Essential Books to Read Before Turning 30

10/1/2017 30 Books Everyone Must Read Before They Turn 30
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Sep 29, 2015 at 14:02
30 Books Everyone Must Read Before They Turn 30

by Manimanjari Sengupta
via ScoopWhoop News
The sound of the parchment and their warmth inducing fragrance, the feeling of
holdingand savouring our favourite works of literature, are possibly the most
reassuring experiences in the drudgery that life is. Books are an escape, a guiding
light through life, our constant companions in the discovery of our own selves
and the beauty that our world holds.
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While it is absolutely impossible to list down all the enthralling novels that
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literature that we have been graced with, in no particular order of
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1. Animal Farm The Unfortunate Tale Of A

Man Who Is Asked To
Prove Hes Indian After 30
A deceptively simple tale, George Orwell wrote this in 1943 as an attack against Years In Army
the darker side of Communism. Animal Farm is about an animal uprising; written
in the style of a fable, this satirical masterpiece has some deep connotations. ADVERTISEMENT
This brilliant novella is a perfect treatise on our society and will give you an
understanding of the role of power in society and how it corrupts those who are
in possession of it. Subscribe to our
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2. The Little Prince

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Essentially a book written for children, The Little Prince is more for grown ups Feature Theyd Want In Their Dream
who remember being children. It is an ode to magic and innocence. As the Prince Car & Their Answers Are Off The Roof
lands on the earth from his asteroid, a charming tale of love and loss unfolds,
which will leave you feeling ecstatic and strangely heartbroken at the same time.
Going back to The Little Prince as an adult will hit a spot, I promise.
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3. The Kite Runner

Set in Afghanistan, Khaled Hosseini's debut novel is bound to leave you deeply
affected. The rawness with which Hosseini deals with abuse, violence, neglect,
suicide, and terrorism will leave you with a hole in your heart, in the best Heres Why Our Generation Is Scared
possible way. It is a beautiful, haunting and powerful tale of friendship; one that To Get Married
you won't forget in a lifetime.
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4. To Kill A Mockingbird
Hailed as 'The American Novel' To Kill A Mockingbird is about having the courage Video: Why Facebook's MD Has
to stand by your convictions. Narrated through the ingenuous eyes of a child, Moved on From Work-Life Balance
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this novel explores the importance of integrity and duty when faced with
intolerance and injustice. With a message of anti-racism at its core, Harper Lee Recommended by
breaks down stereotypes with finesse and teaches a thing or two about being
respectful to our fellow human beings.
5. The Catcher in the Rye

J.D. Salinger's classic The Catcher in the Rye has always been ever so relatable
since it's publication in the 50s. 16-year-old Holden Caulfield and his antics have
since been synonymous with "cynical adolescent." Salinger captures the essence
of teenage angst and alienation with an edgy narrative and through Holden's
constant wry observations.
6. One Hundred Years of Solitude

One Hundred Years of Solitude tells the story of six generations of the Buendia
family, inhabiting the fictional and magical town of Macondo, somewhere in
South America. An enthralling concoction of quirks, ancient mysteries, family
secrets and peculiar contradictions culminates into one of Marquez's best works,
and as you soak yourself in the vivid imagery that unfolds with every page, you
realize that this fantastic piece of literature is magic realism at it's finest.
7. The Diary of a Young Girl

A very unusual document in the field of Holocaust literature, Anne Frank's diary
depicts an oddly optimistic tale of one of the darkest periods of history. Filled
with quiet moments of happiness, the thirteen year old girl's diary documents
the budding of a precious life. It is fascinating and equally heartbreaking to read
about the unfolding of events in her life, and we are indeed fortunate to have
been privy to a perfectly intimate record of youth.
8. On the Road
This roller coaster of a book follows Sal Paradise and Dean Moriarty on their
journey across North America in their quest for self-knowledge and experience,
fuelled by poetry, jazz and drug use. This classic novel on freedom and longing is
a definitive work of whatconstitutesthe Beat Generation.
9. Anna Karenina
While it might seem excruciatingly long, Tolstoy's evocative narrative will keep
you hooked to this intricate tale of the politics of relationships and love. You will
find yourself feeling deeply involved in the worlds and minds of the complex
characters. Anna Karenina' s triumph lies not just in Tolstoy's impeccable and
heartbreaking portrayal of the protagonist and the stark drama of her fate, but in
it's exploration of the deepest questions about how to live a fulfilled life.
10. Ulysses
Hailed as being blasphemous in its initial years of publication, Irish author James
Joyce's Ulysses is a modernist masterpiece. Ulysses is the Latinised name of
Odysseus , the hero of Homer 's epic poem Odyssey , and the novel establishes a
series of parallels between its characters and events and those of the poem. The
narrative unfolds in a stream of consciousness technique and we become privy to
the thoughts, emotions and memories of the characters in the novel.
11. 1984
This brilliant novel is one that dwells on dystopia and is startlingly original and
haunting. George Orwell creates an imaginary world with his prophetic,
nightmarish vision of where the world is headed. Orwell's writing is so visceral, it
will leave you feeling intrigued and disturbed at the same time, in the best
possible way.
12. The Bell jar

The Bell Jar is a key text of Anglo-American feminism and focuses on a woman's
struggles with her identity in the face of social pressure. This powerful semi-
autobiographical novel by Sylvia Plath is the only novel she wrote during her
lifetime. It is an intensely emotional and palpably real narration ofEsther
Greenwood's downward spiral into the grips of insanity.
13. Midnight's Children

In Midnight's Children Salman Rushdie deals with the portrayal of India's vast
cultural identity in the post-colonial times laced with magic realism, and he does
so with elan. The narrative traces the course of Saleem's life which is inextricably
linked with that of his motherland, and every act of his is mirrored in the events
that shape the newborn nation of India. The beautiful and complex language that
Rushdie employs in his novel brings to life the curious characters and lush
imagery.
14. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
Most definitely one of the funniest, if not THE funniest work of science fiction,
Douglas Adams' space odyssey is a wonderfully clever piece of literature. Replete
with impish-wit, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy isextremelywell-written
and provides an enchanting commentary onthe human condition. What is a
characteristic quality of this roller coaster of a novel is a beautifulabsurdity that
is tinged with mystery, whimsy, and oodles of wonder.
15.Maus, I: A Survivor's Tale: My Father Bleeds History

Another brilliantly penned Holocaust memoir, Art Spiegelman's masterpiece is
the story of a Jewish survivor of Hitler's Europe and his son, a cartoonist who
tries to come to terms with his father's story and history itself. The fact that it is
a graphic novel brings to life the atrocities of the time- youre not only reading,
but almost watching, the Holocaust. Jews depicted as mice, Germans as cats, this
is a poignant story of surviving the Holocaust and life afterwards.
16. Persepolis
Marjane Satrapi's autobiography is a timeless story of growing up amidst an
oppressive misogynistic extremist regime during the Islamic Revolution. It is
ahumorous and haunting memoir and the brilliant graphics capture the myriad
of emotions and experiences she goes through in her tryst with a world where all
children are forced to grow up.
17. A Farewell to Arms

Hemingway's war memoir is at the same time poetic, idyllic and tragic. An expose
of the horrors of World War I, A Farewell to Arms is a moving and beautiful book
about love and war.
18. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings

The first of Maya Angelou's series of autobiographies, I Know Why the Caged
Bird Sings is a social record of a young black female growing up in America in the
1930s. It is a raw and powerful coming of age story with the backdrop of racism,
violence against women and the problem of identity.
19. Vernon God Little

DBC Pierre's debut novel is a postmodern version of Catcher in the Rye. Replete
with wry humour, Vernon God Little is Pierre's assessment of American pop
culture and is barely about a school shooting as it appears to be on the outset.

This book has the very rare quality of simultaneously being wildly funny and
startlingly meaningful.
20. Innite Jest

David Foster Wallace's Infinite Jest is a philosophical quest with a just the right
amount of funny. Uniquely American, this book is about how our desires are
moderated and mediated by culture. It explores the passions that make us
human and the extent to which entertainment has come to dominate our lives.
21. The Brothers Karamazov
Dostoyevsky's genius shines through in this dense work of philosophy disguised

as a simple murder mystery. The plot revolves around the lives of three brothers
and how they evolve and deal with their struggles based on their differing world
views.The enthralling prose of The Brothers Karamazov captures a spiritual
drama of moral struggles concerning faith, doubt, and reason, set against a
modernizing Russia.
22. Everything is Illuminated

In his debut novel Jonathan Safran Foer fuses slapstick humour with a palpable
melancholy that looms through the course of the novel, to give you an
exhilarating tale of friendship, love and most importantly, loneliness. Foer's
clever narrative, and the bizarre and heartrending unfolding of events makes
Everything is Illuminated one of the most touching narration of stories revolving
around the Holocaust.
23. Catch 22
Joseph Heller's Catch-22 is the story of a US airman's attempts to survive the
madness of the Second World War, shortly after returning from the conflict
himself. Using satire, black humour and seemingly undefeatable logic, the book
brings to light the apparent madness of the modern world.
24. Three Men in a Boat

What was intended to be a travel guide to a boat trip on the river Thames, Three
Men in a Boat is an amusing account of three friends, and their dog, on a boating
expedition. Narrated in a Wodehouse-esque style, Jerome K Jerome's classic is
replete with misadventures and sheer silliness and will leave you pleasantly
happy by the end of it.
25. The Time Machine

The Time Machine is one of the earliest popular works of science fiction and is a
brilliant commentary on the themes of evolution of the human race and the
prevailing class structures. A prophecy of social doom, in this brilliant novella, H.
G. Wells uses the motif of time travel to highlight the glaring divide between the
rich and the poor in Victorian England.
26. A Brief History of Time
In A Brief History of Time: From the Big Bang to Black Holes , Stephen Hawking
provides an insight into the mystique that is the universe we inhabit. Replete
with physics and philosophy, one of the most fascinating scientists of our time
has given us an enthralling historical overview of cosmology. In his attempt at
explaining the world as we know it, while simultaneously raising pertinent
questions, Hawking has awakened our minds and made accessible the treasures
of science and the knowledge of the universe.
27. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time

Mark Haddon's The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time is the tale of a
boy detective wholives on patterns, rules, and a diagram kept in his pocket.
Narrated from the point of view of a fifteen year old with Asperger's Syndrome,
the author provides an insight into the emotional and moral confusion in the
lives of the adults around him with the help of thenarrator's innocence.
28. The Book Thief

The Book Thief tells the story of Leisel, a young German girl who comes of age
during World War II. It is narrated by Death, who has a personality of his own
and is constantly trying to understand the human race. The story unfolds with
lively humour and you will find yourself wrapped within some of the richest
descriptions ofone of the most horrific times in recent history. An unusual take
on the Holocaust, it is an unforgettable story about the ability of books to enrich
the soul.
29. Trainspotting
Written in the Scottish dialect, Irvine Welsh's genius novel is a trip in its own
right. It revolves aroundMark Renton, an intelligent, somewhat bitter and
philosophical junkie, who in between trying to quit heroin, muses about the
meaning of life and the pleasures and pain of being a junkie.Trainspotting is a
brilliant, haunting and hilarious story about a group of Scottish junkies- binge
drinking, shooting up in squalid apartments, random sex, and their attempts at a
normal life.
30. The Trial

In this haunting novel, Franz Kafka presents a bleak world where a once
respectable bank clerk is suddenly prosecuted for apparently no reason at all,
and does not even have the benefit of an effective lawyer to represent him. The
Trial is deeply thought-provoking in its uncomfortable presentation of a world
where people are observed by the secret police and suddenly arrested, reflecting
the social turmoil in Europe around the time Kafka wrote it in 1914.
Disclaimer: Yes, I am well aware that I have not included the Harry Potter series,
or Lord of The Rings, and there just isn't enough of Marquez, Kafka, Huxley or
even Murakami. And I really really want to recommend The Mahabharata. But
you see, that's the thing about books. You can never have an exhaustive
compilation of literature that you must experience.
So many books, so little time.
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16 Comments Sort by Oldest
Add a comment...
Ayush Sahay Gujarat National Law University

And The Fountainhead.
Like Reply 11 Sep 29, 2015 7:58pm
Saumya Prakash Rana Biju Patnaik University of Technology (BPUT)

Out of these 30 books; I have been reading only one i. e. No.03 Khaled
Hosseini THE KITE RUNNER . I m about to finish. Thank god!! At least I
have one.
Sowrya Kasim
you do not need other books The Kite Runner and A thousand
splendid suns are the best books. I am not even kidding when I say
this but ever since I read those books I have never liked any other
books as much as I liked them. :") I hope you are enjoying the kite
runner
Abhishek Sanyal
Sowrya Kasim , saumya, Khaled Hosseini has this amazing story
telling ability! I also recommend his third book 'And the mountains
echoed'! His books are always awesome!
Like Reply Sep 30, 2015 3:21am
Tilak Raj Kaushik

catcher in the rye is total bakwas
Divesh Sharma PR at Alcheringa, IIT Guwahati

probably because you didn't get it.
Astha Upadhyaya National Law University, Delhi

Divesh Sharma Or probably because everyone has a different taste
in literature.
It is a great book, though.
Like Reply 3 Sep 30, 2015 11:55am
Priyam Srivastava Equity Advisor at KARVY STOCK Broking Limited

You save the page to remember the books and you even forget that you
have saved this page
Shiwakshi R
Absolutely right!
Like Reply Jan 1, 2016 10:41pm
Pramit Majumdar West Bengal University of Technology

Kite Runner is the novel which has really struck the chord inside my heart or
so should I say my mind.In my opinion it is the best novel ever written by
Khaled Hossini
Jinen Mehta Mumbai, Maharashtra

i believe the alchemist too should be on this list ...
Abhigya Barthwal New Delhi, India

I have only read 5 of them!!
Like Reply Sep 30, 2015 3:57pm
Ojas Ojas
A Tale of two citis, Chrismas charols - Charles Dickenes, nothing is there ?
Otherwise a good list

Like Reply Oct 1, 2015 7:42pm
Aastha Rai Software engineer at Chitika, Inc.
features no classics but for anna karenina, probably on purpose, still
good though
Like Reply Jan 2, 2016 1:50pm
Almond Syiem Works at Self-Employed

Marquez's Love in the time of Cholera is a must read too. And so is Chaim
Potok's My Name is Asher Lev and Hosseini's A Thousand Splendid Suns.
And of course, William Golding's Darkness Visible is unforgettable too.
Like Reply Oct 7, 2015 7:57pm
Vignesh Patel James Cook University Singapore

Shantaram, The Mountain Shadow... ??
Like Reply 2 Jan 1, 2016 3:00pm
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10/1/2017 30 Books Everyone Must Read Before They Turn 30

Sep 29, 2015 at 14:02

30 Books Everyone Must Read Before They Turn 30

via ScoopWhoop News

1. Animal Farm The Unfortunate Tale Of A

Ente r y o u r Email ID Sign m e u p

These Postcard-Worthy Pictures Of

2. The Little Prince

36 Hilarious Tweets That Prove Why

This Innovative Durga Pujo Installation

3. The Kite Runner

you won't forget in a lifetime.

Video Captures Dying Woman

Around the World

5. The Catcher in the Rye

6. One Hundred Years of Solitude

7. The Diary of a Young Girl

12. The Bell jar

13. Midnight's Children

14. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

15.Maus, I: A Survivor's Tale: My Father Bleeds History

17. A Farewell to Arms

about love and war.

18. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings

19. Vernon God Little

culture and is barely about a school shooting as it appears to be on the outset.

20. Innite Jest

21. The Brothers Karamazov

Dostoyevsky's genius shines through in this dense work of philosophy disguised

22. Everything is Illuminated

24. Three Men in a Boat

25. The Time Machine

26. A Brief History of Time

27. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time

28. The Book Thief

30. The Trial

So many books, so little time.

TAGS: authors, books, Inspiration, inspired, Literature,

TRENDING TRENDING TRENDING

16 Comments Sort by Oldest

Ayush Sahay Gujarat National Law University

Saumya Prakash Rana Biju Patnaik University of Technology (BPUT)

Tilak Raj Kaushik

Divesh Sharma PR at Alcheringa, IIT Guwahati

Astha Upadhyaya National Law University, Delhi

Priyam Srivastava Equity Advisor at KARVY STOCK Broking Limited

Pramit Majumdar West Bengal University of Technology

Jinen Mehta Mumbai, Maharashtra

Abhigya Barthwal New Delhi, India

Otherwise a good list

Almond Syiem Works at Self-Employed

Vignesh Patel James Cook University Singapore

Load 6 more comments

Facebook Comments Plugin

Watch: Things Bengalis Do During Durga Pujo

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30 Of The Most Powerful Female Authors You

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