Addictive Fiction

The books, in order

1. 1

   Fiction · 13 min

   The Housemaid

   Freida McFadden

   In the book, the wife who seems unhinged is the first clue that someone manufactured that image of her.

   See the summary

2. 2

   Fiction · 14 min

   Memories of Midnight

   Sidney Sheldon

   In Catherine's story, losing her memory doesn't erase the danger: it only takes away her chance to recognize it.

   See the summary

3. 3

   Fiction · 13 min

   The Midnight Library

   Matt Haig

   Thoughts that come back every night tend to feed on small losses piled up together, not on a single big drama.

   See the summary

4. 4

   Fiction · 14 min

   The Book Thief

   Markus Zusak

   Burning books in a public square is a way of saying who gets to think what, and the novel shows that whoever reads in secret holds on to a freedom that power tries to erase.

   See the summary

5. 5

   Fiction · 16 min

   The Alchemist

   Paulo Coelho

   Melchizedek teaches that the Personal Legend usually gets lost little by little, under layers of excuses and routine, not in one big act of giving up.

   See the summary

6. 6

   Fiction · 15 min

   Memoirs of a Geisha

   Arthur Golden

   A single act of kindness, even a brief one, can become the compass of an entire life, but it can also lock the person who receives it into one direction.

   See the summary

7. 7

   Fiction · 16 min

   The Hobbit

   J.R.R. Tolkien

   Asking for guidance from someone with more experience lets you see what you couldn't see alone: the map only revealed the secret door in Elrond's hands.

   See the summary

8. 8

   Fiction · 15 min

   Dracula

   Bram Stoker

   Renfield trades his freedom for a promise of power, and the promise is never kept: obeying someone who exploits your weakness usually ends badly.

   See the summary

9. 9

   Fiction · 15 min

   The Count of Monte Cristo

   Alexandre Dumas

   Fortunes built on credit and appearances are more fragile than they look, as the fall of the book's banker shows.

   See the summary

10. 10

    Fiction · 16 min

    1984

    George Orwell

    At the Ministry of Truth, Winston rewrites old newspapers so that the present can never be challenged by any record of the past.

    See the summary