50 Must-Have Books To Read Before Graduation
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50 Must-Have Books To Read Before Graduation

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50 Must-Have  Books To Read Before Graduation

Need some thing to do, but don't want it to require much effort? Take a look at this list of 50 books to read before you graduate college!

While some of us may be wasting our summer away on Facebook for the entire vacation, there are others who are more diligent about keeping the mind fresh. For those of us who love a good read, here are the next 50 books for you to check out as you make your way through your college career. 

Granted, this list is not for the lighthearted. There are challenging, thought provoking books on this list. Considering that almost all Greeks have amazing GPAs, I don't think it will be too hard to get through them! 

To start with, I picked some American classics. Most of the titles are recognizable and ones that I have read or reread at some point in time. 

1. "The Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn" by Mark Twain.

2. "Their Eyes Were Watching God" by Zora Neale Hurston (a personal favorite).

3. "For Whom The Bell Tolls" by Ernest Hemingway (on my to- read list right now).

4. "The Sun Also Rises" by Ernest Hemingway.

5. "Walden" by Henry David Thoreau. 

6. "The Scarlet Letter" by Nathaniel Hawthorne.

7. "Unaccustomed Earth" by Jhumpa Lahiri.

8. "
Atlas Shrugged" by Ayn Rand.

9. "The Grapes of Wrath" by John Steinbeck. 

10. "The Great Gatsby" by F. Scott Fitzgerald (a super quick read).

To keep the list moving, I moved across the pond to pick out some great British literature. 

1. "Pride and Prejudice" by Jane Austen (I have read this at least three times, it never gets old).

2. "The Lord of The Rings" by J.R.R. Tolkien (all three parts).

3. Might as well add "The Hobbit" while we are here. 

4. "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Bronte.

5. "Harry Potter" by J.K. Rowling (just because).

6. "The Canterbury Tales" by Chaucer.

7. "1984" by George Orwell.

8. "Great Expectations" by Charles Dickens.

9.. "Emma" by Jane Austen.

This list wouldn't be complete without some personal classics and recommendations.

1. "To Kill A Mockingbird"y Harper Lee.

2. "Gone With The Wind" by Margaret Mitchell.

3. "Anna Karenina" by Leo Tolstoy.

4. "Anne Of Green Gables" by L.M. Montgomery. 

5. "The Color Purple" by Alice Walker. 

6. "The Perks Of Being A Wall Flower" by Stephen Chboskey.

7. "The Fault In Our Stars" by John Green (the movie comes out this month).

8. "The Odyssey" by Homer.

9. "A Tree Grows In Brooklyn" by Betty Smith.

10. "The Giver" by Lois Lowry.

11. "Water For Elephants" by Sara Gruen.

12. "A Grief Observed" by C.S. Lewis.

13. "The Chronicles Of Narnia" by C.S. Lewis. 

14. "Home" by Toni Morrison.

15. "The Woman Warrior" by Maxine H. Kingston.

16. "North And South" by John Jakes.

17. "The Assistant" by Malamud Bernard.

18. "The Coquette" by Hannah Foster (available for free on the web).

19. "Night" by Elie Wiesel. 

20. "Death Of A Salesman" by Arthur Miller.

21. "Little Women" by Louisa M. Alcott.
Finally, to complete a long and worthy list, the collection of books on my to-read shelf!


1. "Through The Looking Glass" by Carol Lewis.

2. "Catcher In the Rye" by J.D. Salinger.

3. "The Help" by Kathryn Stockett.

4. "The Lovely Bones" by Alice Sebold.

5. "Life of Pi" by Yann Martel.

6. "Brave New World" by Aldous Huxley.

7. "The Picture of Dorian Gray" by Oscar Wilde.

8. "Atonement" by Ian McEwan.

9. "East Of Eden" by John Steinbeck.

10. "Fahreinheit 451" by Ray Bradbury. 

Naturally, there are so many more books that could be on this list, but these are some great ones to start with! So head to your local library, grab a book and some iced tea and go for your next adventure! 

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This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
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