39+ Favorite Books You Should Read Before You Die (Celebrating 39 Trips Around the Sun)

This week marked my 39th birthday. Yikes. It’s gone so fast! All I can say for those younger reading this, age is weird. You feel the same in many ways on the inside as you did when you were 25. But your body starts failing you. Your back hurts a lot. Wrinkles start forming. Constant little aches and pains ail you, and you definitely catch yourself forgetting things you never thought you would. You start feeling out of touch when you don’t recognize all the ‘celebs’ on the red carpets anymore. Like, how did that happen? BUT, there are many amazing things you gain with age: knowledge, experience, nuance. You get to see trends come and then come again. And you know what doesn’t judge you or change? Your favorite reads. And you just get to keep adding more to your list or revisit old favorites. In honor of 39 trips around the sun, here are 39 of my favorite reads I highly recommend reading in your lifetime (I’m counting series and duologies as one, so really, you’re getting even more recs). While most are fantasy and sci-fi books, there are also some of my favorite historical fiction, and gasp, non-fiction reads! I know I don’t talk about those on here very often, but I promsie these are good ones worth checking out!

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J Maas

While this series will always hold a special place in my heart for the hopeless romantic I am, this is also just a cultural phenomenon of Booktok, so if you somehow have not read this series yet, DO IT!!!

All of Us Villains and All of Our Demise by Amanda Foody, and Christine Lynne Herman

One of the most underrated YA (but is it really?) Duologies. Imagine you were pitted in a fight to the death with your friends and people you grew up with your whole life to capture magic and power for your family? Messed up, right? Did this duology make me cry? Yep. Incredible characters,

All Systems Red by Martha Wells (Murderbot Diaries)

If snark is your vibe, read this!!! The only AI I feel comfortable routing for at this point.

All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

One of the most heartwrenching historical fiction reads set in France in WWII. The Netflix series did an incredible job bringing this book to life.

An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir

One of the best YA fantasy debuts I’ve read. And this series just got brand new covers redesigned!

Arabian Winds by Linda Chaikin (Egypt trilogy)

One of my favorite historical fiction, Christian mysteries (and also a romance) that I grew up reading over and over and over again. Honestly, I’ve lost count how many times I’ve read this trilogy. Set primarily in Egypt before WWI breaks out. Note: This might be out of print.

Divine Rivals and Ruthless Vows by Rebecca Ross

A recent addition to my all-time favorites list, this YA fantasy duology is one of the most beautifully written love stories, and I cannot recommend it enough if you’re a romantic at heart.

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

If you are a lover of books, you absolutely need to read this at least once in your life.

Flirting with French by William Alexander

Part memoir, but with some recipes. Honestly, a delightful read. If you’re a Francophile, or you’ve ever tried to master the French language, you will absolutely love this read.

Mansfield Park by Jane Austen

Aside from P&P, which is, of course, also on this list, this is probably my favorite Jane Austen novel.

Mistborn Trilogy by Brandon Sanderson

Obsessed. This trilogy absolutely ripped my heart out. For such a utilitarian writer, Brandon Sanderson made me SOB my eyes out. And I loved every minute of it.

Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman

This read is best read going into it blind.

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

As a collector of Pride and Prejudice editions for over 20 years, this book was probably one of the first classics I fell in love with. The one I linked above is one of my favorite editions (illustrated with inserts!!!).

Recursion by Blake Crouch

Everyone always talks about Dark Matter, but IMO, Recursion is so much better. Insanely good sci-fi with a romantic subplot.

Six of Crows and Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo

I’m sensing a theme with a lot of these books…they all made me cry. Emotional damage. Major emotional damage from this duology. But amazing found family, heists, prison breaks, and love. These special editions also have super cool character art and amazing foiling.

Six Scorched Roses by Carissa Broadbent

Dare I say it? This novella was even better than the two books it was written in between. I loved the neurospicy rep and couldn’t put this one down. Plus, will the world ever tire of a vampire love story? I think not.

Sky in the Deep by Adrienne Young

The book I am constantly recommending to people to get out of a reading slump.

Skyhunter by Marie Lu

One of my favorite YA fantasy/dystopian reads. Amazing characters, a romantic subplot, disability rep—it really has it all. I loved this so much. The sequel’s not quite as good, but still a great read.

Stories of Your Life and Others by Ted Chiang

A wonderful collection of sci-fi short stories and also great if you’re dipping your toes into sci-fi, and not ready to tackle a huge series.

The Bridge Kingdom and The Traitor Queen by Danielle L. Jensen

The one I always recommend to people just getting into fantasy/romantasy. No magic system, a true enemies to lovers story, and characters I completely fell in love with. Fun Fact: each book in this series is published in audiobook first with Audible, and then self published in hardcopy by Danielle. However, they were recently acquired by Del Rey who will be re-releasing the books with newly designed covers later this year.

The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis

Probably the first fantasy series I ever read as a kid and will always be a nostalgic read for me.

The Dark is Rising Sequence by Susan Cooper

This series made my fall in love with Arthurian legends as a kid. Literally if you have kids, have them read this series!!! It’s perfect for middle schoolers.

The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson

I love it when non-fiction reads like fiction. Larson is a master at this IMO. Following the history of a serial killer operating during the Chicago World’s Fair, as well as the history of the planners making the Fair happen. Honestly, it’s a fascinating read.

The Fountains of Silence by Ruta Sepetys

A tragic historical fiction novel. It's beautifully written and takes place during a couple different time periods, but most notably, during a summer in 1957, Madrid. There is young love, unrequited love, loyalty to family, tragedy, and utter horror at those tragedies. I had no idea before reading this there were over 300,000 babies stolen and sold during the Franco dictatorship and into the 80s in Spain. The author weaved together a beautiful story along with actual pieces of history in the form of interview excerpts, recordings, articles, etc. and I can’t recommend this one enough.

The Giver by Lois Lowry

One of the first books I ‘hate read’ because my 4th grade teacher made me read it. I completely loved this dystopian story on subsequent reads, and I’m so grateful to Ms. Louise for encouraging to read out of my comfort zone. She absolutely contributed to my obsession with books.

The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien

When you need a cozy fantasy, this is the one. Adventure, danger, fighting a dragon, and so much more. It’s honestly the perfect cozy read that still has high stakes.

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Dystopian reading at its finest. Five stars across the board. I reread them all somewhat recently, including the prequel, and they hold up so well. Still five stars.

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab

While I do think you need to be in the mood to read this book, because it is super slow at times, it’s a book that sticks with you. You will think about it all the time after you read it.

The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien

Do I really need to say words here? Simply the best.

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

Another beautifully written achingly romantic story. You either love it or hate it, but this is truly one of my favorite books of all time. A magical circus. Two rivals and their evil masters pitting them against each other, not realizing only one can be left standing. But love prevails.

The Practice by Seth Godin

Every Creator needs to read this little book. It will remind you of the joy of creating.

The Reckoning by James Byron Huggins

My favorite Christian thriller I read in high school. Over and over and over. It made me want to apply to the CIA for a period of time. haha

The Shadow of the Gods + The Hunger of the Gods by John Gwynne

Vikings. Murderous mommies. Cliffhangers that make you rage. Warring gods. The best animal sidekicks.

The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon

I can’t even begin to explain how incredible this book is. And for the longest time I didn’t even know there’s a series! I still haven’t read the rest of them, but this is an incredible read.

The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow

You’ll notice a theme here of books with beautiful writing, and this is another example. A gorgeous portal fantasy.

The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas

Action, love, betrayal, France! This was another classic I fell in love with in high school and have kept coming back to. If you’ve been thinking of trying out a classic, it’s a great one to start with.

Throne of Glass series by Sarah J. Maas

The pinnacle of SJM. Honestly, this series as a whole is just everything. Rowan for life.

To Shake the Sleeping Self by Jedidiah Jenkins

A beautifully written memoir of a man who cycled from Portland, OR to Patagonia, and finding himself along the way.

Why We Sleep by Matthew Walker, PhD

Best listened to on audiobook—it’s dense. However, it was fascinating and if this doesn’t convince you of how important sleep is to our overall health, I don’t know what will.

Here’s to hopefully many more years of reading and adding to this list!

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