Things to Know About “books you need to read before you die” Lists

I pick the books I read in a kind of unofficial cycle of 4 types.  The recurring cycle goes something like this:

Book 1:  Current book that everyone is talking about

By this I mean something like Eleonor Oliphant or The Power.  The title friends rave about.  The book likely to come up if you are in a book club.  The one on the stack that you see first in the book shop.  Because of the proven popularity, this is usually a great experience, gives plenty of opportunity for connection with bookworms and generally, is an accessible but challenging read.

Book 2:  Something Non-Fiction that has given me FOMO

Usually during the reading of book 1, I see a book that fills me with existential dread that not knowing what’s in it will inadvertently ruin my life.  FOMO – Fear of Missing Out. I’ve therefore read most self-help books.  Don’t sweat small stuff – OK.  Roads less travelled?  Show me the road!  Brene Brown’s TED talk?  Send me ALL her books. 

Book 3:  A pure guilty pleasure

After Books 1 and 2, I feel like I need something that I personally know I’m guaranteed to love.  This could be, for example, anything by Marian Keyes or Sophie Kinsella.  I will love these so much, I will finish in a maximum of 3 days and mourn their last pages.

Book 4:  Something from a “100 books you need to read before you die list”

This is the thing I want to talk about.  I’ve declared my FOMO symptoms already in this article, but when it comes to books, for me it’s a very real phenomenon.

Many of these lists exist, but for the most part they include the same books.  These will be books that you had to read for school.  Books that you think you should read but actually don’t want to.  There may be your life long favourites on there, but of all my 4 types of books, this is usually the most challenging.  I’d say I’m currently about 40 – 50% of the way through the average list, but in an interesting statistical twist, I’m probably only 10% of the way through the amount of words I’ve yet to devour.

And that leads me on to this.  Things to note about books to read before you die: 

1. You probably have a good foundation before you even proactively start, that will give you false confidence.

Not all books on these lists are complex tomes.  The BBC’s list for example includes Anne of Green Gables, Winnie the Pooh and Charlotte’s Web.

2. Following on from point 1, there are a few easy ones to pick off that will give you a false sense of security

I confess, I always check page count of a book before I start, just so I understand the time investment I’m making.  With this in mind, there are usually books on this list you can crack through in a couple of hours.  I’m thinking Animal Farm (112 pages), The Little Prince (98 pages) and Of Mice and Men (187 pages).  And just so you know, War and Peace has 1225, dig in.

See, you could be 20% in by the weekend!

3. There are a lot of books about Dystopian futures

This is a genre I kind of didn’t realise I loved until I started tackling these lists.  You’ve got 1984, Brave New World, The Handmaid’s Tale, Fahrenheit 451, The Road and A Clockwork Orange.  They all make you wonder if this is where we might be heading in real life.

4. There are some that are just intimidating

I think this can be summed up perfectly by one book, omnipresent on all these lists:  Crime and Punishment by Doestoevsky.  *One day I will.

5. Even if they are supposedly universally beloved, you will not love them all.

Having had this recommended to me by several people citing it as their favourite ever book, I had high expectations for Love in the Time of Cholera.  I can’t speak of it. 

6. You will not regret any of the books on the list.

Even in light of the point above, I’m glad I now know this about myself.

7. There is an element of snobbery to the list.

I’m proving this by the apparent absence of 50 Shades of Grey.  I think everyone MUST read this, because if you don’t, how will you know to be snobby about it?

8. Don’t think if you’ve seen the film version, that that counts.

The book is almost always better.

9. By the same token, do watch the film once you’ve read the book.

Being able to compare the 2 will give you extra literary dinner party points.

10. Aiming to complete any of these lists is well worth doing.

At the end of the day, these are universal, timeless classics.  Get started soon though, on the BBC’s list, one of the books is the complete works of Shakespeare and another is The Holy Bible.  You never know when death is coming, why live with the FOMO?

Check your current total from the BBC’s list at  https://www.listchallenges.com/bbcs-top-100-books-you-need-to-read-before-you-die