Here are 10 cult books you need to read.<\/p>\n
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The Road \u201d\u201c Cormac McCarthy<\/strong><\/h4>\n![\"The](\"http:\/\/192.168.3.178\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/The-Road.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nIt\u2019s the end of the world as we know it and…erm, no-one feels fine.<\/p>\n
Cormac McCarthy\u2019s Pulitzer Prize-winning post-apocalyptic tale follows a father and son as they travel the US, recently destroyed by an un-named event, to reach the warmer climes of the south. Along the way they encounter looters, cannibals and various other miscreants.<\/p>\n
The Road <\/em>is bleak but powerful, the kind of book that stays with you long after you\u2019ve finished it. The surprisingly heartwarming relationship between the man and his boy (inspired by McCarthy\u2019s own relationship with his son<\/a>) provides a little light among the ashes too \u201d\u201c but only a little.<\/p>\nBuy The Road <\/em>on the musicMagpie Store<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n
\nThe Outsider \u201d\u201c Albert Camus<\/strong><\/h4>\n![\"The](\"http:\/\/192.168.3.178\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/The-Outsider.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nIf you like your novels with a side helping of philosophy (or you just like to feel sophisticated), Albert Camus\u2019 The Outsider <\/em>is the book for you.<\/p>\nIt follows a chap named Meursault, who is so emotionally detached from the world that he spends his mother\u2019s funeral smoking cigarettes and drinking coffee in front of her coffin. Later, he kills someone for no apparent reason and is put on trial.<\/p>\n
Of course, all of this is just a front for Camus\u2019 belief that the world is meaningless and life is completely absurd. It\u2019s not the most positive message as far as books go, but c\u2019est la vie<\/em>.<\/p>\nThe Outsider <\/em>won\u2019t be everyone\u2019s cup of black coffee, but it\u2019s a worth a read just to see how much Camus\u2019 philosophy has influenced modern popular culture. It\u2019ll make you look ultra sophisticated on the train too.<\/p>\nBuy The Outsider <\/em>on the musicMagpie Store<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n
\nThe Catcher in the Rye \u201d\u201c JD Salinger<\/strong><\/h4>\n![\"Catcher](\"http:\/\/192.168.3.178\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/catcher-in-the-rye.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nAKA every teenager\u2019s favourite book (until Harry Potter <\/em>came along). The Catcher in the Rye <\/em>follows Holden Caulfield, a disillusioned teen who bunks off school to drink, fight, smoke and rage against the world and all of its phones (of which there are many) in Manhattan. Imagine Ferris Bueller\u2019s Day Off <\/em>with more debauchery and moaning and you\u2019re not far off.<\/p>\nFew books have managed to capture the angst and isolation of being a teenager as well as Salinger\u2019s novel, which might explain why it still sells around a million copies every year. It\u2019s a little dated but an essential read for anyone who has ever felt like the whole world is against them.<\/p>\n
Fun fact: by 1981, The Catcher in the Rye <\/em>was the second most studied book in American high schools and <\/em>the most banned.<\/p>\nBuy The Catcher in the Rye <\/em>on the musicMagpie Store<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n
\nOn The Road \u201d\u201c Jack Kerouac<\/strong><\/h4>\n![\"On](\"http:\/\/192.168.3.178\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/on-the-road.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nOn the Road <\/em>follows a bohemian trio as they embark on a road trip to find meaning and possibly even transcend the trappings of life… man. This mainly involves chatting up women, drinking a lot and listening to jazz.<\/p>\nCalling On the Road <\/em>influential is an understatement. As well as inspiring countless novels and films, it encouraged a generation of youths to do away with their boring lives and go on exciting adventures into the unknown (although most of them were nowhere near as exciting as Kerouac\u2019s).<\/p>\nLegend has it that Kerouac wrote On the Road <\/em>in three weeks in 1951, fuelled solely by coffee, pea soup and benzadrine. To help him with the novel\u2019s stream of consciousness style, he fed 12 foot long rolls of paper into his typewriter so he wouldn\u2019t have to replace them mid-flow. The final manuscript was 120 feet long and sold for $2.4 million (around \u00a31.68 million) at auction<\/a>.<\/p>\nBuy On the Road <\/em>on the musicMagpie Store<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n
\nThe Metamorphosis \u201d\u201c Franz Kafka<\/strong><\/h4>\n![\"The](\"http:\/\/192.168.3.178\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/The-Metamorphosis.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nIf you think you had a bad morning, spare a thought for Gregor Samsa. In The Metamorphosis, <\/em>Franz Kafka\u2019s legendary novella, poor old Gregor wakes up to find that he\u2019s literally turned into a giant bug.<\/p>\nIt only gets worse from there, with Gregor\u2019s family both disgusted and agitated by their new houseguest and Gregor himself struggling to adapt to life as an insect. Depending on who you ask, The Metamorphosis <\/em>is either a heartbreaking comment on aging and mortality or a hilarious (but still quite bleak) comment on family and the trappings of everyday life.<\/p>\nEither way, The Metamorphosis <\/em>is one of the most popular short stories ever written and well worth your time. It has some quite useful advice if you happen to turn into a bug too.<\/p>\nBuy The Metamorphosis <\/em>on the musicMagpie Store<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n
\nCatch-22 \u201d\u201c Joseph Heller<\/strong><\/h4>\n![\"Catch](\"http:\/\/192.168.3.178\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/catch-22.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nYou\u2019ve heard the phrase; now read the book that inspired it!<\/p>\n
Yossarian, the hero of Heller\u2019s novel, is a World War 2 pilot who constantly tries to get out of combat missions with a series of absurd plots. His ultimate goal is be excused from war for being mentally unstable, a goal rendered impossible by Catch-22: mentally unstable soldiers can\u2019t fly, but applying for exemption on the basis of madness shows concern for your safety and suggests you\u2019re actually sane.<\/p>\n
Catch-22 <\/em>is hugely influential in a number of ways, from its non-chronological narrative (events are often described from numerous perspectives and revisited in numerous chapters) to its satirical take on the horrors of war.<\/p>\nHilarious, heartbreaking and ridiculous all at the same time, it\u2019s no surprise Catch-22 <\/em>was the UK\u2019s 11th<\/sup> favourite book in a BBC poll<\/a>.<\/p>\nBuy Catch-22 <\/em>on the musicMagpie Store<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n
\nDune \u201d\u201c Frank Herbert<\/strong><\/h4>\n![\"Dune\"](\"http:\/\/192.168.3.178\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/Dune.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nDune <\/em>tells the story of Paul Atreides, a prince whose family rules the planet Arrakis. Arrakis is one of the universe\u2019s most dangerous places but is highly contested due its supply of spice, an extremely valuable substance that enhances the mind\u2019s capabilities.<\/p>\nIt\u2019s a bit like Game of Thrones <\/em>in space, with various factions warring for control of Arrakis. Unlike other sci-fi authors, Herbert didn\u2019t care much for robots and technology; politics and relationships take centre stage in Dune. <\/em>He did manage to work in one of sci-fi\u2019s most infamous creatures, the sandworm, though.<\/p>\nYou\u2019ll also recognise elements of Dune <\/em>if you\u2019ve seen Star Wars <\/em>(which pretty much everyone has), with Paul\u2019s journey closely mirroring that of Luke Skywalker and the Bene Gesserit serving a similar purpose to the Jedi. Unfortunately, the movie version of Dune <\/em>(directed by David Lynch) didn\u2019t perform anywhere near as well as Star Wars <\/em>at the cinema; it\u2019s best known today for featuring Sting wearing a codpiece and not much else…<\/p>\nBuy Dune <\/em>on the musicMagpie Store<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n
\nFear and Loathing in Las Vegas \u201d\u201c Hunter S Thompson<\/strong><\/h4>\n![\"Fear](\"http:\/\/192.168.3.178\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/fear-and-loating.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nHunter S Thompson\u2019s semi-autobiographical novel follows a journalist named Raoul Duke and his attorney Dr. Gonzo as they travel to Sin City to report on a race, only to get distracted and take copious amounts of drugs instead.<\/p>\n
Fear and Loathing <\/em>doesn\u2019t have much of a plot, but the various scrapes, situations and full on hallucinations Duke and Gonzo experience are compelling and hilarious enough to get away with it. The book is widely interpreted as a comment on the death of 60s counterculture and the ugly side of American consumerism, but don\u2019t get too hung up on that: as Thompson himself said, \u201cbuy the ticket, take the ride\u201d\u009d.<\/p>\nBuy Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas <\/em>on the musicMagpie Store<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n
\nNineteen Eighty-Four \u201d\u201c George Orwell<\/strong><\/h4>\n![\"Nineteen](\"http:\/\/192.168.3.178\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/nineteen-eighty-four.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nNineteen Eighty-Four <\/em>takes place in a totalitarian surveillance state overseen by Big Brother, a mythical leader who may or may not exist. Winston Smith is one of the residents of the state, although he secretly hates it.<\/p>\nAfter meeting a woman named Julia who shares his opinion, Winston begins to dabble with the underground resistance… but soon learns that Big Brother doesn\u2019t take too kindly to individual thought and subversion.<\/p>\n
Orwell\u2019s novel has been hugely influential in both the literary world and society itself, with the word Orwellian often used to describe overly invasive surveillance projects. It\u2019s also the only novel to have two <\/em>popular TV programmes named after it: Room 101 <\/em>and, of course, Big Brother<\/em>. We\u2019re sure Orwell would be proud.<\/p>\nBuy Nineteen Eighty-Four<\/em> on the musicMagpie Store<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n
\nThe Hitchhiker\u2019s Guide to The Galaxy \u201d\u201c Douglas Adams<\/strong><\/h4>\n![\"The](\"http:\/\/192.168.3.178\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/hitchhikers-1.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nSci-fi generally falls into two categories: ultra grim dystopian horror or overly optimistic fantasy. The Hitchhiker\u2019s Guide to the Galaxy <\/em>falls somewhere between the two with a distinctly British take on life, the universe and everything.<\/p>\nIt all begins when Arthur Dent, a fairly regular chap, is rescued before the imminent destruction of the Earth (to make way for a bypass). In space, he meets countless unusual characters across countless unusual planets (quite a few of whom want to hurt him in some way), guided by the eponymous Hitchhiker\u2019s Guide to The Galaxy. Oh, and he also discovers the meaning of life, the universe and everything.<\/p>\n
The Hitchhiker\u2019s Guide to the Galaxy <\/em>is the first part in Adams\u2019 \u201d\u02dctrilogy in five parts\u2019, although a sixth book written by Eoin Colfer was released in 2008. All are worth reading.<\/p>\nBuy\u00a0The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy\u00a0<\/em>on the musicMagpie Store<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n
\nYou can find all of these books, plus many more, at amazing prices on the musicMagpie Store. Click below to buy books<\/a> and save!<\/p>\n
<\/a><\/p>\nIt\u2019s the end of the world as we know it and…erm, no-one feels fine.<\/p>\n
Cormac McCarthy\u2019s Pulitzer Prize-winning post-apocalyptic tale follows a father and son as they travel the US, recently destroyed by an un-named event, to reach the warmer climes of the south. Along the way they encounter looters, cannibals and various other miscreants.<\/p>\n
The Road <\/em>is bleak but powerful, the kind of book that stays with you long after you\u2019ve finished it. The surprisingly heartwarming relationship between the man and his boy (inspired by McCarthy\u2019s own relationship with his son<\/a>) provides a little light among the ashes too \u201d\u201c but only a little.<\/p>\n Buy The Road <\/em>on the musicMagpie Store<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n If you like your novels with a side helping of philosophy (or you just like to feel sophisticated), Albert Camus\u2019 The Outsider <\/em>is the book for you.<\/p>\n It follows a chap named Meursault, who is so emotionally detached from the world that he spends his mother\u2019s funeral smoking cigarettes and drinking coffee in front of her coffin. Later, he kills someone for no apparent reason and is put on trial.<\/p>\n Of course, all of this is just a front for Camus\u2019 belief that the world is meaningless and life is completely absurd. It\u2019s not the most positive message as far as books go, but c\u2019est la vie<\/em>.<\/p>\n The Outsider <\/em>won\u2019t be everyone\u2019s cup of black coffee, but it\u2019s a worth a read just to see how much Camus\u2019 philosophy has influenced modern popular culture. It\u2019ll make you look ultra sophisticated on the train too.<\/p>\n Buy The Outsider <\/em>on the musicMagpie Store<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n AKA every teenager\u2019s favourite book (until Harry Potter <\/em>came along). The Catcher in the Rye <\/em>follows Holden Caulfield, a disillusioned teen who bunks off school to drink, fight, smoke and rage against the world and all of its phones (of which there are many) in Manhattan. Imagine Ferris Bueller\u2019s Day Off <\/em>with more debauchery and moaning and you\u2019re not far off.<\/p>\n Few books have managed to capture the angst and isolation of being a teenager as well as Salinger\u2019s novel, which might explain why it still sells around a million copies every year. It\u2019s a little dated but an essential read for anyone who has ever felt like the whole world is against them.<\/p>\n Fun fact: by 1981, The Catcher in the Rye <\/em>was the second most studied book in American high schools and <\/em>the most banned.<\/p>\n Buy The Catcher in the Rye <\/em>on the musicMagpie Store<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n On the Road <\/em>follows a bohemian trio as they embark on a road trip to find meaning and possibly even transcend the trappings of life… man. This mainly involves chatting up women, drinking a lot and listening to jazz.<\/p>\n Calling On the Road <\/em>influential is an understatement. As well as inspiring countless novels and films, it encouraged a generation of youths to do away with their boring lives and go on exciting adventures into the unknown (although most of them were nowhere near as exciting as Kerouac\u2019s).<\/p>\n Legend has it that Kerouac wrote On the Road <\/em>in three weeks in 1951, fuelled solely by coffee, pea soup and benzadrine. To help him with the novel\u2019s stream of consciousness style, he fed 12 foot long rolls of paper into his typewriter so he wouldn\u2019t have to replace them mid-flow. The final manuscript was 120 feet long and sold for $2.4 million (around \u00a31.68 million) at auction<\/a>.<\/p>\n Buy On the Road <\/em>on the musicMagpie Store<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n If you think you had a bad morning, spare a thought for Gregor Samsa. In The Metamorphosis, <\/em>Franz Kafka\u2019s legendary novella, poor old Gregor wakes up to find that he\u2019s literally turned into a giant bug.<\/p>\n It only gets worse from there, with Gregor\u2019s family both disgusted and agitated by their new houseguest and Gregor himself struggling to adapt to life as an insect. Depending on who you ask, The Metamorphosis <\/em>is either a heartbreaking comment on aging and mortality or a hilarious (but still quite bleak) comment on family and the trappings of everyday life.<\/p>\n Either way, The Metamorphosis <\/em>is one of the most popular short stories ever written and well worth your time. It has some quite useful advice if you happen to turn into a bug too.<\/p>\n Buy The Metamorphosis <\/em>on the musicMagpie Store<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n You\u2019ve heard the phrase; now read the book that inspired it!<\/p>\n Yossarian, the hero of Heller\u2019s novel, is a World War 2 pilot who constantly tries to get out of combat missions with a series of absurd plots. His ultimate goal is be excused from war for being mentally unstable, a goal rendered impossible by Catch-22: mentally unstable soldiers can\u2019t fly, but applying for exemption on the basis of madness shows concern for your safety and suggests you\u2019re actually sane.<\/p>\n Catch-22 <\/em>is hugely influential in a number of ways, from its non-chronological narrative (events are often described from numerous perspectives and revisited in numerous chapters) to its satirical take on the horrors of war.<\/p>\n Hilarious, heartbreaking and ridiculous all at the same time, it\u2019s no surprise Catch-22 <\/em>was the UK\u2019s 11th<\/sup> favourite book in a BBC poll<\/a>.<\/p>\n Buy Catch-22 <\/em>on the musicMagpie Store<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n Dune <\/em>tells the story of Paul Atreides, a prince whose family rules the planet Arrakis. Arrakis is one of the universe\u2019s most dangerous places but is highly contested due its supply of spice, an extremely valuable substance that enhances the mind\u2019s capabilities.<\/p>\n It\u2019s a bit like Game of Thrones <\/em>in space, with various factions warring for control of Arrakis. Unlike other sci-fi authors, Herbert didn\u2019t care much for robots and technology; politics and relationships take centre stage in Dune. <\/em>He did manage to work in one of sci-fi\u2019s most infamous creatures, the sandworm, though.<\/p>\n You\u2019ll also recognise elements of Dune <\/em>if you\u2019ve seen Star Wars <\/em>(which pretty much everyone has), with Paul\u2019s journey closely mirroring that of Luke Skywalker and the Bene Gesserit serving a similar purpose to the Jedi. Unfortunately, the movie version of Dune <\/em>(directed by David Lynch) didn\u2019t perform anywhere near as well as Star Wars <\/em>at the cinema; it\u2019s best known today for featuring Sting wearing a codpiece and not much else…<\/p>\n Buy Dune <\/em>on the musicMagpie Store<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n Hunter S Thompson\u2019s semi-autobiographical novel follows a journalist named Raoul Duke and his attorney Dr. Gonzo as they travel to Sin City to report on a race, only to get distracted and take copious amounts of drugs instead.<\/p>\n Fear and Loathing <\/em>doesn\u2019t have much of a plot, but the various scrapes, situations and full on hallucinations Duke and Gonzo experience are compelling and hilarious enough to get away with it. The book is widely interpreted as a comment on the death of 60s counterculture and the ugly side of American consumerism, but don\u2019t get too hung up on that: as Thompson himself said, \u201cbuy the ticket, take the ride\u201d\u009d.<\/p>\n Buy Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas <\/em>on the musicMagpie Store<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n Nineteen Eighty-Four <\/em>takes place in a totalitarian surveillance state overseen by Big Brother, a mythical leader who may or may not exist. Winston Smith is one of the residents of the state, although he secretly hates it.<\/p>\n After meeting a woman named Julia who shares his opinion, Winston begins to dabble with the underground resistance… but soon learns that Big Brother doesn\u2019t take too kindly to individual thought and subversion.<\/p>\n Orwell\u2019s novel has been hugely influential in both the literary world and society itself, with the word Orwellian often used to describe overly invasive surveillance projects. It\u2019s also the only novel to have two <\/em>popular TV programmes named after it: Room 101 <\/em>and, of course, Big Brother<\/em>. We\u2019re sure Orwell would be proud.<\/p>\n Buy Nineteen Eighty-Four<\/em> on the musicMagpie Store<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n Sci-fi generally falls into two categories: ultra grim dystopian horror or overly optimistic fantasy. The Hitchhiker\u2019s Guide to the Galaxy <\/em>falls somewhere between the two with a distinctly British take on life, the universe and everything.<\/p>\n It all begins when Arthur Dent, a fairly regular chap, is rescued before the imminent destruction of the Earth (to make way for a bypass). In space, he meets countless unusual characters across countless unusual planets (quite a few of whom want to hurt him in some way), guided by the eponymous Hitchhiker\u2019s Guide to The Galaxy. Oh, and he also discovers the meaning of life, the universe and everything.<\/p>\n The Hitchhiker\u2019s Guide to the Galaxy <\/em>is the first part in Adams\u2019 \u201d\u02dctrilogy in five parts\u2019, although a sixth book written by Eoin Colfer was released in 2008. All are worth reading.<\/p>\n Buy\u00a0The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy\u00a0<\/em>on the musicMagpie Store<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n You can find all of these books, plus many more, at amazing prices on the musicMagpie Store. Click below to buy books<\/a> and save!<\/p>\n
\nThe Outsider \u201d\u201c Albert Camus<\/strong><\/h4>\n
<\/a><\/p>\n
\nThe Catcher in the Rye \u201d\u201c JD Salinger<\/strong><\/h4>\n
<\/a><\/p>\n
\nOn The Road \u201d\u201c Jack Kerouac<\/strong><\/h4>\n
<\/a><\/p>\n
\nThe Metamorphosis \u201d\u201c Franz Kafka<\/strong><\/h4>\n
<\/a><\/p>\n
\nCatch-22 \u201d\u201c Joseph Heller<\/strong><\/h4>\n
<\/a><\/p>\n
\nDune \u201d\u201c Frank Herbert<\/strong><\/h4>\n
<\/a><\/p>\n
\nFear and Loathing in Las Vegas \u201d\u201c Hunter S Thompson<\/strong><\/h4>\n
<\/a><\/p>\n
\nNineteen Eighty-Four \u201d\u201c George Orwell<\/strong><\/h4>\n
<\/a><\/p>\n
\nThe Hitchhiker\u2019s Guide to The Galaxy \u201d\u201c Douglas Adams<\/strong><\/h4>\n
<\/a><\/p>\n
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