Most of the richest people in the world hold a common trait - they love to read. With all the good books out there and new ones coming out every month, no one has just enough time to read all of them. Moreover, being well-read does not necessarily mean you've read a lot of books. Rather, it's more on the breadth of what you read, including the genres, viewpoints, and time periods.
Heavy Hitters
According to an article on Inc, these genres are those ones that really impresses people when they know that you've read them. These include Gravity's Rainbow a 1973 novel by Thomas Pynchon which is also labeled as a post-modern classic. It is one of TIME's Best 100 Books between 1923 and 2005.
Western Classics
This is the genre whose books were written by the who's who in literature. You don't want to miss Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, Homer's The Odyssey, Leo Tolstoy's Anna Karenina, and Charles Dickens' A Tale of Two Cities.
Science Fiction/Fantasy
When it comes to sci-fi and fantasy, two authors that come to mind are J.R.R Tolkien and Isaac Asimov. If you haven't read Lord of the Rings then you have missed a lot. If you are not a fan of sci-fi, Isaac Asimov's The Foundation will make you change your mind.
Dystopia
This genre talks about human beings' worst nightmares and nothing beats Aldous Huxley's A Brave New World when it comes to this genre. If you think Huxley's book is not enough, go for The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood and Nineteen-Eighty-Four by George Orwell.
Non-Western Classics
The non-western classics is divided into two - ancient and modern. Modern non-western classics are the books that make you "feel" well-read. These are books by writers like Gabriel Garcia Marquez. His One Hundred Years of Solitude has placed Latin American literature in the world cinema.
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Satire
If you want to have a few giggles while you read, this genre is for you. Some good titles under this genre are The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams and Catch-22 by Joseph Heller.
Immigrant Experience
Feel the fear, joy, and wonder of immigrants as they find themselves in a new land and a different culture from their own. Some of these books include Julia Alvarez's How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accent, Jhumpa Lahiri's Interpreter of Maladies, and Amy Tan's The Joy Luck Club
