My dear friend Debi asked me for a list of 50 books I thought she should read. She’s working on a huge project, I don’t know all the details yet (and I can’t wait to find out what she is up to!) and I gave her my list earlier this week. I thought I would share them here with you as well. I’m sure you notice that there are actually 60 on the list, but I gave her extra in case she had read some of these or was feeling ambitious. Are you feeling ambitious too? What books would be on your must read list?
The List:
1 Illyria by Elizabeth Hand
2 The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck
3 The Princess Bride by William Goldman
4 Slammerkin by Emma Donoghue
5 Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day by Winifred Watson
6 Shine by Lauren Myracle
7 Breakfast at Tiffany’s by Truman Capote
8 Hate List by Jennifer Brown
9 Waiting for Columbus by Thomas Trofimuk
10 The Position by Meg Wolitzer
11 The House of Tomorrow by Peter Bognanni
12 The School of Essential Ingredients by Erica Bauermeister
13 Magic for Beginners by Kelly Link
14 Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand by Helen Simonson
15 Beautiful by Amy Feed
16 The Color Purple by Alice Walker
17 Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston
18 Wise Children by Angela Carter
19 The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters
20 I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith
21 The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley
22 Outlander by Diana Gabaldon
23 Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine
24 My Last Days as Roy Rogers by Pat Cunningham Devoto
25 A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith
26 Peace Like a River by Leif Enger
27 Sleep, Pale Sister by Joanne Harris
28 The Color Midnight Made by Andrew Winer
29 Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden
30 Chocolat by Joanne Harris
31 Confessions of a Failed Southern Lady by Florence King
32 The House of Gentle Men by Kathy Hepinstall
33 Embers by Sandor Marai
34 Blackbird House by Alice Hoffman
35 Storyville by Lois Battle
36 Fearless Girls, Wise Women, & Beloved Sisters by Kathleen Ragan
37 Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher
38 The Neverending Story by Michael Ende
39 Mr Rosenblum Dreams in English by Natasha Solomons
40 Lady Audley’s Secret by Mary Elizabeth Braddon
41 Briar Rose by Jane Yolen
42 The True Story of Hansel and Gretel by Louise Murphy
43 The Rose and the Beast by Francesca Lia Block
44 Ireland by Frank Delaney
45 Margarettown by Gabrielle Zevin
46 Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer
47 The Stolen Child by Keith Donohue
48 The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield
49 Gods in Alabama by Joshilyn Jackson
50 West with the Wind by Beryl Markham
51 The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart
52 Big Fish by Daniel Wallace
53 Mister Pip by Lloyd Jones
54 The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
55 The Confessions of Max Tivoli by Andrew Sean Greer
56 Heaven Lake by John Dalton
57 A Northern Light by Jennifer Donnelly
58 Inkheart by Cornelia Funke
59 The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
60 The Loved One by Evelyn Waugh
I think this is a great list! There are so many books on here that I've read and loved. Let us know what Debi ends up doing for her project.
Great list! I've read a few, and there are several of them on my TBR list.
As for A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, I'm pretty sure it's by Betty Smith, not Betty White. Although I'd certainly read a version by Ms. White!
Whoops! Let's not discuss what drugs I'm on today, shall we? LOL
I'm sad to report that I've only read 4 on your list
:( I have many many others on my TBR shelf…I need to get busy!!
Fun! I am enjoying seeing all the lists. I did a list for her of 50 Canadian books. I only gave her 38, though, because I wanted room to grow.
I hope she posts it, I want to see your list! And glad to see you didn't stick with the 50 book requirement, as you can tell, I didn't either. I just went over instead. It was hard to keep to 50 books once I got going! lol
Oh Lordy! I'd have to think on this for a bit, but it looks like a fun undertaking to make a list of 50 must-reads.
I wish you would! I would love to have a list like that from you!
Great list! I'm with Andi, I need to do a top 50 list!
Yes you do! Your list would kick so much ass! I wants it!
I've read 14 of these and they are all great (and some are unexpected, like The Stolen Child!) Maybe I will write a list …
Do eeeet!
Girl I cannot believe you read Ireland. That's a chunkster if ever there was one! 'Course, I might be inspired to pick it up since it made the cut.
What??? I LOOOOOVED Ireland. Oh my gosh, that book was so so so so so good. The opening chapter gave me such lovely goosebumps because I knew immediately that I was going to adore that book. It may be big, but it reads fast!
Well, I know I told you already, but I just have to say it again–I LOVE THIS LIST!!! It's such a great mix of books I've been dying to read and books I've never even heard of–and honestly I'm not sure which excites me more! (Though Christina just scared me with her comment there about Ireland.
) Thank you once again, my dear!!!
No, no, no! Do not be scared of Ireland. You will love it, trust me!
I am so delighted you love your list. I tried very hard to pick things I thought you would love. Now I just hope you do! Just working on it made me want to reread every single one!!
This list is fantastic! I think I've loved almost every book on here that I've read. I'll be adding many of the others to my TBR list. I would add The Book Thief to my list.
p.s. I loved Ireland too!