Great list, still need to read a few. here’s some more favs from my 20s: Anything written by Camus, The Awakening - Chopin, Siddhartha - Hesse, Wuthering Heights - Brontë, Metamorphosis - Kafka.
hello, Spanish person here. Even natives tend to read Don Quijote in the "translated" version to modern spanish... good luck if u want to read it in the original one
Would strongly encourage reading Madame Bovary with an open mind. Especially if you love great writing and scathing descriptions of cynicism. In my opinion, it’s a masterpiece and the scene from the Comices is definitely one the list of the best novel scenes ever written.
Good list, going to note it down also. One of those things where just because I read a few excerpts I forget that I haven’t read the full thing. But then also battling the “should” vs “want” to read. I find it difficult to read the greats when the moment isn’t calling it for me.
My goal before 30 (I'm 29) is to learn Spanish! It's going well and has been for the last couple of years. I'd also love to get to the point of reading Don Quixote in the original, but that might have to wait until *in* my 30s, but that's okay! Maybe I should buy myself a copy as a physical reminder of it as a stretch goal...
Also, as a classicist, I think you'll like the Odyssey way more than the Iliad... It's just more fun all round. I recommend the Emily Wilson translation, for a good sense of the Greek, but I have also enjoyed it in many other translations so if you already have an older copy I wouldn't worry too much.
On getting older, it hasn't really ever occurred to me to be afraid of it- the alternative seems worse 🤷🏻♀️
yep the alternative seems way worse 😂 and I feel like you’re right because the older I get the happier I feel with myself… and I better start working on my spanish too!!
I was pleased to see that I read a few of these before turning 30, but I've never heard of several others.
An aside: turning 30 was a very positive experience for me.
We spend the first 15 years (roughly) developing as a human, then spend the next 15 years figuring out what kind of person we want to be. At 30 I had (still have) my family, life, and aspirations figured out in a way that I could be content with for the next 30 years.
I love reading lists! I'm 56 and have read a few of these and not read many. You've got some wonderful stories in this list! The first part of Swann's Way is one of my favorite books! I also want to love Virginia Woolf and don't yet. Perhaps The Waves will do it for me also.
I read The Waves by Virginia Woolf every spring - it's my favorite piece of fiction/poetry. It's not everyone's cup of tea but I find it much more accessible and instantly engaging than some of her other more recc-ed works! This book has taught me so much about myself, I hope it brings you something special. Also Song of Solomon is another one of my favorites. Enjoy!!
Swann’s Way is beautifully written, but I’d like to warn you about having no chapter breaks 😭 (2 chapters in 615 pages!!) I read this in 2021 and meant to read the rest, but I still haven’t finished the second volume. I’d say it’s probably one of the most difficult classics I’ve read yet.
I just turned 29 and still haven't read half the books I wanted to. I’ll have to make a list like that for myself, but with way fewer books hahah its depressing to think we’ll never read all the books we want to ☹️
I think it’s both depressing and stimulating, and who knows if I’ll actually read all that 😅 it’s more wishful thinking than a plan (but I support your idea of making a list for yourself!)
Great list, still need to read a few. here’s some more favs from my 20s: Anything written by Camus, The Awakening - Chopin, Siddhartha - Hesse, Wuthering Heights - Brontë, Metamorphosis - Kafka.
Great additions!
hello, Spanish person here. Even natives tend to read Don Quijote in the "translated" version to modern spanish... good luck if u want to read it in the original one
You can't go wrong with such classics! That has been the mantra for my reading journey, at least. :)
Would strongly encourage reading Madame Bovary with an open mind. Especially if you love great writing and scathing descriptions of cynicism. In my opinion, it’s a masterpiece and the scene from the Comices is definitely one the list of the best novel scenes ever written.
The Waves is the most loosely structured work of hers but oddly it's the one I enjoyed the most and felt the easiest!
Good list, going to note it down also. One of those things where just because I read a few excerpts I forget that I haven’t read the full thing. But then also battling the “should” vs “want” to read. I find it difficult to read the greats when the moment isn’t calling it for me.
My goal before 30 (I'm 29) is to learn Spanish! It's going well and has been for the last couple of years. I'd also love to get to the point of reading Don Quixote in the original, but that might have to wait until *in* my 30s, but that's okay! Maybe I should buy myself a copy as a physical reminder of it as a stretch goal...
Also, as a classicist, I think you'll like the Odyssey way more than the Iliad... It's just more fun all round. I recommend the Emily Wilson translation, for a good sense of the Greek, but I have also enjoyed it in many other translations so if you already have an older copy I wouldn't worry too much.
On getting older, it hasn't really ever occurred to me to be afraid of it- the alternative seems worse 🤷🏻♀️
yep the alternative seems way worse 😂 and I feel like you’re right because the older I get the happier I feel with myself… and I better start working on my spanish too!!
Es un buen reto- mucha suerte 💃🏻🇪🇸
I was pleased to see that I read a few of these before turning 30, but I've never heard of several others.
An aside: turning 30 was a very positive experience for me.
We spend the first 15 years (roughly) developing as a human, then spend the next 15 years figuring out what kind of person we want to be. At 30 I had (still have) my family, life, and aspirations figured out in a way that I could be content with for the next 30 years.
I’m 31. This is a great list. It’s just a number; we change in so many unexpected ways!
I love reading lists! I'm 56 and have read a few of these and not read many. You've got some wonderful stories in this list! The first part of Swann's Way is one of my favorite books! I also want to love Virginia Woolf and don't yet. Perhaps The Waves will do it for me also.
I read The Waves by Virginia Woolf every spring - it's my favorite piece of fiction/poetry. It's not everyone's cup of tea but I find it much more accessible and instantly engaging than some of her other more recc-ed works! This book has taught me so much about myself, I hope it brings you something special. Also Song of Solomon is another one of my favorites. Enjoy!!
oooh that’s a lovely tradition, and good to know you love the waves so much. I don’t know why but I have a feeling it will speak to me… hopefully 🤞🏻
And The Count of Monte Cristo is on my top 5. Definitely worth a read, great pick!
Swann’s Way is beautifully written, but I’d like to warn you about having no chapter breaks 😭 (2 chapters in 615 pages!!) I read this in 2021 and meant to read the rest, but I still haven’t finished the second volume. I’d say it’s probably one of the most difficult classics I’ve read yet.
"Philosophy is a pyramid scheme" - so controversial, so brave, so true
I just turned 29 and still haven't read half the books I wanted to. I’ll have to make a list like that for myself, but with way fewer books hahah its depressing to think we’ll never read all the books we want to ☹️
I think it’s both depressing and stimulating, and who knows if I’ll actually read all that 😅 it’s more wishful thinking than a plan (but I support your idea of making a list for yourself!)
I'm reading The Waves right now and I would not say this is a novel to make one fall in love with Woolf 😅 But maybe it will be for you!
Song of Solomon is a banger, though, highly recommend!