Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger

It feels like a cliche to have Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger on this list, but the truth is it is a great book and you should not go through life without reading it. Just so you know, I am not the only one who thinks this; it was included on Time Magazine's list of the 100 best English-language novels written since 1923 and the Modern Library named it one of the 100 best English-language novels of the 20th century. I enjoyed reading it in college and re-read it a few years ago and it still held up.

I think Oprah must have had it on her reading list as I saw it is back on the best sellers list at Powell's Books. That said, it has been one of the consistently best selling books since it came out in 1951 averaging around 250,000 books a year according to Wikipedia.