Tuesday, June 12, 2012

♥ 30 books everyone should read before turning 30.


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!



  1. The Iliad and the Odyssey: Homer
  2. The Secret History: Donna Tartt
  3. Jesus’ Son: Denis Johnson
  4. The Complete Stories: Flannery O’Connor
  5. Much Ado about Nothing: William Shakespeare
  6. The Sun Also Rises: Ernest Hemingway
  7. The Road: Cormac McCarthy
  8. Maus: Art Spiegelman
  9. Ender’s Game: Orson Scott Card
  10. Pride and Prejudice: Jane Austen
  11. Middlesex: Jeffrey Eugenides
  12. Ghost World: Daniel Clowes
  13. On the Road: Jack Kerouac
  14. Their Eyes Were Watching God: Zora Neale Hurston
  15. Cat’s Cradle: Kurt Vonnegut
  16. Lolita: Vladimir Nabokov
  17. The Lord of the Rings: J.R.R. Tolkien
  18. 1984: George Orwell
  19. The Catcher in the Rye: J.D. Salinger
  20. The Great Gatsby: F. Scott Fitzgerald
  21. Beloved: Toni Morrison
  22. Infinite Jest: David Foster Wallace
  23. Lord of the Flies: William Golding
  24. Don Quixote: Miguel de Cervantes
  25. The Trial: Franz Kafka
  26. To the Lighthouse: Virginia Woolf
  27. Fahrenheit 451: Ray Bradbury
  28. Invisible Man: Ralph Ellison
  29. To Kill a Mockingbird: Harper Lee
  30. Treasure Island: Robert Louis Stevenson

12 ♥ love notes.:

  1. 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

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    Replies
    1. love the advice of reading the shorter ones first- it helps a girl feel more accomplished!

      xo
      sami

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  2. 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 :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. i will have to read all of your recommendations, vivienne!!!
      xo
      sami

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  3. 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.

    As 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!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. 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!

      xo
      sami

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  4. I've read most of these (better get started on the others, though!). Lolita is my all-time favorite book!

    xo,
    Hannah
    www.chillairandperfume.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. i wasn't into lolita- i have to try again! love books!!

      xo
      sami

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  5. Ahh...book lists are just the worst for me. My to-read shelf on goodreads increases much faster than my reading ability and time!

    Looks 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. =)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. i will try not to freak as well! just keep reading!

      xo
      sami

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  6. The Secret History is one of my all time favorites

    ReplyDelete

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