1001 Books To Read Before You Die Spreadsheet =link= May 2026

6 | Beloved | Toni Morrison | 1987 | 1987 | United States | English | Novel | Historical/psychological | Vintage (2004) | 324 | 4 | A | Powerful treatment of slavery’s legacy | memory, motherhood, trauma | violence, child death | 2025-03-10 | 2025-03-21 | 10 | Intense; read with spacing between chapters | N | 9781400033416 | Library | https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/

4 | Crime and Punishment | Fyodor Dostoevsky | 1866 | 1885 (Eng.) | Russia | Russian | Novel | Psychological novel | Penguin Classics (2002, Pevear & Volokhonsky) | 671 | 4 | A | Deep exploration of guilt and morality | poverty, redemption, crime | violence, mental distress | 2024-11-05 | 2024-11-29 | 9 | Best with notes on philosophy | N | 9780140449136 | Library | https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/ 1001 books to read before you die spreadsheet

9 | Things Fall Apart | Chinua Achebe | 1958 | 1958 | Nigeria | English | Novel | Postcolonial | Heinemann (1962) | 209 | 2 | A | Foundational postcolonial novel | colonialism, tradition vs change | violence | 2021-09-01 | 2021-09-05 | 9 | Clear, concise; teachable chapters | N | 9780395711892 | Library | https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/ 6 | Beloved | Toni Morrison | 1987

1 | Don Quixote | Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra | 1605 | 1612 (Corregidor translation note) | Spain | Spanish | Novel | Picaresque/early modern novel | Penguin Classics (2003, trad. Edith Grossman) | 992 | 4 | A | Landmark modern novel, metafictional | friendship, madness, idealism | violence | 2026-03-01 | 2026-03-12 | 9 | Loved the Sancho/Quixote dynamic; slow chapters | Y — Part 1 & 2 | 9780142437230 | Library | https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/ trauma | violence