Without a doubt your 20’s are quite a turning point in your life. All the big things seem to happen and whether you like it or not you start to grow in to an actual surviving person. I have now been in my 20’s for around 49 weeks and as I approach my 21st birthday I have been thinking about the kind of person I want to become in my 20’s and the kind of things I want to do. Naturally this had me thinking about the books that I want to read in my 20’s. I just want to be a better person okay!
I’ve made a small list of books that I want to get to in my 20’s because I think they’ll probably be the most inspiring and useful reads within these 9 short years I have left of them. Some of these books I’ve had on my shelf for a while and some I still need to purchase:
American Psycho by Brett Easton Ellis
I’ve heard from a lot of people that you can’t leave Brett Easton Ellis books too late in life or you won’t appreciate them. I’ve got a few of his novels on my shelf but American Psycho is probably his most critically acclaimed work and I can’t wait to read it. I’m not sure why I’ve put it off for so long, maybe it’s because I was waiting until I was in my 20’s to read it! But I’m hoping to get to American Psycho in my 21st year of life!
Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro
Never Let Me Go is one of Sophie’s favourite books and I absolutely adore the movie. I feel like this would be a great book to read in your 20’s as you can fully understand the characters and their feelings. I’ve always felt a little bit immature to read this novel for some reason but I think I’m ready to dive in and see what the excitement is about.
On The Road by Jack Kerouac
I’ve heard so many things about this novel (we also studied it at university for a very short period of time) and I was quite unaware that it was a well-studied book in American high schools. I’ve been intimidated by it for quite some time because of the writing style and it just doesn’t really seem like my kind of book. But I’m sure at some point in my 20’s I’ll want to pick it up and give it a try.
How to Be a Woman by Caitlin Moran
This book on feminism and womanhood was huge a couple of years ago. Caitlin Moran has truly become a poster for feminism in the 21st century and I really want to know what all the fuss is about. I’ve had this book on my shelf for quite some time (again, I know) and I haven’t felt like the time was right to read it. Soon, so very soon I want to get to this modern-day exploration of women generally kicking ass.
There are obviously tones and tones more books that I want to read in my 20-something’s years, however these are the books that I want to get to soon, the ones that will probably benefit me most personally at the beginning of my 20’s when I’m starting out being a whole new grown up person doing grown up (terrifying) things. This list will change I imagine as my tastes change. But for now I’m happy with these four books seeing me through my 21st and 22nd years as a human being.
The Little Contemporary Corner 