My books: Animal Farm and 1984 by George Orwell.
Similarities:
1. They both have a major theme regarding politics. Both of the books talk about the danger of either totalitarianism or socialism that was going around in the Soviet Union when the book was written.
2. The so called protagonists in both of the books aim to make a new world. In 1984, Winston joins the brotherhood to go against the Big Brother while in Animal Farm, the Pigs and the other characters chases off Mr. Jones to form the Animal Farm. Rebellion against the current government is clearly a common theme.
3. Both of the books have characters that act passionately in a belief of an Utopian community. Winston follows the Outer party in the belief that such community will have no oppression and much more freedom. The Pigs originally believed in the idea of a paradise from the song "Beasts of England".
4. In both of the books, propaganda plays a major role. The way Napoleon tries to make Snowball look like a villain and prohibiting any actions against his idea extremely resembles the Oceania's propaganda that tries to make the Outer party's leader O'Brien look like the most dangerous person in the world and also with their restriction on freedom of speech through the program of Newspeak.
5. Both of the books have a tragic ending. I wouldn't call any of the books a happy ending. In animal farm, the animals stare into the cottage watching Napoleon and Mr. Pilkington dine and they wonder which are pigs and which are human. The ideal idea of Animalism and the Seven Commandments have failed due to corrupt ruling by the pigs. In 1984, Winston comes out of jail brainwashed and doesn't even love Julia anymore after he had been betrayed by O'Brien. He's despaired and hopeless, and gives up on rebelling against the party anymore.
6. Both of the books are completely written in a third person descriptive point of view. The third point of views are very descriptive with quotations in between but they are based on a narrative point of view.