The Next Decade

1. Happy-Go-Lucky by David Sedaris

David Sedaris is one of those writers where I don't really care about the deeper meaning of what he's trying to say (although I know that to some, saying that about any work of literature should be a capital sin); I just find his work entertaining. The main pull is his easily digestible, humorous style of writing, which coincides well with his absurdist stories that often have little to no correlation to each other. 

2. Cultural Amnesia by Clive James

My reasons for wanting to read this book are kind of nonsensical. I only discovered what it was when I was strolling through the Troy Public Library and chanced upon a book called something like "1000 Books Everyone Should Read" and opened it to a random page. The book being advertised was Cultural Amnesia. Although the premise of the book does sound interesting -- a collection of essays on about a hundred people any 20th century individual should know about, ranging from Adolf Hitler to Alfred Einstein, Albert's lesser known musical cousin -- but the main reason I want to read it is to know if that compilation of literary commercials I pulled it from was actually legitimate. Critics and supporters of Clive James's work seem to love calling him a lunatic, so even if his book turns out to be complete nonsense, it'll probably still be entertaining.

3. Moby Dick by Herman Melville

One of the most well-known classic novels in the world, Herman Melville's epic about a loony old sailor's personal feud with a giant whale has been reproduced, satirized, and parodied countless times in popular media, in works as modern as NBC's Parks and Recreation to ancient obscurities like '50s Batman comics. It is the source of the term "white whale", used to describe a feat someone is so fervent about achieving that it could end up destroying them. The sheer magnitude of this novel's influence renders it a cultural necessity.

4. The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway

A novel that, upon initial observation, seems to be cut from the same vein as Moby Dick. But while Captain Ahab's fervor can be described as little more than complete madness, the old man's struggle in conquering a marlin is supposed to be a timeless lesson in human perseverance. Ernest Hemingway is widely considered the greatest American writer of all time, and he quoted this novel as his greatest work. Embarrassingly, I don't recall ever reading anything by Hemingway, so this would make a good start.

 

5. American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis 

The film based on this novel starring Christian Bale was highly controversial for its depictions of violence and generally socially-backwards themes, but the book was even more so. It's supposed to be even more disturbing than the movie to the point where Ellis was widely considered to be a sadist for writing it. Having seen the film, I am motivated to read this book by nothing more than sheer morbid curiosity for what unimaginable horrors took place in Patrick Bateman's life that were deemed too inappropriate to include on the big screen.

6. The Shining by Stephen King

This is also one of those works famous enough to warrant a high-grossing film made after it, but I haven't seen it. Admittedly, I'm a huge novice when it comes to horror, but I'd like to change that. And what better place to start than with the King of horror?

7. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

 My mom has made this recommendation to me on more than one occasion, but I've never gotten around to meeting it. This classic about the pitfalls of superficiality is good enough to warrant a production made after it by the Troy High Theater Ensemble, and so I'd call it one of my must-reads.

8. Maus by Art Spiegelman

This entry is inspired by Aksheet's post, but man was he right on the money. Maus is so controversial it got banned in school districts in Tennessee, yet so powerful it was included in the curriculum for some of Troy's English classes. And English teachers hate comic books (stereotypically, I mean)! There's nothing like attempted censorship to really create interest in a piece of media, and I'm going to stand by that by reading this.

9. Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy

Another entry motivated by my desire for more exposure to classical literary legends. I was originally planning on reading War and Peace for my sample of Tolstoy but I don't think I'd ever finish it, so Anna Karenina it is. This novel is the godmother of those love affair-runaway stories that is such a staple in modern media and culture.

10. The Art of Thinking Clearly by Rolf Dobelli

Having already read the fantastic Atomic Habits, this contemporary self-help book about minimizing irrationality in our everyday lives is the most logical choice in the continuation of my journey of self-improvement. It takes an introspective look into human psychology find what motivates us to think the way we do, and educates the reader on how to maximize the sensibility of their rationale in order to cultivate a less biased, more open mode of general thought.