1,000 Books to Read Before You Die: A Life-Changing List (Kindle)

by James Mustich

Ebook, 2018

Status

Available

Call number

028.9

Genres

Nonfiction

General Nonfiction

All Topics

Collection

Your library

Publication

Workman Publishing Company (2018), Edition: Illustrated, 961 pages

Description

Encompassing fiction, poetry, science and science fiction, memoir, travel writing, biography, children's books, history, and more, 1,000 Books to Read Before You Die moves across cultures and through time to present an eclectic collection of titles, each described with the special enthusiasm readers summon when recommending a book to a friend. Mustich provides brief (usually one page) introductions to works of fiction, poetry, science and science fiction, memoir, travel writing, biography, children's books, history, and more. Ranging across cultures and through time, this eclectic collection of works is not a proscriptive list of the 'great works' but a celebration of the glorious mosaic that is our literary heritage. Arranged alphabetically by author, the list is a life-changing list for a lifetime of reading. -- Adapted from jacket.… (more)

User reviews

LibraryThing member TimBazzett

First things first: I LOVED THIS BOOK! Okay, that out of the way, I should explain. I’m a booklover, a lover of good books, a bookworm, a bibliophile, a book-ish nerd – and on and on. I have been reading – voraciously – for 70 years, and I can say with complete confidence that yes, I have

read thousands of books. Which is a claim I can probably share with James Mustich, the author of 1,000 BOOKS TO READ BEFORE YOU DIE: A LIFE-CHANGING LIST.

Moving on, this is, of course, a book about books, so, as far as its subject goes, it’s all over the place, although it is conveniently arranged alphabetically, mostly, by author, and also has a very user-friendly index. It is, basically, nearly nine-hundred pages of a carefully annotated and beautifully illustrated (with book covers, author photos and portraits, and color plates) bibliography. So, since it is kinda all over the place, whatever I have to say here will be likewise. For me, 1,000 BOOKS was like revisiting a huge number of old friends – both authors and titles. And sometimes, although I might not have read the featured entry, for example, the very first one – Edward Abbey’s DESERT SOLITAIRE – I had read a few of Abbey’s other books, from BLACK SUN and THE BRAVE COWBOY to THE MONKEY WRENCH GANG and THE FOOL’S PROGRESS. And many of those other books are mentioned in here, since every entry contains endnotes listing other books by that author, as well as suggested reading of other similar books. Indeed this is not just a book of a thousand books, but of SEVERAL THOUSAND books. So, from page one onward I was simply squirming with enjoyment and pleasant memories.

So let me just ramble through a few of those old friends and memories. Some were so completely unexpected I could hardly believe it – authors like Thomas Lynch, a Michigan author & poet, and his first book of prose, THE UNDERTAKING, which I’ve read, along with a few of his other books. And there was Pat Jordan’s minor baseball classic, A FALSE SPRING. And Konrad Lorenz’s MAN MEETS DOG, part of my ‘dog book’ collection. Scott Smith’s A SIMPLE PLAN was a huge surprise; I loved the book, but never really thought it would make an essential reading list like Mustich’s. But even the Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys books found a place here, and I read more than a few of both of those series, products of the Stratemeyer syndicate. Then I wondered why Albert Payson Terhune’s collie books didn’t make the cut, but then sighed and supposed the inclusion of Jack London’s CALL OF THE WILD and WHITE FANG would have to do.

All the great Greeks I labored through in college and grad school were in here – Sophocles, Aeschylus, Euripides, etc. – and so was THE EPIC OF GILGAMESH, something I rather enjoyed, as I did BEOWULF. And Dumas was in here and the Arabian Nights tales, stuff I read in my preadolescent years.

Other favorites from college years and beyond are all here – the Roths, both Henry and Philip, Saul Bellow, Melville, Hawthorne, Updike (THE MAPLES STORIES – the RABBIT books only got a mention) and more. I was disappointed that Bernard Malamud didn’t make the varsity list, but he is mentioned more than once in the endnotes. Was very pleased to see Frederick Exley’s A FAN’S NOTES on the list, a book I enjoyed tremendously nearly forty years ago, as well as the other two books of that sad, twisted trilogy. And John Williams oft-overlooked classic of academia, STONER, is here – a book I have read more than once. James Herriott’s country vet stories are here, as are Joseph Heller’s CATCH-22 and Robert Pirsig’s ZEN AND THE ART OF MOTORCYCLE MAINTENANCE. Maurice Sendak’s WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE is here, as are Beatrix Potter’s PETER RABBIT and Judy Blume’s ARE YOU THERE, GOD? IT’S ME MARGARET and A.A. Milne’s WINNIE-THE-POOH.

So much FUN, going through this beautiful book! I did turn every page, but will admit that I did some skimming, hoping there will be time for a more thorough reading at a later date. What I did do was make a cursory list of books I’d like to look into. Here’s part of that list.

A MONTH IN THE COUNTRY, by J.L. Carr
THE LIFE AND TIMES OF MICHAEL K., by J.M. Coetze
ENEMIES OF PROMISE, by Cyril Connolly
HEART OF DARKNESS, by Joseph Conrad (must re-read this)
TRACKS, by Robyn Davidson
GIANTS AND HEROES, by Dianne Tittle de Laet (about Y.A. Tittle)
GREAT BOOKS, by David Denby (another book about books)
THE BOOK OF EBENEZER LE PAGE, by G.B. Edwards
TRAVELS WITH LIZBETH, by Lars Eighner (a homeless man and his dog)
COLD COMFORT FARM, by Stella Gibbons
HIROSHIMA DIARY, by Michihiko Hachiya, M.D.
THE ALL OF IT, by Jeannette Haien
SLEEPLESS NIGHTS, by Elizabeth Hardwicke
INDEPENDENT PEOPLE, by Halldor Laxness (Icelandic fiction)
THE VILLAGE OF WAITING, by George Packer
LOST IN PLACE, by Mark Salzman
THE KILLER ANGELS, by Michael Shaara
TRISTRAM SHANDY, by Laurence Sterne

Ah, hell, that’s enough. “So many books …” And you know the rest. And I’m almost 75 years old, so … In any case, James Mustich’s book will hold a place of honor on this booklover’s shelf, and I’m sure I will come back to it over and over again. I am in awe of what Mustich has accomplished in putting this all together, an obvious labor of love that took up nearly fifteen years of his life. And my hat is off to the book’s designer, one Janet Vicario, because this really is a visually appealing – and I’ll say it one more time – BEAUTIFUL book. Bravo, Mr Mustich, to you and all of your collaborators. I LOVE THIS BOOK! My highest recommendation.

- Tim Bazzett, author of the memoir BOOKLOVER

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9 more

LibraryThing member bostonbibliophile

Fun checklist of some of the best books. I have some issues with it of course. But it makes great coffee table reading and of course it's neat to check off the ones you've read and make plans to read more. And you can compare notes with a friend if you want. Great gift too.

LibraryThing member gpangel

1000 Books to Read Before You Die by James Mustich is a 2018 Workman Publishing Company publication.

I didn’t immediately grab this book when it was originally published- but I was curious about which books would make it onto the list. Knowing the books I tend to navigate towards, I figured this

list probably wouldn’t appeal to me, and I knew that no matter how badly someone tries to shame me, I'm not going to read books I know I will not understand or will bore me to tears.

But each year this book tends to make its way onto a library ‘suggestion’ board somewhere, as the new year often prompts people to make the standard resolution to ‘read more classics’ or branch out more.

Reading the blurb, this book promises to mingle in some popular books, some lighter fare, and would cover a wide range of subjects and genres, including poetry, plays, etc.

I was skeptical- but there was only one way to find out…

So, was the list as stuffy and highbrow as I feared?

Well, there were precious few mainstream or modern mysteries- only ONE Agatha Christie- and I’m struggling to remember ANY modern romances- at least not what I call romance, at any rate, and yes, it was heavy on ‘classics'.

To be fair, though, there was an interesting mix of genres, children’s books, poetry, and yes, and a smattering of the dreaded ‘pleasure’ reads.

For me, personally, this book was like browsing through a gourmet cookbook. I love looking at all the fancy recipes, and the lovely presentation of the food, and respecting the time and energy it took complete such a task, but knowing that once I’ve finished flipping through the glossy pages and oohing and awing over those delectable, mouthwatering main courses and rich desserts, that I’m going to head straight to the kitchen and whip up some loaded cheese nachos- and those nachos are going to be heavenly!!

And that’s pretty much what happened with this book. I flipped through the alphabetical list- by author- not by book title, by the way, and enjoyed learning about these books, the authors, the plays and movies that were adapted from them, etc.

But, once I’d finished browsing through the book, I found that I’d added exactly one book to my TBR pile-( I actually had read more of these books that I would have thought- though many of them were the children’s books- or required high school reading- but still), and then I’d promptly returned to my book in progress, which happened to be a tawdry psychological thriller that would have made a good Lifetime movie- but, like those heavenly nachos- it was absolutely delicious!!

Okay- while I’m being a little cheeky- the truth is- this is a very good reference book. It is well-organized, and thoughtful… and more than a little addictive. I was often surprised by how long I’d been browsing through it sometimes.

It is never a bad thing to broaden one’s reading experiences, to occasionally step outside one’s comfort zone, to take on a book you know will challenge you- and it is never too late to start. I do that from time to time- and read more serious books than I used to- I just didn't find many books listed here I felt an urgent need to read right away.

So- while the book did not change my life, as promised, and I did not feel the obligatory need to begin working my way through this list- instead preferring to spend my remaining days reading books I know I’ll enjoy- I will certainly refer to it again, over time.

I do feel Mustich was sincere and put a great deal of thought and work into this book. It sounded like a monumental task- and he did an amazing job putting the list together.

3.5 stars

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LibraryThing member acargile

I found this to be an interesting LONG list of books.

The author has been working on this list a long time. I’ll be honest; I didn’t actually read the entire book. I have a Nook Glowlight, so PDF documents do not work well and are difficult to read on a Nook. Therefore, I flipped through, which

was great fun. Some books I had never heard of, some I had had on a list for years, some I groaned over because I found them painful to read when I read them, and some made me smile because I loved them. What makes the list so great is its diversity. There are old books, new books, YA books, children’s books, memoirs, non-fiction, and poetry. I’m sure I’m missing some genres!

Each book has a really thorough entry. There’s a summary and other books by the author as well as read alikes. The beginning lists how many books are actually listed in the entire book and it’s well over 1000 books, which can be stressful. With the Great American Read and this book, I feel like there’s no time to read so many great books. I do plan on ordering this book for our faculty because reading is huge at our school and they’ll use this list.

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LibraryThing member Dreesie

Similar to the 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die, but very different.

This book, a first edition, includes nonfiction, plays, poetry, and children's books (even picture books). It is a fabulous mix, though there is way more religion, philosophy, and science than I could ever manage to read.

Nonetheless I fully appreciate the mix.

I also very much like that most authors get one entry, but then at the end of their entry there are other categories: others by the same other, other books on hat author, and other things to try if you like the entry. These additional books are not counted in the 1000 nor listed in the checklist at the back of the book.

I am at 144/1000. I can easily up that quickly by reading some childrne's books. I honestly have no idea if I have read most of them so did not count them.

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LibraryThing member PardaMustang

1000 Books to Read Before You Die by James Mustich is a delightful compendium of important works through history. This volume is arranged alphabetically by author. There are some exceptions to this, such as religious texts, and those works for which we don't know the author. Each entry gives an

overview of the book, and its importance. At the end of each book entry is a section telling what genre the book falls under, other notable books by the author, books you might like if this one interests you, and any adaptations. There are additional works listed in boxes sections called Booknotes, and More to Explore. My only qualm is that though the organisation is alphabetically by author, it is instead the book title that appears first and in bigger, bold font. Decidedly not alphabetic.

***Many thanks to the Netgalley and Workman Publishing for providing an egalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

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LibraryThing member pgchuis

I got this from the library and skimmed my way through it, making a list of (mostly) novels to try. There is a lot of travel writing and philosophy in here, together with a surprising amount of science fiction.

Highly recommended.

LibraryThing member weird_O

Looking for a Baedeker to reading? One that will lead you from one great book to another? And keep you absorbed in rewarding reads for years to come?

If you're like me, you scour book list after book list. You see author names and book titles both familiar and unknown. Do you want to spend 10 bucks

if the title sounds catchy or...well…interesting? Sure, sure. But what's in a name?

For Christmas, a reading couple we've known for decade gave my wife and I this Baedeker of Reading (Judi and I first met in Reading *beat*beat*beat* Pennsylvania; but I digress). It is titled [1000 Books to Read Before You Die] and it's by [[James Mustich]]. What's so useful is that Mustich explains his selections. He tells about a writer, reviews (in brief) the book, lists other notable works by the same writer, and even suggests alternate or supplementary reading. The range is from Aeschylus, Euripides, Sophocles, and Homer through Jonathan Swift, Laurence Sterne, and Jane Austen, to Faulkner, Steinbeck, Stephen King, and Philip K. Dick. Both Thomas Wolfe and Tom Wolfe make the cut. Both Ann Rand and Ayn Rand do too. William Gibson and William Gibson. How about Dan Brown, Scott Turow, Gillian Flynn, and Anne Rice? Yes, I've neglected all the Asian, African, and South and Central American writers, but Mustich has not.

I doubt that many will read this book from cover to cover, unless you've read the OED from A to Zed. But I've paged through our new copy often in the last month, reading about this book or that author, pleased when Mustich concurs with my choice of books. My eyes have been opened to re-evaluating books I've declined (so far) to read. I now have a mental list of writers and books to look for at library book sales.

Mustich began his booky career at an independent bookstore near NYC. In 1986, he co-founded A Common Reader, a periodic mail-order book catalog, and for more than two decades thereafter, he was its driving force. According to Wikipedia, the catalog "published up to 17 times a year, with a readership in the tens of thousands. Each edition listed an average of 700 books, accompanied by editorial write-ups. It was notable among general-interest book catalogs for its eclecticism, with large sections of each issue given over to obscure literary classics." All of this to say Mustich is particularly qualified to pick top-notch reads, and to sell you on each one.

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LibraryThing member deldevries

A spectacular book for avid readers. I think that I could pick this up any day and find something interesting to read and inspire me to find another gem to read. There are millions of books and this is a practical and fun way to sort out the best from the rest.

LibraryThing member ritacate

Excellent variety. I look forward to delighting in many of these books.

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