plaid skirt, purple sweater, schoolgirl outfit, fall fashion, fashion over 40

100 Books to Read & Link Up On the Edge #168

October 25, 2019 / 63 Comments
plaid skirt, purple sweater, schoolgirl outfit, fall fashion, fashion over 40

A few weeks ago, I mentioned those old Hidden Facebook Gems that I discovered in the Notes section on my About page. Today, I was going to share another poem from those Notes and then I stumbled upon BBC’s The Big Read which is a challenge to see how many of the top 100 books chosen by the BBC you have read. Since I had just done a photoshoot in the library, I thought this might be a fun idea for today’s post instead.

plaid skirt, purple sweater, schoolgirl outfit, fall fashion, fashion over 40

Plus I am a super huge book nerd. I once took it upon myself to read every work of fiction that had won a Pulitzer Prize since the beginning of that award. The Pulitzer Prize was first awarded for fiction novels in 1911. I managed to read every single one through 2011 when I just kind of got bored of the project and have not read the most recent seven. I still have the first 100 prominently displayed on my bookcase because it is an achievement of which I am quite proud. And it was a pretty cool experience to see what book critics considered great novels throughout the generations.

plaid skirt, purple sweater, schoolgirl outfit, fall fashion, fashion over 40

Back to this big list of 100 books. After some scoping around the internet, I realized that the BBC list was created in 2003. When I went through this list in 2009, I had read 45 of the 100 books. I doubt that I have added any of these to my “have read” list since then. But I wanted a more comprehensive and current list, so I did some further searching. Then I stumbled upon this article on Medium…100 Books to Read before You Die: Creating the Ultimate List. Writer Joel Patrick consulted 8 different must read lists (including the BBC list) and created this ultimate guide in 2015. If you are not a Medium member, you may not be able to access the full article. However, I highly recommend joining Medium as it is chock full of wonderful articles on every topic you can imagine. And membership is only $5 a month.

plaid skirt, purple sweater, schoolgirl outfit, fall fashion, fashion over 40

All 100 books on this list are fiction novels. I will provide Amazon links to as many as I can. If you choose to purchase a copy of any of these works through these links, as an Amazon affiliate, I may receive a small commission. But this effects your price in no way. I just wanted to put the links so you can easily click and purchase if you so desire. I will italicize and bold the books I have not read. Hopefully one day, I will return to this list and try to read them. If you are not a book nerd like me, you can just ump to the bottom of the post for the link party.

purple sweater

Group 1: Books 1-10

  1. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
  2. Catch 22 by Joseph Heller
  3. On the Road by Jack Kerouac
  4. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
  5. The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
  6. Lolita by Vladimir Nabakov
  7. The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
  8. Midnight’s Children by Salman Rushdie
  9. Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
  10. Ulysses by James Joyce

In that first group, I have read 9 out of 10.

plaid skirt, purple sweater, schoolgirl outfit, fall fashion, fashion over 40

Group 2: Books 11-20

  1. Lord of the Flies by William Golding
  2. The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
  3. 1984 by George Orwell
  4. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
  5. Moby Dick by Herman Melville
  6. Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf
  7. A Passage to India by E.M. Forster
  8. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
  9. Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe
  10. The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie by Muriel Spark

In the second group, I have read 7 out of 10.

plaid skirt, purple sweater, schoolgirl outfit, fall fashion, fashion over 40

Group 3: Books 21-30

  1. One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
  2. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
  3. Animal Farm by George Orwell
  4. Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky
  5. Beloved by Toni Morrison
  6. Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison
  7. Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut
  8. The Stranger by Albert Camus
  9. Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes
  10. Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe

In the third group, I have read 6 out of 10.

plaid skirt, purple sweater, schoolgirl outfit, fall fashion, fashion over 40

Group 4: Books 31-40

  1. Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
  2. The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas
  3. David Copperfield by Charles Dickens
  4. Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
  5. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
  6. The Call of the Wild by Jack London
  7. The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame
  8. Scoop by Evelyn Waugh
  9. The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler
  10. Lucky Jim by Kingsley Amis

In the fourth group, I have read 7 out of 10.

plaid skirt, purple sweater, schoolgirl outfit, fall fashion, fashion over 40
plaid skirt, purple sweater, schoolgirl outfit, fall fashion, fashion over 40

Group 5: Books 41-50

  1. If on a Winter’s Night a Traveler by Italo Calvino
  2. A Bend in the River by V.S. Naipaul
  3. Housekeeping by Marilynne Robinson
  4. Atonement by Ian McEwan
  5. His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman
  6. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
  7. Great Expectations by Charles Dickens
  8. Middlemarch by George Eliot
  9. Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh
  10. Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy

In the fifth group, I have read 4 out of 10.

brown tights, oxford shoes
brown tights, heeled oxfords

Group 6: Books 51-60

  1. Portnoy’s Complaint by Philip Roth
  2. The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton
  3. The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood
  4. The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway
  5. To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf
  6. White Noise by Don De LeLillo
  7. The Heart is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers
  8. The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner
  9. Pale Fire by Vladimir Nabakov
  10. I, Claudius by Robert Graves

In the sixth group, I have read 4 out of 10.

plaid skirt, purple sweater, schoolgirl outfit, fall fashion, fashion over 40
purple peacoat

Group 7: Books 61-70

  1. Go Tell It to the Mountain by James Baldwin
  2. A Dance to the Music of Time by Anthony Powell
  3. Tropic of Cancer by Henry Miller
  4. Wild Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys
  5. Under the Net by Iris Murdoch
  6. Gulliver’s Travels by Jonathan Swift
  7. Tom Jones by Henry Fielding
  8. Clarissa by Samuel Richardson
  9. Tristram Shandy by Laurence Sterne
  10. The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne

In the seventh group, I have read 6 out of 10.

plaid skirt, purple sweater, schoolgirl outfit, fall fashion, fashion over 40
plaid skirt, purple sweater, schoolgirl outfit, fall fashion, fashion over 40

Group 8: Books 71-80

  1. Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert
  2. The Portrait of a Lady by Henry James
  3. The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson
  4. Nostromo by Joseph Conrad
  5. In Search of Lost Time by Marcel Proust
  6. The Rainbow by D.H. Lawrence
  7. The Good Soldier by Ford Madox Ford
  8. The Trial by Franz Kafka
  9. As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner
  10. Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White

In the eighth group, I read 5 out of 10.

plaid skirt, purple sweater, schoolgirl outfit, fall fashion, fashion over 40
purple sweater, purple peacoat

Group 9: Books 81-90

  1. The Tin Drum by Gunter Grass
  2. Herzog by Saul Bellow
  3. Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy by John Le Carre
  4. Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison
  5. Money by Martin Amis
  6. Oscar and Lucinda by Peter Carrey
  7. Haroun and the Sea of Stories by Salman Rushdie
  8. American Pastoral by Philip Roth
  9. Austerlitz by W.G. Sebald
  10. A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle

In the ninth group, I have read 1 out of 10.

plaid skirt, purple sweater, schoolgirl outfit, fall fashion, fashion over 40
plaid skirt, purple sweater, schoolgirl outfit, fall fashion, fashion over 40

Group 10: Books 91-100

  1. Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret by Judy Blume
  2. Of Human Bondage by W. Somerset Maugham
  3. The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay by Michale Chabon
  4. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz
  5. The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen
  6. The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster
  7. The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami
  8. Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston
  9. Watchmen by Alan Moore
  10. The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera
plaid skirt, purple sweater, schoolgirl outfit, fall fashion, fashion over 40

In the tenth group, I read 3 out of 10. That is a grand total of 51 out of 100 on this comprehensive list of 100 recommended books. I suppose I need to start making reading a priority again.

plaid skirt, purple sweater, schoolgirl outfit, fall fashion, fashion over 40

How many of these books have you read? And do you find it important to read books from recommended lists such as these?

plaid skirt, purple sweater, schoolgirl outfit, fall fashion, fashion over 40

And now the featured favorites from last week’s link party.

Reader Favorite (Most Clicked)

Jill of Doused in Pink shared her Cozy Waffle Knit Top in the prettiest shade of muted purple. She paired it perfectly with olive skinny jeans and tall gray boots to create a comfortable and stylish Fall look for any day of the week.

Jill of Doused in Pink

My Favorite Outfit Post

Anna of The Glamadventure shared the most adorable Black Dress with Red Hearts. As much as I am loving this dress, it is Anna’s photos that have really captured my attention! So whimsical with a bit of an Audrey Hepburn vibe, Anna has styled this lovely dress with her red umbrella and I am sold!

Anna of The Glamadventure

My Favorite Non-Fashion Post

Madi of The Victress shared her experience with Sober September: Lessons Learned and I seriously found myself nodding and chuckling all the way through. Madi has kept it real and honest with a splash of humor as she stubbornly gave up alcohol for a month only to find herself replacing it with all the sweets. If you have ever attempted to give up any kind of food or drink that you are accustomed to, you know the struggle is real, and you should totally go read this post!

Madi of The Victress

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Keeping it on the edge,

Shelbee

Linking up with these Fabulous Link Parties.

Shop my look…

Outfit Details: Jacket-Target (Really Old) / Sweater and Lace Extender-c/o Rosegal (Old) / Skirt-Thrifted / Tights-Old / Shoes-Enzo Angiolini (Old) / Necklace and Earrings-Old / Hair Sticks (Chopsticks)-Around the World

I am a midlife woman, wife, and stay-at-home mother of 2 boys and 2 cats. I have a passion for helping other women feel fabulous in the midst of this crazy, beautiful life.

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63 Comments

    • shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com

      October 25, 2019 at 10:19 am Reply

      Thank you so much, Debbie! This was a total librarian look so I needed some books for the photo shoot! I used to love reading classic literature but now I really enjoy reading philosophy and psychology books. But they are so intensely thought provoking for me that I tend to put them down quickly so I can relax. I should probably get back to reading fiction more. Have a great weekend!

      xoxo
      Shelbee

    • shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com

      October 25, 2019 at 10:32 am Reply

      Thank you so much, Kathrine! I don’t read nearly as much anymore as I used to. I used to keep a journal of all the books I read and there was a time when I would read about 200 books per year. Now I am lucky if I read 2 a year! I need to get back to it myself. I hope you have a lovely weekend!

      xoxo
      Shelbee

    • shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com

      October 25, 2019 at 11:01 am Reply

      Awesome, Tamar! I love finding fellow voracious readers! I will have to check out the Phantom Tollbooth! We just got library cards (I don’t why it took so long, but we have them now). I will go see if my local library has it. I hope you have a fantastic weekend!

      xoxo
      Shelbee

  • Ruth Josey

    October 25, 2019 at 11:07 am Reply

    What a fabulous list to have – I’ve put this into my favorites so I can reference them. I listen to books while I’m driving and I’ll bet a lot of these are on the free-listening site I use. I LOVE that outfit! It’s so perfect on you. from that gorgeous purple jacket to the lace-up booties. Your choices for “best of” posts are great and I’ll look forward to going through the current links and having a look at the three you picked from the last one (I already read Doused in Pink and she always has great posts). Thanks so much for hosting the link parties!

    Ruth
    VogueFauxReal

    • shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com

      October 25, 2019 at 12:47 pm Reply

      Ruth, thank you so very much! I really need to start listening to recorded books. I just never have the time to sit down and read although I do enjoy it very much. I had nearly forgotten about these shoes until I styled this outfit! I hope you have a great weekend!

      xoxo
      Shelbee

    • shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com

      October 25, 2019 at 1:25 pm Reply

      Thanks so much, Ellibelle! I agree that having a list to choose from does make it easier to pick up a book and read. I haven’t been reading much lately either. I do need to make more time for it. And these shoes were nearly forgotten in the back of my closet! I am so glad that I rediscovered them. Have a lovely weekend!

      xoxo
      Shelbee

  • jess jannenga

    October 25, 2019 at 1:21 pm Reply

    First of all cute, lilbrary look! Love the lace on the plaid skirt and the color purple on you.
    So, seeing the movie doesn’t count huh? kidding! This puts me to shame how many I have read. I need to look more at these classics, especially in the winter when it is something good to do. Some of the classics I remember reading in high school. To Kill a Mockingbird, and Brave New World in college.
    That s awesome you read many of the BBC list. I am pinning!
    jess xx
    http://www.elegantlydressedandstylish.com
    Have a good weekend, hope you get to relax by then!

    • shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com

      October 25, 2019 at 1:24 pm Reply

      Thanks so much, Jess! The lace is an extender and not actually part of the skirt, which is great because I can add it to all my skirts that are a bit too short! I have one in black as well and they really come in handy. I felt a bit shameful that I only read half of these books. Although some of them, I have read other works by the authors just not the specific book listed, so that made me feel a bit worldly. Haha Thanks for pinning and I hope you have a fabulous weekend, my friend.

      xoxo
      Shelbee

  • Anne M Bray

    October 25, 2019 at 1:52 pm Reply

    I’ve read a lot of those books. I love fiction! The question is, which ones do I remember! Haha.
    No, seriously, I read books super fast and come out of my reading coma somewhat dazed and not remembering what I read. I’ve checked books out of the library twice and sometimes I’m half-way through the book and think “this sounds familiar”. I’ll usually keep reading because I will have forgotten the ending.
    Two stick out as books I have started and never finished: Moby-Dick and Ulysses. I think I gave Ulysses three tries. Because it’s “literature”. Nope.
    On the other hand, I’ve read Proust twice! And started reading the new translation for round three, but got sidetracked. As one does. BTW, it didn’t strike me as significantly different from the first translation. Sorry. Nerding out.

    Some I’ve read and didn’t like (Atonement comes to mind — I felt manipulated by the ending and refuse to read any other books by McEwan. I wouldn’t see the movie either.)
    BTW – group 7, it’s Jean Rhys.

    Reading is definitely my escape, my drug of choice.

    • shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com

      October 25, 2019 at 4:42 pm Reply

      I love when you nerd out, Anne! And by the way, I read the way you do. I can’t remember any of it as soon as I close the book upon finishing! In fact, I just went through an old notebook that I kept where I listed every book I have read and there were books on there that I didn’t acknowledge here as having read them but apparently I did. See how much I forget! As for Moby Dick, I think it took me 3 or 4 tries over the course of about 25 years until I could appreciate it enough to complete it. I am currently going through said list and trying to create my own list of stand out books that I have read. One of my all time favorite books ever and I could read it over and over again is Gone With the Wind. I just adore Scarlet O’Hara and relate very much to her attitude of “There’s no need worrying about that today. I will worry about it tomorrow.” Jane Austen is another favorite of mine. And William Faulkner I cannot tolerate! And I did know that it was Jean Rhys, so thanks for catching that typo! All fixed! Have a great weekend, my friend.

      xoxo
      Shelbee

  • Liberty

    October 25, 2019 at 2:27 pm Reply

    I love your purple corduroy jacket! I just read Charlotte’s Web to the kids for school, and then we watched the movie with Dakota Fanning in it. For some reason, when Wilbur talks about what a good spider Charlotte is after she dies, it makes me cry! (or was it before she died? I don’t have the book with me– I’ll have to find it later…) Maybe I just hope that someone says that nice of a thing about me after I’m gone?!

    Liberty @ B4andAfters.com

    • shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com

      October 25, 2019 at 4:12 pm Reply

      Aw, Liberty, thanks so much for sharing your Charlotte’s Web experience! I can’t remember where Wilbur says that, but it is such a touching moment! And I am certain lots of people will say things like that about you! They probably already do! I hope you have a blessed weekend, my friend.

      xoxo
      Shelbee

  • Patrick Weseman

    October 25, 2019 at 2:49 pm Reply

    I have read about 60 of the them. I am more of a non-fiction person. That is just me. Great pics-that is all I am going to say.

    Anyway, have a wonderful weekend and thanks for hosting.

    • shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com

      October 25, 2019 at 4:06 pm Reply

      Thanks, Patrick! For being more into non-fiction, that sure is a lot of fiction books from this list! I prefer more philosophy and psychology these days. But I think I might create my own list! Have a great weekend.

      xoxo
      Shelbee

  • Jennie

    October 25, 2019 at 3:25 pm Reply

    This is such a cute look! Love the purple pea coat, plaid skirt, and heeled oxfords mix. So perfect for your library background and topic. Have a great weekend, friend!

    • shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com

      October 25, 2019 at 4:01 pm Reply

      Thanks, Gail! Oh that’s a good list by Mr. Bowie! Maybe I need to create my own list of must reads. It would have some overlap, but it might be fun! I don’t know if I could come up with 100, but I am going to try! Add that to my list of things to do. I hope you have a fabulous weekend!

      xoxo
      Shelbee

  • mireille

    October 25, 2019 at 5:10 pm Reply

    I have read some of the classics but not nearly as many as you! I might refer to this list to add a few to my reading list. I enjoy reading fiction and typically read inspirational fiction (I like the historical ones the best) but discovered an author that I enjoyed that writes fairytale spinoffs taking place in the middle ages. It has been fun to read. They are actually in the teen section at my library.
    http://www.chezmireillefashiontravelmom.com

    • shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com

      October 25, 2019 at 6:36 pm Reply

      Mireille, thanks so much! I do love historical fiction as well. In fact, it is the best way for me to learn history! One of my favorite historical fiction novels of all time is Gone with the Wind. And which fairy tale spinoffs have you been reading? Are they the Gregory Maguire ones? I love his work!

      xoxo
      Shelbee

  • Karren Haller

    October 25, 2019 at 6:14 pm Reply

    Ooooo Shelbee, I love this photoshoot, it is amazing and the outfit is wonderful, made me smile!! Yor hair is darling and I love the whole outfit, down to the ruffle on the skirt and the “shoes”!! Thank you for sharing on #omhgff, you should also come back and share on #omhgww!!
    I do hope you have a wonderful weekend!
    xo

  • Jill

    October 25, 2019 at 7:22 pm Reply

    I’m so impressed with all of these classics you’ve read and how you categorized them! I remember reading Are You There God, it’s Me Margaret in middle school! Thank you so much for the feature! What a nice surprise to start the weekend!

    Jill – Doused in Pink

  • Maureen

    October 25, 2019 at 8:30 pm Reply

    So many books so little time! I love to read too and I saw some books that I have read but definitely not as much as you have. I will definitely need to add this to my reading list and work on it. 🙂 I love the color of your peacoat and the ruffle skirt is oh so cute! You are looking fabulous Shelbee. Happy Friday and wishing you a wonderful weekend ahead!

    Maureen | http://www.littlemisscasual.com

    • shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com

      October 25, 2019 at 9:14 pm Reply

      Thanks so much, Maureen! I think I want to create my own list of must read books and share it here soon! But I need a breather, that was a lot of work linking all those books! I hope you have a lovely weekend as well, my friend.

      xoxo
      Shelbee

  • Mother of 3

    October 25, 2019 at 8:40 pm Reply

    I’ve only read 11 of them and honestly of that 11 I think I only truly enjoyed 2 or 3 of them so that makes it hard to want to read the others on the list… does that make sense? I tend to shy away from the classics as I often find them a bit disappointing. Love your adorable outfit!

    • shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com

      October 25, 2019 at 9:13 pm Reply

      Joanne, thanks so much for sharing your experience with classics. Honestly, many of the ones I read I didn’t really enjoy all that much either. There are many more books that I consider classics that I really enjoy…like anything by Jane Austen. But I studied 18th and 19th century British literature in college so I have a soft spot for all those books. Some of the more American ones aren’t so much my thing. But I am considering sharing a list of my favorites! I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

      xoxo
      Shelbee

    • shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com

      October 25, 2019 at 9:08 pm Reply

      Aw, thanks so much, Lauren! I started going through an old notebook where I logged everything I read and I am thinking of sharing my own personal list of must reads! I do love a fellow book nerd. Have a great weekend!

      xoxo
      Shelbee

  • Michelle

    October 26, 2019 at 4:02 pm Reply

    I have read a lot of books, but only 12 on that list. My taste in books has changed over the years. As a young person, I loved horror and hard science fiction. Science fiction remained a staple as I moved away from horror (except for Stephen King) toward mysteries in my 30’s and 40’s. Currently, I gravitate toward non-fiction.

    Really cute outfit! That skirt is adorable. I love the purple coat.

    • shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com

      October 26, 2019 at 4:57 pm Reply

      Thanks so much, Michelle! I don’t read so much anymore, but now I lean more toward philosophy and psychology books and ones that inspire and empower as well. Although I probably should add some classics back into the mix because that stuff can get too heavy sometimes. I hope your weekend is going well.

      xoxo
      Shelbee

  • Tea

    October 29, 2019 at 3:47 pm Reply

    Ok, so I did the math and I’ve read 68 of the books on this list. I can *heartily* recommend The Handmaid’s Tale, A Wrinkle in Time, and the His Dark Materials series. I am a voracious reader – we have a room in our house (my husband’s home office) that we call the library. When we first moved in together I told him “I have a lot of books and a lot of shoes – and I’m not getting rid of either, so prepare yourself” He says the shoes were nothing compared to the books – lol!
    I have a bunch of suggestions that aren’t on this list too – just in case you’re ever interested!
    xo,
    Tea
    http://www.whatmamawear.blogspot.com

    • shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com

      October 29, 2019 at 3:55 pm Reply

      Wow, Tea, you are a very well read woman, indeed! Shoes and books have always been my things, too! But due to limited space, I donated a ton of my books when we moved to NY and I use the library much more frequently now. Because I don’t want to borrow shoes. So my shoes took precedence! Hey, a girl’s gotta still look cute while she has her face buried in a book, right? I would love to hear your suggestions! I am working on a list of my personal top 100 books to read! Stay tuned for that…one day, I will get it published on the blog. I hope you are having a fantastic day, my friend!

      xoxo
      Shelbee

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Shelbee on the Edge