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

This Theatre Nerd's 40 Books to Read Before 40

"When I look back, I am so impressed again with the life-giving power of literature. If I were a young person today, trying to gain a sense of myself in the world, I would do that again by reading, just as I did when I was young." – Maya Angelou
There seems to be several of these books lists going around, and this one has a selected number of years left before reaching that age. So here you are.
214 users · 595 views
 
avg. score: 6 of 40 (14%)
required scores: 1, 2, 4, 6, 9 
type to search

How many have you read?

Page 1 of 1
1
Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil (John Berendt)
Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil
John Berendt
2
Persuasion (Jane Austen)
Persuasion
Jane Austen
3
A Tale of Two Cities (Charles Dickens)
A Tale of Two Cities
Charles Dickens
4
Alias Grace (Margaret Atwood)
Alias Grace
Margaret Atwood
5
Dracula (Bram Stoker)
Dracula
Bram Stoker
6
The Detroit Project (Dominique Morisseau)
The Detroit Project
Dominique Morisseau
7
My Broken Language (Quiara Alegría Hudes)
My Broken Language
Quiara Alegría Hudes
8
Death of Innocence (Mamie Till-Mobley)
Death of Innocence
Mamie Till-Mobley
9
I Am Malala (Malala Yousafzai)
I Am Malala
Malala Yousafzai
10
This Time for Me (Alexandra Billings)
This Time for Me
Alexandra Billings
11
Their Eyes Were Watching God (Zora Neale Hurston)
Their Eyes Were Watching God
Zora Neale Hurston
12
Unprotected (Billy Porter)
Unprotected
Billy Porter
13
Romantic Outlaws (Charlotte Gordon)
Romantic Outlaws
Charlotte Gordon
14
Chita (Chita Rivera)
Chita
Chita Rivera
15
I Capture the Castle (Dodie Smith)
I Capture the Castle
Dodie Smith
16
Orlando (Virginia Woolf)
Orlando
Virginia Woolf
17
War and Peace (Leo Tolstoy)
War and Peace
Leo Tolstoy
18
At the Heart of the White Rose: The Letters and Diaries of Hans and Sophie Scholl (Hans Scholl, Sophie Scholl, and Inge Jens)
At the Heart of the White Rose: The Letters and Diaries of Hans and Sophie Scholl
Hans Scholl, Sophie Scholl, and Inge Jens
19
The Story of My Life (Helen Keller)
The Story of My Life
Helen Keller
20
Putting It Together (James Lapine)
Putting It Together
James Lapine
21
Kimberly Akimbo (David Lindsay-Abaire and Jeanine Tesori)
Kimberly Akimbo
David Lindsay-Abaire and Jeanine Tesori
22
Victoria the Queen: An Intimate Biography of the Woman Who Ruled an Empire (Julia Baird)
Victoria the Queen: An Intimate Biography of the Woman Who Ruled an Empire
Julia Baird
23
Joan of Arc: A Life Transfigured (Kathryn Harrison)
Joan of Arc: A Life Transfigured
Kathryn Harrison
24
In the Heights: Finding Home (Lin-Manuel Miranda, Quiara Alegria Hudes)
In the Heights: Finding Home
Lin-Manuel Miranda, Quiara Alegria Hudes
25
Hidden Figures (Margot Lee Shetterly)
Hidden Figures
Margot Lee Shetterly
26
The Good Neighbor: The Life and Works of Fred Rogers (Maxwell King)
The Good Neighbor: The Life and Works of Fred Rogers
Maxwell King
27
Curtains?: The Future of the Arts in America (Michael M. Kaiser)
Curtains?: The Future of the Arts in America
Michael M. Kaiser
28
The Girl on the Balcony (Olivia Hussey)
The Girl on the Balcony
Olivia Hussey
29
Long Walk to Freedom (Nelson Mandela)
Long Walk to Freedom
Nelson Mandela
30
Smile: The Story of a Face (Sarah Ruhl)
Smile: The Story of a Face
Sarah Ruhl
31
Richard III (William Shakespeare)
Richard III
William Shakespeare
32
Reading Lolita in Tehran (Azar Nafisi)
Reading Lolita in Tehran
Azar Nafisi
33
Jailed for Freedom: American Women Win the Vote (Doris Stevens)
Jailed for Freedom: American Women Win the Vote
Doris Stevens
34
The House in the Cerulean Sea (T.J. Klune)
The House in the Cerulean Sea
T.J. Klune
35
The Lord of the Rings (J.R.R. Tolkien)
The Lord of the Rings
J.R.R. Tolkien
36
The Complete Sherlock Holmes (Arthur Conan Doyle)
The Complete Sherlock Holmes
Arthur Conan Doyle
37
People, Places & Things (Duncan MacMillan)
People, Places & Things
Duncan MacMillan
38
How to Write About Theatre (Mark Fisher)
How to Write About Theatre
Mark Fisher
39
Villette (Charlotte Brontë)
Villette
Charlotte Brontë
40
Death Comes to Pemberley (P.D. James)
Death Comes to Pemberley
P.D. James
Page 1 of 1
 Your Results
Click the SHOW MY RESULTS button
above to calculate your results.
Click books you've read
Lists Similar to 'This Theatre Nerd's 40 Books to Read Before 40'
This Theatre Nerd's One Book Read, One to Be Read (Updated 2024)
This Theatre Nerd's One Book Read, One to Be Read (Updated 2024)
150
132
This Theatre Nerd's 500 Books to Read Before 50
This Theatre Nerd's 500 Books to Read Before 50
409
500
The Last 100 Books by Female Authors This Theatre Nerd Has Read
The Last 100 Books by Female Authors This Theatre Nerd Has Read
269
100
Books This Theatre Nerd Read in 2018
Books This Theatre Nerd Read in 2018
201
54
Books This Theatre Nerd Read in 2022
Books This Theatre Nerd Read in 2022
192
60
Books This Theatre Nerd Has Read in the First Half of 2024
Books This Theatre Nerd Has Read in the First Half of 2024
133
38
Books This Theatre Nerd Read in 2020
Books This Theatre Nerd Read in 2020
128
58
Books This Theatre Nerd Read in 2019
Books This Theatre Nerd Read in 2019
126
48
Favorite Books This Theatre Nerd Has Read in the Last Four Years
Favorite Books This Theatre Nerd Has Read in the Last Four Years
124
69
Books This Theatre Nerd Read in 2021
Books This Theatre Nerd Read in 2021
121
64
Books This Theatre Nerd Wants to Read in 2023
Books This Theatre Nerd Wants to Read in 2023
114
51
Books This Theatre Nerd Tends to Read in 2024 and the Near Future
Books This Theatre Nerd Tends to Read in 2024 and the Near Future
100
59
Books This Theatre Nerd Has Read for the First Time in 2024
Books This Theatre Nerd Has Read for the First Time in 2024
69
58
Books This Theatre Nerd Has Read for the First Time in 2023
Books This Theatre Nerd Has Read for the First Time in 2023
57
55
This Theatre Nerd's One Read, One to Be Read
This Theatre Nerd's One Read, One to Be Read
243
94
This Theatre Nerd's Script and Theatre Library
This Theatre Nerd's Script and Theatre Library
89
156
Stage Plays and Musicals This Theatre Nerd Has Read
Stage Plays and Musicals This Theatre Nerd Has Read
120
172
This Theatre Nerd's 20 Recent Reads and 20 TBR's
This Theatre Nerd's 20 Recent Reads and 20 TBR's
109
40
Authors This Theatre Nerd Remembers Reading
Authors This Theatre Nerd Remembers Reading
60
137
This Theatre Nerd Reflects: 25 Favorite Authors, 4 Books Each
This Theatre Nerd Reflects: 25 Favorite Authors, 4 Books Each
590
100
First 100 Books This Theatre Nerd Thought Of
First 100 Books This Theatre Nerd Thought Of
282
100
This Theatre Nerd's 120 Books by Female Authors
This Theatre Nerd's 120 Books by Female Authors
185
120
This Theatre Nerd's Last 100 Books by Female Authors
This Theatre Nerd's Last 100 Books by Female Authors
164
100
This Theatre Nerd's Books From A to Z
This Theatre Nerd's Books From A to Z
160
26
This Theatre Nerd's Last 100 Books by Female Authors (Updated 2024)
This Theatre Nerd's Last 100 Books by Female Authors (Updated 2024)
144
100
This Theatre Nerd's Last 100 Books by Male Authors
This Theatre Nerd's Last 100 Books by Male Authors
93
100
This Theatre Nerd's 200 Books Written by 200 Authors
This Theatre Nerd's 200 Books Written by 200 Authors
93
200
This Theatre Nerd's Humiliation List
This Theatre Nerd's Humiliation List
317
48
This Theatre Nerd's Travel Bucket List
This Theatre Nerd's Travel Bucket List
208
46
This Theatre Nerd's Four Authors of Every Letter in the Alphabet (Except for X)
This Theatre Nerd's Four Authors of Every Letter in the Alphabet (Except for X)
168
96
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