7 Insanely Genius Books Everyone Should Read Before They Die
Listing books everyone should read before they die is no easy task, because there are so many, and so many lists before this one have been made. And i’m sure they are personal to… someone; but did they really change a modern reader’s life in any way?
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Sure ‘An Inspector Calls’ is a great play, and had a great impact on the culture of the time- 1945. However, is it still relevant now? Or, does it even need to apply to modern context to be worth reading?
These are all questions I have spent WAYYY too much time lingering on. And in the end it all boils down to this. If the world was in danger, what books am I placing in a time capsule for future generations to find? How do these books represent me and why would I wish others to read them also?
Here you will find my favourite books, the ones I have loved for their meaning and the ones I have loved for their writing.
This post is all about books everyone should read before they die.
Yes, even you.
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Books to read before you die
1. 1984
George Orwell places the characters of 1984 under a totalitarian government. Censorship is the new normal and language is restricted until words become forgotten. When words begin to die the ability to think also diminishes. The characters become prisoners of the world they live in all because free thought is punishable by death. This book made the list as I believe it holds important lessons we must remember.
2. The Fountainhead
This book is the other extreme. Ayn Rand has a controversial take on the ego and what makes a well lived life. She writes less about community and collective hard work and more about individual experience and drive for success. This is a brilliant book about what a person can achieve when they are truly passionate about something.
3. To Kill a Mocking-bird
This is one of the most famous stories and for good reason. It is a story of discrimination due to the colour of a person’s skin, and how easily a person can be condemned due to a lie. This is a combat to racism and ignorance.
4. The Handmaid’s Tale
This is the most terrifying story and one that feels almost prophetic. Margaret Atwood writes about a society that condemns certain woman as ‘baby making machines’ in a world where fertility and birth rates are low. These woman are forced into sexual and anatomical servitude, being forced to look down, stay silent, cover up and obey.
5. Animal Farm
I love this story for it’s double layers. It is a story of animals creating a new way of living called ‘animalism’, but it is also a metaphor and critique on Stalin’s communism. This story made the cut as it shows democratic hypocrisy.
6. The Iliad
I studied this story at university along with The Odyssey and I LOVED it. I could write a whole post about the Iliad alone. But this made the cut for being one of the most beautiful stories ever written. I read the M. Hammond edition as the prose was the most beautiful prose i’ve ever read.
7. Romeo and Juliet.
This is one of the most famous love stories and best books to read for a reason. This story made the cut for its beautiful writing. The entire play is lyrical to the ear and, in my opinion, it is the best of Shakespeare’s works.
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Reading Log Printable
This is all well and good but it would be useless without a free printable to help you track your reading goals. Especially as some of these are long and hefty books and may require some discipline to finish.
Click Here to download 12 pages of free reading log printables.
How to use
Download and use digitally or print and write on.
This post was all about books everyone should read before they die.
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