Many of us like to read a good book whenever we can , either when we are travelling on the train or just before going to bed.

Throughout history, works have been written that, because of their great reception, their enriching content or simply because they are entertaining, are worthy of recommendation.

The list of the most interesting recommended books to read

In today’s article we have set out to provide a list of the most interesting books that have been written, so that you can enjoy them in your free time and learn new things.

From Psychology and Mind we are sure you will enjoy them. Don’t forget that a few weeks ago we put together several collections of books on Psychology. I link them to you right here:

  • “25 books of psychology totally recommended”
  • “12 Best Books on Self-Help and Self-Improvement”

Having said that, we are now ready to start learning about the collection of recommended books . So go ahead! To find out which titles we’ve selected, just keep reading these lines.

1. Psychologically speaking: A journey through the wonders of the mind (Adrián Triglia, Bertrand Regader, Jonathan García-Allen)

  • Year 2016

Many people write to us weekly to ask us what is the best basic guide for learning psychology. This book aims to meet this need. Psychologically speaking (Ediciones Paidós) is a manual for learning the fundamental aspects of the science of behaviour .

In its pages, frequent doubts about psychology are resolved, as well as reviewing multiple curiosities about the functioning of our brain. You will discover the history of psychology, from Wundt to the present day, through Sigmund Freud, Erich Fromm and B. F. Skinner, among many others. All the necessary knowledge to immerse you in the fascinating world of psychology, in 300 pages full of knowledge and creativity. We make it easy for you to learn while having fun!

The authors are the creators of this humble website.

If you want to buy it you can do it through this link.

2. A Tale of Two Cities (Charles Dickens)

  • Year: 1859

This novel by British writer Charles Dickens has sold over 200 million copies. The novel is set at the time of the French Revolution, between two cities: London and Paris. The author is very critical of the institutions of Victorianism, although the novel distances itself from any political or philosophical debate about the revolution because of the author’s indifference and contempt for politicians.

I’m leaving you the link so you can buy it on Amazon, here.

3. 7 habits of highly effective people (Stephen R. Covey)

  • Year: 1989

This book by Stephen R. Covey is one of the references of the business world. Its pages review the most outstanding habits of people who are highly effective in their daily lives.

You can purchase this title via Amazon by clicking on this link.

By the way: in our article: “The 7 habits of really effective people” we summarize the most important aspects of this work. If you want to know more about this book just click on the link.

4. Gone with the Wind (Margaret Mitchell)

  • Year: 1936

This book by Margaret Mitchell is one of the best sellers in history and was taken to the cinema due to its great success. The story takes place during the American War of Succession and tells the love story and post-war experiences of Scarlett O’Hara, as well as the difficulties of the time.

Buy the book by clicking on this link.

5. The name of the rose (Umberto Eco)

  • Year: 1980

This magnificent novel by the recently deceased Umberto Eco mixes both gothic and detective novels as well as medieval chronicles, and focuses on the detective activities of William of Baskerville to clarify the murders committed in a Benedictine abbey in 1327.

Buy it here.

6. War and Peace (Leo Tolstoy)

  • Year: 1869

This novel by Russian writer Leo Tolstoy is a classic of world literature. His text narrates the lives of members of different aristocratic families in Russia between 1805 and 1815, at the time of the Napoleonic Wars. It alternates the description of these lives with battles like those of Austerlitz.

You can buy it here.

7. What the Brain Tells Us: The Mysteries of the Human Mind Exposed (V.S. Ramachandran)

  • Year: 2012

The famous neurologist and researcher Ramachandran reviews the latest discoveries about the human brain, and answers questions such as: What makes some people more creative than others? What is the cause of autism and how could it be detected and treated? He also reviews such curious psychological cases as phantom pain.

You can buy it by clicking here.

8. Multiple Intelligences: Theory in Practice (Howard Gardner)

  • Year: 1995

This book by Howard Gardner reviews Howard Gardner’s popular theory of Multiple Intelligences, a classic of psychology. This theory suggests that human beings possess different types of intelligence, and not only a unitary intelligence.

Get this book by clicking here.

9. Pride and Prejudice (Jane Austen)

  • Year: 1813

This novel was the second publication of Jane Austen and has become a true classic of its time and one of the most popular novels of all time. This ingenious romantic comedy deals with the disagreements between the proud Mr. Darcy, a rich and popular man, and Elizabeth Bennet, a woman who has grown up in a humble family, since, due to the social class of the latter, her family wants to marry her off to a man with money.

Buy it here.

10. The unbearable lightness of being (Milan Kudera)

  • Year: 1984

The unbearable lightness of being, by Milan Kundera , is a story of love, betrayals, jealousy and paradoxes of the daily life of couples. This exciting novel is so well explained that the reader will end up feeling part of the story. A highly recommended book.

Buy it here.

11. Steppenwolf (Hermann Hesse)

  • Year: 1927

This work by the Swiss-German writer Hermann Hesse exemplifies the dark and tragic side of the human condition. All of this is represented by its main character, Harry Haller, a character who is only familiar with a dehumanizing and unsupportive society that leads him into isolation.

Get this book, here.

12. Anatomy of Love (Helen Fisher)

  • Year: 2004

Helen Fisher is an expert in the biology of love and attraction who through her book “Anatomy of Love” allows us to know what happens in the brain when we fall in love. An interesting book that explains in detail the chemistry of love.

Buy it here.

13. The Journey to Happiness: The New Scientific Keys (Eduard Punset)

  • Year: 2007

The search for happiness is one of the great adventures of the human being, but it can also become a great obsession. This book is a compilation of the scientific evidence regarding this subject, by the hand of the scientific popularizer Eduard Punset . You can’t miss it.

Buy it here.

14. The Art of Love (Erich Fromm)

  • Year: 1956

This book by sociologist, psychologist and philosopher Erich Fromm is a true work of art. From the author’s point of view, love can be the product of a theoretical study since it is an art. As such, a deep knowledge of both theory and practice is necessary to reach mastery.

Get this book here.

15. Think Fast, Think Slow (Daniel Kahneman)

  • Year: 2011

This book was published in 2011 by psychologist Daniel Kahneman , a professor of psychology at Princeton University (United States). The writer is based on the thesis of current psychology on the two modes of thought: System 1, fast, intuitive and emotional, and System 2, slower, reflexive and rational. You can know more about this interesting work in our article: “Review of the book “Thinking fast, thinking slow” by Daniel Kahneman”.

And you can also buy it, here.

16. Robinson Crusoe (Daniel Defoe)

  • Year: 1719

Robinson Crusoe is one of the best known works of the British writer Daniel Defoe . Since its publication it has been a success and today it continues to be one of the adventure novels that cannot be missing from the shelf of lovers of this genre. So if you want to enjoy a good book, full of feats and interesting events that happen on the high seas, this is the one for you.

A classic you can easily buy by clicking here.

17. Hamlet (William Shakespeare)

  • Year: 1603

Hamlet is perhaps the most important work of William Shakespeare . This enigmatic tragedy is full of mystery, in which each character is a simulation artist. Hamlet himself is a being that is continuously transformed.

Buy it here.

18. In search of lost time (Marcel Proust)

  • Year: 1903

This is a classic work by Marcel Proust . Perhaps the most interesting thing about this novel is not the story it tells, but how the author does it. A real master who is capable of hooking the reader, because he feels reflected and trapped in the reading.

If you don’t have it yet, you can buy it here.

19. Ulysses (James Joyce)

  • Year: 1922

This is a great book but it can be difficult to understand, as it alternates many narrative styles, unmistakable style of James Joyce . It is about a day of his two main characters, Bloom and Dedalus, in the Irish city of Dublin. He continually makes references to ancient Greece, and revives the story of Ulysses. A beautiful book that should be read with calm.

Get this book, here.

20. Don Quixote de la Mancha (Miguel de Cervantes)

  • Year: 1605

Few have not heard of Don Quixote de la Mancha, the famous work by Miguel de Cervantes . A novel that deals with Don Quixote de la Mancha, a simple neighbor of La Mancha who, because he reads many books on chivalry, has the idea (although for others he is crazy) of becoming a knight errant with a fellow countryman of his called Sancho Panza (who plays the role of a squire). Both live thousands of adventures that usually go wrong.

Buy it here.

21. Moby Dick (Herman Melville)

  • Year: 1851

Herman Melville is the author of one of those great novels that have been taken to the cinema. It is the story of Captain Ahab who seeks revenge on the white whale that mutilated him, which leads him to lose his mind. This causes him to drag all the crew that finally dies trying to hunt it.

You can buy it by clicking here.

22. One hundred years of solitude (Gabriel García Márquez)

  • Year: 1967

A great work by Colombian writer Gabriel García Márquez . According to the newspaper le Monde (1999), it is the most translated and read book in Spanish. In fact, this newspaper placed it in the 33rd position of the 100 best books of the century.

Buy this classic of literature, here.

23. Influence: the psychology of persuasion (Robert Cialdini)

  • Year: 2014

Robert Cialdini’s is an interesting book on psychology that explains why people are persuaded and how to apply the knowledge embodied in its pages. His 35 years of experience in researching this phenomenon have allowed its author to write this brilliant text.

Buy it here.

24. Huckleberry Finn (Mark Twain)

  • Year: 1884

Idolized by all the children in his neighborhood, but considered a hooligan by his mothers, Huckleberry Finn is a classic of American literature. This text places us in the Mississippi River, where Huck seeks freedom with Jim, a black boy who wants to escape from slavery. A work that deals with friendship and adolescence. A unique story that emerged from the pen of Mark Twain .

You can buy it here.

25. Emotional Intelligence (Daniel Goleman)

  • Year: 1996

A great work by Daniel Goleman that has influenced thousands of psychologists, since emotional intelligence is a concept that is widely related to the well-being and happiness of individuals.

You can buy it here.

26. The Neverending Story (Michael Ende)

  • Year: 1979

Another one of those works that was also a great success on the big screen. A great story written by Michael Ende in which the main character, Bastian, who reads a magic book with passion, enters a fantasy world full of dragons, giants and monsters, in which he will live the most amazing fantasies.

You can get it here.

27. The Divine Comedy (Dante Alighieri)

  • Year: 1314

This work by Dante is one of the best known books in existence. The author takes the reader on a journey through what might happen after death. All this with an imaginary vision of what would be hell or heaven.

Buy it easily here.

28. The Little Prince (Antoine de Saint-Exupéry)

  • Year: 1943

A great work by Saint-Exupéry , which leads the reader to question the meaning of life, friendship, love and human nature, through the search for his main character, a child. A great work full of magic and wisdom.

We recommend that you buy it through this link.

29. The Hobbit (J. R. R. Tolkien)

  • Year: 1937

This story from 1937 can be considered as a prologue to the Lord of the Rings. The Hobbit is about the search for a treasure that is in the power of the great dragon called Smaug. It tells of the adventures of the wizard Gandalf and a group of dwarves who persuade the hobbit Bilbo Baggins to help them recover the treasure. A classic by J. R. R. Tolkien .

If you haven’t read it yet, get this book here.

30. Ten Little Indians (Agatha Christie)

  • Year: 1939

This text by the writer Agatha Christie places the reader on the Isle of Black, in Devon, United Kingdom. It tells the story of ten people who are invited to this island where there is only one mansion that was built by an American and later sold. Each of the guests receives a letter from an individual who claims to know them, but who no one remembers exactly. Once in the mansion, a voice-over accuses each of the guests of having killed someone in the past, although they all deny it and say that they could not do anything to prevent it. The guests are killed one by one.

Buy it here.

31. The Diary of Anne Frank

  • Year: 1947

The Diary of Anne Frank is one of the most incredible texts ever written, which explains, from the Jewish girl’s own diary, how she hid from the Nazis during World War II. Finally, the girl, who was then 13 years old, was in several concentration camps where she died of typhus on March 12, 1945.

If you feel like reading it, buy it here.

32. The Great Gatsby (F. Scott Fitzgerald)

  • Year: 1925

As Francis Scott Fitzgerald himself has stated on some occasions, “The Great Gatsby” is an autobiographical text that represents a youth with an image of splendour marked by excess, but which announces an inevitable drama. It represents what American society was like in the 1920s, which culminated in the crisis of 1929.

Buy it here.

33. The Catcher in the Rye (J. D. Salinger)

Year: 1945

This work was published in 1945. It is about the life of a New York teenager, Holden Cauldfiel, who is confronted with the reality of the post-war period. His confession reveals the life of a young man who has to deal with school failure, rigid traditional family rules and the experience of intimate relationships. It is essential to read this classic by J. D. Salinger .

You can get this classic by clicking on this link.

34. Journey to the Center of the Earth (Jules Verne)

  • Year: 1864

One of the great adventure novels by Jules Verne , in which a group of explorers using an ancient map find their way to the center of the earth, where they must overcome different challenges. Finally they leave again thanks to the eruption of a volcano.

Get your hands on this literature classic, here.

35. Origin of species (Charles Darwin)

  • Year: 1859

A classic by Charles Darwin that changed the way of thinking about the development of different living beings. In it he proposes his famous theory of natural selection.

Buy this famous work, here.

36. The Portrait of Dorian Gray (Oscar Wilde)

  • Year: 1890

The portrait of Dorian Gray is the first novel published by Oscar Wild and , an Irish writer. This work explores the myth of beauty and eternal youth, and its protagonist, Dorian Gray, wishes a portrait of him to age in his place, something that ends up becoming a pact with the devil.

Buy it through this link.

37. The Old Man and the Sea (Ernest Hemingway)

  • Year: 1952

The great Hemingway left us this moving story that is a reflection of perseverance, since it tells the story of Santiago, an old fisherman who goes 84 days without catching a single fish and who wants to go back to the sea to fish the prey he always wanted to conquer. Thanks to this work, he received the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1954.

We recommend this reading guide about Hemingway’s work.

38. Crime and Punishment (Fyodor Dostoyevsky)

  • Year: 1866

One of the great works of the Russian writer Fyodor Dostoyevsky , which reflects in its pages an ethical theme, since it deals with a young student who, in order to get out of his poverty, kills and steals an old usurer. This is an authentic psychological novel that is not to be missed.

Buy it here.

39. Descartes’ mistake (Antonio Damasio)

  • Year: 1994

This text, published in 1994, is a great book of scientific and philosophical literature. To think that the mind and the body exist independently. To refute the Cartesian idea, Antonio Damasio explains that emotions and feelings are not only indispensable in human rationality, but that injuries in the prefrontal cortex cause a person to be unable to make effective decisions.

You can get it here.

40. The Pillars of the Earth (Ken Follet)

  • Year: 1989

This is a historical novel, masterfully devised by Ken Follet , which no one should miss. It is a story that mixes love, illusions, ambitions and injustices and betrayals, and although it is not a work of art in literary terms, Follet knows how to captivate his readers.

Buy this best-seller here.

41. Kill a Mockingbird (Harper Lee)

  • Year: 1960

Another classic of 20th century American literature that has managed to captivate readers. It deals with topics such as prejudice, neighborhood conflicts and racism, excellently portrayed by Harper Lee . In which he exposes a judicial system with hardly any guarantees for citizens of colour.

Buy it here.

42. Les Misérables (Victor Hugo)

  • Year: 1862

That of Victor Hugo from the most famous novels of the 19th century. This work places the reader in the battle of Waterloo and the events that followed: the fall of Napoleon and the French Revolution, and revolves around several characters and their stories, always taking into account the character Jean Valjean.

Get this magnificent work by entering this link.

43. The Feast of the Goat (Mario Vargas Llosa)

  • Year: 2000

La fiesta del chivo is for many the best work of Mario Vargas Llosa , which has become a modern classic. A story that deals with the Dominican dictator, General Trujillo, nicknamed the Goat.

Get this book by Vargas Llosa by clicking here.

44.The Man Without Attributes (Robert Musli)

  • Year: 1940

This great work was written between 1930 and 1942 and was interrupted by the death of the writer, Robert Musli . The main characters of this entertaining novel are Ulrich, the man without attributes, an idealistic mathematician, Leona and Bonadea, both lovers of the man without attributes, Diotima, a woman as dumb as she is beautiful, and Arnheim, the man with attributes, a millionaire. All of them make this text exceptional.

Buy it here.

45. Madame Bovary (Gustave Flaubert)

  • Year: 1856