Carson McCullers
11.
Lucky Us

Lucky Us

By Amy Bloom
12.
As I Lay Dying

As I Lay Dying

By William Faulkner
13.
The Emerald Light in the Air

The Emerald Light in the Air

By Donald Antrim
14.
What Would Lynne Tillman Do?

What Would Lynne Tillman Do?

By Lynne Tillman
15.
The Bluest Eye

The Bluest Eye

By Toni Morrison
16.
F

F

By Daniel Kehlmann
17.
The Iliad

The Iliad

By Homer
18.
Salvage the Bones

Salvage the Bones

By Jesmyn Ward
19.
Shards

Shards

By Ismet Prcic
20.
The Tiger's Wife

The Tiger's Wife

By Tea Obreht
21.
A Visit from the Goon Squad

A Visit from the Goon Squad

By Jennifer Egan
22.
Half a Life

Half a Life

By Darin Strauss
23.
The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer

The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer

By Siddhartha Mukherjee
24.
The Warmth of Other Suns

The Warmth of Other Suns

By Isabel Wilkerson
25.
Just Kids

Just Kids

By Patti Smith
26.
Olive Kitteridge

Olive Kitteridge

By Elizabeth Strout
27.
Cheever: A Life

Cheever: A Life

By Blake Bailey
28.
2666

2666

By Roberto Bolano

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