Last Updated on November 23, 2023 by Louisa
When I think about the most iconic books, I realize that many are books with a number in the title. From gripping mysteries to fascinating historical tales, books with numbered titles often bring out the power of numerical symbolism.
Many authors use numbers in their titles as a way to evoke powerful emotions and create unique scenarios, as well as for dramatic effect.
Numbers give the storyline more depth and layers, which enhances brings the storyline to a whole new level. So if you’re ever wondering why these books with numbers in the title are so captivating, this is why.
If you’re searching for some books with numbers in their titles to add to your reading list, these books will be sure to have you exploring new ideas and pondering upon life’s biggest questions.
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Books With A Number In The Title
Whether you enjoy thrillers, romances, mystery novels, or classic fiction – these are all the top books with a number in the title that everyone should read!
1. One Of Us Is Lying – Karen M. McManus
Five students, Bronwyn, Addy, Nate, Cooper, and Simon, walk into detention one day, but only four of them come out alive.
Simon Kelleher’s death is a mystery, and the whole school suspects one of them is the murderer.
The thing is, Simon started a blog that revealed dark secrets about students at Bayview High, so many people wanted him silenced.
But as the police investigation continues, the blog Simon created lives on, and those suspected liars have secrets about themselves revealed.
To clear their names and to stop more secrets from coming out, the four suspects/friends lead their own investigation into what actually happened to Simon.
But is one of them lying?
One Of Us Is Lying is a real page-turner. It’s packed full of action, twists, and suspense.
There was never a dull moment in this book. If you’re looking for more books like One Of Us Is Lying, I immediately read the sequel, One Of Us Is Next, which is another dark tale of deception and secrets.
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2. 1984 – George Orwell
Perhaps the biggest classic on this list of books with a number in the title is 1984 by George Orwell. This futuristic novel has been titled because it was set in 1984 (though published in 1949) and shows a society that’s controlled by a hierarchal dictator called Big Brother.
No has seen Big Brother, they only know he’s powerful – which makes this story much more thrilling and unnerving.
As well as always being watched by Big Brother, you are also under watch by the Thought Police. If you start to think your own thoughts or choose a different path to your own life that wasn’t set out before you – they will come for you.
As the reader follows Winston, an office clerk who meets a bold, rebellious Julia, who consequently questions the whole regime.
But how easy is it when Big Brother is always watching?
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Related post: Books like 1984
3. Ready Player One – Ernest Cline
If you’re looking for dystopian books with a number in the title, then be sure to check out Ready Player One.
In the dystopian world of 2044, Wade Watts finds solace in the virtual utopia of the OASIS.
With its puzzles based on the creator’s fascination for pop culture, he dedicates his life to researching its secrets.
But when Wade discovers the first clue, he finds himself in a race against others eager to claim the ultimate reward.
Now, if he is to survive and win, Wade may have to face reality from which he has so desperately wanted to escape.
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Related post: Books like Ready Player One
4. I Am Number Four – Pittacus Lore
I Am Number Four is a heart-stopping, thrilling sci-fi novel about the fourth alien of a group to go into hiding on Earth. It’s a read that any sci-fi fan will love!
When the Mogadorians invaded their home planet Lorien, nine aliens fled to Earth and went into hiding, pretending to be normal teenagers.
They were stronger and faster than anything imaginable but were hunted down before they had a chance to grow and become one.
Number One was killed in Malaysia, Number Two in England, and Number Three in Kenya. John Smith is number four and knows he’s next. With his Cepan Henri as his guardian, John moves from place to place with no past and no true home.
But in a small Ohio town, he finds love, powerful abilities, and a connection to other like him–and he’ll do anything to protect it.
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Related post: Books like I Am Number Four
5. A Tale of Two Cities – Charles Dickens
A Tale of Two Cities is about a French Doctor named Manette and his long imprisonment in the Bastille in Paris.
After serving 18 years, he is released and moves to London to live with his daughter, whom he never met.
With the French Revolution as the backdrop, this is a moving tale of how one man seeks to change himself.
The title of this book refers to how the main character lives in two cities, Paris and London, and makes contrasts between the two cultures and way of life in each place.
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6. Fahrenheit 451 – Ray Bradbury
Fahrenheit 451 is about Guy Montag, a fireman whose job is to destroy illegal objects – books and the houses they are found in. It is so named because 451°F is the temperature at which paper catches fire.
He never questioned the destruction until, one day; he met a woman who would rather die than see her books destroyed.
Then his young neighbor, Clarisse, introduces him to a world where people can see the world through the pages of a book instead of the mindless noise from the TV.
Suddenly, the fireman questions everything.
Ray Bradbury’s international bestselling novel Fahrenheit 451 is a timeless classic and a story that is both bleak but also hopeful. It was banned from schools in the US because of the use of profanity and because it “uses God’s name in vain.”
Disclaimer: This book contains references to suicide, murder, sex, drugs and abortion.
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7. Slaughterhouse-Five – Kurt Vonnegut
Not many books take as clear of a stance against the destructive nature of war as Kurt Vonnegut Jr.’s Slaughterhouse-Five, while still allowing for readability and wit.
This novel is regarded as an American classic, and for a good reason. It was also banned in schools because of its profane language and explicit scenes of sex and violence.
Based on his experiences during World War II, Vonnegut Jr. uses his unique vision to combine autobiography elements with historical fiction, science fiction, and satire, an intriguing concoction of the genre that makes for a surprisingly immersive tale.
The story follows a man named Billy Pilgrim, who ends up a prisoner of war in Dresden, Germany. The title comes from the setting, as he is kept in an abandoned slaughterhouse, called Slaughterhouse Five, with 100 other American prisoners.
Billy Pilgrim is the author’s projection into this imaginative world, saturated with absurdity and impossibility, more real for it nonetheless.
Edgy and powerful, Slaughterhouse-Five is an ode to the utter meaninglessness of war, a cynical scoff in book form.
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8. Twelfth Night – William Shakespeare
Twelfth Night is a classic comedy story about love by William Shakespeare. It is believed it was named after the twelfth night of Christmas, which is often celebrated with the suspension of rules and social disorder.
Events in the play are believed to refer to this “social disorder” such as a scene hiding a pea in a cake.
It follows Orsino, who is madly in love with Olivia, but she’s grieving for the loss of her brother and has rejected his advances.
Unsure of how to woo Olivia, he sends Cesario to woo Olivia on his behalf. But unfortunately for Orsino, Olivia has fallen for Cesario’s disguise and falls in love with him instead.
Twelfth Night is about how fickle love is and how misleading physical attraction can be.
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9. Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers – J.R.R. Tolkein
![The Two Towers [TV Tie-In]: The Lord of the Rings Part Two (The Lord of the Rings, 2)](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41NVeaXKQkL._SL500_.jpg)
The Two Towers is the second book in the Lord of the Rings trilogy. This epic novel follows Frodo and Sam’s quest as they continue their way to mount doom to destroy the Ring of Power.
Meanwhile, we meet King Théoden, who Gremer, a servant of Saruman, has bewitched. When Gandalf helps break the spell, a battle is on the way.
Saruman has been building his army who trudge across Middle Earth on their way to destroy the fortress of Helms Deep.
But the battle for Rohan is not yet lost. The battle has only just begun.
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10. Catch-22 – Joseph Heller
The phrase “catch-22” is often used to describe an event where no matter what you do, you are always screwed.
This pretty much sums up the premise for the book, Catch 22.
Set in the twilight months of WWII off the coast of Italy, Captain John Yossarian struggles to stay alive in an American bomber squadron.
With their colonels ordering them into dangerous missions, Yossarian and his comrades live under nightmarish conditions.
Yossarian alone is aware of the war’s mortality and becomes desperate to escape by pleading insanity.
This bestselling novel tells a heartbreaking story of one man’s survival attempts amidst military madness.
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11. One Hundred Years of Solitude – Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Gabriel García Márquez’s acclaimed novel One Hundred Years of Solitude is a masterpiece of magic realism and allegory that forces readers to reflect.
It follows the seven generations of the Buendia family and their founding of Macondo, an isolated town in the middle of a swamp where gypsies and hucksters once visited.
But this utopia soon fades as industrialism takes over the small town, resulting in an epic tale of lives affected by fantasy mixing with cruel reality over a century’s time.
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12. Life of Pi – Yann Martel
Life of Pi is one of my all-time favorite books. It is named after the main character, named Pi, which is not only a mathematical number but is also short for Piscine, the French word that sounds like “pissing” in English, causing him to shorten his name after being humiliated at school
It’s a story of a young boy who grows up living in a zoo in India. One day, his family must relocate to Canada with all their animals, with the intention of building a zoo there.
When the ship hits a huge storm, and the boat begins to sink, Yan must abandon the ship on a lifeboat, which he shares with a ferocious male Bengal tiger.
Lost at sea, on a small boat with a tiger, Yan must learn to survive, without losing his head. This timeless classic and a must-read for anyone looking for a book that will have you questioning life and its philosophy.
Despite the fact that the novel has one setting, a boat in the middle of the ocean, for the majority of the book, it never stops being exciting.
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13. Six of Crows – Leigh Bardugo
Leigh Bardugo’s thrilling fantasy, The Six of Crows, follows a group of five teens, the Crows, as they take on an impossible prison break.
Told through alternating perspectives, readers experience events from varied opinions and feelings.
Yul-Bayer is the creator of jurda parem – an illegal formula that heightens anyone with powers. Kaz Brekker and his friends were hired to break him out of jail for a price they cannot refuse.
But when the plan goes wrong, and Kaz finds himself abducted and imprisoned too, they must act fast to prevent the dangerous formula from ending up in the wrong hands.
With his gang helping him escape, will they make it before time runs out?
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Related post: Books like The Six of Crows
14. Thirteen Reasons Why – Jay Asher
13 Reasons Why came to the forefront when it aired as a Netflix TV series in 2017. The book is a heart-wrenching coming-of-age story about a boy learning the truth behind his friend’s suicide.
Clay Jenson receives a mysterious package one morning. The box contains thirteen tapes recorded by his friend and crush, Hannah Baker.
But Hannah took her own life, leaving grief-stricken Clay troubled by the messages she left behind. As the title of this book suggests, she recorded the 13 reasons why she did was she did.
As Clay listens to the tapes, he soon discovers he is one of them.
**Disclaimer: This book contains some scenes of abuse, suicide, and self-harm that may upset some readers**
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15. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo – Taylor Jenkins Reid
The story of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo follows a legendary Hollywood icon by the name of Evelyn Hugo.
Being one of the most recognizable and loved figures in the movie industry, Evelyn takes it upon herself to detail the ins and outs of her career and personal life in a tell-all biography.
What’s unique is that she picks an average, relatively unknown magazine reporter named Monique Grant to pen down her story.
As Monique grapples with a difficult time in her professional life and struggles with the aftermath of her divorce, she couldn’t believe the opportunity that had presented itself to her.
She was surprised and excited to work on this thrilling project.
Despite the challenges, Evelyn insists on working with Monique on her biography, detailing her journey through ruthless ambition, friendship, and forbidden love.
Monique discovers a connection between her own life and Evelyn’s story, as she feels the pain and the suffering that the renowned star has endured throughout her illustrious career.
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo is a thrilling forbidden romance book with themes of love, betrayal, and hiding the truth for one’s own survival.
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Related post: Books like The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo
16. One For The Money – Janet Evanovich
One For The Money follows Stephanie Plum, who grew up in New Jersey with a typical NJ attitude.
Desperate for money, she convinces her cousin to offer her a job at his bail-bond company.
But where she lacks experience she makes up for it with enthusiasm and strikes to bring in her cousin’s biggest bail jumper.
But this bail-jumper, Joe Morelli, is a former cop and suspected of murder…and to add salt to the wound, he also broke her heart in high school.
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17. Around the World in Eighty Days – Jules Verne
Around the World in 80 Days is the classic Jules Verne story of Phileas Fogg, who travels around the world in 80 days (hence the title) and is trying to win a bet at the prestigious Reform Club he is part of.
Accompanied by his valet, Phileas must fight through obstacles and learn new cultures and ways of life to travel the stretch of the globe and find his way back home.
The story has themes of facing challenges and finding true love.
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18. Fifty Shades of Grey – E. L. James
A modern classic in the world of dominant, alpha male romance stories, Fifty Shades of Gray took the world by storm when it was released, detailing the different shades of a character who can be both vulnerable and domineering.
When Anastasia Steele goes for an interview with powerful entrepreneur Christian Gray, she gets far more than she expected.
There is an instant connection, and Gray admits he wants to be with her, but only if she follows his rules. Shocked but excited by Christian’s unique tastes, Ana is still a little unsure.
Even with all his wealth and prestige, Gray has more demons than she ever expected. But the couple embarks on a tumultuous, erotic, and tense affair.
It’s a sexy billionaire romance book that is packed full of sultry and explicit sex scenes, but you don’t get lost in the erotica, there is a genuinely deep storyline there too.
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19. Twelve Years A Slave – Solomon Northup
Twelve Years A Slave is a memoir by Solomon Northup, telling the true story of his life in 1853 and how he was born free and kidnapped into slavery for twelve years.
Set before the days of the Civil War, Solomon Northup is a free black man living in upstate New York.
One day he is kidnapped and sold into slavery in the South. Here is subjected to cruelty and violence at the hands of one of the owners, but he also finds kindness from another owner.
Throughout his days in captivity, he struggles to survive and keep going. But after 12 years, he meets with an abolitionist from Canada, who changes everything forever.
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20. Let The Right One In – John Ajvide Lindqvist
Oskar is a quiet, sensitive, 12-year-old boy who lives in suburban Sweden with his mom.
One day he meets his new neighbor, a mysterious and moody Eli, and they become friends and share a close bond.
Oskar is bullied at school and is content with Eli being his closest friend. But as their friendship deepens, Eli confesses to a dark secret she has held for some time.
Her secret reveals her connection to a series of local bloody murders. Can Oskar keep this a secret?
Let The Right One In is so named because the story follows a child is learning how to trust.
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21. The Power of Six – Pittacus Lore
The Power of Six is the second book in the Lorien Legacies by Pittacus Lore. It follows the events of the sixth alien to hide on Earth, who joins forces with number four.
Initially, nine aliens fled their home planet Lorien when the wicked Mogadorians attacked it. They dispersed and went into hiding on Earth. They look like ordinary teenagers but have extraordinary powers.
Now there are six left. They killed Number One in Malaysia, Number Two in England, and Number Three in Kenya. They tried to get John Smith, Number Four, in Ohio—but they failed.
Now that John has teamed up with Number Six, they are on the run. They are not, however, alone.
Marina, Number Seven, who has been hiding in Spain, has already been inspired by John and Six. She’s been watching the news to see what’s going on, and she’s positive this is the sign she’s been looking for.
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22. The Three Musketeers – Alexandre Dumas
The Three Musketeers is a historical romance book about four heroes who work as musketeers for the French King, King Louis.
Athos, Porthos, and Aramis meet a young Gascon named D’Artagnan, who has just moved to Paris to see his fortune.
The three musketeers take him under his wing, where they share in an adventure to thwart the cardinal’s plans to boot out the queen.
With a mix of love, action, and acts of bravery, this is a classic tale that everyone should read.
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23. The 100-Year–Old Man Who Climbed Out The Window And Disappeared – Jonas Jonasson
Janos Jonasson’s The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out The Window and Disappeared is a book with a title as quirky as its protagonist.
Allan Karlsson, the elderly main character, takes matters into his own hands when he is placed in a nursing home – by climbing out of the window – and embarks on an adventure that will make readers chuckle to the end.
Along his journey, Allan meets fresh faces and reminisces about his life before being put in the home.
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24. Four Dead Queens – Astrid Scholte
Four Dead Queens follows the story of 17-year-old Keralie Corrington, a thief for the royal queens, and Varin, an honest citizen who steals a package from Keralie and puts his life in danger.
Varin tries to retrieve the package but ends up tangling the pair in a conspiracy that would leave all four queens of Quadara dead.
They now have no choice but to run from Keralie’s employer and, along the way, try to find out who wants to kill the queens while saving their own lives.
Four Dead Queens is a mystery, action-packed adventure novel with some romance scenes.
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25. The 5th Wave – Rick Yancey
Cassie is the survivor of a never-ending battle between human and alien – where the only rule to staying alive is to trust no one.
As the dawn of the 5th Wave approaches, the mysterious aliens that look like humans are constantly on the roam, killing anyone in their path.
When soldiers come to take children away, Cassie is forced to leave her brother behind as she watches her father get brutally murdered by a commander.
Believing her only chance for survival is solitude, she takes to living alone until meeting Evan Walker – who may be her last glimmer of hope for saving either herself or Sammy.
She must now decide if trusting him is worth it or if she should stay cautious in despair.
The 5th Wave won numerous awards in 2014, including Red House Children’s Book Award and YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults.
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Final Word on Books With A Number In The Title
So there you go, those are my top books with a number in the title that everyone should add to their bookshelf.
These books are not only bestsellers and award-winning books, but cult classics and fan favorites.
No doubt you have read some of these books before, but hopefully, you discovered something on this list you haven’t read yet and have been meaning to – or haven’t heard of before!
Can you think of any other books with a number in the title? Let me know in the comments.
