Fiction I Read in 2004
Explore my curated list of fiction books read in 2004, featuring top novels and hidden gems from that year. Discover must-read titles and personal favorites in this 2004 fiction roundup.
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The Moon Is Down
by John Steinbeck
Occupied by enemy troops, a small, peaceable town comes face-to-face with evil imposed from the outside—and betrayal born within the close-knit community A Penguin Classic …
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The Five People You Meet in Heaven
by Mitch Albom
Eddie dies on his eighty-third birthday in a tragic accident - He awakens in the afterlife where he learns that heaven is where your earthly …
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The Sword of Shannara
by Terry Brooks
The Sword of Shannara is the first volume of the classic series that has becomeone of the most popular fantasy tales of all time. Long …
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The Forever War
by Joe W. Haldeman
Private William Mandella is a hero in spite of himself. He never wanted to go to war, but the leaders on Earth have drawn a …
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Cannery Row
by John Steinbeck
Vividly depicts the colorful, sometimes disreputable, inhabitants of a run-down area in Monterey, California
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Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?
by Philip K. Dick
A masterpiece ahead of its time, a prescient rendering of a dark future, and the inspiration for the blockbuster film Blade Runner One of The …
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East of Eden
by John Steinbeck
A New York Times BestsellerSet in the rich farmland of California's Salinas Valley, this sprawling and often brutal novel follows the intertwined destinies of two …
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Holes
by Louis Sachar
This groundbreaking classic is now available in a special anniversary edition with bonus content. Winner of the Newbery Medal as well as the National Book …
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She Stoops to Conquer
by Oliver Goldsmith
Charming satire concerns a young lady who poses as a serving girl to win the heart of a young gentleman too shy to court ladies …
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A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man
by James Joyce
James Joyce's coming-of-age story, a tour de force of style and technique The first, shortest, and most approachable of James Joyce’s novels, A Portrait of …
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Doomsday Book
by Connie Willis
Connie Willis draws upon her understanding of the universalities of human nature to explore the ageless issues of evil, suffering, and the indomitable will of …
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Othello
by William Shakespeare
Presents the text of Shakespeare's tragedy in which Othello, a Moorish general, is led by a jealous and evil ensign to believe his wife, Desdemona, …
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Arena
by Karen Hancock
Dropped into a terrifying, alien world with only a few cryptic words to guide her, can Callie survive the battle raging between good and evil?
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Death of a Salesman
by Arthur Miller
The Pulitzer Prize-winning tragedy of a salesman’s deferred American dream Ever since it was first performed in 1949, Death of a Salesman has been recognized …
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The Vintage Book of Contemporary American Short Stories
by Tobias Wolff
Variously funny, frightening, poignant, and exhilarating, these collected stories displays the best American writers at the peak of their powers and the national narrative at …
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Oliver Twist
by Charles Dickens
Portrays the adventures of poor orphan Oliver Twist in the criminal underworld of mid-nineteenth-century London.
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Beowulf
by Michael Alexander
Provides the Old English text of the epic poem faced with a page in which almost every word is glossed.
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Grendel
by John Gardner
This classic and much lauded retelling of Beowulf follows the monster Grendel as he learns about humans and fights the war at the center of …
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The Fear of God
by B. A. Chepaitis
On Planetoid Three, the followers of the Revelation Sect are preparing for the Second Coming. Stockpiles of weapons are found when federal agents storm the …
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Things Fall Apart
by Chinua Achebe
“A true classic of world literature . . . A masterpiece that has inspired generations of writers in Nigeria, across Africa, and around the world.” …
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The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
by Mark Haddon
NATIONAL BESTSELLER • A modern classic—both poignant and funny—about a boy with autism who sets out to solve the murder of a neighbor's dog and …
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The Speed of Dark
by Elizabeth Moon
Thoughtful, provocative, poignant, unforgettable, The Speed of Dark is a gripping journey into the mind of an autistic person as he struggles with profound questions …
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A Wizard of Earthsea
by Ursula K. Le Guin
A boy grows to manhood while attempting to subdue the evil he unleashed on the world as an apprentice to a Master Wizard.