Penguin’s ‘bucket list’ worth a read
Just as you start the year with resolutions to eat less and exercise more, book lovers start the year with a list of books they’ve always wanted to read and now, in 2019, finally will get round to.
Penguin Random House has compiled a “bucket list” of books, including many of the classics.
Quite a few are likely to remain on the “one day” lists forever, as they are demanding reads, while others are more accessible:
● War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy
A legendary masterpiece, this book is synonymous with difficult reading – so why not challenge yourself.
● Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison
Morrison is one of the more accessible Nobel Prize winning authors, with a light yet piercing touch.
● The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand
If you did not read this as a teenager, then now is the time. It was a groundbreaking novel when published in 1943.
● Ulysses by James Joyce Another book often deemed “difficult”, Ulysses has stood the test of time.
● The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
An incredible book about books by a beloved Spanish language writer.
● The Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkien
Most people have seen the epic movie, but have you read the book?
● The Satanic Verses by Salman Rushdie
Known as one of Rushdie’s greatest works, this is the controversial (and acclaimed) book which triggered the fatwa on the author’s life.
● Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes
Don’t tilt at windmills, rather open this book and read about the original “hero” whose name gave us the word quixotic.
● The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman
A children’s book with universal themes, this is an adventure into a fantasy world.
● Catch-22 by Joseph Heller
It’s about time you read this black comedy about the futility of war because George Clooney is making a mini-series based on the book and it sounds as if it will be great.
● 1984 by George Orwell
Often acclaimed as one of the best books of all time and where the term “big brother” came from, this is still a chilling look at thought control.
● The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
The Kite Runner is a classic look at two boys’ friendship, set in unforgiving Afghanistan. If you’ve read this brilliant book, read it again.
● Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
Much loved by generations of girls, the heart-warming story of Meg, Beth, Jo, and Amy.
● The Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell
A complex story that you will need to read to visualise, by a postmodern visionary.
● The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
For those who were deprived of Oscar Wilde as required reading for school.
● Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov
Poignant novels that are also funny are a must-read rarity – and this shocking love story is that.
● The Help by Kathryn Stockett
This powerful book is uncomfortable yet essential reading for South Africans faced with our own Madam & Eve relationships.
● The Liar’s Club by Mary Karr
This memoir of a hardscrabble Texas childhood tells an allAmerican story.
● Moby Dick by Herman Melville
This whale of a tale has stood the test of time.
● Gravity’s Rainbow by Thomas Pynchon
This post-modern epic is said to be exhausting but deserves a place on the serious reader’s bookshelf.
● The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Attwood
Now an Emmy-winning television series, the book is a warning glimpse into a future dystopian world.