As years go by, time after time, humans around the world are drawn to the same books, connecting us from every corner of the globe: some notable examples include plays, such as Romeo and Juliet by Shakespeare, classic novels such as Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice and Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None, as well as Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky, to name a few.

But why should we be chained to the books of our past? That isn’t to say that these books are irrelevant, quite the opposite, they speak of universal and timeless themes such as love, class and discussions about gender. However, if we keep looking to the past, we may overlook what is being written and published right now—the future classics of literature. Below, I have recommended four contemporary alternatives to the world-renowned classics mentioned above.

While many of us have read Romeo and Juliet, a tale of love and angst of epic proportions, a great alternative is A Spell of Good Things by Ayọ̀bámi Adébáyọ̀.

Set in modern-day Nigeria, A Spell of Good Things is a compelling coming-of-age tale of love set against a backdrop of class and politics—a certified gem.

Furthermore, Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen is a renowned tale about the difficulties of love, but a modern-day equivalent is The Idiot by Elif Batuman.

The Idiot is about a young woman of Turkish descent navigating a new lifestyle and self-discovery at Harvard during the rise of technology in the late 1990s to early 2000s.

Moreover, a riveting mystery alternative to And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie is The Guest List by Lucy Foley.

Lucy Foley is an amazing author known for her gripping thriller and mystery books. The Guest List does not fail to deliver and this story will leave you thinking for weeks after.

Fyodor Dostoevsky’s Crime and Punishment is a tale of guilt and morality set in Russia during the 1860s—a time of high poverty and crime. A great contemporary of this is The Secret History by Donna Tartt.

The Secret History is also a tale of guilt and morality, but set in a liberal arts college focusing on a small group of students studying Latin. It brings up discussions of the effects of social class, guilt and isolation.

Nevertheless, there are some books like no other and I believe should always be read. These include:

1. The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger

2. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

3. Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë

It’s extremely important to acknowledge how classical stories encapsulate the reality of a time period or place and their ability to educate us about our past. However, we must still be present and look at new works of contemporary authors and what their works say about society today.