What? More must read books? Yes! As you know, I have been reading books for my First Virtual Literary World Tour, and I am 
officially starting the Tour on May 2nd. I delayed the launch because I needed the extra time to read more books. I have read over 40 books from 18 countries (I grouped a trilogy together so on the page it says I have read 39 books). My target is 30 countries and I think that I might actually be able to make it. My initial responses to some of the books that I have read is that I didn't like them, and that was happening too frequently. So I decided to ask myself why I was responding in that manner, and I realized that even though I made the commitment to be intentional about reading books by authors from around the world, I was still somewhat closed because I am out side my comfort zone.
Having this epiphany made me realize that if the books made me uncomfortable it may be a signal that I needed to read them. Some of the books are books that I should have read by this point in my life, but hadn't, some are books that are on the many lists of books that you have to read, while others just sounded interesting to me. One of the things I recently noticed is that most of the books that I have read so far are written by men, so next time around, I have to make sure that I include more female authors on my list. I have gone through the books I have already read and selected 10 that I think you have to read in 2013.
10 Must Read Books in 2013
- Hunger: A Novel, Knut Hamsun
- Siddhartha
, Hermann Hesse - Gilgamesh: A New English Version
- Shambhala: The Sacred Path of the Warrior, Chögyam Trungpa
- Ficciones (English Translation), Jorges Luis Borges
- As I Lay Dying, William Faulkner
- The Duppy, Anthony C. Winkler
- Popol Vuh: The Definitive Edition of The Mayan Book of The Dawn of Life and The Glories of Gods and Kings
- A Wrinkle in Time, Madeleine L'Engle
- The Catcher in the Rye, J D Salinger
- Love in the Time of Cholera (Oprah's Book Club), Gabriel García Márquez
, Hermann Hesse
, William Faulkner
, J D Salinger
, Gabriel García MárquezI have given you 11 must read books instead of 10 because even though The Duppy is scandalously refreshing, some parts are in Patois, so unless you hang out with Jamaicans, sections may be difficult for you to understand. And on top of that, people who are fundamentalist Christians may view the book as blasphemy. I found it extremely funny, and I laughed very hard while reading it. To me, that's what I need in my life during a period of sadness. So read at your risk.
It's interesting how some books are timeless classics. Take Gilgamesh for instance, the king is seeking for that which will keep him young, and today, the anti-aging sector is a multi-billion dollar industry. Popol Vuh is a creation story and I love reading creation stories. A Wrinkle in Time reminds us of the importance of celebrating our differences. Hunger is a semi-autobiographical book that's very hard to read, but many people are still dying from hunger.
Please let me know your thoughts on these must read books in the comments section below. If you enjoyed this post, please share it.
Book links are affiliate links.
