Recs if you like The Go-Between...

Based on the list/book published in 2006, general editor Peter Boxall.

books that feel:

claustrophobic like the summer heat like stifling longing flushed cheeks like unbidden realisations melancholically sweet like painful emptiness existential like utter confusion

I haven’t read all book on this list (yet). Feedback regarding books/authors is welcome🫶🏻 PLS CHECK TW

musical inspiration: fourth of july - Sufjan Stevens Habibi - Tamino implosion - Labrinth now, run - Hania Rani ozean - AnnenMayKantereit

Penguin asked its readers in 2022 for the must-read classics. This is that list!

books about lost chances, 'what ifs', and the lives that might've been. nostalgia and regret are two sides of the same coin: a lingering, a dwelling, on a past you can't return to.

I'm going to read every book every

EVERY GAY VICTORIAN AUTHOR KNEW EACH OTHER. And this list proves it. Making an evil map (a drag path if you will) and nobody can stop meeeeeeee.

This list has all time classics (Dorian Gray, Orlando, etc) and DEEP CUTS (Bertha, Loom of Youth, etc).

enjoyyyyyy <<<<<<3

A list published by The Guardian on 5/16/2026, as voted on by authors, critics, and academics worldwide.

The Guardian Top 100 Best Novels

according to read your color on substack | updated periodically

List of classics for those interested in the genre.

In May 2026 the Guardian published a list of the 100 greatest novels published in English of all time. The list was created based on votes from authors, critics, and academics.

Due to an error, the list originally included The Go-Between by L.P. Hartley instead of The Stranger by Albert Camus. Both are included here, as an unofficial 101 best novels

Books set in or around the Edwardian and Gilded Age

classic novels where the depiction of rural, pastoral England is a notable feature

a lot of eldest sister trauma

completely subjective list of my top fave NYRB books