1000 Books: April 2026: What should we read?

Book Clubs Side Read: 1000 Books to Read Before You Die
1

Hi there! @NanK has put together a list of potential books to read in April (thanks, Nan!!!). It seems a little early to post this, but I wanted to make sure everyone had a chance to pick up a copy from their library, if that’s the way you roll. PLEASE SELECT ALL THE BOOKS YOU’D BE WILLING TO READ rather than just your #1 choice. I’m hoping that’ll help us land on a book from 1000 Books none of us have read yet. You’d think that with 1000 books to choose from it wouldn’t be all that challenging, but we’re a very widely read group.

Here are the books with a short description courtesy of Google’s AI:

  • The Infatuations (2011), by Spanish author Javier Marías, is a philosophical murder mystery narrated by María Dolz, a book editor who becomes obsessed with a couple she observes daily in a Madrid café. After the husband is murdered, María becomes entangled with the widow and a friend, uncovering a dark, premeditated, and justified killing. (350 pp)
  • The Things They Carried is a 1990 collection of interconnected short stories by Tim O’Brien, blending fiction and memoir to explore the experiences of American soldiers in the Vietnam War, focusing on the physical and emotional burdens they carried, the blurring lines between truth and storytelling, and the lasting impact of war. (250 pp)
  • The Little Red Chairs (2015) - When a wanted war criminal from the Balkans, masquerading as a faith healer, settles in a small west coast Irish village, the community are in thrall. One woman, Fidelma McBride, falls under his spell and in this astonishing novel, Edna O’Brien charts the consequences of that fatal attraction. (320 pp)
  • The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter (1940) by Carson McCullers is a Southern Gothic novel set in a 1930s Georgia mill town, exploring deep themes of isolation, loneliness, and the human need for connection. The story follows John Singer, a deaf-mute who becomes a confidant to four outcasts—a young girl, a black doctor, an alcoholic, and a cafe owner—who project their hopes onto him. (360 pp)
  • Lord of the Flies is a classic 1954 allegorical novel by British author William Golding. It depicts a group of British schoolboys stranded on an uninhabited island, exploring their failed attempt to govern themselves and their descent from civilization into brutal savagery. The story acts as a grim critique on the inherent evil in human nature. (250 pp)
  • The Infatuations
  • The Things They Carried
  • The Little Red Chairs
  • The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter
  • Lord of the Flies
0 voters
2

And in case we have others checking in…

The purpose of this group is to try to experience more of the books from James Mustich’s 1000 Books to Read Before You Die. A secondary goal is to push us out of our comfort zones so that we’ll discover works we wouldn’t normally have chosen for ourselves. Anyone is welcome to join us at any point!

January: A Visit From the Goon Squad (see discussion here)
February: The Man in the High Castle, discussion opens March 1
March: Liar’s Poker, discussion opens April 1
April: TBD as above.

3

Thanks to everyone for weighing in. Looks like we’ve got a two-way tie. @NanK, since you picked the initial list, you get to choose which of those two we’ll read. Let us know, & I’ll set up a thread. No hurry! We’ve got a TON of time.

4

This is a heavy decision for me. Yikes! Let’s read The Infatuations. Both of them have the same Goodreads rating of 3.56, but both are on “the list.” We are adventurous readers, aren’t we? **

1 Like
5

Yay! Of the two, that would have been my choice as well.

1 Like
6

That was my first choice,