Required Reads...books YOU *must* read!

Are you currently breathing oxygen? (yes!) Then you MUST read these books...they're required reads for life!
Hi friends!
I was recently asked, "What book do you think everyone must read?"
Well, this video is my answer!
I'd also love to know which books you think are required reads for all those who are currently breathing air! Feel free to share your personal "required reads" in a comment so we can all read them before we are no longer breathing air...(hopefully not for a very long time :P)
Sending you my warmest wishes,
Carolyn Marie :)
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Carolyn Castagna
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Greenlawn NY 11740
United States
**Please don't feel like you need to send me anything, but if you'd like to I would be honored!!!** :)
***About me -
I'm a freelance illustrator and writer who recently graduated from college at the Fashion Institute of Technology with my Bachelors of Fine Arts in Illustration with a minor in English/Writing.
My greatest passion in life is combining my love of illustrating, writing, and reading!
Happy Reading :)
#booktube #reading #bestbooks

[@Tania.atlasinajar]

Not you and Emma posting at the same time! Happy to see you added some poets to the list! Robert Frost. Even though his last name is Frost his poetry is very comforting and feels like a warm hug! 🥰 And yes Carolyn the stinkin’ reflection on the glasses! 😂🤓

[@CarolynMarieReads]

We’re very in-sync today I guess 😂 Yes, it is! Hahaha the struggle 🤓

[@marjoriedybec3450]

My top 5 books everyone should read: Victor Hugo, Les Miserables; Charlotte Bronte, Jane Eyre; Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol; Walt Whitman, Leaves of Grass; Thomas Hardy, Tess of the D'Urbervilles. A short story entry would be Ray Bradbury, "All in a Summer's Day." I think reading these will make anyone more human...more humane.

[@KaiOpaka]

I didn't realize I'd read the story All Summer in a Day as a kid. I guess the title never sunk in. Whenever I think about Venus, I remember the story. It's so moving and painful.

[@marjoriedybec3450]

@@KaiOpaka I read it in 6th grade. I am now 60. Honestly, it still haunts me.

[@aesyfreedom9655]

Also, Carolyn, can I say THANK YOU for encouraging me to really get into classics. They’re now my favourite genre!

[@patriciadeane7250]

I agree The Little Prince was an excellent choice. I bought copies for both of my adult sons! Truly a treasure to have on your bookshelf.

[@CarolynMarieReads]

So glad you agree! That’s wonderful :)

[@geraldinegranger9186]

I feel the same way about Mary Oliver. Thank you for reading her poem on worry, and reminding me to read more poetry!

[@retiredbooknerd]

Oh, Carolyn!! I had not read any work by Backman until you talked about it on this channel. When I went to the library, the only one that was checked in at that time was "And Every Day the Way Home Gets Longer and Longer." So, I checked it out and was so unprepared for what this very short book was going to do! I now completely understand just why you love this author! The irony is that my mother is actually going through this very thing, so it touched my heart. And then, it broke me! Beautiful!! 🥹🥹

[@danielg3918]

King Neptune and his water-breathers are skipping this one

[@CarolynMarieReads]

😂 my apologies to them

[@maxturgeon89]

Paper books and e-readers are tricky anyway under the sea.

[@MrD5914]

Nerd! (Mean that as a compliment lol 😂)

[@giginoelani5880]

No snail thing too quick for his water-feeders

[@genemcn3579]

I really appreciate your enthusiasm for these books. It's nice to hear.

[@CarolynMarieReads]

And I appreciate your kind words :)

[@gerryfedde3040]

Mentioning Robert Frost sent me down memory lane. When I was in college at Syracuse I was lucky to attend an event where he read some his poetry and interacted with the audience. It was a joyful experience for everyone attending and the poet as well. What I liked, too, about Frost was his colorful observation that blank verse is like playing tennis without a net. That always makes me smile and something I once heartily agreed with. Now, though, one of my favorites is Billy Collins who does nothing but blank verse. He's like the next door neighbor who's always there for you when you need him.

[@kseniyasbooknook4172]

Loved seeing Rainer Maria Rilke on that list, it's probably one of the three books that influenced me the most and that I will keep rereading! Reading more of his letters this winter in "letters on Life" and he has so much heartfelt advice and observations that touch me deeply. Great selection of books :)

[@dianewalker9154]

I reread The Little Prince at Christmas. It is a terrific story of cultivation of friendships that makes life worthy and special.

[@pam8765]

I’m halfway though A Man Called Ove right now - loving it so much! You’ve talked about it so often and I remembered my daughter also loving it - and now I am too!❤

[@CarolynMarieReads]

Ahh that's so wonderful!! :) Say hi to Ove for me

[@DubhRosBreach]

Love your enthusiasm.

[@rogston39]

Mary Oliver's 'The Journey" is especially beautiful, and changed my life in many ways.....thank you for the sharing of these great writers.

[@EuskaltelEuskadi]

If you like poets who write about nature, I can highly recommend Gerard Manley Hopkins. He used a lot of techniques found in Welsh poetry to do with syllabic structure and rhythm and the results are dreamy and yet full of life and feeling. It's the closest you can get to speaking Welsh without being able to speak it. Some of my favourite of his are Pied Beauty, Binsey Poplars and Inversnaid. (I also love Robert Frost and Mary Oliver.)

[@CarolynMarieReads]

I'll definitely look into his poetry! Thank you for the wonderful recommendation (so glad you love them too) :)

[@emmaopaline]

My top 5 of books that you must read are : Grapes of Wrath by John Steinback, Dear Ijeawele by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, the Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde, A Winter's Promise by Christelle Dabos, What White People Can Do Next by Emma Dabiri

[@carlosbranca8080]

If you love Little Prince you should try Exupery other works. Night Flight and War Pilot are poetic, introspectic and just beautiful. Great video

[@doaadikrallah]

i was just thinking while i watched this video that i should check out more of his work and i’ll see this as a sign, i definitely have to now loll

[@renataluna378]

Hi Carolyn :) in the note of reading poetry, I don't know if you have heard of her but I reallyy recommend Alejandra Pizarnik (she is the one that made fall in love with poetry), she was an argentinian poet and wrote about being a woman, growing up, solitude and a lot of other topics incredibly powerful, I hope that you can read some of her poetry!!

[@mandyschmidt7960]

Could you make a video on your favourite translations (if you haven't already) with like little comparisons and stuff? Very soon I want to get into the Russian classics, but I'm a total beginner and there are sometimes quite a few translations and it's a bit daunting. Absolutely love what you're doing on this platform. I really enjoy reading again.

[@ArtBookshelfOdyssey]

100% agree with A Man Called Ove! Great book. It's a book my wife first read and kept telling me to read until I finally did... and I fell in love with it!

[@Draconianoverlord55]

The little prince is amazing

[@softiequeen]

Sissss I was so shook when you pulled A Man Called Ove. It's one of my favourite books of all time made me sob so hard, it's sooo underrated.

[@DRmakeupgirl]

You make every book you read sound delicious! The more I watch your videos the longer my book recipe grows!

[@vmpapillon8984]

Absolutely agree with you on the existential need for poetry. For those who haven't found a collection yet/ are just starting out I recommend the poetry pharmacy vol I or II. It's a careful selection of poems from different poets, fitting for particular worries/ ailments/ fear and some insight why the editor chose it. I discovered my love for Mary Oliver and others there.

[@jabronijackpot]

I totally agree with your point on Meditations about the value of seeing how people thought so long ago. I find historical literature like Gilgamesh super interesting for that reason. It's one of the earliest recorded stories and you'll still see its themes pop up in all kinds of modern media. There's a comfort in seeing that some things remain the same when the modern world seems to move too fast to keep up at times.

[@Summalogicae]

I like many of your choices. I keep trying to come up with a top ten list that everyone should read before they die/if they are currently breathing and I cannot get past the 13th century. I’ll keep trying.

[@meganbrush]

I was taught such an interesting interpretation of the Robert Frost poem that is entirely different than the normal take we see. As you said, Frost was a rather sad individual and my teacher pointed out that the poem doesn't actually indicate that the road less travelled by has made a better difference. "...I doubted if I should ever come back..." and "...I shall be telling this with a sigh..." For some reason, reading that poem with a sadder lens makes me love it more.. is that weird? haha

[@thomaslecky5301]

Hm that’s really interesting

[@shivangitiwari2739]

Hi Caroline, I read A Man Called Ove and The Little Prince on your recommendation and I'm grateful to you for it...❤ Both are now my favorite 😍 ❤️

[@lindseyknisley710]

Hi Carolyn! Your videos inspired me to purchase a beautiful edition of Jane Eyre at Barnes and noble today! I love it! Thank you! My next beautiful edition I am looking for is wuthering heights. I think I found one on thrift books. Congratulations on your first book, it's such a huge undertaking. Good luck!

[@wellwisher2681]

A poem or poetry collection - Robert Frost, Walt Whitman, Mary Oliver. Non fiction letter collection- Letters To A Young Poet by Rainer Rike Literary fiction- A Man Called Ove And And Every Morning The Way Back Home Gets Longer And Longer by Fredrick Backman Philosophy- Meditations by Marcus Aurelius Children's Classic for adults- The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry.

[@justiniswesleyandnotdavid3831]

Wonderful list. Whitman ihas been a comforting friend to me for many years. Reading him with Wallace Stevens and Hart Crane has been an absolute treat. The influence Whitman had on them is undeniable. Highly recommend reading those two. Id also recommend the following; 1. The Anatomy of Influence by Harold Bloom 2. How to read and why by Harold Bloom 3. Charles Baudelaire poetry 4. On the Aesthetic Education of Man by Friedrich Schiller 5. The Myth of Sissyphus by Albert Camus 6. Madame Bovary by Gustav Flaubert

[@rehabyasser2990]

I loved the little prince so much ❤

[@CarolynMarieReads]

So glad!!

[@callukcraft]

mediations is a great read , love the quote

[@christopherpaul7588]

Love Frost and Whitman, especially Whitman! But I'm 50, single, graduated university only 10 years ago, and about to move out of the country to teach English. So my life has also been the Road Less Traveled! If you get the chance I also recommend a very different style of poet, Arthur Rimbaud. His poetry has been a huge influence on not only literature, but music as well. Beautiful writing!! And he quit writing poetry at the age of 20.

[@Mentat1231]

I often see that stack of Ishiguro books in your videos, and I would love to hear your full ranking of them if/when you've read them all.

[@Courtney6]

I’ve read most of these books and I agree. Love them so much. I would also add Thoreau to the poet list. Also, if you haven’t read Wendell Berry I highly suggest him. I always tell people he’s the male Mary Oliver. His poem “the peace of wild things” is probably his most popular. Rumi is also pretty special.

[@stews9]

Excellent choices, good discussions about why. As always, you are clear and detailed. My own view is that there are many books I'd use as a kind of litmus test to spot simpatico folks or fellow Wiccanthropes, but I'd not impose the reading of any book on anyone. I'm aware your Must Read category means you're citing those books as essential for anyone who loves books and reading and good writing. On that I can agree. I'd include The Little Prince, A Christmas Carol, Treasure Island, Frankenstein, Dracula, and scads more in my own list of books I'd strongly recommend. Brava, Carolyn. Another great topic and discussion.

[@francisedmilao5621]

Thank you Carolyn, you made me cry with your description of the little prince recognizing that 'what is essential is invisible'. Thank you

[@Hidinginyourcupboard]

How did you study Frost’s poem and not catch that he says the paths were the same?! It’s the most famously misunderstood poem..

[@Phorquieu]

That's good advice from Rilke. The best advice anyone could give, maybe.

[@wutpplneed]

Loved the motivational poetry. I really liked the one about becoming a writer and writing about the world. This might be off topic but it’s crazy how each writer is unique in writing style and view. The world kinda shapes them and now they get to write about the world and shape it.

[@briannareece2746]

Lucy Maud Montgomery has really beautiful poetry! ❤ It is my favorite!

[@CarolynMarieReads]

Love her Anne series! 🥰 I’ll have to look into her poetry as well :)

[@briannareece2746]

@@CarolynMarieReads oh I hope you do! ❤️

[@noshelfcontrolshannon]

You’ve given me the kick in the pants I needed to try a poetry collection!

[@CarolynMarieReads]

Amazing...I hope it wasn't too painful :P

[@albertrr3769]

I highly recommend Seamus Heaney's poetry

[@janebaily3758]

I really enjoyed your comments about the poets. I pulled out the Norton Anthology I got as a teenager! Thank you 😊

[@Pursuitsofmybookishheart]

A Man Called Ove was my highlight of 2022. I cried and I laughed. I have to say that the grumpy/disgruntled main character is one of my favorite tropes and it was simply just right. I had read Bear Town afterwards and couldn't finish it. But it's not because of Bachman, it's because I lived in a version of Bear Town and now hate hockey and simply could NOT haha I wanted to add about poetry. When I started homeschooling my children, we started studying a poet per year. My children learned poems by heart and they took on such a different colour. This family study and recital has made me love poetry so much more than I ever had in my school years. I feel like coming back to it was so beneficial and I was glad to hear your suggestions

[@kimberlyrecio4136]

Good info, Carolyn. I also think everyone should read one of the Bible versions.

[@rukky.sshonubi4797]

You have no idea how much I love your channel!

[@Cath38639]

How do you read poetry? When you do not understand it do you look up interpretations online? Or do you let yourself not understand it and keep coming back to it?

[@lisasstitchingandsuch]

Yes A Man Called Ove!! I read this because of you last month, now my Mum has read it and my sister currently has the book :) It was so good.

[@doaadikrallah]

i loved this video so much! and i completely agree with you, the little prince is definitely a must read for every single person on this planet, it’s just so impactful! my goal this year is to read more poetry and maybe finally find my favorite poet, i’ve never been a poetry kind of girl but i’m liking it way more now and i see everyone having their favorite poet and i just want to have that too, hopefully this year is the year! i’ll check out the ones you recommended for suree

[@MicheleBlumberg-u6n]

Really like your reviews and suggestions.

[@neshkavirdure8289]

Thank You So Much for These Selections, I Have Always Liked Poetry and Have Read Poetry in School, But Want to Dive Into Readng More This Year😊👍👍📚

[@Lana-ou8vu]

You dind't mentioned never let me go 😉 I read this book on your recommendation and I loved it. Thanks for the video, have a wonderful day! ❤

[@__rishikasingh]

Beautiful video ❤️

[@tbrooks529]

I love that you and your beastie posted at the same time! What a treat! One book everyone should read is The Archive of Alternate Endings. This is the most amazing contemporary works of fiction I've read in a very long time. It made me cry, it made me pause and reflect on the nature of love, it made me look back at our recent history (recent to me is from the 80s on), and it made me wonder what our collective story is. Is it still being written and can we make edits or rewrite it better?? Read this book!!!

[@thomasdoyle9748]

😄 beastie

[@anastasiialazuka7774]

I really liked that Carolyn also read lines from the books she’d chosen! It definitely gave a better idea why these books are special and worth reading! Thank you!

[@alljoy6541]

I agree, I read a man called Ove, loved it. I will look into to poetry and letters to a young poet which is on my tbr

[@MartinDSmith]

That scene with the sales assistant is so relatable.Although I'm sure I was more civil with the person I was recently purchasing a LAPTOP from.😁❤️

[@RainbowSunny1]

I think that you should read The Mountain Sings! I love it so much and it was so influential for me!

[@Anna-ft2mi]

This may be somewhat of a fringe video request but if you ever wanted to spare the time and energy, I would love to hear more about your thoughts on “The Road Less Travelled” poem by Frost. I found it fascinating when you read it.

[@Novaturient_Liv]

It's fantastic to hear other people discuss nature poetry! Robert Frost is one of my favorites. Since you like him (and others), give Wendell Berry a try. He writes fantastic poetry ("This Day" is a great collection, "The Peace of Wild Things" comforts me) as well as fiction (Hannah Coulter is a great novel).

[@ChessieChess]

I just added these to me TBR after reading the synopses on GR. They sound right up my alley. Thank you.

[@melissaaugust7016]

OMG! wait until you read Winner it gonna rip your heart out several times. I love Fredrick Backman. Can;t wait to see your review on it

[@VionetteF]

Thank you for introducing me to Fredrik Backman. I finished 'A man called Ove' in December 2022. I plan to read more of his work.

[@thomasdoyle9748]

I liked Anxious People.

[@dianewalker9154]

I adore Mary Oliver

[@faezehalamdari]

I loved this so so much. Thank you 🖤

[@ColonelFredPuntridge]

Must-reads, other than the obvious ones? OK. 1. _Les Caves du Vatican_ by Andre Gide (in English translation titled _The Vatican Cellars_ or _Lafcadio's Adventures.)_ 2. _Se questo e un Uomo_ by Primo Levi (in English translation _If this Is a Man_ or _Survival in Auschwitz.)_ 3. _Flatland_ by Edwin Abbott 4. _Doctor Frigo_ by Eric Ambler 5. _The Children's Country_ by Kay Burdekin

[@carlosantunes7800]

If you would like to contemplate something profound, magic and challenging, read “Book Of Disquiet”, by Fernando Pessoa. This book is absolutely transformative and overwhelming!

[@circleofleaves2676]

I bought my copy of The Little Prince from the Shakespeare and Co bookstore in Paris one of the times I visited there.

[@denawittenberg]

Your copy of Walt Whitman in this video, who is the publisher? It looks like a beautiful assembly of his works.

[@CarolynMarieReads]

It’s called the “deathbed” edition from Modern Library!

[@willieluncheonette5843]

" “Only one man comes to me, he was the Emperor Aurelius. He wrote the famous book, MEDITATIONS. Of course it is not what I call meditation, but meditations. My meditation is always singular; there can be no plural to it. His meditations are really contemplations; there can be no singular to it. Marcus Aurelius is the only name I can remember in the whole Roman history worth mentioning - but that not too much. Any poor Basho could defeat Marcus Aurelius. Any Kabir could hit the emperor and bring him beyond his senses…But this is all that has come from the Romans - nothing much, but still something. One should not reject anybody totally. Just by way of courtesy I accept Marcus Aurelius, not as an enlightened one but as a good man. He could have been enlightened if, by chance, he had come across a man like Bodhidharma. Just a look from Bodhidharma into the eyes of Marcus Aurelius would have been enough. Then he would have known, for the first time, what meditation is.”

[@abedalrhmankais3486]

I watched a man named Otto and I really enjoyed it!! Btw I cried A LOT at the end

[@priscilladias8544]

Mauler and Questus by english writer Shawn Williamson. Mauler is indicated by english writer, historian, cinema director Andrew Sinclair. He compares It with White Fang by Jack London.

[@colorswordsandlearning]

Love Robert Frost , Walt Whitman and Emily Dickinson.

[@user-yg6ft1iu1i]

I really enjoyed A Man Called Ove. I would also recommend Stewart O’Nan as an author that really gets writing about families and aging. Emily Alone would kind of fit that or Henry Himself. Wish You Were Here is the first in the series but more people are critical of that one. ( his other books are good as well). A funny grumpy old man series is The Secret Diary of Hendrik Groen by Hendricks Groen. Enjoyed hearing your recommendations

[@pedrojose9135]

I want to start reading poetry, I am thinking about Walter Whitman. As a bilingual (Spanish/English) I hope I can get a lot from his poetry in English.

[@annasbooks]

The little prince has been on my tar for forever. I think I finally need to get to it

[@sophhnavarro]

A Man Called Ove!

[@camillodimaria3288]

Check out the poetry book “Self Portrait in a Convex Mirror” by John Ashbery & look up his poems “Just Walking Around” & “Vetiver” & “The New Higher” to name a few.

[@kendallalvarado9128]

I learn a lot with your videos ✨ if you love Marco Aurelio, I recommend you Seneca 🙌🏻

[@Angel-sh7mn]

>the normie take on the road less traveled Bruh.... It was Robert Frost mocking a friend for always complaining they should've taken the other path when they went on walks. Read the poem again and you realize the roads are the same, he just invents a reason to choose one over the other. Absolute bruh moment.

[@dianewalker9154]

Greek Philosophy and the Stoics are fantastic reads. They were masters of human nature and emotions.

[@DubhRosBreach]

Loved your recommendations, never read Mary Oliver before and as old curmudgeon I'm worried now I'll get a Fredrick Backman hug! 🤔

[@cabmangray1423]

"If you are breathing air you must read these." Imagine my dismay after listening to your video, which happens to be my first, that I actually don't have to and won't read any of these. Respect your passion though.😉

[@besottedorchids3605]

I'm currently reading and enjoying the Man Called Ove

[@besottedorchids3605]

We r going next weekend to see the new movie

[@rachelmerrie]

Okay, I was skeptical up to A Man Called Ove. I love and own everything by Fredrick Backman! (I’m not into poetry, hence my skepticism).

[@differentisbeautiful9415]

I am reading a little prince rn thanks to you and soon to pick up a man called ove

[@CarolynMarieReads]

That’s wonderful!!!

[@YvesThePoet]

Great content thank you ❣️

[@bobthecat-rh5dy]

I can promise you and everybody else that you won’t be sorry if you read this book: Beware of Pity by Stefan Zweig. I’d love to hear your review about it. From the books that you’ve pointed out in your vlog I’ve read Whitman, Rilke, Backman and Saint-Exupery (excellent reads!), the others are going on my TBR list. If not there already. Thank you for your recommendations and reviews!

[@kimbarbeaureads]

My List: 1. The Holy Bible (even if you aren't religious it has something for everyone) 2. Fahrenheit 451 (a cautionary tale) 3. Pride and Prejudice ( Austen's wit is a must) 4. Edgar Allan Poe (all of it) 5. A book of Fairy Tales, perhaps the Brothers Grimm

[@annabattistello9993]

One that I'll never stop loving is A Bridge to Terabithia (No clue if this is translated correctly... I have the Italian version hahah)

[@sarahrobinson3423]

Beautiful curls!!! 💕💕💕💕💕

[@ellarose8696]

I mean… I do indeed breathe oxygen…. *adds to cart*

[@Raisedbywolves1520]

Finished The Winners from Backman. The last 100 pages killed me slowly. I'd say it's the best book from #Beartown

[@nanashinde9513]

Hon Marie madame get the books on screen to view and give list in description with authors so we can get their names clearly the video is not clarifying the doubt still remains I hope you will consider my suggestion

[@lorrainefoord7384]

Marcus Aurelius magnificent, The Little Prince magnificent and you my dear girl ... magnificent!

[@johnsaxongitno4life588]

Mine is a Classic book 📖 War and Peace ☮️ it’s amazing and beautiful book even though it is long please stick at it

[@CarolynMarieReads]

Was very tempted to put Anna Karenina and War and Peace on this list, but I resisted!

[@johnsaxongitno4life588]

@@CarolynMarieReads they can be intimidating books 📚

[@Astyanaz]

Have you read the poetry of Anna Akhmatova

[@bobbrush1709]

How does Frost KNOW it’s the road travelled by? How does he know it made all the difference? It didn’t. It’s maudlin.

[@MH-ql4nh]

'If you are alive, you need to read these books.' The zombie watching this video: Dammit

[@CarolynMarieReads]

😂😂😂