What books do you think are essential reading?

[JazzerMcCreary]

I’m turning 29 tomorrow. I’ve decided that as I’ve either done or have no interest in doing the typical ‘pre 30 bucket list’ activities, I’m going to try to read 30 new books over the next year.

So tell me, what books would be on your list?

Not the Paris Wife. It is A Movable Feast by Hemingway. The Paris Wife is written about the same period in his life.

I read both on holiday on the Hawaiian island of Kauai. I read the Paris Wife and then found a copy of A Movable Feast on a clearance table in a used bookstore. Talk Story in Hanapepe. Very strange coincidence.

I went home full of stories about Hemingway's first wife Hadley.

Stephen King: Per Sematary, Cujo, The Dark Half

The God Of Small Things. It’s one of my favourite books ever. It’s in Dearing and heartbreaking and it’s beautifully written.

Real range of tastes on here.
These would be my recommendations (can't remember all the authors!)
A Thousand Splendid Suns - Khaled Hossieni
The Last Empress
The saffron kitchen
A light between oceans
A History of Loneliness
We need to talk about Kevin
Of Mice and Men
1984
The Bell Jar

Any by Marge Binchy for a comfort/homesick read but esp Tara Road, Scarlet Feather and Quentins😀

For good chick out that will make you laugh Milly. Johnston
The wife who ran away is good .

There are lots of modern amazing books

Reading The High House by Jesse Greengeass. Mind blowing

The whole woman

Memoirs of a geisha by Arthur golden

I loved that book.

Things I don't think have been mentioned:

The first 15 lives of Harry August.
Captain Corelli's mandolin
Anything by Agatha Christie
A short story collection by Philip K Dick - my favourite is "A little something for us tempunaughts"
The Count of Monte Cristo
The man in the iron mask

Anthony Trollope - The Way We Live Now. Feels surprisingly contemporary with a stock market bubble being a central plot device.

Toni Morrison, Beloved. Apart from anything else it has a rattling good supernatural side. Everything by Toni Morrison, really.
St Augustine's Confessions. He is very witty and you can almost hear him speak.
Yes yes, Primo Levi!

Mine have all been mentioned already with good reason.

The murder of Roger ackroyd (concept since copied many times but was mindblowing at the time)
Things fall apart (simple, childlike storytelling style concealing superb summary of clash between civilisations with an extraordinary chapter regarding true love and the love for a child)
My cousin Rachel
1984
The butcher boy (chilling and very moving depiction of gradual development of severe mental illness)
Brideshead revisited (a man who is so obsessed with an ancient, slowly fading aristocratic family that he is prepared to change his lifestyle, his sexuality and his religion to be closer to them before they and their ilk are gone forever)
The God of small things (gorgeous story about childhood in India with chilling description of how easy it is for families to manipulate and brainwash children)

I’ve used the word “chilling” a lot here

And also Beloved by Toni Morrison which is also, yes, very chilling!!

Hotel du Lac by Anita Brookner
Vanity Fair by WM Thackeray
The bean trees and Pigs in Heaven by Barbara Kingsolver, they are WONDERFUL!
Beyond Black by Hilary Mantel
Excellent Women by Barbara Pym

I’ll also add

The poisonwood bible
A handful of dust

A reading thread always gives me such joy!

My suggestions:
The Diary of Anne Frank
Jamaica Inn
The Handmaid’s Tale
Memoirs of a Geisha
The Secret Life of Bees

All much loved and enjoyed several times over.

Cold Comfort Farm
Perfume
1984
Thanks for this thread, I am adding to my list!

@Coronawireless oh yes, The Butcher Boy! And The Wasp Factory too.

Lots of these recommendations are quite dated - early 2000 best sellers Perfume etc. There are amazing books just as good if not better being written now - it’s worth keeping up to date.

The Dutch House Ann Patchett
Goldfinch Donna Tartt
The High House Jesse Greengrass
A Little Life
Christadora

@MsTSwift
You’re right but the newer novels have yet to stand the test of time and may date.

I think it’s because we read more before phones 🙁

Daniel Defoe, Moll Flanders
George Eliot, The Mill on the Floss
Marguerite Duras, Hiroshima mon amour
VS Naipaul, A House for Mr Biswas
Maxine Hong Kingston, The Woman Warrior
Julie Otsuka, When the Emperor was Divine

Ooh this looks like a good thread
Let me think

Pachinko the South Korean novel is really good. Probably the best book I've read in the last 2 years.

The Guardian has some good recommendations

amp-theguardian-com.cdn.ampproject.org/v/s/amp.theguardian.com/books/2021/jun/05/summer-reading-the-50-hottest-new-books-everyone-should-read?amp_js_v=a6&amp_gsa=1&usqp=mq331AQKKAFQArABIIACAw%3D%3D#aoh=16251983331201&amp_ct=1625198338132&csi=1&referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com&amp_tf=From%20%251%24s&ampshare=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theguardian.com%2Fbooks%2F2021%2Fjun%2F05%2Fsummer-reading-the-50-hottest-new-books-everyone-should-read

I was quite liking the concept of "bin fiction".

LOL similar to pulp fiction?

1984
The Diary of Anne Frank - the latest edition after lockdown everyone should read it

When Hitler stole Pink Rabbit
The handmaids tale
The time traveler's wife

Something / anything by Cecelia Ahern - modern day fairy tales for light reading

Something by Jodie Picoult - not so light but often interesting 19 minutes is probably a good start

Dickens - A Christmas Carol at the least

Primo Levi - start with 'IF this is a man' and see where it takes you

These are maybe not essential, not all of them are 'worthy'

For non fiction, anything by David Crystal, it will improve your reading of other books

Phil Scraton - Hillsborough the truth - not an enjoyable read but interesting and thought provoking