Today’s post is a bit different from my normal “reading goals” list:
35 books I want to read by 35!
I got the idea for this post from Annemieke at A Dance With Books! They just posted their “40 before 40” list for their 35th birthday, and I loved the idea so much, I had to do it! (We even have a few books in common on our lists!)
My 30th birthday was yesterday (woohoo!), so I decided to pick 35 books that I want to prioritize reading before my 35th birthday. (I’ve already been doing this blog for 6 years, so I’m hoping that in 5 years, I’m still blogging to post an update to this list!)
I went with a mix of classics, favorite authors, recommendations, and books on my TBR for way too long!
classics:
1. Dracula // Bram Stoker
2. Rebecca // Daphne du Maurier
3. Carmilla // J. Sheridan Le Fanu
4. Frankenstein // Mary Shelley
favorite authors:
5. Craven Manor // Darcy Coates
6. King of Scars // Leigh Bardugo
7. Into the Drowning Deep // Mira Grant
8. Rosemary and Rue // Seanan McGuire
9. This Savage Song // V.E. Schwab
recommendations:
10. Elatsoe // Darcie Little Badger (recommended by Malli)
11. The Shadow of What Was Lost // James Islington (recommended by my spouse, Terry)
12. I Am Malala // Malala Yousafzai (recommended by Terry)
13. The Name of the Wind // Patrick Rothfuss (recommended by Terry)
on my TBR too long already:
14. Brother // Ania Ahlborn
15. The Way of Kings // Brandon Sanderson
16. Books of Blood: Volume One // Clive Barker
17. Shutter // Courtney Alameda
18. Howl’s Moving Castle // Diana Wynne Jones
19. The Alchemists of Loom // Elise Kova
20. The Queen of the Tearling // Erika Johansen
21. Jade City // Fonda Lee
22. From Blood and Ash // Jennifer L. Armentrout
23. Pretty Girls // Karin Slaughter
24. Strange the Dreamer // Laini Taylor
25. The Song of Achilles // Madeline Miller
26. Coraline // Neil Gaiman
27. The Troop // Nick Cutter
28. Exquisite Corpse // Poppy Z. Brite
29. The Poppy War // R.F. Kuang
30. The Bone Witch // Rin Chupeco
31. The Death of Mrs. Westaway // Ruth Ware
32. The City of Brass // S.A. Chakraborty
33. Mexican Gothic // Silvia Moreno-Garcia
34. Hex // Thomas Olde Heuvelt
35. Betty // Tiffany McDaniel
Which books from this list do you think I should read first?
— destiny ♥
mehsi
October 17, 2022Happy belated birthday! And I hope you enjoy your books + are able to read them all! Good luck!
Destiny @ Howling Libraries
November 7, 2022Thank you so much!! ♥
Kristin @ Kristin Kraves Books
October 17, 2022Happy belated birthday! You have some real gems on here. I really think you’re going to love Mexican Gothic!
Destiny @ Howling Libraries
November 7, 2022Thank you! I’m hoping to get to Mexican Gothic this month and I’m really excited!
Mani
October 17, 2022Happy belated birthday!! Some great books on the list, hope you enjoy them!! ❤️
Destiny @ Howling Libraries
November 7, 2022Thank you very much! ♥
Tammy
October 17, 2022Such a great idea (but it’s too late for me?) lol. I love seeing Betty on your list, I hope you get to it!
Destiny @ Howling Libraries
November 7, 2022Thank you! You’re one of the people who has made me the most curious about Betty and I managed to get an ebook on sale not too long ago, so I’m excited about it! 😀
Alicia @ A Kernel of Nonsense
October 17, 2022HAPPY BIRTHDAY! I absolutely love the idea for this list and I hope you are able to tackle all of these. I am completely bias, but I highly recommend Mexican Gothic! It’s phenomenal.
Destiny @ Howling Libraries
November 7, 2022Thank you, Alicia! I’m so eager to read Mexican Gothic, it’s one of my top priorities from the list! 😀
Kristina
October 17, 2022Happy birthday lovely ❤️❤️
While I do love the concept.. man idk what i’d put on mine xD
Happy reading, hope you get to them soon & enjoy them xx
Definately LOVED The death of Mrs westaway, especially the inclusion of Tarot (and the main twist.. that I won’t spoil) — the only one i’ve read in your bunch ahah
Destiny @ Howling Libraries
November 7, 2022Haha thank you so much! 😀 It was quite a tough choice for narrowing the list down, because I was going through books I owned that I’ve wanted to read for a while and there were SO many! ?
dinipandareads
October 18, 2022There are so many books on here that I also want to read and many that I’ve enjoyed too ? I’m kind of tempted to do a 35 by 35 post as well but I’m 35 in May next year so maybe that’s way too ambitious, haha! Maybe 40 by 40 would be ideal. I hope you do get around to reading these books and enjoying them too, Destiny!
Destiny @ Howling Libraries
November 7, 2022Hey, 40 by 40 sounds awesome! 😀 I’ll be looking forward to seeing what makes it onto your list if you do end up making one, and since your birthday is still a few months off, you’d have lots of time to make the ✨perfect✨ list! ?? Thank you, friend!
Marie
October 18, 2022Ahh happy belated birthday! Such a fantastic idea for a post, I love it. I’d say… Read this Savage Song, I’d love to hear what you think of it! 🙂
Destiny @ Howling Libraries
November 7, 2022Thank you so much! This Savage Song sounds so good, and I just got the collector’s edition of it, which is making it even more tempting on my shelf! ?
Kit @ Metaphors and Moonlight
October 18, 2022I’ve actually read eight of these! Which is more than usual when I come across lists like this lol. Most recently, I read Howl’s Moving Castle, it was cute! Happy belated birthday!
Destiny @ Howling Libraries
November 7, 2022Thank you! 😀 That’s awesome, I’m so glad you enjoyed Howl’s Moving Castle!
Jordyn @ Birdie's Book Nook
October 19, 2022Happy birthday (again!) my friend. You’ve got some really, really great books on this list. A few I need to get to, too. If you’re ever interested in buddy reading In the Drowning Deep let me know! I already have a copy, I just need to get around to reading it.
Destiny @ Howling Libraries
November 7, 2022Thank you! I would love to buddy read Into the Drowning Deep, just let me know when works for you! 😀
mistysbookspace
October 19, 2022I’m currently in the middle of buddy reading Dracula with a friend and we plan to read Frankenstein after that. I’ve read Rebecca and really enjoyed it.
I own both King of Scars and This Savage Song but haven’t read either of them yet.
Coraline is the other one that I’ve read from this list and I really enjoyed it.
I love this post idea but it’s way to late for me to do a 35 by 35 maybe when I turn 35 next year I will do a 40 by 40 although that makes it seem a lot more intimidating lol.
Destiny @ Howling Libraries
November 7, 2022A 40 by 40 list sounds so cool! Though you’re right, it does sound intimidating! What if you cut it in half and did “20 by 40”? Though that doesn’t have the same ring to it. ? I’m glad you liked Rebecca, and let me know if you would like to buddy read This Savage Song and/or King of Scars!!
mistysbookspace
November 7, 2022Yeah it doesn’t have the same ring to it lol. Yeah I would love to buddy read either of them or both of them.
Destiny @ Howling Libraries
November 7, 2022Awesome! I’m really wanting to get to This Savage Song soon, would you by any chance wanna read it in December? Or January if December is too busy for you, I know a lot of people stay busy that month.
mistysbookspace
November 7, 2022December is fine with me!!
mistysbookspace
November 12, 2022Hey so I’m going to be reading King of Scars soon because it fits for one of my prompts for Tropeathon. You can still read it with me if you want but I know it’s short notice so if that doesn’t work for you we can just buddy read This Savage Song in December.
Caro @ bookcheshirecat
October 20, 2022Love this idea! ❤️ I really enjoyed King of Scars, but I still need to read Rule of Wolves! I also loved The Alchemists of Loom and I need to continue the series, as I somehow never picked it up again ?
Destiny @ Howling Libraries
November 7, 2022Haha I feel you on somehow never continuing series, story of my life ?? but I’m so glad you liked King of Scars AND Alchemists of Loom!
laina1312
October 21, 2022I’d really like to read Rebecca and a friend and I are reading Carmilla later this year!
Coraline is one of my favourite books and I’d highly recommend it, as is Mexican Gothic.
Destiny @ Howling Libraries
November 7, 2022I hope you like Carmilla! 😀 I feel like I’ve missed out on so many horror classics and I really would like to fix that. And I’m really happy you liked Coraline and Mexican Gothic so much!
Annemieke
October 22, 2022Oh so many good ones on here. I loved Mexican Gothic, Howl’s Moving Castle and Shutter. And Hex is quite creepy. But I haven’t read the translated version (they changed the setting and ending I heard).
Destiny @ Howling Libraries
November 7, 2022Ooooh, I had no idea that Hex was changed when it was translated! I’ll have to poke you when I read it and see how it differed from the ending you read, that would be so cool to compare the two! 😀
Malka @ Paper Procrastinators
October 23, 2022Happy birthday Destiny! I hope it was a great one! I’ve heard search great things about most of the books on this list, so I can’t wait to hear what you think of them! I know that Frankenstein and Elatsoe are on my TBR as well, and I might even try reading one of them in the next few weeks!
Destiny @ Howling Libraries
November 7, 2022Thank you love, it was wonderful! ♥
Sumedha @ the wordy habitat
October 24, 2022Happy birthday! This is a lost with many good books but..
The Poppy War, City of Brass and A Song of Achilles! Do pick these up soon! They’re some of my favs 🙂
Destiny @ Howling Libraries
November 7, 2022Thank you so much! 😀 I’m very excited to read all 3 of those so I’m happy to hear you love them so much! ♥
Jenna @ Falling Letters
November 1, 2022Happy belated birthday! ? My vote is for CORALINE.
Destiny @ Howling Libraries
November 7, 2022Thank you, Jenna! 😀 Coraline is one of the books on this list I’m the most excited about, so that’s great to hear!