As a seventeen year old, what book should I read?

[Nicholls]

I don't believe in limiting your horizons by your age. So you can read any books you want, but this depends on your interests. If you're into YA contemporary, or Chick Literature, try reading Rainbow Rowell (Eleanor and Park, Attachments, Fangirl), David Levithan (Every Day, How They Met, etc.), John Green (The Fault in Our Stars, Abundance of Katherines, etc.) and COLLEEN HOOVER (I guarantee awesomeness from this very bright author).)) But if you want adventure, you with Rick Riordan (he's all about Greek and Egyptian mythologies).

[Bobcar23]

If you like fantasy I would definitely recommend Lord Of The Rings. Another good choice is The Hobbit which is a prequel to Lord Of The Rings and is a lighter read so is good for people not fluent in English.

[skywatcher]

It's difficult to suggest books based solely on age, hehe.

I agree that a lot of the books suggested by the others are really good books (I recommend them, especially the classics! Catcher in the Rye, too), but it still depends on what you want to read.

You have to assess your interests, and even the things you're disinterested in, and you have to start from that. What are the sort of books you want to read? Does it depend on the mood, the day, the situation? We can't force you to read things that you might not enjoy. The best we could do is give suggestions, but the best thing for a reader like you to do is understanding that a lot of genres offer amazing works, and most of the time, you'd have to find them for yourself because it's more of a, uh, "journey of self-discovery".

For a recommendation, Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett's Good Omens. It's a worth read, haha. It's really funny but still thought-provoking. If you want an Apocalypse-with-a-(funny)-twist, this is for you.

[deathbyprayer]

Stay away from any of the Young Adult's Section as much as possible, you'll find a lot of crap there. I would recommend reading something motivational and inspiring. I can't really recommend one book because I don't know your taste so it might affect it but you should try reading "Fight Club", you're still young.

[Jessie]

To Kill a Mockingbird was a book I fell in love with at seventeen. It's simple to read and has a great storyline. I also liked Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare. The language is a bit more....poetic and may be harder to understand but it has a fun storyline. I think there are "translated" versions available.

[alabala]

I would recommend to you wholeheartedly to read "Siddharta" by Herman Hesse. I read it when I was about 16 and was a real life changer for me, see how you feel about it. Many happy reads

[NATASHA]

I thoroughly enjoyed Lord of the Flies and there are so many books that you can read. All the classics are fantastic and Lord of the Rings is a great book to read too.

If you wnjoy fantasy books than anything by tolken, Jordan or Martin are good books to read. Hobbit, Lord of the Rings etc.

If you like classic stories which I highly recommend then you need to find books by J.D Salinger, Oscar Wilde, Scott Fitzgerald and a good one too; Stieg Larson the"girl with the dragon tatoo."

[takibari]

I'm in agreement with the other members that it's quite difficult to recommend books by virtue of age alone. I was around 17 or may be younger when I read The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery and Jonathan Livingston Seagull. These books, while they were required reading in HS, did help a lot.

I always recommend these books especially to those who haven't developed the habit of reading yet.

Next, I'd go with Letters to A Young Poet by Rainer Maria Rilke and Kahlil Gibran's The Prophet. They're not like novels that are too thick to read, but they do have ideas that I believe are great for people your age. Kenneth Blanchard's Who Moved My Cheese is an easy read too, but full of insights.

[AureliaeLacrimae]

I think it's important to read some of the classics that are often referenced in life and culture to have a firm foundation.  There are many to choose from.  Here are few for starters that would be well worthwhile:

Charles Dickens  - 'Great Expectations,' and 'A Tale of Two Cities.' 

Jane Austen  - 'Pride and Prejudice'

Herman Melville -  'Moby Dick'

Mark Twain -  'The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn,' and 'Adventures of Tom Sawyer'

I'd add Little Dorrit (Dickens) to this list, and Northanger Abbey (Austen), which is a perfect parody of a Gothic novel, so popular of that age. Oh, and Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte - the most popular Gothic novel of then. I am sure there are many more. I liked the beginning of A tale of Two Cities, especially the sentence: ''there was a king and a queen on the throne of England and there was a king and a queen on the throne of France'', which probably isn't quoted correctly, but oh well. It's what I remember. Maybe to get a full picture of Jane Austen you should add Sense and Sensibility to the list or Emma, and if not that one, then surely Mansfield Park. It's simply not enough to read just Pride and Prejudice. Yes, it's the most popular novel of hers, but to understand the country gentry... you need more insight.

I could also recommend a lot of critical works on these novels, if you're interested, to help you with reading.

[missbookworm]

Hello there! As a teenager, I think you would totally enjoy reading these books:

- To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee

- The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger

- Looking for Alaska by John Green

- The Maze Runner series by James Dashner

[NYC001]

I think reading classics is a great idea, here are a few that aren't commonly suggested but will serve you well in college and were very enjoyable in my opinion: Metamorphosis by Ovid, The Decameron, and Don Quixote. Few people get through Don Quixote because of the length but it's actually hilarious and easy to have a conversation about.

Something I wasn't encouraged to do that I wish I had been was to read new books in my area of interest. I've recently been reading a lot about microbes and infectious diseases and I would definitely recommend that if you have a major, whatever it is (philosophy, economics, biology, etc.) in mind for college that you read recent literature on it.

[xTinx]

Read the Lord of the Rings trilogy and the entire Harry Potter series for a start. Yeah, the latter recommendation might sound childish but it's actually worth your while. J.K. Rowling has got to be one of the greatest wits of this century. So many lessons you can glean from those books since they promote hope. At your age, I wouldn't recommend Haruki Murakami, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Isabel Allende and other magical realists. You might find them psychologically disturbing. If you like a good adventure, then maybe Dan Brown's Angels and Demons or The Da Vinci Code.

Edited October 9, 2015 by xTinx

[Litnax]

Something that broadens my perspective and shit.

The others had excellent recommendations there... but seriously read what you want. I could say "read this or that, stay away from this, limit your reading on so and so", but you yourself decide if the book broadens your perspective and s&!8 .. AFTER you read the book.

Edited October 24, 2015 by Litnax
typo

[foolsgold]

Go for the Classics. Just make sure that you read something that interests you first rather than forcing it on you. It would be such a shame if you are turned off by the first books you read and never try to jump into it again.

I'd recommend 1984 and Animal Farm. They're short novels but has aged really well and still applies today. They're also quite easy to read so it wouldn't be such a chore to read them.

Edited October 24, 2015 by foolsgold
I added another sentence for clarity

[Dybbuk Jones]

The Catcher in the Rye is a book that was written for 17 year old boys. It seems more clever than profound the older you get, but when you are 17 it just hits because Holden Caulfield is frustrated and angry and afraid of the future. But he's also hilarious and funny. He is a bit of a jerk and he can't give anyone a break, but he is also smart.

I also like the short story collection King David & The Spiders from Mars. The stories are based on Bible stories and they are weird and funny. 

[宇崎ちゃん]

30 minutes ago, ShingTsui said:

Anything that critiques and addresses politics. I know most adults would say ‘children should stay out of politics’ but really, 17 is the perfect age to start reading about these stuff. In 3 years, the world will be about your generation, not ours.

As an adult, I'd rather say "people of all ages should do very deep research into politics, or otherwise stay out of politics".
Voting for the wrong people results in worsening of everybody's lives.
Bad choice not only makes tyranny irreversable (or at least almost impossible to reverse), it will make tyranny worse and worse only.

But if I'd have to recommend, try to find a book that focuses on fiction, something that is very obviously impossible in real life.
For males I'd go for something more erotic.
For females I'd go for something more romantic.

Unless you're doing research or study, reading books should be considered an escape from real life problems.
Having real life stuff blended into your escapism time is something you want to avoid in order to avoid losing your sanity.