Today I’m going to share 30 books with you that will rock your world if you read them in your 20s. But don’t fret, if you read these in a lifetime, you will enjoy a rich, literary existence that few can match.
Ready, set, here you go:
- Einstein: His Life and Universe by Walter Isaacson
- The Beautiful and Damned by F. Scott Fitzgerald
- The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami
- The Autobiography of Malcolm X by Alex Haley
- East of Eden by John Steinbeck
- Blindness by Jose Saramago
- Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking by Susan Cain
- Start With Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action by Simon Sinek
- Strengths Based Leadership: Great Leaders, Teams, and Why People Follow by Tom Rath
- The Road by Cormac McCarthy
- Collected Fictions by Jorge Luis Borges
- Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
- The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera
- Catch 22 by Joseph Heller
- The Magic Mountain by Thomas Mann
- Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky
- The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
- Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell
- On the Road by Jack Kerouac
- Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World by Haruki Murakami
- Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace
- House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski
- Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis
- Dracula by Bram Stoker
- Gravity’s Rainbow by Thomas Pynchon
- Hamlet by William Shakespeare
- Moby Dick by Herman Melville
- The Trial by Franz Kafka
- The End of History and the Last Man by Francis Fukuyama
- Paradise Lost by John Milton
The editions I suggest are here in the Amazon store.
Today is my 30th birthday, and your present to me is to list any books you think I’m missing in the comments.
I’m looking forward to the next decade full of books! Happy reading!
First, happy birthday! Second, great list, thanks for sharing!
Ur missing all of harukis other books ! Hah.
I couldn’t agree more! I just got Strange Library in the mail. You can look forward to a review soon!
I would definitely add something from Proust or Zweig, but great list! And thank you for liking my post, hope you enjoyed reading it!
Already 30 but I will have to start reading this anyways 🙂 haha
Ah, The Road…and that damned, confounded House of Leaves book. What a mindF?! I read that for a period of time I stopped drinking and it probably led me back. But how bizarre. I like your tastes and wow, all this before 30! Superb.
Seriously. Did you hear Danielewski has a new book coming out in May? Here is the link: http://goo.gl/FpJ6DG in case you need a reason to keep off the wagon. And deep down I think most of these should be before 40, but I met someone who read House of Leaves as a teen and loved it, so I decided to include it. Plus a lot of my former students read this blog and this is a decent list to aspire to if you find it in your early 20s.
BTW, read Cormac McCarthy’s first last year, the Orchard Keeper, which was exceptionally exceptional and odd. You might like that if you haven’t had the chance to read it yet. Best, – Bill
I will check it out. Would it be a good read for a ladies book club? I’m trying to decide on our next pursuit and I loved The Road but haven’t read any of his other stuff.
Kurt Vonnegut!
You know I have never had the pleasure. I own Cat’s Cradle but have yet to read it. Is that the best one to start with?
Cat’s Cradle is great to start with. I’d also highly recommend Breakfast of Champions. He’s very unique, and I think all of his work is great to read if you want to improve your writing.
Thanks for the recommendation! I really appreciate it.
Vonnegut’s “Mother Night” is phenomenal. One of the most interesting books I’ve ever read. It’s a deft examination into whether what we are can be separated from what we do. “Bluebeard” is another favourite of mine.
I want to read Mother Night yesterday. It sounds fantastic. I will let you know when I do.
Aaah!!! You’re much too late! And I’ve only read half of them!! I’ll try and catch up!
Best wishes
Opher
Haha! How about I change it to 40? 🙂
Go for 100 – that’d be inclusive!
Done!
I’m in!!! Just 15 books to read to catch up!! Cheers – Opher
Excited to see that I’ve already read quite a few of these! I’d also probably want to add Cat’s Eye by Margaret Atwood and I’m still avoiding Infinite Jest, though I’m sure I’ll get to it eventually. 🙂
I’ll trust the rest of your suggestions since Screwtape Letters is on your list. ; )
Ha! Thanks! I think everyone should read that one. It’s so eye opening.
Well so far I’ve managed 15 of those. But what about great stuff like One Flew over the Cuckoos nest, The Magus, or Midnights Children? Women in Love, Stranger in a Strange Land, Midwich Cuckoos, The Wasp Factory, The L-Shaped Room, For Whom the Bell Tolls, …………….
I, too, am a fan of screwtape letters. I would add The Last of the Wine by Mary Renault, another sleeper extraordinaire.
That book stays with you. And I have not had the pleasure of reading Mary Renault. I’ll check it out! Thanks.
to kill a mockingbird and huckleberry finn are classics that are not to be missed. they teach great lessons.
Here are two books that changed my life: “Animal Liberation” by Peter Singer and “the Guide to the Good Life: The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy” by William Irvine. Regarding literature, I am a Bronte scholar, so I would insist on “Wuthering Heights” and, to fully appreciate that book and its author, I would add my book, “The Poetic World of Emily Bronte.”
Thank you so much for your input. I would love to check out your work.
All the best – Opher
That’s very impressive, Jess! I wouldn’t have had the patience to read some of those books in my twenties (or thirties).
good list:) Quiet, Start with Why, and Moby Dick were favorites of mine:))
Nice list. You might want to give “The World Beyond Your Head” by Matthew Crawford a go. It is the most thought-provoking book I’ve read in years. Don’t overlook Wallace Stegner’s fiction. Best regards.
I will add them to my list. Thank you!