Amazon recently came out with its `` Only about a third Books to Read in a Lifetime '' Henry David Thoreau : I was more than a little shocked by the list , which crudely mixes categories . If you 're going to die soon , he suggests reading `` Walden '' by Jay Parini . Nor do John Updike or Saul Bellow or Mark Twain . Parini : 100 of the books on the Amazon list are in any way must-reads .
Amazon recently came out with its `` Only about a third Books to Read in a Lifetime '' Henry David Thoreau : I was more than a little shocked by the list , which crudely mixes categories . If you 're going to die soon , he suggests reading `` Walden '' by Jay Parini . Parini : 100 of the books on the Amazon list are in any way must-reads .