List Challenges
Movies Books Travel Food Other
Trending
New
Popular
Sign In
 Make a List Browse Lists Search Lists Leaders Help / Contact Newsletter

This Theatre Nerd's 40 Books to Read Before 40

"When I look back, I am so impressed again with the life-giving power of literature. If I were a young person today, trying to gain a sense of myself in the world, I would do that again by reading, just as I did when I was young." – Maya Angelou
There seems to be several of these books lists going around, and this one has a selected number of years left before reaching that age. So here you are.
Read More
223 users · 765 views
 
avg. score: 6 of 40 (14%)
required scores: 1, 2, 4, 6, 9 
type to search

How many have you read?

Page 1 of 1
Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil (John Berendt)
Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil
1
John Berendt
Persuasion (Jane Austen)
Persuasion
2
Jane Austen
A Tale of Two Cities (Charles Dickens)
A Tale of Two Cities
3
Charles Dickens
Alias Grace (Margaret Atwood)
Alias Grace
4
Margaret Atwood
Dracula (Bram Stoker)
Dracula
5
Bram Stoker
The Detroit Project (Dominique Morisseau)
The Detroit Project
6
Dominique Morisseau
My Broken Language (Quiara Alegría Hudes)
My Broken Language
7
Quiara Alegría Hudes
Death of Innocence (Mamie Till-Mobley)
Death of Innocence
8
Mamie Till-Mobley
I Am Malala (Malala Yousafzai)
I Am Malala
9
Malala Yousafzai
This Time for Me (Alexandra Billings)
This Time for Me
10
Alexandra Billings
Their Eyes Were Watching God (Zora Neale Hurston)
Their Eyes Were Watching God
11
Zora Neale Hurston
Unprotected (Billy Porter)
Unprotected
12
Billy Porter
Romantic Outlaws (Charlotte Gordon)
Romantic Outlaws
13
Charlotte Gordon
Chita (Chita Rivera)
Chita
14
Chita Rivera
I Capture the Castle (Dodie Smith)
I Capture the Castle
15
Dodie Smith
Orlando (Virginia Woolf)
Orlando
16
Virginia Woolf
War and Peace (Leo Tolstoy)
War and Peace
17
Leo Tolstoy
At the Heart of the White Rose: The Letters and Diaries of Hans and Sophie Scholl (Hans Scholl, Sophie Scholl, and Inge Jens)
At the Heart of the White Rose: The Letters and Diaries of Hans and Sophie Scholl
18
Hans Scholl, Sophie Scholl, and Inge Jens
The Story of My Life (Helen Keller)
The Story of My Life
19
Helen Keller
Putting It Together (James Lapine)
Putting It Together
20
James Lapine
Kimberly Akimbo (David Lindsay-Abaire and Jeanine Tesori)
Kimberly Akimbo
21
David Lindsay-Abaire and Jeanine Tesori
Victoria the Queen: An Intimate Biography of the Woman Who Ruled an Empire (Julia Baird)
Victoria the Queen: An Intimate Biography of the Woman Who Ruled an Empire
22
Julia Baird
Joan of Arc: A Life Transfigured (Kathryn Harrison)
Joan of Arc: A Life Transfigured
23
Kathryn Harrison
In the Heights: Finding Home (Lin-Manuel Miranda, Quiara Alegria Hudes)
In the Heights: Finding Home
24
Lin-Manuel Miranda, Quiara Alegria Hudes
Hidden Figures (Margot Lee Shetterly)
Hidden Figures
25
Margot Lee Shetterly
The Good Neighbor: The Life and Works of Fred Rogers (Maxwell King)
The Good Neighbor: The Life and Works of Fred Rogers
26
Maxwell King
Curtains?: The Future of the Arts in America (Michael M. Kaiser)
Curtains?: The Future of the Arts in America
27
Michael M. Kaiser
The Girl on the Balcony (Olivia Hussey)
The Girl on the Balcony
28
Olivia Hussey
Long Walk to Freedom (Nelson Mandela)
Long Walk to Freedom
29
Nelson Mandela
Smile: The Story of a Face (Sarah Ruhl)
Smile: The Story of a Face
30
Sarah Ruhl
Richard III (William Shakespeare)
Richard III
31
William Shakespeare
Reading Lolita in Tehran (Azar Nafisi)
Reading Lolita in Tehran
32
Azar Nafisi
Jailed for Freedom: American Women Win the Vote (Doris Stevens)
Jailed for Freedom: American Women Win the Vote
33
Doris Stevens
The House in the Cerulean Sea (T.J. Klune)
The House in the Cerulean Sea
34
T.J. Klune
The Lord of the Rings (J.R.R. Tolkien)
The Lord of the Rings
35
J.R.R. Tolkien
The Complete Sherlock Holmes (Arthur Conan Doyle)
The Complete Sherlock Holmes
36
Arthur Conan Doyle
People, Places & Things (Duncan MacMillan)
People, Places & Things
37
Duncan MacMillan
How to Write About Theatre (Mark Fisher)
How to Write About Theatre
38
Mark Fisher
Villette (Charlotte Brontë)
Villette
39
Charlotte Brontë
Death Comes to Pemberley (P.D. James)
Death Comes to Pemberley
40
P.D. James
Page 1 of 1
 Your Results
Click the SHOW MY RESULTS button
above to calculate your results.
Click books you've read
Lists Similar to 'This Theatre Nerd's 40 Books to Read Before 40'
This Theatre Nerd's 500 Books to Read Before 50
This Theatre Nerd's 500 Books to Read Before 50
422
500
The Last 100 Books by Female Authors This Theatre Nerd Has Read
The Last 100 Books by Female Authors This Theatre Nerd Has Read
340
100
Books This Theatre Nerd Read in 2018
Books This Theatre Nerd Read in 2018
203
54
Books This Theatre Nerd Read in 2022
Books This Theatre Nerd Read in 2022
195
60
Books This Theatre Nerd Has Read in the First Half of 2024
Books This Theatre Nerd Has Read in the First Half of 2024
144
38
Favorite Books This Theatre Nerd Has Read in the Last Four Years
Favorite Books This Theatre Nerd Has Read in the Last Four Years
142
69
Books This Theatre Nerd Read in 2020
Books This Theatre Nerd Read in 2020
131
58
Books This Theatre Nerd Read in 2019
Books This Theatre Nerd Read in 2019
131
48
Books This Theatre Nerd Read in 2021
Books This Theatre Nerd Read in 2021
124
64
Books This Theatre Nerd Wants to Read in 2023
Books This Theatre Nerd Wants to Read in 2023
117
51
Books This Theatre Nerd Tends to Read in 2024 and the Near Future
Books This Theatre Nerd Tends to Read in 2024 and the Near Future
102
59
Books This Theatre Nerd Has Read for the First Time in 2024
Books This Theatre Nerd Has Read for the First Time in 2024
73
58
Books This Theatre Nerd Has Read for the First Time in 2023
Books This Theatre Nerd Has Read for the First Time in 2023
65
55
This Theatre Nerd's One Read, One to Be Read
This Theatre Nerd's One Read, One to Be Read
250
94
This Theatre Nerd's One Book Read, One to Be Read (Updated 2024)
This Theatre Nerd's One Book Read, One to Be Read (Updated 2024)
188
132
This Theatre Nerd's Script and Theatre Library
This Theatre Nerd's Script and Theatre Library
104
156
Stage Plays and Musicals This Theatre Nerd Has Read
Stage Plays and Musicals This Theatre Nerd Has Read
133
172
This Theatre Nerd Reflects: 25 Favorite Authors, 4 Books Each
This Theatre Nerd Reflects: 25 Favorite Authors, 4 Books Each
655
100
First 100 Books This Theatre Nerd Thought Of
First 100 Books This Theatre Nerd Thought Of
288
100
This Theatre Nerd's Last 100 Books by Female Authors
This Theatre Nerd's Last 100 Books by Female Authors
203
100
This Theatre Nerd's 120 Books by Female Authors
This Theatre Nerd's 120 Books by Female Authors
202
120
This Theatre Nerd's Last 100 Books by Female Authors (Updated 2024)
This Theatre Nerd's Last 100 Books by Female Authors (Updated 2024)
170
100
This Theatre Nerd's Books From A to Z
This Theatre Nerd's Books From A to Z
163
26
This Theatre Nerd's Last 100 Books by Male Authors
This Theatre Nerd's Last 100 Books by Male Authors
114
100
This Theatre Nerd's 200 Books Written by 200 Authors
This Theatre Nerd's 200 Books Written by 200 Authors
105
200
This Theatre Nerd's Humiliation List
This Theatre Nerd's Humiliation List
328
48
This Theatre Nerd's Four Authors of Every Letter in the Alphabet (Except for X)
This Theatre Nerd's Four Authors of Every Letter in the Alphabet (Except for X)
196
96
This Theatre Nerd's Redemption List
This Theatre Nerd's Redemption List
128
218
This Theatre Nerd's 20 Recent Reads and 20 TBR's
This Theatre Nerd's 20 Recent Reads and 20 TBR's
118
40
Books Every Lit Nerd Should Read
Books Every Lit Nerd Should Read
819
40
All Similar Lists
Newsletter · Help/Contact · Privacy · Copyright Claim   © 2025 App Spring, Inc. · This product uses the TMDb API but is not endorsed or certified by TMDb.
Seen It - Movies & TV 
Android & iOS
Seen It is a new app from the creators of List Challenges. You can view movies and shows in one place and filter by streaming provider, genre, release year, runtime, and rating (Rotten Tomatoes, Imdb, and/or Metacritic). Also, you can track what you've seen, want to see, like, or dislike, as well as track individual seasons or episodes of shows. In addition, you can see the most watched/liked stuff amongst your friends. Learn more at SEENIT.FUN