By now, I'm sure everyone knows I have an obsession with books. I've read many books in my life. However, I have not read them all (which I find a little unfortunate because If I could, I would spend every minute of my life reading). Out of the books I have read, though, here are ten that I found the most worthy to read and that everyone should read them at least once in their lifetime.

1. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

I thought I'd start with an obvious choice. Most high schools will make you read this sometime in your four years. However, if your school doesn't require you to read this, make a trip to your local library and check it out. The storyline takes place in the 1920's and centers around a man who witnesses a summer of affairs and betrayal after moving across country to New York, just across the bay from a cousin of his.

2. Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami

Honestly, I recommend all of his books to you, but that's because he's my favorite author and his works always astound me. Norwegian Wood is a darker book, but it's fantastic. It follows the life of Toru Watanabe after his best friend commits suicide. He eventually crosses paths with his best friend's girlfriend again and he documents their time together and how they bond after his best friend's death. However, the overlying message of the book is significant and relevant to all of us. It reminds us that despite no happy we may seem, we never know how bad we're actually suffering inside.

3. Audition by Ryu Murakami

Audition is another deep, dark novel. After a man loses his wife, he decides to remarry. His friend suggests he hold an audition for a fake movie so that he would get to meet a woman through that process, since he had never found someone he liked on his own. After being entranced by one woman, the story follows their relationship and we discover who exactly the woman actually is as the novel progresses. Overall, I think the message suggests that sometimes we let our infatuations overlook the truth and allow it to negatively impact our lives.

4. The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins

Cliche, I know. I really do suggest this though. For those who have surprisingly never heard of it or looked into it, the novels are about a nation that holds "games" every year as a competition among districts. Each year, the twelve districts send two tributes randomly picked to fight in the games against each other. The games are seen as a duty to the Capitol and the entire nation to pay back for a war that happened years before our novel takes place. The trilogy wraps up beautifully and they're definitely heart-wrenching, but I think they're a valuable read.

5. Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys

In school, we always learn about the Holocaust. We hear about Hitler and what he did to Europe. Very seldom do we learn about Stalin and his own personal genocide, though. At least, we don't focus on it. However, during World War Two, another devastating event took place. The story focuses on Lina, a fifteen-year-old girl from Lithuania whose family become targets of the Soviets one night and is unfortunately torn apart from her father. Lina, her mother and her brother are taken to the Arctic Circle, one of the coldest regions in the world, where they're forced to work in camps in harsh conditions, which leave many fighting for their lives. It really opens your eyes and reveals that there was much more to this war era than we're taught in school.

6. A Separate Peace by John Knowles

I read this back in tenth grade and I've been thinking about going back to read it. The novel is about the friendship between two boys at a private school while they not only focus on academics and their friendship, but also the looming war drawing nearer and nearer to their own personal lives. Then, after an accident takes place one heartbreaking night, we follow their friendship as the truth slowly reveals itself and how they move passed it.

7. The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender by Leslye Walton

I don't want to only recommend classics or adult fiction. This is a young adult novel that follows generations of a family and reveals a treacherous curse that follows them, leading up to one significant night that will either make or break Ava.

8. The Opposite of Loneliness by Marina Keegan

Before her tragic death a few years ago, Keegan left behind a collection of short stories and essays. Each story has its own lesson and is astonishing. They're each beautiful and some are tragic, but valuable.

9. Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden

I know some of you might think this doesn't sound interesting. I absolutely loved it, however. I'll admit that the story is a bit slow, but overall it's a beautiful plot. It follows the life of Sayuri, a young girl taken from her father and forced to train as a geisha in twentieth century Japan. After a harsh childhood and many heartbreaking events during that time, we watch as Sayuri transforms into a beautiful woman who tries to make the best of her life.

10. The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath

So, here's another classic, but honestly we all should read it. It centers around a young woman named Esther who is a writer and the novel starts with her winning a contest for an internship for a magazine in New York City. The story follows Esther as her life starts to fold around her and she descends into mental insanity. It definitely hits you hard.