50 Must Reads

My bookmark is a thin piece of stainless steel, engraved with ’50 books to read before you die.’ I will list the books on here in the order they are listed, and see how many you’ve read. I am ashamed to say, that although I enjoy classic novels, I have only read about 5% of them. I won’t tell you which ones, you can have a guess. But see if you agree with the list, or if you have some books you would recommend?

 

THE LORD OF THE RINGS TRILOGY-           J.R.R.TOLKIEN
1984                                                    -              GEORGE ORWELL
PRIDE AND PREJUDICE                   -             JANE AUSTEN
THE GRAPES OF WRATH                -              JOHN STEINBECK
TO KILL A MOCKING BIRD              -              HARPER LEE
JANE EYRE                                           -              CHARLOTTE BRONTE
WUTHERING HEIGHTS                   -              EMILY BRONTE
A PASSAGE TO INDIA                     -              E.M.FORSTER
THE LORD OF THE FLIES                  -              WILLIAM GOLDING
HAMLET                                               -              WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE
A BEND IN THE RIVER                     -              V.S.NAIPAUL
THE GREAT GATSBY                         -              F. SCOTT FITZGERALD
THE CATCHER IN THE RYE              -              J.D.SALINGER
THE BELL JAR                                      -              SYLVIA PLATH
BRAVE NEW WORLD                       -              ALDOUS HUXLEY
DIARY OF ANNE FRANK                 -              ANNE FRANK
DON QUIXOTE                                   -              MIGUEL DE CERVANTES
THE BIBLE                                            -              VARIOUS
THE CANTERBURY TALES               -              GEOFFREY CHAUCER
ULYSSES                                               -              JAMES JOYCE
THE QUIET AMERICAN                   -              GRAHAM GREENE
BIRDSONG                                          -              SEBASTIAN FAULKS
MONEY                                             -              MARTIN AMIS
HARRY POTTER SERIES                    -              J.K.ROWLING
MOBY DICK                                         -              HERMAN MELVILLE
THE WIND IN THE WILLOWS        -              KENNETH GRAHAME
HIS DARK MATERIALS TRILOGY  -              PHILIP PULLMAN
ANNA KARENINA                             -              LEO TOLSTOY
ALICE’S ADVERNTURES IN WONDERLAND             -              LEWIS CARROLL
REBECCA                                              -              DAPHNE DU MAURIER
THE CURIOUS INCIDENT OF THE DOG IN THE NIGHT TIME              -              MARK HADDON
ON THE ROAD                                    -              JACK KEROUAC
HEART OF DARKNESS                     -              JOSEPH CONRAD
THE WAY WE LIVE NOW                -              ANTHONY TROLLOPE
THE OUTSIDER                                   -              ALBERT CAMUS
THE COLOUR PURPLE                     -              ALICE WALKER
LIFE OF PI                                            -              YANN MARTEL
FRANKENSTEIN                                 -              MARY SHELLEY
THE WAR OF THE WORLDS           -              H.G.WELLS
MEN WITHOUT WOMEN              -              ERNEST HEMINGWAY
GULLIVER’S TRAVELS                      -              JONATHAN SWIFT
A CHRISTMAS CAROL                     -              CHARLES DICKENS
HUCKLEBERRY FINN                        -              MARK TWAIN
ROBINSON CRUSOE                        -              DANIEL DEFOE
ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO’S NEST  -  KEN KESEY
CATCH 22                                             -           JOSEPH HELLER
THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO -              ALEXANDRE DUMAS
MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA                  -              ARTHUR GOLDEN
THE DIVINE COMEDY                      -           ALIGHIERI DANTE
THE PICTURE OF DORIAN GRAY    -             OSCAR WILDE

So how many have you read? How many are you intending to read? Are there any surprises? Or possibly books you have read but thought, ‘there’s no way that should be in this list.’ Please remember that this is not the ‘top 50 books of all time’ but the ‘50 books to read before you die.’

These are books that demand your attention. It may be just a gimmicky bookmark that served me well, but I am going to start at the top and work my way down. Until I get to my favourite book of all time.
The picture of Dorian Gray.
But one thing that surprised me was the mention of the Bible. These are books you must read before you die, but the Bible is a religious text, so should it be on the list? I know there are going to be some people who will state unequivocally, ‘YES’, but in that case, should we not also include religious texts from other faiths in the list? That’s just my thought, what’s yours?

Read, follow, comment and enjoy. M x