10 Books to Read Before You Die
10 Books to Read in a Lifetime
So many books so little time. The easy thing with this list would be to make an ultimate list of 100 or even 200 books. Right? As soon as I came up with this idea, I started searching for all the available "Read Before You Die" book lists that could be useful to this undertaking. The creation of a "Read Before you die" list that will ONLY contain 10 books!
Bookbub, Independent, Powells, Reedsy and Goodreads. There were in total 321 books in the lists and few of them actually contained the same books. I soon came to the conclusion that this matter is kind of ambiguous.
In terms of your time. The bad news is that, yes, it is limited. An "average" person reads 12 books per year. Assuming that you're 20, you approximately have time to read 720 books in your future.
Good news, though, is that you came across this list that you desperately NEED -even though you didn't even know it- which consists of ONLY 10 books that you'd better read in your lifetime.
So, if you're not a hooked reader start with the following books and -why not?- come back to this list one day to see it updated!
*Yes. This list will be soon updated.*
Now more than ever this book is timely. Actually, it is timeless. It always was a masterpiece of American literature and everyone who's read it describes it with the best possible words. The protagonist is a little girl, named Scout, whose father is called to defend a young black man as a lawyer. It is food for thought as it broaches many serious subjects like racism and fascism.
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
It could be characterized as "comedy of manners" of the landholders of England's 18th and 19th century. It also represents the transformation of Regency England into its modern form. If you haven't read that book yet, now is the time.
1984 by George Orwell
1984 is the year when Big Brother watches everything and whatever leads to thought is forbidden. Language, liberty, human emotions. Whoever commits the crime of thought is sentenced to death. When George Orwell wrote this book, 1984 was his future. Now it is past. However, it will always remain a future, the beginning of the end of our society, as we know it.
Catch-22 by Joseph Heller
Goodreads Synopsis (Sorry, I haven't read it yet)
The novel is set during World War II, from 1942 to 1944. It mainly follows the life of Captain John Yossarian, a U.S. Army Air Forces B-25 bombardier. Most of the events in the book occur while the fictional 256th Squadron is based on the island of Pianosa, in the Mediterranean Sea, west of Italy. The novel looks into the experiences of Yossarian and the other airmen in the camp, who attempt to maintain their sanity while fulfilling their service requirements so that they may return home.
Great Expectations by Charles Dickens
This is the story of an orphaned kid who has good luck and great expectations but loses both his luck and expectations. "Great expectations" is one of the most popular and beloved books around the world. Dickens depicts, through humour and a dark plot, the Victorian Age of 19th century.
Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe
Okonkwo is a strong-willed and powerful member of a lower Nigerian tribe that is part of a consortium of nine connected villages. Through Achebe's story, we are given the chance to get a general idea of the complex social bonds between African tribe members and their traditional values. Okonkwo’s struggle to achieve recognition repeatedly draws him into conflict with his community, eventually leading both to his own downfall and to that of Umuofia and the nine villages. Everything, though, is doomed to extinct as Okonkwo's tribe soon falls a victim of colonialism. With more than 20 million copies sold and translated into fifty-seven languages, Things Fall Apart provides one of the most illuminating and permanent monuments to African experience.
Shakespeare's Sonnets
Poetry is beautiful. What would this list be without a poetry book? I'm not suggesting that you read this specific book as much as reading at least one poetry book in your life.
I all alone beweep my outcast state,
And trouble deaf heaven with my bootless cries,
And look upon myself and curse my fate,
Wishing me like to one more rich in hope,
Featured like him, like him with friends possessed,
Desiring this man’s art and that man’s scope,
With what I most enjoy contented least;
Yet in these thoughts myself almost despising,
Haply I think on thee, and then my state,
(Like to the lark at break of day arising
From sullen earth) sings hymns at heaven’s gate;
For thy sweet love remembered such wealth brings
That then I scorn to change my state with kings.
The Iliad by Homer
The Iliad is one of the oldest pieces of literature in the world and that, by itself, is enough to make you read it. Don't get fooled by the intense battles and extreme scenes; The anti-war message of Iliad is clear and timeless.
The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
Goodreads Synopsis
Paulo Coelho's enchanting novel has inspired a devoted following around the world. This story, dazzling in its powerful simplicity and soul-stirring wisdom, is about an Andalusian shepherd boy named Santiago who travels from his homeland in Spain to the Egyptian desert in search of a treasure buried near the Pyramids. Along the way, he meets a Gypsy woman, a man who calls himself king, and an alchemist, all of whom point Santiago in the direction of his quest. No one knows what the treasure is, or if Santiago will be able to surmount the obstacles in his path. But what starts out as a journey to find worldly goods turns into a discovery of the treasure found within. Lush, evocative, and deeply humane, the story of Santiago is an eternal testament to the transforming power of our dreams and the importance of listening to our hearts.
Animal Farm by George Orwell
All animals are equal but some animals are more equal than the others. George Orwell's Animal Farm is a clear satire of our modern society and depicts the mistreatment of the weak by those in charge. When animals take control of a farm, things seem to finally start getting better for them. What happens, though, when the lack of a leader starts to grow? Did things for animals get better after all?
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definitely might read some of these in the future, thank you!
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