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BBC books List

Biography

Free

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Jane Austin

Novel

Sense and Sensibility

Classic

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Bill McKribben

Environment

Here Comes the Sun

Explains how solar power can save the world from overheating

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Alice Walker

Identity

96

The Color Purple

A powerful epistolary novel about Black womanhood, resilience, and liberation in the American South, following Celie’s journey toward self‑worth and independence.

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Toni Morrison

Identity

100

Beloved

A haunting exploration of slavery’s psychological legacy, following Sethe, a mother pursued by the ghost of her past and the trauma she cannot escape.

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Chinua Achebe

Identity

98

Things Fall Apart

A foundational African novel depicting Igbo society before and during colonial disruption, centred on Okonkwo’s struggle with tradition, masculinity, and change.

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Ralph Ellison

Identity

100

Invisible Man

A profound examination of race and individuality in America, following an unnamed Black narrator through disillusionment, activism, and the search for identity.

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Zora Neale Hurston

Identity

95

Their Eyes Were Watching God

Janie Crawford recounts her life and loves in a lyrical exploration of Black womanhood, autonomy, and self‑definition in the American South.

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Richard Wright

Identity

94

Native Son

A searing portrayal of systemic racism and social oppression through the tragic life of Bigger Thomas in 1930s Chicago.

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Toni Morrison

Identity

93

The Bluest Eye

A devastating story of internalised racism and childhood trauma as Pecola Breedlove longs for blue eyes and acceptance in a hostile world.

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James Baldwin

Identity

96

Giovanni’s Room

A groundbreaking queer novel exploring desire, shame, and identity as an American man confronts his sexuality in 1950s Paris.

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Kate Chopin

Identity

90

The Awakening

A pioneering feminist novel about Edna Pontellier’s struggle for autonomy, desire, and selfhood in a restrictive Creole society.

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E.M. Forster

Identity

92

A Passage to India

A nuanced portrait of colonial India, examining friendship, misunderstanding, and cultural tension amid the political pressures of empire.

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Sandra Cisneros

Identity

88

The House on Mango Street

A series of poetic vignettes following Esperanza Cordero as she navigates girlhood, culture, and identity in a Chicago Latino neighbourhood.

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Robert Louis Stevenson

Adventure

95

Treasure Island

A classic pirate adventure following young Jim Hawkins as he discovers a treasure map and confronts danger, betrayal, and the legendary Long John Silver.

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J.R.R. Tolkien

Adventure

98

The Hobbit

Bilbo Baggins is swept into a quest with dwarves to reclaim their homeland, encountering trolls, goblins, and a certain precious ring along the way.

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Jack London

Adventure

90

The Call of the Wild

A domesticated dog is thrust into the brutal world of the Yukon, discovering his primal instincts and the call of the wilderness.

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Suzanne Collins

Adventure

82

The Hunger Games

Katniss Everdeen becomes a reluctant symbol of rebellion after volunteering for a deadly televised competition in a dystopian future.

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Philip Pullman

Adventure

88

His Dark Materials

Lyra Belacqua uncovers a sinister conspiracy involving Dust, parallel worlds, and the nature of consciousness in this philosophical fantasy epic.

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Paulo Coelho

Adventure

80

The Alchemist

A shepherd boy travels across deserts in search of treasure, discovering spiritual insight, personal destiny, and the meaning of dreams.

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Alexandre Dumas

Adventure

92

The Three Musketeers

D’Artagnan joins three legendary musketeers in a swashbuckling tale of honour, intrigue, duels, and political conspiracy in 17th‑century France.

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Alexandre Dumas

Adventure

96

The Count of Monte Cristo

Wrongfully imprisoned, Edmond Dantès escapes, discovers treasure, and executes a masterful plan of revenge against those who betrayed him.

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Jonathan Swift

Adventure

94

Gulliver’s Travels

Lemuel Gulliver journeys to fantastical lands, encountering miniature people, giants, and philosophical societies in this satirical exploration of human folly.

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Daniel Defoe

Adventure

93

Robinson Crusoe

A shipwrecked man survives alone on a remote island, building a life through ingenuity and confronting solitude, survival, and colonial attitudes.

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Herman Melville

Adventure

100

Moby-Dick

Captain Ahab obsessively hunts the white whale, leading his crew into a metaphysical struggle between fate, nature, and human madness.

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Joseph Conrad

Adventure

98

Heart of Darkness

A journey up the Congo River becomes a descent into moral ambiguity, colonial brutality, and the darkness within the human soul.

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Homer

Adventure

100

The Odyssey

Odysseus’s perilous voyage home from Troy spans monsters, gods, temptations, and trials, forming the foundation of Western adventure storytelling.

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Rudyard Kipling

Adventure

88

Kim

An Irish orphan in British‑ruled India becomes a spy’s apprentice, navigating politics, identity, and cultural complexity across the subcontinent.

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Arthur Conan Doyle

Adventure

85

The Lost World

An expedition to a remote plateau discovers living dinosaurs, sparking danger, scientific rivalry, and thrilling prehistoric encounters.

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Jules Verne

Adventure

92

Around the World in Eighty Days

Phileas Fogg wagers he can circumnavigate the globe in eighty days, embarking on a whirlwind journey filled with obstacles and surprises.

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This site was created in response to my new years resolution: "Music 25 concerts in 52 weeks"

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