List Challenges
Movies Books Travel Food Other
Trending
New
Popular
Sign In
 Make a List Browse Lists Search Lists Leaders Help / Contact Newsletter

Complex's 50 Books to Read Before You Die

Anyone who's spent hours inside a Barnes & Noble knows how daunting it is to select the right books, though, which is why we here at Complex have decided to provide a diverse end-of-days literary list, a.k.a. 50 Books To Read Before You Die, one that's been compiled from the personal libraries of each staff member.
2,696 users · 14,620 views
 
from ca.complex.com · made by Tmdswanson
avg. score: 9 of 50 (19%)
required scores: 1, 4, 6, 10, 13 
type to search

How many have you read?

Page 1 of 2
No Country for Old Men (Cormac McCarthy)
No Country for Old Men
1
Cormac McCarthy
One Hundred Years of Solitude (Gabriel Garcia Marquez)
One Hundred Years of Solitude
2
Gabriel Garcia Marquez
A Wild Sheep Chase (Haruki Murakami)
A Wild Sheep Chase
3
Haruki Murakami
Native Son (Richard Wright)
Native Son
4
Richard Wright
Metamorphosis (Franz Kafka)
Metamorphosis
5
Franz Kafka
Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man (James Joyce)
Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man
6
James Joyce
Selected Stories of Philip K.Dick (Philip K. Dick)
Selected Stories of Philip K.Dick
7
Philip K. Dick
The Savage Detectives (Roberto Bolaño)
The Savage Detectives
8
Roberto Bolaño
Jesus' Son (Denis Johnson)
Jesus' Son
9
Denis Johnson
Ghostwritten
Ghostwritten
10
The Complete Tales and Poems of Edgar Allen Poe (Edgar Allen Poe)
The Complete Tales and Poems of Edgar Allen Poe
11
Edgar Allen Poe
Sarah Hall: The Electric Michaelangelo
Sarah Hall: The Electric Michaelangelo
12
If on a Winter's Night a Traveler (Italo Calvino)
If on a Winter's Night a Traveler
13
Italo Calvino
The Big Sleep (Raymond Chandler)
The Big Sleep
14
Raymond Chandler
The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao (Junot Díaz)
The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao
15
Junot Díaz
The Stories of Ray Bradbury (Ray Bradbury)
The Stories of Ray Bradbury
16
Ray Bradbury
Haunted (Chuck Palahniuk)
Haunted
17
Chuck Palahniuk
What We Talk About When We Talk About Love
What We Talk About When We Talk About Love
18
Flicker (Theodore Roszak)
Flicker
19
Theodore Roszak
Brave New World (Aldous Huxley)
Brave New World
20
Aldous Huxley
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (Douglas Adams)
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
21
Douglas Adams
H.P. Lovecraft the Complete Fiction (H.P. Lovecraft)
H.P. Lovecraft the Complete Fiction
22
H.P. Lovecraft
The Intuitionist
The Intuitionist
23
I Am Legend (Richard Matheson)
I Am Legend
24
Richard Matheson
Books of Blood (Clive Barker)
Books of Blood
25
Clive Barker
The Haunting of Hill House (Shirley Jackson)
The Haunting of Hill House
26
Shirley Jackson
Lolita (Vladimir Nabokov)
Lolita
27
Vladimir Nabokov
The Notebook (Agota Kristof)
The Notebook
28
Agota Kristof
The Stranger (Albert Camus)
The Stranger
29
Albert Camus
A Clockwork Orange (Anthony Burgess)
A Clockwork Orange
30
Anthony Burgess
Watchmen (Alan Moore)
Watchmen
31
Alan Moore
The Fortress of Solitude (Jonathan Lethem)
The Fortress of Solitude
32
Jonathan Lethem
Lord of the Flies (William Golding)
Lord of the Flies
33
William Golding
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (Hunter S. Thompson)
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas
34
Hunter S. Thompson
Catch-22 (Joseph Heller)
Catch-22
35
Joseph Heller
Frankenstein (Mary Shelley)
Frankenstein
36
Mary Shelley
House of Leaves (Mark Z. Danielewski)
House of Leaves
37
Mark Z. Danielewski
1984 (George Orwell)
1984
38
George Orwell
The Great Gatsby (F. Scott Fitzgerald)
The Great Gatsby
39
F. Scott Fitzgerald
Earth Abides
Earth Abides
40
Page 1 of 2
Your score: 0/50 · 0%  
Click books you've read
Lists Similar to 'Complex's 50 Books to Read Before You Die'
Complex.com - 50 Books to Read Before You Die
Complex.com - 50 Books to Read Before You Die
3,527
50
Complex's the 25 Comic Books You Need to Read Before You Die
Complex's the 25 Comic Books You Need to Read Before You Die
404
25
The Comic Books You Need to Read Before You Die (Complex)
The Comic Books You Need to Read Before You Die (Complex)
208
28
Complex: 100 Movies You Need to See Before You Die
Complex: 100 Movies You Need to See Before You Die
14,296
100
The Books I've Read (From 1001 Books to Read Before You Die)
The Books I've Read (From 1001 Books to Read Before You Die)
823
143
51 Indie Movies You Need to See Before You Die (Complex)
51 Indie Movies You Need to See Before You Die (Complex)
428
51
Books G Has Read From "1001 Books to Read Before You Die"
Books G Has Read From "1001 Books to Read Before You Die"
499
205
Complex's 100 Must-Watch Movies to See Before You Die
Complex's 100 Must-Watch Movies to See Before You Die
273
100
Complex's 56 Best Foreign Films to See Before You Die
Complex's 56 Best Foreign Films to See Before You Die
174
56
31 Movies to Die For: Complex's 2020 Horror Movie Marathon
31 Movies to Die For: Complex's 2020 Horror Movie Marathon
132
16
Complex, Difficult Books That Are Worth the Effort It Takes to Read Them
Complex, Difficult Books That Are Worth the Effort It Takes to Read Them
2,670
60
1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die Books Mentioned in Other 1001 Books
1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die Books Mentioned in Other 1001 Books
961
327
The Big Read: BBC Top 100 Books to Read Before You Die
The Big Read: BBC Top 100 Books to Read Before You Die
2,826
100
20 Must Read Books We Must Read Before We Die
20 Must Read Books We Must Read Before We Die
932
20
Books to Read Have Read Before You Die
Books to Read Have Read Before You Die
900
100
What Jbooks Has Read From 1000 Books to Read Before You Die
What Jbooks Has Read From 1000 Books to Read Before You Die
497
332
Top Rated Books From "1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die" on Goodreads
Top Rated Books From "1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die" on Goodreads
2,772
237
25 Books to Read Before You Die - Powell's Books
25 Books to Read Before You Die - Powell's Books
982
25
Books to Read Before You Die: Mustich List & Boxall List (Plus Other Books)
Books to Read Before You Die: Mustich List & Boxall List (Plus Other Books)
860
3301
All Books in '1000 Books to Read Before You Die': L-O
All Books in '1000 Books to Read Before You Die': L-O
462
975
Powell's City of Books: 25 Books to Read Before You Die, World Edition
Powell's City of Books: 25 Books to Read Before You Die, World Edition
445
25
Books Recommended in '1000 Books to Read Before You Die': S-T
Books Recommended in '1000 Books to Read Before You Die': S-T
376
827
25 Books to Read Before You Die: World Edition - Powell's Books
25 Books to Read Before You Die: World Edition - Powell's Books
369
25
Final List of Books Recommended in '1,000 Books to Read Before You Die': U-Z
Final List of Books Recommended in '1,000 Books to Read Before You Die': U-Z
334
433
All Books Recommended in '1000 Books to Read Before You Die': P-R
All Books Recommended in '1000 Books to Read Before You Die': P-R
286
470
23 Books for Citizens Living in a Complex Modern Democracy
23 Books for Citizens Living in a Complex Modern Democracy
305
23
BBC's Top 100 Books You Need to Read Before You Die
BBC's Top 100 Books You Need to Read Before You Die
460,103
100
50 Books to Read Before You Die
50 Books to Read Before You Die
448,483
50
Goodreads' 100 Books to Read Before You Die
Goodreads' 100 Books to Read Before You Die
56,210
100
Updated - The Ultimate List - 100 Books to Read Before You Die (With 57 Bonus Titles)
Updated - The Ultimate List - 100 Books to Read Before You Die (With 57 Bonus Titles)
29,508
157
All Similar Lists
Newsletter · Help/Contact · Privacy · Copyright Claim   © 2025 App Spring, Inc. · This product uses the TMDb API but is not endorsed or certified by TMDb.
Seen It - Movies & TV 
Android & iOS
Seen It is a new app from the creators of List Challenges. You can view movies and shows in one place and filter by streaming provider, genre, release year, runtime, and rating (Rotten Tomatoes, Imdb, and/or Metacritic). Also, you can track what you've seen, want to see, like, or dislike, as well as track individual seasons or episodes of shows. In addition, you can see the most watched/liked stuff amongst your friends. Learn more at SEENIT.FUN