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A Bucket List of Books (1,500 Novels, Biographies, Essays, Memoirs, Plays, Science, Science Fiction and Sports Books). Updated to 2021

Most lists of "essential books" are flawed in some manner. They are either too short ("top 50 books for men", or too old (no books from the last 50 years). Other book lists fail to include essays, plays, rock and roll memoirs, science books, and science fiction. Other lists fall short in providing a true world view. I tried to get a solid sampling from every genre and from most countries. This list was created by taking the best of 15 lists. I then added several years of recommended books from the The Week, and foreign language recommended books. I then added my favorites to the list if they were not already there. Enjoy!
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1
....And Ladies of the Club (Helen Hooven Santmeyer)
....And Ladies of the Club (Helen Hooven Santmeyer)
2
"Interpreter of Maladies" by Jhumpa Lahiri
"Interpreter of Maladies" by Jhumpa Lahiri
3
11/22/63 (Stephen King)
11/22/63 (Stephen King)
4
1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus
1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus
5
1493 (Charles C. Mann)
1493 (Charles C. Mann)
6
1776 (David McCullough)
1776 (David McCullough)
7
1919 (John Dos Passos)
1919 (John Dos Passos)
8
1984 (George Orwell)
1984 (George Orwell)
9
2001: A Space Odyssey (Arthur C. Clarke)
2001: A Space Odyssey (Arthur C. Clarke)
10
2010: Odyssey Two (Arthur C. Clarke)
2010: Odyssey Two (Arthur C. Clarke)
11
2666 (Roberto Bolano)
2666 (Roberto Bolano)
12
The 42nd Parallel
The 42nd Parallel
13
The 9/11 Commission Report (National Commission on Terrorist Attacks)
The 9/11 Commission Report (National Commission on Terrorist Attacks)
14
About a Boy by Nick Hornby
About a Boy by Nick Hornby
15
About Three Bricks Shy... and the Load Filled Up (Roy Blount Jr.)
About Three Bricks Shy... and the Load Filled Up (Roy Blount Jr.)
16
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian (Sherman Alexie)
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian (Sherman Alexie)
17
Acceptance (Jeff Vandermeer)
Acceptance (Jeff Vandermeer)
18
The Accidental Billionaires
The Accidental Billionaires
19
The Accidental Tourist (Anne Tyler)
The Accidental Tourist (Anne Tyler)
20
The Adventures and Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes (Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)
The Adventures and Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes (Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)
21
The Adventures of Augie March
The Adventures of Augie March
22
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (Mark Twain)
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (Mark Twain)
23
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
24
Advise and Consent (Allen Drury)
Advise and Consent (Allen Drury)
25
Aeneid (Virgil)
Aeneid (Virgil)
26
The Age of Innocence (Edith Wharton)
The Age of Innocence (Edith Wharton)
27
The Age of Reason (Thomas Paine)
The Age of Reason (Thomas Paine)
28
The Age of Wonder (Richard Holmes)
The Age of Wonder (Richard Holmes)
29
Agent Running in the Field (John Le Carré)
Agent Running in the Field (John Le Carré)
30
The Agony and the Ecstasy (Stone, Irving)
The Agony and the Ecstasy (Stone, Irving)
31
The Alchemist (Paulo Coelho)
The Alchemist (Paulo Coelho)
32
The Alchemy of Stone (Ekaterina Sedia)
The Alchemy of Stone (Ekaterina Sedia)
33
Alexander Hamilton (Ron Chernow)
Alexander Hamilton (Ron Chernow)
34
Alias Grace (Margaret Atwood)
Alias Grace (Margaret Atwood)
35
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
36
All Clear (Connie Willis)
All Clear (Connie Willis)
37
All Creatures Great and Small
All Creatures Great and Small
38
All the King's Men (Robert Penn Warren)
All the King's Men (Robert Penn Warren)
39
All the Light We Cannot See (Anthony Doerr)
All the Light We Cannot See (Anthony Doerr)
40
All the President's Men (Carl Bernstein)
All the President's Men (Carl Bernstein)
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