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The Ultimate Bucket List of Books (1,800 Essential Novels, Biographies, Essays, Plays, Science and Sports Books)

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 almost 100 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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*The Kingdom of God Is Within You (Leo Tolstoy/RUSSIA)
*The Kingdom of God Is Within You
1
Leo Tolstoy/RUSSIA
*Long Walk to Freedom (Nelson Mandela/SOUTH AFRICA)
*Long Walk to Freedom
2
Nelson Mandela/SOUTH AFRICA
....And Ladies of the Club (Helen Hooven Santmeyer)
....And Ladies of the Club
3
Helen Hooven Santmeyer
10 Landmark Supreme Court Decisions and How They Impact Your Life (David Hudson)
10 Landmark Supreme Court Decisions and How They Impact Your Life
4
David Hudson
1000 Books to Read Before You Die (James Mustich)
1000 Books to Read Before You Die
5
James Mustich
1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die
1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die
6
11/22/63 (Stephen King)
11/22/63
7
Stephen King
1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus (Charles C. Mann)
1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus
8
Charles C. Mann
1493: Uncovering the New World Columbus Created (Charles C. Mann)
1493: Uncovering the New World Columbus Created
9
Charles C. Mann
The 1619 Project: A New Origin Story (Nikole Hannah-Jones)
The 1619 Project: A New Origin Story
10
Nikole Hannah-Jones
1776 (David McCullough)
1776
11
David McCullough
1919 (John Dos Passos)
1919
12
John Dos Passos
1984 (George Orwell)
1984
13
George Orwell
2001: A Space Odyssey (Arthur C. Clarke)
2001: A Space Odyssey
14
Arthur C. Clarke
2010: Odyssey Two (Arthur C. Clarke)
2010: Odyssey Two
15
Arthur C. Clarke
2666 (Roberto Bolano)
2666
16
Roberto Bolano
The 42nd Parallel (John Dos Passos)
The 42nd Parallel
17
John Dos Passos
The 9/11 Commission Report (National Commission on Terrorist Attacks)
The 9/11 Commission Report
18
National Commission on Terrorist Attacks
About a Boy (Nick Hornby)
About a Boy
19
Nick Hornby
About Three Bricks Shy... and the Load Filled Up (Roy Blount Jr.)
About Three Bricks Shy... and the Load Filled Up
20
Roy Blount Jr.
Absalom, Absalom! (William Faulkner)
Absalom, Absalom!
21
William Faulkner
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian (Sherman Alexie)
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian
22
Sherman Alexie
Absolutely, Positively Alexander: The Complete Stories (Judith Viorst)
Absolutely, Positively Alexander: The Complete Stories
23
Judith Viorst
Acceptance (Jeff Vandermeer)
Acceptance
24
Jeff Vandermeer
The Accidental Tourist, by Anne Tyler
The Accidental Tourist, by Anne Tyler
25
The Adventures and Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes (Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)
The Adventures and Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes
26
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
The Adventures of Augie March (Saul Bellow)
The Adventures of Augie March
27
Saul Bellow
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (Mark Twain)
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
28
Mark Twain
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (Mark Twain)
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
29
Mark Twain
Advise and Consent (Allen Drury)
Advise and Consent
30
Allen Drury
The Aeneid (Virgil)
The Aeneid
31
Virgil
Afterlives (Abdulrazak Gurnah)
Afterlives
32
Abdulrazak Gurnah
The Age of Innocence (Edith Wharton)
The Age of Innocence
33
Edith Wharton
The Age of Wonder (Richard Holmes)
The Age of Wonder
34
Richard Holmes
Agent Running in the Field (John Le Carré)
Agent Running in the Field
35
John Le Carré
The Agony and the Ecstasy (Irving Stone)
The Agony and the Ecstasy
36
Irving Stone
Ahab (Sequels) (Pierre Senges)
Ahab (Sequels)
37
Pierre Senges
Alan Turing: The Enigma (Andrew Hodges)
Alan Turing: The Enigma
38
Andrew Hodges
The Alchemist (Paulo Coelho)
The Alchemist
39
Paulo Coelho
The Alchemy of Stone (Ekaterina Sedia)
The Alchemy of Stone
40
Ekaterina Sedia
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