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A Bucket List of Books (1,500 Novels, Biographies, Essays, Memoirs, Plays, Science, Science Fiction and Sports Books). Updated to 2021 - Page 4

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 from most 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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Page 4 of 38
The Basketball Diaries (Jim Carroll)
The Basketball Diaries
121
Jim Carroll
Battle Cry of Freedom (James M. McPherson)
Battle Cry of Freedom
122
James M. McPherson
The Bean Trees (Barbara Kingsolver)
The Bean Trees
123
Barbara Kingsolver
The Bear Comes Home (Rafi Zabor)
The Bear Comes Home
124
Rafi Zabor
The Beatles: The Biography (Bob Spitz)
The Beatles: The Biography
125
Bob Spitz
The Beauty Myth (Naomi Wolf)
The Beauty Myth
126
Naomi Wolf
Becoming (Michelle Obama)
Becoming
127
Michelle Obama
Beethoven: Anguish and Triumph (Jan Swafford)
Beethoven: Anguish and Triumph
128
Jan Swafford
Before I Go to Sleep (S.J. Watson)
Before I Go to Sleep
129
S.J. Watson
Bel Ami (Maupassant)
Bel Ami
130
Maupassant
Bel Canto (Ann Patchett)
Bel Canto
131
Ann Patchett
The Bell Jar (Sylvia Plath)
The Bell Jar
132
Sylvia Plath
Beloved (Toni Morrison)
Beloved
133
Toni Morrison
A Bend in the River (V.S. Naipaul)
A Bend in the River
134
V.S. Naipaul
Ben-Hur (Lew Wallace)
Ben-Hur
135
Lew Wallace
Beowulf (Anonymous)
Beowulf
136
Anonymous
Berlin Alexanderplatz (Alfred Döblin)
Berlin Alexanderplatz
137
Alfred Döblin
The Berlin Stories (Christopher Isherwood)
The Berlin Stories
138
Christopher Isherwood
The Best and the Brightest (David Halberstam)
The Best and the Brightest
139
David Halberstam
The Best of Fredric Brown (Fredric Brown)
The Best of Fredric Brown
140
Fredric Brown
Between the World and Me (Ta-Nehisi Coates)
Between the World and Me
141
Ta-Nehisi Coates
Beyond the Blue Event Horizon (Frederik Pohl)
Beyond the Blue Event Horizon
142
Frederik Pohl
The Bible (Anonymous)
The Bible
143
Anonymous
The Big Money (John Dos Passos)
The Big Money
144
John Dos Passos
The Big Short (Michael Lewis)
The Big Short
145
Michael Lewis
The Big Sleep (Raymond Chandler)
The Big Sleep
146
Raymond Chandler
Billy Bathgate (E. L. Doctorow)
Billy Bathgate
147
E. L. Doctorow
Billy Budd, Sailor (Herman Melville)
Billy Budd, Sailor
148
Herman Melville
Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk (Ben Fountain)
Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk
149
Ben Fountain
Birdsong (Sebastian Faulks)
Birdsong
150
Sebastian Faulks
The Birthday Boys (Beryl Bainbridge)
The Birthday Boys
151
Beryl Bainbridge
The Black Dahlia (James Ellroy)
The Black Dahlia
152
James Ellroy
Black Like Me (John Howard Griffin)
Black Like Me
153
John Howard Griffin
The Black Spider (Jeremias Gotthelf)
The Black Spider
154
Jeremias Gotthelf
A Black Women's History of the United States (Daina Ramey Berry)
A Black Women's History of the United States
155
Daina Ramey Berry
Blackout (Connie Willis)
Blackout
156
Connie Willis
Bleak House (Charles Dickens)
Bleak House
157
Charles Dickens
The Blind Assassin (Margaret Atwood)
The Blind Assassin
158
Margaret Atwood
Blindness (Jose Saramago)
Blindness
159
Jose Saramago
Blood Meridian (Cormac McCarthy)
Blood Meridian
160
Cormac McCarthy
Page 4 of 38
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