About the Random Book Generator
Choosing what to read next is its own form of procrastination. This picker cuts it short by drawing from 75 widely read classics published between 1605 and 1987, each shown with the author and the year it appeared, so you can judge the era at a glance before committing a weekend to it.
The selection leans on titles that turn up on school syllabuses and public library lists, from Don Quixote and Robinson Crusoe through the nineteenth century novel to twentieth century landmarks such as Things Fall Apart and Beloved. Most are old enough to be in the public domain in many countries, which means a legal free copy is usually a search away.
Reading groups use a random draw to settle an argument fairly. Solo readers use it to build a year long challenge without picking twelve books by the same author. Teachers use it to assign essay subjects. Draw one title for a decision, or draw twelve with no repeats for a reading calendar you can pin to a wall. Once you have your list, the Sort Text Lines tool puts it in alphabetical order, and the Markdown Table Generator turns it into a table for a reading log.
How to use
- Set the count to 1 for tonight, or to 12 for a year of monthly reads.
- Leave no repeats on so a reading calendar never lists the same novel twice.
- Press Generate until a title appeals, then copy or download the shortlist.
Common questions
- How many books are in the list?
- Seventy five classic novels, each paired with its author and first publication year.
- Are these free to read?
- Many of the older titles are in the public domain in most countries, so a free legal copy is easy to find. The twentieth century titles usually are not.
- Why only classics?
- A fixed list of established titles stays accurate over time, whereas a current bestseller list would go stale within months.
- Can I make a reading calendar from this?
- Yes. Generate twelve with no repeats, then paste the list into the Markdown Table Generator with a month column.