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Reader's Digest 50 Books to Read Before You're 50

A good book never goes out of style. Consider this mix of contemporary and classic titles a personal challenge of must-reads before you hit the half-century mark.
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from rd.com · made by Crybaby21sg
avg. score: 15 of 50 (29%)
required scores: 1, 8, 12, 16, 21 
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Little Women (Louisa May Alcott)
Little Women
1
Louisa May Alcott
Five People You Meet in Heaven (Mitch Albom)
Five People You Meet in Heaven
2
Mitch Albom
The Handmaid's Tale (Margaret Atwood)
The Handmaid's Tale
3
Margaret Atwood
You'll Grow Out of It (Jessi Klein)
You'll Grow Out of It
4
Jessi Klein
Think and Grow Rich (Napoleon Hill)
Think and Grow Rich
5
Napoleon Hill
A Prayer for Owen Meany (John Irving)
A Prayer for Owen Meany
6
John Irving
The Alchemist (Paulo Coelho)
The Alchemist
7
Paulo Coelho
To Kill a Mockingbird (Harper Lee)
To Kill a Mockingbird
8
Harper Lee
Poisonwood Bible (Kingsolver, Barbara)
Poisonwood Bible
9
Kingsolver, Barbara
Shibumi (Trevanian)
Shibumi
10
Trevanian
The Goldfinch (Donna Tartt)
The Goldfinch
11
Donna Tartt
Anne Frank: the Diary of a Young Girl (Anne Frank)
Anne Frank: the Diary of a Young Girl
12
Anne Frank
Gone With the Wind (Margaret Mitchell)
Gone With the Wind
13
Margaret Mitchell
Lord of the Flies (William Golding)
Lord of the Flies
14
William Golding
Wild (Cheryl Strayed)
Wild
15
Cheryl Strayed
A Man Called Ove (Fredrik Backman)
A Man Called Ove
16
Fredrik Backman
Jane Eyre (Charlotte Brontë)
Jane Eyre
17
Charlotte Brontë
The Glass Castle (Jeannette Walls)
The Glass Castle
18
Jeannette Walls
Oklahoma: The Grapes of Wrath (John Steinbeck)
Oklahoma: The Grapes of Wrath
19
John Steinbeck
The Outsiders (S.E. Hinton)
The Outsiders
20
S.E. Hinton
1984 (George Orwell)
1984
21
George Orwell
Pride and Prejudice (Jane Austen)
Pride and Prejudice
22
Jane Austen
Evicted (Matthew Desmond)
Evicted
23
Matthew Desmond
Freakonomics (Steven D. Levitt)
Freakonomics
24
Steven D. Levitt
Man's Search for Meaning (Viktor Frankl)
Man's Search for Meaning
25
Viktor Frankl
The Unbearable Lightness of Being (Milan Kundera)
The Unbearable Lightness of Being
26
Milan Kundera
The Sparrow Duology (Mary Doria Russell)
The Sparrow Duology
27
Mary Doria Russell
Brave New World (Aldous Huxley)
Brave New World
28
Aldous Huxley
Cutting for Stone (Abraham Verghese)
Cutting for Stone
29
Abraham Verghese
Life of Pi (Yann Martel)
Life of Pi
30
Yann Martel
Between the World and Me (Ta-Nehisi Coates)
Between the World and Me
31
Ta-Nehisi Coates
Where'd You Go Bernadette (Maria Semple)
Where'd You Go Bernadette
32
Maria Semple
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time (Mark Haddon)
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
33
Mark Haddon
Catch-22 (Joseph Heller)
Catch-22
34
Joseph Heller
As I Lay Dying (William Faulkner)
As I Lay Dying
35
William Faulkner
The Quiet American (Graham Greene)
The Quiet American
36
Graham Greene
Profiles in Courage
Profiles in Courage
37
Wonder (Cameron Jace)
Wonder
38
Cameron Jace
The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao (Junot Díaz)
The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao
39
Junot Díaz
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (Betty Smith)
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
40
Betty Smith
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