Books you Should Read Before you Die

So, the other day I was on Facebook, you know, like your typical college student with three billion pages to read a night, and I found one of those list challenge where you go through a list of things and mark all the things on the list you've done. Anyway, I found one that was called '50 Books to Read Before You Die'. Anyway, I read a lot, so I thought it I would try it, but out of 50, I'd only read 19, and, while most of the books on the list are famous and well known and note-worthy, I don't think my life would be significantly different if I hadn't read Frankenstein. Which, by the way, was like the dullest book I've ever read.

I don't really like this whole idea of list of "necessary" books. It's hard to create a list of books that everyone should read before they die because, obviously, not everyone likes the same sort of thing. That's not to say that I don't think dark or boring books can be valuable. For example, Heart of Darkness was one of densest, darkest, most interesting books I ever read, but I probably wouldn't read it again. Like, that's not the sort of book you want to read when you're having a bad day.

I mean, if you only read 50 books in your life, they should be books that you enjoy and that stick with you in positive, meaningful sort of way. Like, sometimes, I get cravings for certain books, like 'hm, it's been two months since I've read Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, I should probably remedy that situation'. And, when that happens, I end up re-reading the entire Harry Potter series and doing homework NEVER.

So, instead of making a list of books that you should read before you die, I'm going to go all English major on you and make a list of some of my favorite books.

1. The Crucible by Arthur Miller - I know you had to read it in high school, but, it definitely deserves a second look if you haven't read it in a while; it's really good.
2. Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman - this book was absolutely hilarious; you could read it again and again and it would never get old, because everything Neil Gaiman writes is genuis.
3. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling - If this list was longer than 50, I would suggest all of the Harry Potter books but, out of all of them, I think the Prisoner of Azkaban is the best.
4. The Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling - A lot of people didn't like this book, but I thought it was great. It was painfully realistic and incorporated Rhianna lyrics into literature better than any other piece of literature.
5. Beowulf - I've blogged about it before, so I'm not going to say too much about it. Although it's a long piece to wade through, it truly is a masterpiece of English literature. If you read a good translation, the use of language is simply beautiful (like most Anglo-Saxon literature); I especially love the use of kennings.
6. The Epic of Gilgamesh - This is another monumental piece of literature, simply heart breaking in its theme and scope. Some versions of the text are fragmentary, so it's important to get a good translation.
7. The Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C.S. Lewis - I've already blogged about this, so I'm not going to go into too much detail here, but basically, it's just a beautiful, moving book.
8. The Horse and His Boy by C.S. Lewis - Another Chronicle of Narnia; this is perhaps one of the least known of the Narnia books, but I think it's one of the best. It explores the lands outside of Narnia in a really fascinating way. If you've only read the Lion, Witch, and Wardrobe, you should definitely, check it out.
9. Ivanhoe by Sir. Walter Scott - Again, I've already blogged about this, so I'll just say that this is, in my opinion, one of the most under appreciated classics.
10. Treasure Island by Robert Lewis Stevenson - This is another one of my favorite books; I can't explain what makes it so appealing, but it has everything: adventure, humor, and mystery. Not to mention, the pirate dialogue is just great.
11. Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman - As I think I've said before, everything Neil Gaiman writes is good. Anansi Boys was so creative and so wonderfully unexpected and different; nothing tops it.
12. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen - All the praise Jane Austen gets, Jane Austen deserves. Pride and Prejudice is a great book, end of story.
13. "Song of Songs" - This isn't really a book, it's more of a poem, but I'm still putting it on the list because it's a beautiful text. It's so poetic and the language is wonderful.
14. "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" by T.S. Elliot - Again, this is a poem, not a book. I like this poem so much, that my friend and I are actually trying to memorize it. It's a strange poem, but it's got some great turns of phrase.
15. The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara - This is a great book about the Battle of Gettysburg, which will make you reassess your feelings about the civil war. It's just such a captivating stroy. The movie version wasn't bad either.
16. The Eagle of the Ninth by Rosemary Sutcliff - I could read this book over and over again. Although it's not completely historically accurate, it's a breath taking, inspiring story that spans the length of Britain.
17. Richard III by William Shakespeare - You can't go wrong with Shakespeare. Richard III is one of my favorite plays; it's so dramatic and Shakespeare's King Richard is perhaps one of the best villains in all of literature.
18. King John by William Shakespeare - One of Shakespeare's lesser known, but still captivating plays.
19. Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare - One of my favorite Shakespearean comedies; it also reminds me a little of The Parent Trap.
20. Macbeth by William Shakespeare - Perhaps my favorite of Shakespeare's plays, as I've blogged about before. It is both intriguing and disturbing.
21. Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams - Basically the most hilarious and wonderfully weird book series you will ever read.
22. The Oresteia by Euripides - I love Greek tragedy and this is definitely one of the finest examples of it extant. It is such an interesting, captivating play. Although, this is another case where the translation makes a big difference.
23. The Scarlett Letter by Nathanial Hawthorne - One of the great American novels, if you haven't read it, you definitely should.
24. The House of the Seven Gables by Nathanial Hawthorne - Gothic, creepy, and completely intriguing.
25. Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe - This book is absolutely fascinating; it's such a compelling story. It's a short, but classic tale of the clash of two worlds.
26. The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien - My personal favorite of the Lord of the Rings series, a compelling, lively, and entertaining story.
27. A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin - Another wonderfully entertaining story. The whole series is great, but A Game of Thrones is by far the best. Even if you don't normally like fantasy, you should give it a try.
28. Electra by Euripides - Another beautiful Greek play. It made a particularly profound impact on me. I'm not going to say too much about it, because I've already blogged about it.
29. David Copperfield by Charles Dickens - In general, I'm a big fan of Charles Dickens and David Copperfield is one of my favorite of his novels. It's such a moving, compelling story, from childhood to adulthood. There are so many different aspects to this book, you're guaranteed to like one.
30. Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens - Another great Dickens novel. This one is perhaps a more obvious choice, but it's a world classic for a reason. It's such a tragic, romantic story, go give it a try.
31. The Fall of Arthur by J.R.R. Tolkien - This is a new one on me, I read it for the first time a few months ago. It's a strange one for Tolkien, a re-telling of Arthurian legend, but he pulled it off really well.
32. Undaunted Courage by Stephen Ambrose - A non-fiction book that reads like fiction, it tells a fascinating, uniquely American story.
33. Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll - I think everyone has heard of Alice in Wonderland at some point in their lives. It's a classic, weird, and fascinating story.
34. Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll - I think this one is even better than Alice in Wonderland.
35. Confederates in the Attic by Tony Horwitz - Another great non-fiction book. Like The Killer Angels, it will change your feelings on the civil war.
36. "A Madman's Diary" by Lu Xun - I read this for a comparative literature class and was fascinated by it ever after. It's more of a short story than a novel, but check it out anyway.
37. "TV People" by Haruki Murakami - Another short story. It's one of the weirdest, but most poignant things you will ever read.
38. The Children of Odin by Padraic Colum - This book is a great retelling of Norse mythology. It tells these ancient stories in easy to understand language in an engaging and entertaining way. 
39. Many Waters by Madeline L'Engle - A very strange, very engaging book. It's one of my favorites from the Time Quartet series.
40. Pavilion of Women by Pearl S. Buck - I love Pearl S. Buck's novels. She writes beautiful, fascinating novels about China. Pavilion of Women was one of my favorites, but you should check out everything she has written.

Just readin'