6 Of The Highest Rated Books From 20 Years Ago That Deserve A Spot On Your TBR

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There are countless ways to overcome a reading slump so you can accomplish your reading goals for the year. One of the many ways is our personal favorite: going back in time. While new releases are exciting, there's an unknown variable that comes with them because what if the hype doesn't live up to the story? The last thing an avid reader wants is to spend time reading a book that fails to deliver anything at all. 

That's why it's not a bad idea to look back, and if you're unsure how far back you should be looking, let's start with twenty years. 2006 was one heck of a year for the literary world. From haunting post-apocalyptic novels to one woman's story about finding herself again in three different foreign countries after her divorce, which would later become a movie starring Julia Roberts, whose favorite books are chock full of modern classics, the books published two decades ago have had a unique kind of staying power. 

Whether you're in search of a transformative journey or longing to read a heart-wrenching story that'll give you a good cry, there's something for everyone from the many books that turned 20 in 2026. That said, we thought we'd help our readers out and put together a list of the highest-rated books from 20 years ago that most definitely deserve a spot on your TBR.

"The Book Thief" by Markus Zusak is a heartbreaking work of historical fiction that ranks as the highest-rated book on this list. Zusak's story has more than 2.9 million ratings on Goodreads, yet still maintains a 4.39-star average rating. Despite being two decades old, the book remains one of the best-selling children's Holocaust historical fiction books on Amazon Best Sellers. 

After Liesel finds a book in the snow by her brother's fresh grave, she carries it into a new life in Nazi-occupied Germany, where words can cost you your life, but also save it. The world outside may be cold, violent, and full of death, but Liesel builds a secret world of hope found through books and shared stories with the Jewish man her foster parents are hiding in their home. 

Readers might think the book won't have enough emotional depth as it's categorized as a young adult novel, but that surely isn't the case. One notable reviewer shared how they dove into the book despite their mother trying to stop them after experiencing a 'three day long headache' from crying after reading the novel. Ignoring the warning and finishing the book themself, the reviewer gave it five stars and said, "I'm not pretentious enough to believe that my clumsy words can ever do this book justice. I won't even try. Time will speak for it, as I'm pretty sure it will survive for decades and generations to come."

Second on our list of the highest-rated books from 2006 that deserve a spot on your TBR is Brandon Sanderson's "Mistborn: The Final Empire." This epic fantasy novel is set in a world where the sun is always red, ash falls from the sky, and Lord Ruler, an immortal tyrant, has reigned over the Skaa people for too long. But perhaps a street urchin named Vin and her superhuman abilities are exactly what the revolution needs to finally break free from the horrible cycle of oppression that has consumed them for so long. 

The first of seven books in the Mistborn series, it has a 4.5-star rating with more than a million ratings on Goodreads. Impressively, 60% of those readers gave the book five stars, with another 30% giving the book a four-star rating. Just looking at those numbers makes it clear that Sanderson excels in creating a positive reader experience. 

One Goodreads review from 2021 with more than 750 likes stated, "6th reread and I'm still not bored. Think that sums up my feelings towards these books." Another reviewer praised Sanderson for his ability to develop characters in such a worldly way and surprise readers with twists that feel earned rather than forced. They gave the book five stars and wrote, "I went into this blind with zero expectations and I was BLOWN AWAY. Starting book two immediately despite the dried tears still full on my face." 

Another young adult book on this list is "The Sea of Monsters" from the Percy Jackson & the Olympians series by Rick Riordan. Riordan, who was an English teacher living in Texas, wrote the book to honor his son, who had been diagnosed with ADHD and dyslexia, two things the main protagonist, Percy, also struggles with. This personal element from Riordan adds an emotional layer of heart to the adventures of Percy and his friends.

Perhaps one of the most well-known young adult series in modern literature, the second book of the series manages to continue to impress readers of all ages, years after its initial release. The book continues to bring in strong Goodreads reviews in 2026, with one reviewer describing this book as simply, "the best of the saga." Another reviewer reread the book in 2024 and updated their review, saying, "It's been yearsss and the cliffhanger still hits 🤌🤌."

If you're open to young adult novels and Greek mythology retellings, then you'll find this book and the rest of the series to be deserving of 'all the stars in the world,' as one reviewer put it. Riordan's writing is enchanting and manages to deliver a story that refuses to show its age. In "The Sea of Monsters," Percy and his friends must risk their lives to navigate the waters of the Bermuda Triangle, also known as the Sea of Monsters, to save their haven, Camp Half-Blood. 

Another historical fiction on this list is "Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen. Stephan King praised Gruen's book, saying, "This colorful headlong tale of a Depression-era circus simply can't be beat." It was so impactful that it was developed into a movie in 2011, and despite it starring Reese Witherspoon and Robert Pattinson, many readers didn't find the film adaptation lived up to the great storytelling of the original work.

Gruen takes readers back to the Great Depression to follow Jacob Janowski, a veterinary student who ends up working for a traveling circus. While working for a cruel circus director, Jacob forms a special bond with Rosie, a mistreated elephant, and the show's star performer, Marlena. Believe us when we say this isn't your average circus story; it's far grittier with higher stakes, and also very touching.  

There are more than 1.7 million ratings for this book on Goodreads, and it maintains an impressive 4.11-star average, with a staggering 76% of those readers giving the book four stars or higher. Readers found the book hard to put down, and one reviewer felt this book would 'be read and re-read, discussed and enjoyed for many years, by old and young alike.' They concluded their review saying "Sara Gruen's depictions of depression era America [are] as beautiful as [they are] haunting ... [the book] delivers [the story and its many elements] with unapologetic honesty and genuine heartfelt passion. This remains one of my top 5 favorite books."  

"The Road" by Cormac McCarthy meets all of our criteria, which is why it's on this list, but it has enough three-star reviews or lower to be considered a polarizing read. However, don't shrug it off simply because of its divided reviews. "The Road" was selected as the winner of the 2007 Pulitzer Prize, and its great critical acclaim doesn't stop there; the New York Times deems it one of the best books of the 21st century.

Also introduced by Oprah as her 61st pick for her book club, it's often recognized as one of the best thriller & mystery picks from Oprah's Book Club. This is a post-apocalyptic sci-fi novel exploring humanity's limitations, illustrated through a father and son's journey across a dystopian America. McCarthy's work has a 4.0-star average rating, even though 25% of the more than a million reviewers gave the book three stars or lower. 

A five-star reviewer who read the book in one sitting said, "I found it to be an excellent book on so many levels that I am at a loss as to where to begin. It was at once gripping, terrifying, utterly heart-wrenching, and completely beautiful." A three-star reviewer in 2026 had a completely different experience, and felt the book 'fell flat on its face.' Their reasoning being: "The unnamed characters and ambiguity in what little plot there is left me feeling detached and distant. The sparse writing style ... made the whole experience blur together." 

Gillian Flynn's "Sharp Objects" is another book from 2006 with more than a million ratings and an average rating of four stars. This book came long before "Gone Girl," which is often deemed one of Flynn's best works, but avid readers often argue this debut novel is actually her most haunting. This book sits last on our list because, while it has high ratings, it also has a decent amount of three-star ratings, indicating this is a book that left readers divided.

Readers who gave the book five stars collectively agreed that the character development and storytelling were remarkably sharp, and one five-star reviewer warned readers that this book will 'creep you out and fascinate you,' but 'you'll connect with the story on many levels. I did. I connected with the character and I'm still having nightmares about it.' However, those on the three-star side felt the story was simply too dark. One 3.4-star reviewer said, "Wow well this was ... disturbing. And sick and twisted and depraved and degenerate ... I liked it! But didn't love it."

Camille Preaker's homecoming isn't ideal because she's returned to her hometown to investigate a chilling murder case, and she'll have to do that while living under the same roof as her emotionally volatile mother and a half-sister who is practically a stranger to her. As Camille searches for answers, it opens doors to the scars of her own dark, younger years. 

While this list covers books published 20 years ago, we wanted to make sure we weren't biased, solely relying on our own nostalgia. That's why we turned to ratings, and not how we usually would do so. Instead of just looking at a single snapshot in time, we conducted an audit of the reviews over twenty years. And as many choices as we had with no focus on a single genre, we made sure to only consider books that had a 4.0-rating or higher, nothing less.

Another factor we took into consideration was the total number of ratings. The books selected for this list were rated by a minimum of one million readers on Goodreads. That way, we aren't just introducing niche favorites by a small fanbase, but stories that have achieved a massive consensus. Some questions we kept in mind during our search were: Is the book still being picked up by readers today? Have the ratings shifted as cultural perspectives evolved with the times?

In other words, for a book to make this list, it had to meet a lot of criteria, more so than our usual book recommendation lists. After all, we are looking back two whopping decades, and we wanted to ensure these twenty-year-old books would be worth adding to your TBR.