I love to promote literacy and the power of reading. Reading is often hard to prioritize when you’re applying to college, doing homework, or participating in extracurricular activities. Whether you read everyday or once a year, reading is important and has proven to make you smarter. According to Punshels.com, a 2013 study showed that reading classic literature, in contrast with commercial fiction and even non fiction, leads to better social perception and emotional intelligence

Classic novels often get shoved to the back of the bookshelf. They’re often believed to be stuffy or old-school. I promise, they are classics for a reason. Make time every year to read a classic novel as their stories pervade our society. Today, I would like to recommend 15 Classic novels that everyone should read. By doing so, you will not only become a better leader and connoisseur of literature, you’ll be able to connect with the world around you. Character driven novels can even strengthen your personal ethics. These books have universal themes that have stood the test of time

1. Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger
2. The Great Gatsby by F Scott Fitzgerald
3. Hamlet by William Shakespeare
4. Emma by Jane Austen
5. To KIll a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
6. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
7. A Severed Head by Iris Murdoch
8. As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner
9. God and Man at Yale by William F Buckley Jr
10. Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov
11. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
12. Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
13. The Beautiful and Damned by F Scott Fitzgerald
14. Lord of the Flies by William Golding
15. The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne