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30 Books Everyone Should Read Before Turning 30

Earlier this week, we stumbled across a list over at Divine Caroline of thirty books everyone should read before they’re thirty. While we totally agreed with some of the picks, we thought there were some essential reads missing, so we decided to put together a list of our own. We stuck to fiction for simplicity’s sake, and chose the books below on a variety of criteria, selecting enduring classics that have been informing new literature since their first printing, stories that speak specifically or most powerfully to younger readers, and books we simply couldn’t imagine reaching thirty without having read. Of course, we hope that you read more than thirty books by the time you hit your fourth decade, so this list is incomplete — but we had to stop somewhere. Here are the books we think everyone should read before their thirtieth birtthday.
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1
The Iliad and the Odyssey (Homer)
The Iliad and the Odyssey
Homer
2
The Secret History - Donna Tartt
The Secret History - Donna Tartt
3
Jesus' Son
Jesus' Son
4
The Complete Stories of Flannery O'Connor
The Complete Stories of Flannery O'Connor
5
Much Ado About Nothing
Much Ado About Nothing
6
The Sun Also Rises
The Sun Also Rises
7
The Road (Cormac McCarthy)
The Road
Cormac McCarthy
8
Maus: The Complete Maus
Maus: The Complete Maus
9
Ender's Game
Ender's Game
10
Pride and Prejudice (Jane Austen)
Pride and Prejudice
Jane Austen
11
Middlesex
Middlesex
12
Ghost World (Daniel Clowes)
Ghost World
Daniel Clowes
13
On the Road (Jack Kerouac)
On the Road
Jack Kerouac
14
Their Eyes Were Watching God
Their Eyes Were Watching God
15
Cat's Cradle
Cat's Cradle
16
Lolita (Vladimir Nabokov)
Lolita
Vladimir Nabokov
17
The Lord of the Rings (J.R.R.Tolkien)
The Lord of the Rings
J.R.R.Tolkien
18
1984 (George Orwell)
1984
George Orwell
19
The Catcher in the Rye (J.D. Salinger)
The Catcher in the Rye
J.D. Salinger
20
The Great Gatsby (F. Scott Fitzgerald)
The Great Gatsby
F. Scott Fitzgerald
21
Beloved (Toni Morrison)
Beloved
Toni Morrison
22
Infinite Jest (David Foster Wallace)
Infinite Jest
David Foster Wallace
23
Lord of the Flies (William Golding)
Lord of the Flies
William Golding
24
Don Quixote (Miguel De Cervantes)
Don Quixote
Miguel De Cervantes
25
The Trial (Franz Kafka)
The Trial
Franz Kafka
26
To the Lighthouse
To the Lighthouse
27
Fahrenheit 451
Fahrenheit 451
28
Invisible Man (Ralph Ellison)
Invisible Man
Ralph Ellison
29
To Kill a Mockingbird (Harper Lee)
To Kill a Mockingbird
Harper Lee
30
Treasure Island (Robert Louis Stevenson)
Treasure Island
Robert Louis Stevenson
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