Reading books for any person is a special process. It allows not only relaxing, uplifting, but also encourages reflection, providing an opportunity to learn something new for yourself. All books are unique in their own way. Each of them belongs to a particular genre, tells of unusual situations and characters and certainly causes a wide variety of emotions.
The reading process is of great help in learning, developing a person’s personality and stimulates his imagination. To date, books are regaining their former popularity. People of any age get real pleasure from interesting stories composed not only by legendary classics, but also by modern writers. Which of the works are the most popular today? Consider the top most read books on our planet, as well as in Russia.
World ranking
The top 10 readable books on our planet were composed by writer James Chapman. For a simpler visual familiarization with it, designer Jared Fanning developed a special form of infographic. In it you can see the top 10 readable books in the world, each of which takes its place based on the number of published and sold copies over the past five decades. Let's get acquainted with these works in more detail.
"Anne Frank's Diary"
This book is in the 10th place in the ranking. Its author is Anna Frank herself. The plot of the book is based on the recordings of a Jewish girl. During the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands, Anna wrote letters every day. They were addressed to a fictional girlfriend named Kitty. In her messages, the girl talked about everything that happened to her, as well as with other people who lived in the same shelter, hiding from the Nazis. But in 1944, someone informed them. The Nazis arrested all the people who were in the shelter, placing them in the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp. Seven months later, in the spring of 1945, the girl and her sister died there from typhus. Of the whole family, only Otto Frank survived - Anna's father. In 1947, he published an abridged print version of his daughter's diary.
Judging by the readers' feedback, this book impresses them greatly. In addition to the terrifying events associated with the war, their attention is also drawn to the character of Anna herself. Being in forced isolation, the girl quickly matured. From a quick and noisy child, she turned into a strong and thoughtful girl. In this difficult period, she manages to educate herself, fall in love and experience disappointment, and also break away from her parents, choosing her own path.
June 20, 1942, in her diary, Anna expressed the idea that in the future her notes are unlikely to interest anyone. This 13-year-old girl could not know that based on her notes a book would be created that would be translated into 67 languages, and the number of copies sold would be 27 million.
"Think and get rich"
In ninth place of the top 10 most read books in the world is the work of Napoleon Hill. As a student, he worked part-time as a journalist. He needed a job to pay for university studies. And even then, Hill was able to show his brilliant abilities. From his pen came out amazing articles that attracted the attention of many famous writers.
The young journalist even received an order from Robert L. Taylor. He was asked to write a series of publications telling about the career of famous and successful people in America. The young writer met his first interlocutor in 1908. It was Andrew Carnegie. The conversation with this man became fateful for the young man.
After 20 years, fame came to Napoleon Hill. And this happened thanks to the original version of the book he wrote, which reveals the formula for success. The idea of ​​drafting it in a joking manner was put forward by Carnegie during that long conversation. And Napoleon picked her up. For 20 years he conducted painstaking work, presenting at the end of his book a book describing 13 steps to success that can be applied in any of the spheres of human activity. Judging by the reviews of readers, this work managed to change their stereotypes of thinking and became a part of everyday life. The popularity of the book is confirmed by the number of copies sold. It amounted to 30 million.
"Gone With the Wind"
In eighth place in the top 10 most read books in the world is the work of Margaret Mitchell. This romantic drama was the only work of the author. Unfortunately, the writer died in a car accident.
As a child, Margaret loved to listen to the stories of her parents regarding the memories of the civil war they experienced. Later, these stories, along with other events from the girl’s life, became the basis of the book “Gone with the Wind”. The novel was published in the summer of 1936, and a year later received the Pulitzer Prize. Readers note the attractive plot of the work and its easy language. Of great interest is the described era and the philosophy of the author.
Based on the novel, in 1939 a feature film was shot, which received eight Academy Award. As for the book, its sold-out circulation amounted to 33 million copies.
"Dusk"
On the seventh place of the top readable books of the world is Stephanie Meyer's novel about vampires. His idea was once dreamed of by a 29-year-old woman - the mother of three sons and a housewife. Three months later, a novel written in the fantasy genre was ready for the young audience of readers.
Bella - the main character of the work, falls in love with the vampire Edward, whose food was the blood of animals. But this girl becomes known later. Next, Bella will meet with other vampires. Some of them prefer the blood not of animals, but of man. They begin the hunt for the girl.
And although this novel has been repeatedly severely criticized several times, it brought resounding success to the author. Readers noted the interesting plot of the book and the ease of reading it. The work was translated into 37 languages ​​of the world and sold in the amount of 43 million copies. According to the plot of the novel, a film was shot, the box office of which amounted to more than 384 million dollars.
"The Da Vinci Code"
We continue to get acquainted with the top of the most read books. In sixth place is Dan Brown's novel entitled “The Da Vinci Code”. The hero of this work, Robert Langdon, has to solve a difficult task. It consists in the disclosure of the murder of Jacques Sauniere. This curator of the Louvre was found dead. The body was in the image of a Vitruvian man. To solve the mystery, Robert will study a number of works of Leonardo da Vinci himself. In the course of the story, our hero meets Sophie Neve - the granddaughter of the murdered. They are investigating the crime together.
Readers got acquainted with the Da Vinci Code book in April 2003. Judging by their reviews, the plot captivates with its riddles and secrets. Subsequently, the novel was translated into forty-four languages ​​of the peoples of the world and released in a circulation of 57 million copies. Based on his motives, they shot a film of the same name.
"Alchemist"
In fifth place in the top 10 books read on our planet is the novel by writer Paulo Coelho. He tells readers about the wanderings of the shepherd Santiago from Andalusia, who decided to find the treasures he saw in a dream, stored in the Egyptian pyramids. But the path to the dream was not so easy for the hero. He has to overcome a large number of obstacles. However, the young man endures them steadily and becomes wiser. Santiago begins to realize what the meaning of life is. His main treasure obtained is life experience. The plot of the novel ends with the hero returning to Portugal. Here the young man finds those treasures for which he hunted.
Paulo Coelho wrote his novel in 1988. Subsequently, this work, which, according to readers, is deep, vital and useful for each person, was translated into 67 languages. The circulation of the book amounted to 65 million.
"Lord of the Rings"
In fourth place in the top of the most widely read books in the world is the novel of the writer J.R.R. Tolkien. It was conceived by the author as a continuation of the story of The Hobbit, in which Bilbo Baggins first appeared.
Based on the original intention of the author, this hobbit was to become the main character of his novel. However, later Tolkien decided to tell the reader about the magical powerful ring of omnipotence, as well as about the struggle for the subjugation of the world, which was waged in the Mediterranean. This led to the fact that Bilbo was replaced by a more serious hero. They became the nephew of the first hobbit - Frodo Baggins.
As a result of his work, the author wrote such a voluminous book that publishers refused to accept it, recommending Tolkien to break the story into several parts. At first, he refused, but after failing to sign an agreement with anyone, he yielded to the requirements. He divided his book into three parts, which were published in 1954. Among them are The Fellowship of the Ring, Two Fortresses and The Return of the King. The circulation of the novel amounted to 103 million copies. Due to its interesting story, which was appreciated by readers, “The Lord of the Rings” entered the top of the most widely read books in the world.
"Harry Potter"
In third place in the top of read books is the novel by Joan Rowling, who first saw the light of day in 1997. It was then that his first part, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, was published. The author of this work was a previously unknown writer, who soon managed to gain world fame and become richer than even the Queen of England herself.
After the release of this book, Joan continued to delight not only young readers, but also an adult audience. She created a whole series in which she talked about an orphan boy who possesses magical abilities from his birth. At the age of 11, Harry Potter became a student at Hogwarts School, enrolling in the Gryffindor Department. Within the walls of this educational institution, many adventures took place with him, which aroused considerable interest among the huge army of fans of this novel.
The circulation of a series of books telling about the magical world and its rules has reached 400 million copies. Its author, Joan Rowling, was awarded the Order of the British Empire. She received a writer and many different literary awards.
"Quotes of Mao Zedong"
In the top 10 most read books is this collection, the name of which speaks for itself. It consists of 427 quotes from the speeches of the leader of the People's Republic of China - Mao Zedong. Each of the inhabitants of the Middle Kingdom during his reign should read this book. Moreover, some of the quotes the Chinese needed to memorize. In the statements of Mao, the inhabitants of the PRC were to find answers to all the tasks facing them and the problems that arose.
The book was released with a total circulation of 820 million copies. And only after the death of the leader the mass study of his quotes was stopped.
Bible
This book, which is in the top of readable books, does not need advertising. It was written by a group of authors who lived in different periods of the history of mankind. Holy Scripture is almost 4 thousand years old.
It is published in 2 thousand languages ​​of the world and has a total circulation of 3.9 billion copies sold out.
“The mysterious story of Billy Milligan”
Let's move on to the review of the top 10 readable books in Russia. The rating begins with the work of Daniel Keyes, based on real events. In his book, the author tells the reader about one of the most popular people in the USA who lived in the last century. This is Billy Milligan with a rare diagnosis. His name sounded like "multiple personality disorder." What were the symptoms of this pathology expressed? Specialists counted more than 20 different personalities of this person.
The author describes in detail the life of Billy, analyzes the causes of the disease and talks about its manifestations. The main feature of the book is that its plot is based on an interview that was conducted with Milligan himself.
The main character of the work, each person has his own appearance, character and behavior. In addition, she is responsible for a specific area. Various personalities appear depending on the current situation.
Judging by the readers' feedback, this real story aroused great interest in them.
"Chicken broth for the soul"
Continues the top 10 books read in Russia, a work that aroused great reader interest. It is a joint work of three authors - Hansen M.V., Kanfield D. and Newmark E.
This amazing book includes 101 little soul-catching stories. All these stories can prompt the reader to interesting thoughts, heal the existing life wounds and believe in your dream. After all, the stories that are told by a variety of people prove that absolutely everything is possible. From them we learn about the love of the most beautiful girl in the city for a hunchback, about the fulfillment of all her desires by a single mother, who used a special book for this, about a little girl who decided to fulfill her mother’s dream, selling many boxes of cookies for this.
They love this work not only in Russia. It is in the top 100 readable books around the world. Its circulation is 500 million copies.
"It"
The top readable book in Russia also includes the life story of seven friends from the small town of Derry, masterfully described by Stephen King. At the beginning of the plot, the heroes have to face an ominous horror. But after a while they again gather where they experienced fear.
The book is full of a series of mysterious circumstances, the constant disappearance of people, unsolved murders. All this makes friends face their fears.
Judging by the reviews of readers, the author touches on rather serious topics. They relate to the effect that childhood injuries have on adults. The problems of the power of memory are also considered in the work.
Reading the top 100 best books of the whole world, one can understand that this novel by S. King is the best-selling not only in Russia.
"Origin"
The top of the books read is the continuation of Dan Brown’s popular novel “Da Vinci Code”. It tells of a new investigation being conducted by Professor Robert Langdon.
The plot begins at a social reception in Bilbao. It was here that the sensational message should be made by billionaire Edmond Kirsch, which addresses the main issues facing humanity. Namely: “What awaits us?” and "Where are we from?" However, an unforeseen situation arises. She makes the professor and all the guests run away.
To get an answer to this riddle, the hero of the novel will need to decrypt the code. After that, he will be able to find out an amazing secret. However, the matter is complicated by the fact that they are trying to stop Robert Langdon with all their might.
Readers leave a lot of positive reviews about this novel. They liked the new adventures of the hero he loved in the previous work.
"1984"
From the top 10 best books to read, a young audience prefers the famous dystopia of George Orwell. It presents a completely different world in which feelings, reason and freedom are absent. Instead, there is only fanaticism. It manifests itself in relation to the Party, which puts forward the slogans: "Freedom is slavery", "War is peace." True human feelings replace imposed desires, thoughts, and goals. In this world, marriages are only for offspring, and children are considered only as future members of the party. There are no ordinary people here. Instead, they are “dead souls,” who are capable of any crime for the sake of the Party.
This work fell into the top readable books due to the similarity of its plot with the reality of the totalitarian regimes of the 20th century. And this is despite the fact that the author created his work long before their occurrence. The protagonist of the book falls in love with a member of the party Julia. Together they begin to struggle with the system. However, their struggle is not easy.
Shantaram
Anyone who prefers to read the top of the best books in order to select a work for review, will certainly meet in it one of the best sellers, authored by Gregory David Roberts. Since its publication in Russian, that is, since 2010, this novel has been very popular among our compatriots. The book is the story of a man who has been imprisoned for many years. Moreover, the situations that happened to him took place in reality.
Having escaped from prison, the hero of the work ended up in Bombay - in the center of India. But here he does not have to live a normal life for people. He tries to hide from the law, becomes a counterfeiter and begins to trade in smuggling. Throughout the story, the reader gets acquainted with the realities of life in slums.
According to critics, this work can be compared with the tale "A Thousand and One Nights," which describes the present. Readers leave excellent reviews about the book. They like the immersion in the realities of Indian life and the romantic story described by the author.
"Not saying goodbye"
At the beginning of 2018, many readers became acquainted with the completion of their favorite story, which lasted for twenty years. The book “Do not say goodbye” was the last in a series of 16 works that tell about detective Erast Fandorin and about those situations in which he has to fall. It was sold out in a huge circulation and became one of the most popular domestic publications.
The events that are described in the book unfold in 1914. In the text you can find many references to other works of the series. This moment is welcomed by fans of Boris Akunin.
The novel is literally saturated with notes of nostalgia for the past and immerses us in the wonderful world in which Erast Fandorin lives. Here everything comes to an end, ending correctly and logically.
Judging by the reviews of readers, getting acquainted with the work, they experienced indescribable emotions, admiring the unique syllable of the author.
"The Master and Margarita"
This truly legendary book is also one of the first places in the ranking of the most popular works. It is difficult to find a person who was not familiar with this famous work of Bulakov. At one time, in the literary world of the 20th century, the book became a real sensation. The novel was translated into many languages ​​of the world and had a strong influence on the development of domestic and foreign prose.
And today the book "The Master and Margarita" continues to remain at the peak of popularity. In it, the author was able to combine seemingly incompatible things. This is love and evil, mysticism and justice. The story that readers of the novel get acquainted with is so unique and mysterious that it continues to attract people, leaving no one indifferent.
The book immerses us in the mystical world in which the famous Cat Hippopotamus and other characters live. Based on its plot, films are made and performances are staged.
“See you”
This novel, written by George Moyes, is one of the most widely read in Russia. He talks about an incredible love story that can overcome the most difficult obstacles.
The main character of the book, Lou Clark, believes that she lives happily. She has a groom and a favorite job. However, suddenly the girl is fired, and she comes for an interview at one of the richest mansions in her city. Here she was hired as a carer for a young man, Will Treynor, who was recently at the top of his life, and now confined to a wheelchair.
The book describes Lou's acquaintance with his client, their quarrels and the girl’s attempts to find a common language with him, which turned out to be very difficult. A little later in the novel begins the development of the story of two people whose meeting under normal circumstances would have been impossible.
The book is popular with readers around the world, being in the ranking of the best-selling in Russia.
In the top 10 best works beloved by our compatriots, one can also find the story of the shepherd written by Paulo Coelho. This is the novel "Alchemist", which was described above.
By the way, the Read-City federal network also makes its rating of the most popular works. Today it is a leading bookselling association in Russia. In the top books of “Read the city”, which are popular among our compatriots, are “Master and Margarita”, “Shantaram”, “1984”, “Chicken broth for the soul”. Other works of domestic and foreign authors are included in the rating of this network. The top books of Read the Cities include Selfies with Fate by Tatyana Ustinova, The Coffee Shop by Vyacheslav Prakh, The Snowman by Yu. Nesbe and other fascinating and informative novels and novels.
Fantasy world
There is another top readable book. Fiction and its various directions are the main genre in it. Among them are classical works. To start reading books from the top 100 best written in the fiction genre, it is recommended with Gulliver's Travels, written by Jonathan Swift. This novel paved the way for authors of various directions, from satire to alternative geography.
"Gulliver's Journey" is difficult to rank only in the genre of fiction. This book refers to the phenomena of universal culture.
"Frankenstein, or Modern Prometheus" by Mary Shelley is also in the top of fantasy books. Reading it is interesting and easy. Surprisingly, the book was written by an English lady and the wife of the famous poet "to argue." Neither her husband, Percy Shelley, nor Byron, who was his friend, could create such a work. A 20-year-old girl was able to compose a "Gothic" novel, which today is one of the most famous. At the same time, the story of the Swiss scientist Victor Frankenstein, who learned how to revive living tissue with the help of electricity, became the first true science fiction work in the world.
It is in the top of the popular books and The War of the Worlds by the writer Herbert Wells. This is one of the best science fiction works. The author was the first to discover a new direction of this genre, telling the story of the invasion of ruthless aliens on our planet. But Wells did not stop with the theme of the “war of the worlds.” He created impressive behavioral models of people in extreme situations with the threat of total annihilation hanging over humanity.
The first book in the genre of fiction to describe future events is Isaac Asimov's “History of the Future”. The author made an attempt to present the development of civilization as a complex of laws similar to mathematical formulas. The saviors of mankind in his work are not politicians or commanders, but scientists who conduct their work in the direction of such a science as psychohistory. The plot lasts for 20 thousand years.