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50 Books Every Woman (And Everyone Else) Should Read Before Turning 40

Full disclosure: this list is from GoodHouseKeeping.com, but I took out a couple of books and exchanged them for my own recommendations. I won't say what the books were, but let's just say they involved a lot of grey... and a lot of eating and praying and other such things.
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Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret. (Judy Blume)
Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret.
1
Judy Blume
A Visit From the Goon Squad (Jennifer Egan)
A Visit From the Goon Squad
2
Jennifer Egan
Ain't I a Woman (Bell Hooks)
Ain't I a Woman
3
Bell Hooks
The Diary of a Young Girl (Anne Frank)
The Diary of a Young Girl
4
Anne Frank
Bad Feminist (Roxane Gay)
Bad Feminist
5
Roxane Gay
The Bean Trees (Barbara Kingsolver)
The Bean Trees
6
Barbara Kingsolver
Americanah (Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie)
Americanah
7
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
The Beauty Myth (Naomi Wolf)
The Beauty Myth
8
Naomi Wolf
The Bell Jar (Sylvia Plath)
The Bell Jar
9
Sylvia Plath
Beloved (Toni Morrison)
Beloved
10
Toni Morrison
Bossypants (Tina Fey)
Bossypants
11
Tina Fey
Bridget Jones's Diary (Helen Fielding)
Bridget Jones's Diary
12
Helen Fielding
A Room of One's Own (Virginia Woolf)
A Room of One's Own
13
Virginia Woolf
The Color Purple (Alice Walker)
The Color Purple
14
Alice Walker
The Feminine Mystique (Betty Friedan)
The Feminine Mystique
15
Betty Friedan
Fun Home (Alison Bechdel)
Fun Home
16
Alison Bechdel
Gilead (Marilynne Robinson)
Gilead
17
Marilynne Robinson
The Goldfinch (Donna Tartt)
The Goldfinch
18
Donna Tartt
A Good Man Is Hard to Find (Flannery O'Connor)
A Good Man Is Hard to Find
19
Flannery O'Connor
The Handmaid's Tale (Margaret Atwood)
The Handmaid's Tale
20
Margaret Atwood
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (J.K. Rowling)
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
21
J.K. Rowling
Fear of Flying (Erica Jong)
Fear of Flying
22
Erica Jong
The House on Mango Street (Sandra Cisneros)
The House on Mango Street
23
Sandra Cisneros
In the Time of the Butterflies (Julia Alvarez)
In the Time of the Butterflies
24
Julia Alvarez
Interpreter of Maladies (Jhumpa Lahiri)
Interpreter of Maladies
25
Jhumpa Lahiri
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (Maya Angelou)
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
26
Maya Angelou
Little House on the Prairie (Laura Ingalls Wilder)
Little House on the Prairie
27
Laura Ingalls Wilder
Jane Eyre (Charlotte Bronte)
Jane Eyre
28
Charlotte Bronte
Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead (Sheryl Sandberg)
Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead
29
Sheryl Sandberg
The Joy Luck Club (Amy Tan)
The Joy Luck Club
30
Amy Tan
The House of the Spirits (Isabel Allende)
The House of the Spirits
31
Isabel Allende
The Liar's Club (Mary Karr)
The Liar's Club
32
Mary Karr
Lives of Girls and Women (Alice Munro)
Lives of Girls and Women
33
Alice Munro
Their Eyes Were Watching God (Zora Neale Hurston)
Their Eyes Were Watching God
34
Zora Neale Hurston
A Little Princess (Frances Hodgson Burnett)
A Little Princess
35
Frances Hodgson Burnett
Lucky (Alice Sebold)
Lucky
36
Alice Sebold
On Beauty (Zadie Smith)
On Beauty
37
Zadie Smith
Madame Bovary (Gustave Flaubert)
Madame Bovary
38
Gustave Flaubert
Little Women (Louisa May Alcott)
Little Women
39
Louisa May Alcott
Our Bodies, Ourselves
Our Bodies, Ourselves
40
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