Tom Rachman chooses 6 books to read before you die
The author suggests works from George Orwell, Virginia Woolf and more

When you make a purchase through links on our site, we may earn a commission
Tom Rachman is the best-selling author of the novels "The Imperfectionists," "The Italian Teacher," and "The Rise and Fall of Great Powers." In "The Imposters," his latest, a septuagenarian novelist works at writing one last book before her mind fails.
War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy (1869)
I'm midway through my life (I think) and considering books to reread at the end. This novel, often regarded as one of the greatest ever written, is among them, a swirling masterpiece that contains far more than Russian aristocrats bickering. It's about idealism and youthful hopes, worn down by time and by tumult — a process that remains as true today, albeit with fewer horsedrawn carriages. Buy it here.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf (1927)
Virginia Woolf lingers over her characters' twitchy perceptions, slipping from mind to mind with such insight and craft; it awes me. But this novel is also moving, on how family nestles around its members and how a death may alter everything. "To the Lighthouse" can be challenging on the page. If you falter, try Juliet Stevenson's superb audiobook reading. Buy it here.
Pnin by Vladimir Nabokov (1957)
This episodic novel about a nebbish émigré professor is — like most comedy — about sorrow. The book recounts Pnin's blunders in America, the pangs of exile, the wounds of 20th-century political evil, and one professor's struggle not to lose his lecture papers. Buy it here.
The Little Virtues by Natalia Ginzburg (1962)
Ginzburg, who's among the great Italian writers, survived horror in World War II, when the Nazis tortured her husband, Leone, to death. These memoiristic postwar essays touch on everything from Ginzburg's relationship with her second husband to raising kids to old shoes. Humble, witty and delightful. Buy it here.
The Mill on the Floss by George Eliot (1860)
Another book I hope to reread before my demise. I'd better not die suddenly, for it's 700 pages long. Descriptive old-fashioned novels such as this one demand patience in our distracted times. But this tale justifies the concentration: It's among the great portraits of siblinghood. Buy it here.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
The essays of George Orwell (various editions)
Orwell wrote with unshrinking honesty. That is too rare. Pieces such as "Shooting an Elephant," "Politics and the English Language," and "Notes on Nationalism" help explain the world we all occupy, even decades after Orwell left it.
This article was first published in the latest issue of The Week magazine. If you want to read more like it, you can try six risk-free issues of the magazine here.
-
Kirsty Coventry: the former Olympian and first woman to lead the IOC
In the Spotlight Coventry, a former competitive swimmer, won two Olympic gold medals
-
Critics' choice: Carrying the flag
Feature The best barbecue in town, Bradley Cooper's cheesesteak restaurant, and more
-
Film review: Materialists
Feature Two suitors seek to win over a jaded matchmaker
-
Anne Hillerman's 6 favorite books with Native characters
Feature The author recommends works by Ramona Emerson, Craig Johnson, and more
-
John Kenney's 6 favorite books that will break your heart softly
Feature The novelist recommends works by John le Carré, John Kennedy Toole, and more
-
Andrea Long Chu's 6 favorite books for people who crave new ideas
Feature The book critic recommends works by Rachel Cusk, Sigmund Freud, and more
-
Bryan Burrough's 6 favorite books about Old West gunfighters
Feature The Texas-raised author recommends works by T.J. Stiles, John Boessenecker, and more
-
Tash Aw's 6 favorite books about forbidden love
Feature The Malaysian novelist recommends works by James Baldwin, Toni Morrison, and more
-
Richard Bausch's 6 favorite books that are worth rereading
Feature The award-winning author recommends works by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway, and more
-
Marya E. Gates' 6 favorite books about women filmmakers
Feature The film writer recommends works by Julie Dash, Sofia Coppola, and more
-
Laurence Leamer's 6 favorite books that took courage to write
Feature The author recommends works by George Orwell, Truman Capote and more