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40 Books to Read Before Turning 40

The manual for making your first four decades the most joyful, wise and stress-free of your life.
1.
A New Earth

A New Earth

By Eckhart Tolle
2.
Lit

Lit

By Mary Karr
3.
Say You're One of Them

Say You're One of Them

By Uwem Akpan
4.
Song of Solomon

Song of Solomon

By Toni Morrison
5.
The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter

The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter

By Carson McCullers
6.
The Inheritance of Loss

The Inheritance of Loss

By Kiran Desai
7.
The Museum of Innocence

The Museum of Innocence

By Orhan Pamuk
8.
Mastering the Art of French Cooking

Mastering the Art of French Cooking

By Julia Child
9.
Bird by Bird

Bird by Bird

By Anne Lamott
10.
Personal History

Personal History

By Katharine Graham
11.
Saint Maybe

Saint Maybe

By Anne Tyler
12.
Great Expectations

Great Expectations

By Charles Dickens
13.
The Complete Poems, 1927 - 1979

The Complete Poems, 1927 - 1979

By Elizabeth Bishop
14.
The Complete Poems of Emily Dickinson

The Complete Poems of Emily Dickinson

By Emily Dickinson
15.
State of Wonder

State of Wonder

By Ann Patchett
16.
Salvage the Bones

Salvage the Bones

By Jesmyn Ward
17.
Just Kids

Just Kids

By Patti Smith
18.
Bossypants

Bossypants

By Tina Fey
19.
Blue Nights

Blue Nights

By Joan Didion
20.
Oak: One Tree, Three Years, Fifty Paintings

Oak: One Tree, Three Years, Fifty Paintings

By Stephen Taylor
21.
Monkey Mind: A Memoir of Anxiety

Monkey Mind: A Memoir of Anxiety

By Daniel Smith
22.
Beautiful Ruins

Beautiful Ruins

By Jess Walter
23.
Swimming Studies

Swimming Studies

By Leanne Shapton
24.
Tiny Beautiful Things: Advice on Love and Life from Dear Sugar

Tiny Beautiful Things: Advice on Love and Life from Dear Sugar

By Cheryl Strayed
25.
Crazy Salad: Some Things About Women

Crazy Salad: Some Things About Women

By Nora Ephron
26.
NW

NW

By Zadie Smith
27.
The Middlesteins

The Middlesteins

By Jami Attenberg
28.
Dear Life

Dear Life

By Alice Munro
29.
Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking

Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking

By Susan Cain
30.
The Fault in Our Stars

The Fault in Our Stars

By John Green
31.
The Feminine Mystique (50th Anniversary Edition)

The Feminine Mystique (50th Anniversary Edition)

By Betty Friedan
32.
Mom & Me & Mom

Mom & Me & Mom

By Maya Angelou
33.
The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals

The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals

By Michael Pollan
34.
The House of Mirth

The House of Mirth

By Edith Wharton
35.
The Portrait of A Lady

The Portrait of A Lady

By Henry James
36.
Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead

Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead

By Sheryl Sandberg
37.
Daring Greatly

Daring Greatly

By Brené Brown, PhD
38.
Dr. Susan Love's Breast Book, 5th Edition

Dr. Susan Love's Breast Book, 5th Edition

By Susan M. Love, MD, and Karen Lindsey
39.
A Long Way Gone

A Long Way Gone

By Ishmael Beah
40.
Making Marriage Simple

Making Marriage Simple

By Harville Hendrix, PhD, and Helen LaKelly Hunt, PhD

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