1000 Books to read before you die – Modern Mrs Darcy

Readers, welcome to 2019! If you entered the new year dreaming of a fresh approach to your reading life, whether the goal is tackling the classics, beating your Goodreads challenge, or simply finding more joy in your reading life, today’s guest Jim Mustich is sharing decades of wisdom to help kick off your best reading year ever.

Jim and I got to meet in person at the Kentucky Book Festival, where we discussed the importance of reading and shared some of our favorite books with the audience. It was such a good time! Jim is the author of the new book 1000 Books to Read Before You Die, which is a wonderful addition to any book lover’s shelves, and one I’ve thoroughly enjoyed perusing.

Today Jim and I chat about his history as a reader and why reading 1000 books might not be as daunting as it first sounds. We’re also putting Jim in the hot seat today: I share three of my favorites, and then Jim recommends which of those 1000 books he thinks *I* should prioritize. It’s a fantastic start to the new year!

Learn more about Jim Mustich’s book at www.1000bookstoread.com, and follow him on Instagram and Twitter.

Books mentioned in this episode:
Some links are affiliate links. More details here.
If you’d like to support your local indie, check out Indiebound.com. And by all means, go grab one of these from your local library!

• 1000 Books to Read Before You Die: A Life-Changing List, by Jim Mustich (Amazon | Barnes and Noble)
• Make Way for Ducklings, by Robert McCloskey (Amazon | Barnes and Noble)
• Charlotte’s Web, by E. B. White (Amazon | Barnes and Noble)
• Into Thin Air, by Jon Krakauer (Amazon | Barnes and Noble)
• The Hunt for Red October, by Tom Clancy (Amazon | Barnes and Noble)
• The 9/11 Commission Report: Final Report of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States (Amazon | Barnes and Noble)
• The Surprise of Cremona: One Woman’s Adventures in Cremona, Parma, Mantua, Ravenna, Urbino and Arezzo, by Edith Templeton (Amazon | Barnes and Noble)
• Life in Code: A Personal History of Technology, by Ellen Ullman (Amazon | Barnes and Noble)
• Close to the Machine: Technophilia and Its Discontents, by Ellen Ullman (Amazon | Barnes and Noble)
• Memoirs of a Highland Lady, by Elizabeth Grant (Amazon | Barnes and Noble)
• The Armies of the Night: History as a Novel, the Novel as History, by Norman Mailer (Amazon | Barnes and Noble)
• Miami and the Siege of Chicago: An Informal History of the Republican and Democratic Conventions of 1968, by Norman Mailer (Amazon | Barnes and Noble)
• The Nero Wolfe series by Rex Stout (Amazon | Barnes and Noble)
• The Remains of the Day, by Kazuo Ishiguro (Amazon | Barnes and Noble)
♥ Angle of Repose, by Wallace Stegner (Amazon | Barnes and Noble)
• Crossing to Safety, by Wallace Stegner (Amazon | Barnes and Noble)
• Great Expectations, by Charles Dickens (Amazon | Barnes and Noble)
♥ Einstein’s Dreams, by Alan Lightman (Amazon | Barnes and Noble)
♥ The Death and Life of Great American Cities, by Jane Jacobs (Amazon | Barnes and Noble)
• Half of a Yellow Sun, by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (Amazon | Barnes and Noble)
• The All of It, by Jeanette Haien (Amazon | Barnes and Noble)
• How Buildings Learn: What Happens After They’re Built, by Stewart Brand (Amazon | Barnes and Noble)
• The Poisonwood Bible, by Barbara Kingsolver (Amazon | Barnes and Noble)
• The Liar’s Club, by Mary Karr (Amazon | Barnes and Noble)
• Gilead, by Marilynne Robinson (Amazon | Barnes and Noble)
▵ A Clockwork Orange, by Anthony Burgess (Amazon | Barnes and Noble)
• The Sea, The Sea, by Iris Murdoch (Amazon | Barnes and Noble)
• This House of Sky, by Ivan Doig (Amazon | Barnes and Noble)
• Invisible Cities, by Italo Calvino (Amazon | Barnes and Noble)
• Life: A User’s Manual, by Georges Perec (Amazon | Barnes and Noble)
• A Dresser of Sycamore Trees: The Finding of a Ministry, by Garret Keizer (Amazon | Barnes and Noble)

Also mentioned:

• Powell’s City of Books in Oregon

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What books would you include in a read-before-you-die list? Tell us in the comments!