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| via the black apple |
i fancy myself pretty well read, but by the looks of flavor wire's list of
30 books to read before you turn 30- i guess i have overestimated my
well read-ness! (if that is even a word??)
jill from looks & books made a good point on her blog by asking:
why these thirty books? and why the expiration date?
and what happens if you're already 30?
have you missed your chance?
i turn 30 next year.
should i bother trying to make it through this list?
which of these have you read? (i put those i've read in bold!)
which are your favorite? mine is virginia woolf's to the lighthouse!
- The Iliad and the Odyssey: Homer
- The Secret History: Donna Tartt
- Jesus’ Son: Denis Johnson
- The Complete Stories: Flannery O’Connor
- Much Ado about Nothing: William Shakespeare
- The Sun Also Rises: Ernest Hemingway
- The Road: Cormac McCarthy
- Maus: Art Spiegelman
- Ender’s Game: Orson Scott Card
- Pride and Prejudice: Jane Austen
- Middlesex: Jeffrey Eugenides
- Ghost World: Daniel Clowes
- On the Road: Jack Kerouac
- Their Eyes Were Watching God: Zora Neale Hurston
- Cat’s Cradle: Kurt Vonnegut
- Lolita: Vladimir Nabokov
- The Lord of the Rings: J.R.R. Tolkien
- 1984: George Orwell
- The Catcher in the Rye: J.D. Salinger
- The Great Gatsby: F. Scott Fitzgerald
- Beloved: Toni Morrison
- Infinite Jest: David Foster Wallace
- Lord of the Flies: William Golding
- Don Quixote: Miguel de Cervantes
- The Trial: Franz Kafka
- To the Lighthouse: Virginia Woolf
- Fahrenheit 451: Ray Bradbury
- Invisible Man: Ralph Ellison
- To Kill a Mockingbird: Harper Lee
- Treasure Island: Robert Louis Stevenson
I've read about half of these--but there should be no rules! for one thing, Infinite Jest is like a zillion pages so that should count for several books. I always think lists like this are useful as guides, and I hope to have conquered lots of them in a lifetime. You could maybe go for some of the shorter ones to knock them off: Ghost World being a graphic novel should be a quick read--and you could replace The Trial with some of Kafka's short fiction (which I think it actually way better) xx
ReplyDeletelove the advice of reading the shorter ones first- it helps a girl feel more accomplished!
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sami
I really think lists like these need to be much more personal than general. David Foster Wallace was a great writer but Infinite Jest? No way I was making it through that. Read some of his essays instead. Jeffrey Eugenidies' "The Virgin Suicides" was about 1,000 times better than The Middlesex. I would also add to this list, one of my favorite books, The Girls' Guide to Hunting and Fishing by Melissa Bank. I like to just choose random books to read, often enjoy them more than ones I feel I "must" read. Happy reading and I agree, no rules :)
ReplyDeletei will have to read all of your recommendations, vivienne!!!
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sami
I've also read about half of them. Definitely read Lord of the Flies - you'll be disturbed, but it also makes the reader reflect on the basic nature of humans. Great fodder for conversation. And I personally LOVED Middlesex.
ReplyDeleteAs a voracious reader, I'm always looking for books other people read and liked, so these types of lists are gems for me. I won't read everything here... but am pretty excited to try Jesus' Son, The Secret History, and Ender's game! Yay reading!
i think i will read lord of the flies next. i don't know why i missed this one in school?! enjoy the secret history, you're in for a creepy treat!
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sami
I've read most of these (better get started on the others, though!). Lolita is my all-time favorite book!
ReplyDeletexo,
Hannah
www.chillairandperfume.blogspot.com
i wasn't into lolita- i have to try again! love books!!
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sami
Ahh...book lists are just the worst for me. My to-read shelf on goodreads increases much faster than my reading ability and time!
ReplyDeleteLooks like I've read about a third of these. I'm gonna go ahead and not freak out about that...as difficult as it is. =)
i will try not to freak as well! just keep reading!
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sami
The Secret History is one of my all time favorites
ReplyDeletemine toooooo!!!
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