The hobbit. 30 Books I’m Glad I Read Before 30. In various ways, these 30 books convey some of the philosophy of how Angel and I live our lives.
I honestly credit a fraction of who I am today to each title. Thus, they have indirectly influenced much of what I write about on this site. A medley of both fiction and nonfiction, these great reads challenged my internal status quo, opening my mind to new ideas and opportunities, and together they gave me a basic framework for living, loving, learning and working successfully. If you haven’t read these books yet, I highly recommend doing so. They will enrich your library and your life. Stumbling on Happiness by Daniel Gilbert – Gilbert, a Harvard professor of psychology has studied happiness for decades, and he shares scientific findings that just might change the way you look at the world.
What are your favorite books? Photo by: Katie Harris. What Should I Read Next? Book recommendations from readers like you. 100 novels everyone should read. 50 Most Influential Books of the Last 50 (or so) Years. In compiling the books on this list, the editors at SuperScholar have tried to provide a window into the culture of the last 50 years.
Ideally, if you read every book on this list, you will know how we got to where we are today. Not all the books on this list are “great.” The criterion for inclusion was not greatness but INFLUENCE. All the books on this list have been enormously influential. The books we chose required some hard choices. We also tried to keep a balance between books that everyone buys and hardly anyone reads versus books that, though not widely bought and read, are deeply transformative. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 5 Hardest Books To Read (That Are Totally Worth It) The 100 greatest non-fiction books. Art The Shock of the New by Robert Hughes (1980)Hughes charts the story of modern art, from cubism to the avant garde The Story of Art by Ernst Gombrich (1950)The most popular art book in history.
Gombrich examines the technical and aesthetic problems confronted by artists since the dawn of time Ways of Seeing by John Berger (1972)A study of the ways in which we look at art, which changed the terms of a generation's engagement with visual culture Biography Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculptors, and Architects by Giorgio Vasari (1550)Biography mixes with anecdote in this Florentine-inflected portrait of the painters and sculptors who shaped the Renaissance The Life of Samuel Johnson by James Boswell (1791)Boswell draws on his journals to create an affectionate portrait of the great lexicographer The Diaries of Samuel Pepys by Samuel Pepys (1825)"Blessed be God, at the end of the last year I was in very good health," begins this extraordinarily vivid diary of the Restoration period.