11. The Mist by Stephen King. It’s a short story and he’s a helluva storyteller.
– theofiel
12. My Side of the Mountain.
I read it as a kid and loved it. Everything about the adventure was thrilling.
– Frostgnaw
13. The Harry Potter series is a given.
– ettybop16
14. Leviathan Wakes by James S.A Corey, Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton, and Kings of the Wyld by Nicholas Eames.
– TheForsakenVoid
15. Percy Jackson and the Olympians – The Lightning Theif. While the series is mainly for younger readers I find them engaging and fun and I didn’t start reading them until a few years ago (22ish). It’s like Harry Potter except Percy kills stuff.
– RedWhiteButNotBlue
16. Start with an audiobook of Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy.
Gritty ass western novel that makes No Country For Old Men look like the Teletubbies.
– CaptainBroverdose
17. I’d actually suggest you try out some comics.
There are a lot of quality comics out there that are just as “grown up” and challenging reads as standard text-only books. People often find the art element makes the story/text more compelling and adds incentive to read.
Depending on your interests, I’d suggest anything from Maus to Full Metal Alchemist.
– _Green_Kyanite_
18. I couldn’t put Enders Game down.
– AltonBurk
19. The Body by Stephen King. It’s a novella, so it’s relatively short, and it’s the story that the movie Stand By Me is based on.
Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption is in the same anthology and is the story upon which the movie The Shawshank Redemption is based.
– ImALittleCrackpot
20. You have to read the Mistborn Saga. I am not a big fan of fantasy but those books are so good. Anything made by Sanderson is often good.
– JSalu
21. Snow Crash.
I remember picking it up randomly at a bookstore, taking a look at the first page and the next thing I knew an hour had passed as I couldn’t stop reading. The story has the pace of a roller coaster ride and I loved every minute of it.
– B4rkingSpidr
22. “Lamb” by Christopher Moore A story of Jesus Christ told by his best friend Biff.
– thepickledchef
23. Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut.
A satirical tale of a WWII veteran that gets kidnapped by 4th-dimensional aliens. The storytelling is witty and comical. It’s a fun and short read.
– MoonBasic
24. I would recommend The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster. Milo has to get out of the Doldrums.
– FormerTeacher
25. Sherlock Holmes cases – entertaining and fairly short per case.
– swimfins2013
Futuristic Violence and Fancy Suits by David Wong
I definitely recommend picking up a copy of Mortal Engines, fantastic book about Giant Traction Cities, I would read it before the movie remake by Peter Jackson comes out to properly enjoy the book
The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher. It’s about a wizard for hire; basically he’s a private eye who uses magic to track down whatever his client wants. Even if you’re not into fantasy the books are really witty and fun. Plus short, light reads.