41 of My Favorite Books You Should Read Before You Die, Celebrating 41 Trips Around the Sun

It’s my birthday. Forty-one years to be exact. Some days I feel every one of those 41 years in my bones, and other days I feel like I’m stuck at 25. Age is weird like that. BUT in celebration of 41 trips around the sun, I thought I’d curate a list of 41 of my favorite books of all time (this was so hard to narrow down!) that I think you should absolutely read or try at least once. I’ve broken them down into some helpful categories below, and I do think there’s something for everyone here. It’s also a mix of old and recent releases. Honestly, I may need to create another one of these with my top 100, because there are still so many I want to include, as well as other genres I didn’t have room to add to this recommendation list. I had grand plans last year to create 40 lists of different types of recs and favorites for the BAMTP community, but life happened and those lists didn’t. So I’m making up for it this time around and 41 just sounds fun, right? I’m determined to make this decade my best yet. And I started off this morning with a delicious, fresh almond croissant from my favorite SF bakery, so we’re off to a good start. Here’s to many more five star reads, and trips around the sun. And feel free to drop your favorite book in the comments!

Favorite Children’s Books

• The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis (Yes, I realize this is a bit of a cheat, but if you must know my three favorites are The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe, The Horse and His Boy, and Prince Caspian.)

• The Dark is Rising Sequence by Susan Cooper (Again, I’m just going to include them all!)

• The Giver by Lois Lowry

• Fritz and the Beautiful Horses by Jan Brett (Truly some of the most beautiful illustrations)

• Matilda by Roald Dahl

Favorite Fantasy (Epic + Historical Fiction Fantasy, etc.)

• The Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkien (obvi)

• Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo (Sobbed.)

• An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir

• Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke (It’s long and has so many footnotes, but it’s soooo good)

• The Hunger of the Gods by John Gwynne (grimdark fantasy at its finest, plus, Vikings?!)

• Blood Over Bright Haven by M.L. Wang

• The Hero of Ages by Brandon Sanderson (I love the entire trilogy, but this book ripped my heart out and was still five stars)

• Half a Soul by Olivia Atwater

• The Poet Empress by Shen Tao (One of the best debut novels I’ve read in recent years!)

Favorite Romantic Fantasy

• The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

• Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross

• Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor

• The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow

• Queen of Shadows by Sarah J. Maas (But really, the entire Throne of Glass series)

• A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas

• Sky in the Deep by Adrienne Young (this is the book I always recommend to get out of a reading slump!)

Historical Fiction Favorites

• Paris by Edward Rutherfurd (this spans hundreds of years, but when Paris itself is a ‘character’ it’s the most fascinating read. If you love the idea of following rival families for generations and seeing a city be built around them, you’ll love this book!)

• The Fountains of Silence by Ruta Sepetys (unrequited love)

• The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer, Annie Barrows (written in epistolary format)

• Arabian Winds by Linda Lee Chaikin (It’s old, but it’s my favorite Christian Historical Romance trilogy!)

• All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

• The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon

Favorite Memoirs

• To Shake the Sleeping Self by Jedidiah Jenkins (Riding a bicycle from Portland to Patagonia and sharing many thoughts along the way. This book is so beautifully written)

• L’appart: The Delights and Disasters of Making My Paris Home by David Lebovitz (If you love Paris, food, humor, you’ll love this cheeky memoir)

• Uncanny Valley by Anna Wiener

Narrative Non-Fiction

• The Devil in the White Cityby Erik Larsen (If you love true crime, this book is a MUST read)

Favorite Classics

• Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

• Mansfield Park by Jane Austen

• The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas

• The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas

• The Godfather by Mario Puzo

Favorite Dystopian Reads

• The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

• Blindness by Jose Saramago

• Anthem by Ayn Rand

• The Road by Cormac McCarthy

• Skyhunter by Marie Lu

• Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

Favorite Sci-Fi Reads

• Recursion by Blake Crouch

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