“A mind needs books like a sword needs a whetstone.” -Tyrion Lannister.

Books enrich our lives, if you choose the right ones. Your characters can become like friends. The places and adventures they can take you to can seem as real (and sometimes even more real) than the world before our eyes. But with legions of books published each year, it would take many lifetimes to read them all. So which one do we choose?

Here is a list of five great books that deserve to be at the top of your reading list:

#1 The Way (Cormac McCarthy)

Rarely does a writer as unique and talented as Cormac McCarthy come along. His books are dark and violent, but filled with magnificent prose, unique action, and a style that is impossible to emulate. Its 2006 Pulitzer Prize winner, The way, is possibly his best. Haunting, challenging, and unforgettable, this incredible novel will change the way you view post-apocalyptic literature, not to mention life and family, forever.

#2 Life of Pi (Yann Martel)

A boy trapped in a life raft with a tiger! This spectacular novel is part treatise on religious philosophy, part Robinson Cruesoe-style survival story, and part coming-of-age bildungsroman. The incredible action leaves you guessing until the very end and will keep you talking long after you’ve moved on.

#3 The Name of the Wind (Patrick Rothfuss)

This novel may fall into the fantasy category, but it’s an incredible tour de force that wields the incredible power of storytelling. don’t expect a Lord of the Rings copycat, this story is unique and engaging and is destined to be the new cutting edge in the realm of epic fantasy. fans of game of Thrones You will love it, as will people who have never read a fantasy novel in their life.

#4 Beloved (Toni Morrison)

This Pulitzer Prize-winning novel is considered one of the must-read classics of the second half of the 20th century. It is challenging, emotional, intense, beautiful and classic. There is no doubt that Loved it was a big part of the reason Morrison received the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1993.

#5 Rabbit, run (John Updike)

Only three authors have won multiple Pulitzer Prizes and one was John Updike. rabbit race is the first in a four-book series spanning Updike’s career. In terms of sheer skill, Updike is the definitive master of the late 20th century. His sentences are astonishingly brilliant and his command of the language is next to none.