Books to read before you die

[BlackFlyChardonnay]

Slightly dramatic and morbid way of phrasing it, but these lists always seem to conclude with a reminder of our own mortality.

Anyway, I'm an avid reader but tend to read a lot of popular genre fiction/whatever Richard & Judy are recommending. I read a lot, but I recently saw one of these lists and realised that I've only read 22 out of these 55 "must read" books - pretty poor? So I have started reading books from the list, Lord of the Flies first and now The Great Gatsby.

Do you think it is important to have read what are considered to be important works of literature? I'd be interested to know why you think yes/no.

I have to say, I read Lolita, Jane Eyre & Catch 22 over a decade ago, and can only remember scant details of each. Even Little Women, which I probably read at least 4 times as a child (and watched 2 movie adaptations) I can only remember the highlights of. This suggests me working my way through the list is more of a tick-box activity than something that will enrich my life or mind, because my memory is so appalling.

How many of these books have you read? (Watching the movie doesn't count 😏)

Any books missing from the list that you think should absolutely be included?

I think it's important to read books that you enjoy not books that someone else has put on a list and told you should read.

Urgh I hate those lists so silly. Plus with respect Harry Potter are children’s books why would I waste time on them?

I read widely and the books I enjoy depend on my mood / life stage / time of year / where I’m going on holiday not what a random list a bored intern at a newspaper has put together.

I’ve only read 22 from the list as well. I’ll admit however that (a) I hate these types of lists as they’re only ever full of books others think you ‘should’ read, not that are good and enjoyable and (b) quite a few are dire. Frankenstein is a slog now used to torture ks4. Mockingbird and Of Mice and Men are now considered really problematic so shouldn’t be on any list.

Interesting list because some weighty tomes, but a lot of children's literature.

Why TLotR trilogy (and why describe it as a boxed set?) but only the first HP?

Very odd list
And I say that having read most of them, which isn't usually the case when I read these lists

But agree with @GalileoHumpkins

I've read all of them bar A Game of Thrones The Hate U Give.

Some entries are pretty strange and I can't see any reason why anyone should view reading them as something important that needs doing before you die.

A Little Life is an appalling slice of misery porn which 'tempts' the reader to keep doing with hints of what will eventually be revealed as ever more revolting and graphic abuse being visited on the hapless protagonist as a child.

The Help is an insensitive 'white saviour' novel that virtue signals about the lives of black domestic servants, while commodifying them. Memoirs of a Geisha is controversial for a lot of not dissimilar reasons. It seems weird to include these with Vanity Fair or Ulysses.

Sorry, 34 for me

I've read a good few on that list, I've also started a fair chunk of them and put them down as unreadable for various reason (e.g War and Peace, Lord of the Rings)

But like a pp I find reading what I enjoy and fancy is a much more better past time that reading what you "should read.

I’ve read 44. I hate Jane Austen so am unlikely to bother with those. I used to think it was important to read particular books, my Mother placed a great deal of emphasis on this. As I got older I realised that she hadn’t read most and of those she had, she didn’t really get. So now I read what I fancy.
A recommendation: The Remains of The Day. Not on the list but a beautifully written book.

Also, although I think GoT IS a book, it's just one of the books in the series, and not the first

I have read about twenty of them.
I used to think I should read worthy books and then my lovely Uncle said that school was for education and reading was for entertainment.

I don't read as much as I should, but I also declared UDI last year and if a book fails to hold me, I don't bother finishing it.
Thursday Murder Club being a prime example. It is very liberating.

That's a rather odd list - lots of actual classics plus quite a few fairly recent 'young adult' novels which may or may not stand the test of time (Wonder, The Fault in Our Stars, The Hate U Give etc). It looks like the kind of thing that might circulate on instagram?

I think there are some classic books it is worth reading because they have become part of British or world culture, so references to them pop up all over the place and it is good to know where all that comes from (eg 1984, Withering Heights, Frankenstein, plus lots of Shakespeare and the bible), but otherwise you should mainly just read what interests you, and occasionally step outside your comfort zone into different genres or things you find a bit challenging.

I actually think the best way to turn someone off reading is by telling them what they should read and what's worthy of their time. I like dark, slightly disturbing books, they entertain me.

I’ve read 49. I’ll look into the other 6 now to see if interested, a few of these I’ve not even heard of. Don’t understand the people saying Harry Potter shouldn’t be there as kids books, not classics, I disagree.

We were made to read approx 22 of those at school but most I enjoyed and reread as an adult without having the misery of having to write bullshit reflections or essays about them.

That list stopped being credible when it included A Little Life. Utter bilge.

I’ve read a lot of those books - not counted but maybe 80%.

I think some of these books are on there because “everyone has read them/seen the series” rather than because they are actually the best books.

I read quite a bit and I’ve only read 22 books on that list. It seems an odd list to me anyway, Harry Potter, The Fault in Our Stars, Game of Thrones, Life of Pi…no one’s life will be the poorer for not having read them. (don’t come at me, Harry Potter fans).

I do like these kinds of lists though, just so I can find out if there are any gems I’ve missed. Or enjoy being infuriated by them.

It’s the same as Greatest 50 Albums of All Time type articles. I love harrumphing to myself and spluttering ‘that album is absolute dross, you fool!’.

I've read 28 from the list, but there are a number that I've started and will never try again.
I managed to finish Anna Karenina (and HATED it), no way I'm trying to get through War and Peace. I don't like the Bronte's - any of their stuff. Life is too short to suffer the things you don't like.

It's such a strange mix of books though, on that list. Although I do think everyone should be made to read Sherlock Holmes, I just think they have everything a selection of stories should have :)

I’ve only read 14 of those. By the way, A Thousand Splendid Suns is one of the most depressing books I’ve ever read.

Well you're not going to be able to read them after you die.

Good point. Nor will you care what you didn’t get round to.

27 on the list, and a few more attempted and happily consigned to the pile of stuff I'll never finish.

Those lists aren’t really a reflection of what people ‘should’ read though.

Harry Potter would never appeal to me, so that rules out all of those.

War and Peace, the Hobbit and Lord of the Rings I tried but loathed.

Where’s Shakespeare, Thomas Hardy, if you’re going to include books like War and Peace.

I read what I like and if I start a book and don’t like it, I leave it. I read to be entertained, sometimes informed and to feel that the experience has been pleasurable.

I'm on 27 but a fair few I found underwhelming. I'm not a Jane Austen fan at all. A Little Life was depressing and ridiculous, and when I finally read The Great Gatsby I was a bit like ' is that it?!'
Life's too short to read all the books I WANT to read so not going to waste any more time ploughing through 'worthy' books!

Where is Dickens??

I've read all of them but to be fair I was a massive reader before had my LO. Not so much now, though my favourite author is Stephen king so my advice is just read what you like, books are for joy not just to slog through

27 for me, quite a few of them many years ago at secondary school. Couple of my all-time favourites there....Dracula & The Bell Jar.