Books to read before you die
Putting together a list of books I want to read before I die. Open to any suggestions (a few on my list so far are fantasy like LOTR, historical fiction like Pride and Prejudice or To Kill a Mockingbird, philosophy like the Nicomachean ethics or nonfiction like Guns, Germs, and Steel)… looking for more than simple business & finance books.
Based on the most helpful WSO content, here’s a curated list of books that span various genres and themes, perfect for a "must-read before you die" list:
Classics & Literature:
Philosophy & Self-Reflection:
Historical Fiction:
Nonfiction & Intellectual Growth:
Additional Recommendations:
This list offers a mix of intellectual depth, storytelling brilliance, and life lessons. Happy reading!
Sources: Reading List for Intellectual Killers, Reading List for Intellectual Killers, Books that Changed Your Perspective on Life
kama sutra
Man's Search for Meaning - Viktor Frankl
Septuagint
Your own biography
Technically possible for folks like Elon Musk
This is a common misconception, that only the big shots are interesting enough to have a book / memoir written about them. If you’re seeking a huge paying audience, sure. But most of the work you do is for 10 people, so why not a book for the 10 most important people in your life?
Your family wealth that you will give to those important to you includes financial and intellectual capital.
3 to 5 hours of recorded interviews with a human, AI transcription, editing (human/AI), you’ll have enough material for 20 - 50 pages. Roughly about 10 Word doc pages per hour of raw transcript. Add more pages if you include photos.
Include your well thought out insights on WSO over decades.
Why stop at a book? Technically, much more is possible.
East of Eden - John Steinbeck
People here don't actually read.
Instead of putting together a list of books to read before you die, take the books you have and read them all by the end of the year. There are 16 weeks left in 2026. You should be able to knock out 8-16 books without even trying.
The Bible
Man's Search for Meaning
If This is a Man by Primo Levi
The Agony of Christianity by Unamuno
The Art of Dying Well by Bellarmine
How to Die by Seneca (compiled by Princeton)
from there, read the church fathers, some classic writers like Shakespeare, Tolstoy, Goethe, Faulkner, Hemingway, etc., and you'll be fine
skip 99.999999% of business books
I loved The Count of Monte Cristo.
Classics -> Nobel Prize winning works -> Other works by those laureates
And then seminal books in whatever topics or themes you find interesting
Every human being with a functioning consciousness will at some point face an extremely intense period of derealization, existentialism, and fear.
When that time comes, read “The Myth of Sisyphus”
pride & prejudice is very good. From personal experience any widely-renowned adventure classic is going to be the most fun to read and will inspire you that there is more to life than work, the latest restaurant, rock-climbing, run club etc...
Do NOT listen to people telling you to jump into ulysses or philisophical essays. If you are actually trying to read more this is the surest way to kill whatever intiative you have. Read for fun and allow a curiosity for a work like this to build naturally rather than picking it up to feel smart.
The count of monte cristo
Not all of these books will likely be for you, but it is objectively an eclectic mix.
"Tocqueville's Democracy in America, which I am sure most Americans have read"
Rerum necessitatibus et nemo rem. Voluptatem et dignissimos quas vitae doloribus.
Earum eos impedit soluta sapiente ut. Minima perspiciatis quia maiores impedit quia sit itaque eum.
Labore et debitis ut culpa. Consectetur saepe aliquid voluptatem molestiae. Modi ut voluptatibus aut quia at rerum cumque doloremque. Minus quisquam qui et perferendis. Eligendi aperiam consectetur asperiores enim facere sit totam. Iusto nostrum quos doloribus.
See All Comments - 100% Free
WSO depends on everyone being able to pitch in when they know something. Unlock with your email and get bonus: 6 financial modeling lessons free ($199 value)
or Unlock with your social account...