There are a handful that are actually worth reading.

Dracula is actually enjoyable and the way it’s written (as a series of letters and diary entries) makes it easy to dip into. Most film adaptations don’t really do the story justice.

I’ve never seen a particularly close adaptation of Frankenstein, though there are a few that capture the meaning of the original story. I found the writing style quite dense, so skip it unless you’re a big fan of the genre.

Jane Austen’s writing is delightfully light and quite cutting insight into some bits of English culture that have changed far less than they should have in the intervening time. I’d recommend trying one. Persuasion is probably the best (and most closely inspired by her own life) but Pride and Prejudice or Emma are probably the easiest to read. If you’re not enjoying it after 3-4 chapters, give up.

The film of Nineteen Eighty-Four is a very close adaptation. It is worth having either seen the film or read the book. If you see the film, grabbing a copy of the book and reading the little book-within-a-book bit of the political theory bit in the middle might be interesting. That said, Animal Farm is much more approachable and covers the same themes.

I actually enjoyed reading The Trial. If you’ve seen The Twelve Tasks of Asterix, imagine an entire book set in the place that sends you mad. It’s a beautiful portrayal of bureaucracy.

The Handmaid’s Tale is worth reading if only because it seems to be the guidebook for the people currently running America.

Dickens can be fun, but was obviously paid by the word. I’d love to see an editor brave enough to do a proper editing pass through his books. You could lose close to half the text without losing much meaning.

But most of the books on the list are not ones I’d recommend. If you want good historical fiction, look at Bernard Cornwell or Simon Scarrow: they’re both historically accurate and entertaining.

I’m surprised that a list would include Nineteen Eighty-Four but not Brave New World. A list of classics with contemporary relevance should include On The Beach (apparently there’s a good film of this, but I never got around to watching it).

If you want a book that combines amazing writing, original storytelling structure, interesting characters, and a unique setting, The Fifth Season is probably the best book published in at least the last few decades, probably longer. You won’t see it on these lists though because the kind of person who writes these lists looks down on science fiction and fantasy unless they’re at least 50 years old.