Thirty Books

30 Must-Read Books for 2019

I picked these 30 “must-read” books based mostly on size. I wanted all of them to be conveniently located on the same area of shelf, and this is what fit. I think it’s a nice selection, though. There’s a lot of YA, which is quick reading, but also some novels intended for an adult audience, plus several non-fiction works and a couple of classics. All of these books have probably been in my possession for at least a year, and some for over ten years. Some have come so highly recommended that it’s just plain silly that I haven’t read them yet. It’s time for all of them to prove their worth.

The rules: I must read all of these books by the end of 2019. I can read them in any order. If I don’t like a book, I can bail on it, but then I have to give the book away.

Here are the 30 books in list form, so that I can cross them off as I finish them:

1. Mrs. Thistlebottom’s Hobgoblins by Theodore M. Bernstein
2. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
3. The Ghost Map by Steven Johnson
4. The Big House by George Howe Colt
5. The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy
6. Word by Word by Kory Stamper (finished)
7. Common Sense by Thomas Paine
8. King of Shadows by Susan Cooper
9. The Colorado Kid by Stephen King
10. Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor: On list of Top 100 Children’s Books.
11. Hatchet by Gary Paulsen: On list of Top 100 Children’s Books.
12. Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson: On list of Top 100 Children’s Books. I
13. Number the Stars by Lois Lowry: On list of Top 100 Children’s Books.
14. The Slave Dancer by Paula Fox
15. Telling True Stories edited by Mark Kramer and Wendy Call
16. Learned Optimism by Martin E. P. Silgman
17. Smiles to Go by Jerry Spinelli
18. Witch Week by Diana Wynne Jones
19. Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli: On list of Top 100 Children’s Books.
20. Flush by Carl Hiaasen
21. Of Cabbages and Kings by Marguerite Hurrey Wolf
22. The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner
23. The Uncommon Reader by Alan Bennett
24. Time and the Art of Living by Robert Grudin (finished)
25. Jenny and the Cat Club by Esther Averill (finished)
26. Love, Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli
27. The Midnight Folk by John Masefield (decided not worth reading)
28. Beyond the Laughing Sky by Michelle Cuevas
29. Jazz by Toni Morrison
30. Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer