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Pure Wow's 40 Books Every Woman Should Read Before She's 40

In life, there are just some things every woman should do before a certain age. Being well read is one of them. From undeniable classics to low-brow humor, we compiled a comprehensive list of all the must-reads to tackle before your fourth decade. Whether you skimmed it once in high school (hey, that counts!) or have pored over each page every year since high school, see how many you can check off our literary bucket list.
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The Bluest Eye (Toni Morrison)
The Bluest Eye
1
Toni Morrison
Mrs Dalloway (Virginia Woolf)
Mrs Dalloway
2
Virginia Woolf
Middlesex (Jeffrey Eugenides)
Middlesex
3
Jeffrey Eugenides
The Inheritance of Loss (Kiran Desai)
The Inheritance of Loss
4
Kiran Desai
Midnight's Children (Salman Rushdie)
Midnight's Children
5
Salman Rushdie
On the Road (Jack Kerouac)
On the Road
6
Jack Kerouac
The Handmaid's Tale (Margaret Atwood)
The Handmaid's Tale
7
Margaret Atwood
Bossypants (Tina Fey)
Bossypants
8
Tina Fey
East of Eden (John Steinbeck)
East of Eden
9
John Steinbeck
The House of Mirth (Edith Wharton)
The House of Mirth
10
Edith Wharton
Interpreter of Maladies (Jhumpa Lahiri)
Interpreter of Maladies
11
Jhumpa Lahiri
The Joy Luck Club (Amy Tan)
The Joy Luck Club
12
Amy Tan
The Stranger (Albert Camus)
The Stranger
13
Albert Camus
The Metamorphosis (Franz Kafka)
The Metamorphosis
14
Franz Kafka
The Year of Magical Thinking (Joan Didion)
The Year of Magical Thinking
15
Joan Didion
White Teeth (Zadie Smith)
White Teeth
16
Zadie Smith
Them (Joyce Carol Oates)
Them
17
Joyce Carol Oates
Anna Karenina (Leo Tolstoy)
Anna Karenina
18
Leo Tolstoy
Pride and Prejudice (Jane Austen)
Pride and Prejudice
19
Jane Austen
The Fountainhead (Ayn Rand)
The Fountainhead
20
Ayn Rand
The Bell Jar (Sylvia Plath)
The Bell Jar
21
Sylvia Plath
To Kill a Mockingbird (Harper Lee)
To Kill a Mockingbird
22
Harper Lee
Bel Canto (Ann Patchett)
Bel Canto
23
Ann Patchett
The Goldfinch (Donna Tartt)
The Goldfinch
24
Donna Tartt
I Feel Bad About My Neck (Ephron)
I Feel Bad About My Neck
25
Ephron
Dear Life: Stories (Alice Munro)
Dear Life: Stories
26
Alice Munro
Americanah (Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie)
Americanah
27
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
The Color Purple (Alice Walker)
The Color Purple
28
Alice Walker
The Portrait of a Lady (Henry James)
The Portrait of a Lady
29
Henry James
Personal History (Katharine Graham)
Personal History
30
Katharine Graham
The Liar's Club (Mary Karr)
The Liar's Club
31
Mary Karr
Great Expectations (Charles Dickens)
Great Expectations
32
Charles Dickens
Their Eyes Were Watching God (Zora Neale Hurston)
Their Eyes Were Watching God
33
Zora Neale Hurston
Just Kids (Patti Smith)
Just Kids
34
Patti Smith
American Wife (Curtis Sittenfeld)
American Wife
35
Curtis Sittenfeld
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (Maya Angelou)
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
36
Maya Angelou
The Second Sex (Simone De Beauvoir)
The Second Sex
37
Simone De Beauvoir
Jane Eyre (Charlotte Brontë)
Jane Eyre
38
Charlotte Brontë
Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret. (Judy Blume)
Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret.
39
Judy Blume
My Life on the Road (Gloria Steinem)
My Life on the Road
40
Gloria Steinem
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