Hey everyone. Bit of a random lil update post bc I started a new project that I wanted to share. So, I accidentally published a post this morning about the kpop group Infinite (it was supposed to go live next week, I accidentally set it up for LAST week. OOPS) and even though it was live for literally 2 seconds, some people had already clicked on it (y'all are fast!). So, since I've left a void where that Infinite post should be, I figured that I'd go ahead and share this video with you that I made, An Unhelpful Guide to Infinite! Just as with similar videos in this format, it's less of a guide than it is a compilation of all of the Infinite inside jokes, so I hope y'all enjoy! (although I guess it could help you learn a bit about them, idk)
It's the first video on the new KPop related YouTube channel that I decided to start, and I'm going to be making a lot more KPop and Infinite-centric videos soon (including one that goes alongside the one accidentally posted this morning), so check it out if you want to. I'd really appreciate it! :)
Thanks for reading! If you like my posts, I'd really appreciate if you'd subscribe/follow so that I know you're enjoying what I'm posting! See you soon!
If you follow me on social media, you might have seen that over the past month I've been posting a lot of videos and gifs of the k-pop group Infinite. After seeing Sunggyu on The Genius, I eventually got curious and listened to their music and absolutely fell in love with them-- their music, their personalities, everything. And, since June 9th is the anniversary of their debut, I figured that this was the perfect time to do a 30 Day Infinite Challenge!
Day 1: Your favourite Infinite member and why.
I have a lot of trouble choosing just one favorite, but I got into the group after watching Sunggyu on The Genius, so he was definitely the one that I initially loved. Of the group, Sunggyu, Dongwoo, L, and Woohyun are definitely my favorites but I have a hard time choosing just one because I like them all for very different reasons... which I guess I'll explain once we get to that question.
Day 2: Your favourite Infinite song
I'm still in the process of getting through their entire discography, but the one that is my favorite by far is Bad. It's just such a jam and it has a very different vibe from a lot of their music. Not that I don't love their usual sound, but it just immediately jumped out at me when I started listening to their music and I also really love how equally the parts are spread out. Other standouts are Paradise, Back, Come Back Again (To-Ra-Wa), The Eye, Air, and obvs, The Chaser. I could probably list another 5 songs but I'll stop there.
Day 3: An Infinite song that reminds you of someone
OK, I really tried here, but I got nothing. Usually I can do this type of association really easily, but I'm struggling today.
Day 4: Your favourite Infinite cover
I mean... obviously:
Day 5: Best singer in Infinite
I mean, is this really up for debate? I'd say that Sunggyu and Woohyun are pretty equally tied for first place. I think that they both have really powerful voices and they're definitely the most consistently on-point members of the group. I really have trouble choosing between them, but if I had to choose, I might go with Woohyun even though Sunggyu is my fave. I think Woohyun's voice always sounds incredibly strong and really mature. Not as in old, but as in "I know what I'm doing and sound perfect." The same goes for Sunggyu, of course, but I think that Woohyun's timbre is more distinctive. IDK I just really like his voice.
Day 6: Best dancer in Infinite
I mean, this one's even more obvious. It's clearly Hoya. His nickname is literally "dance machine." Honestly, I attribute most of their famous "knife dancing" to Hoya (feat. Dongwoo), for a few reasons. Obviously, they can all dance well. Some of them (*cough*Sunggyu*cough*) can be a bit of a mess, but in general, they're all really good. But what makes them look even better is when you put the strongest dancer in the front. Sunggyu and L in the back might not be attacking the choreo at full-force, but if Hoya's in the front giving 110%, it's still going to look amazing. And he puts like 1000% effort into every performance. I often notice that he'll do these precise micro-movements that the rest of the group aren't quite doing. It's really phenomenal how much these little movements can affect the entire appearance of the group.
Day 7: An Infinite member you want to be BFFs with
See, this question's difficult because you have to figure out the line between members you'd want to date and the ones you'd want to be friends with. Or, of course, you could always have the will they/won't they friendship. It seems that this is a recurring sentiment, but I'm torn between Sunggyu, Dongwoo, and L, for several different reasons.
Usually, when I try to answer "who would I be BFFs with," I try to pick someone closest to my actual best friend, but none of them is really close to her. I guess the closest would be Dongwoo, but he's much more out-there and loud. Ugh, this is hard. I guess I'd have to go with Myungsoo because I feel like we have the most in common, but I'm pretty torn between all three of them.
Day 8: An Infinite member you want to go shopping with
This one's a no-brainer. Definitely L/Myungsoo. One of my favorite things about him is how much he loves wearing the color black. Most of his clothes are black, or plaid button-downs and that's essentially my wardrobe as well. If I don't know what I want to wear, I grab a black t-shirt and black jeans. Because of this, I typically end up wearing all black at least half the week. Just in general, I feel like our styles are pretty in-sync and the only problem we might have is arguing over who got to buy the black shirt.
Day 9: The member you think is most easily shipped
Probably Woohyun. He's just so presh, constantly throwing hearts at everyone and doing hilariously bad aegyo. But Dongwoo is also up there, if only for his constant butt-touching and how comfortable he is with being physically affectionate with everyone. IDK, I think all of them are pretty easily shipped with each other.
Day 10: Your favourite OTP
I kinda like the dynamic between L and Dongwoo, TBH. They're polar opposites in many ways. L is usually rather quiet and reserved, while Dongwoo is just unabashedly himself 24/7. I also love Woohyun and Sunggyu's dynamic together. Sunggyu can often be grumpy and serious, but when he's with Woohyun, he tends to be a bit more silly and goofy. I think the two of them, more than anyone, seem like they could actually be brothers.
Day 11: An OTP you don’t like
IDK, Hoya and Sungjong? Just because they're my least favorites? But IDK if that's even actually an OTP for anyone haha.
Day 12: Your favourite Infinite quote/interview
Ooh, this is a hard one. I'm not sure I could pick just one, although anything L says about loving black is pretty high up there. I'm also a big fan of Sunggyu's one english phrase: "I am not monkey, but I love banana." Plus nearly everything Dongwoo did in Ranking King. But my favorite interviews are definitely any time they're on Weekly Idol. I can't choose just one. They and the MCs are just so close at this point, and it's fun to watch them be really silly together.
Day 13: The member you think is funniest
Ooh, this one is a bit of a tossup between Dongwoo and Sungyeol. Dongwoo never fails to make me laugh, partially because his laugh is so contagious and partially because he's just such a silly, goofy person. But Sungyeol and all of his pranks and silliness also make me laugh. So, Dongwoo in terms of general silliness and unintentional giggles, but Sungyeol in terms of being purposefully a jokester.
Day 14: Your favourite variety show cut
I'll probably have to go with the clip of them performing girl group dances on Weekly Idol. I love all of their Random Play Dance clips, and definitely prefer a compilation of all of those, but in terms of just one segment, the girl group dancing has to take the cake. I've watched it countless times and it never gets old because every single one of them is memorable in some way. Sunggyu is just so horrible, but really proud of himself. Dongwoo is expectedly pretty perfect. Woohyun is legitimately the most adorable human on the planet, and L is a close second. Hoya executes Achoo (INFINITE version) to perfection. And then there's Sungyeol doing the entire choreo to Pick Me and making even L fangirl. It's just amazing from beginning to end.
Also, not sure if this counts as a variety show, but there are tons of clips from Ranking King that are just as good or better. The scene where they're driving the little cars is hilarious the entire way through, as is the clip where they can't figure out an answer to a question and Sunggyu just shouts " L L L L L L." There are just so many clips that I absolutely love of these guys.
Day 15: An Infinite member you’d kiss
Well if we're thinking in the realms of just kiss and not date or anything, then I guess I'm judging by who I find most attractive and who I think would be the best kisser, right? (Side note, I'm starting to wonder at what point I'm too old to keep doing this because I feel weird about talking about just kissing random celebrities) Anyway, I'm thinking I have to go with Woohyun here. IDK, of the 4 that I like the most, I think that he would be the best kisser. IDK, I just really want to stop using the word kisser because it feels weird.
Day 16: An Infinite member you’d play the ‘I Love You’ game with
So, I had to google this game, because I'd never heard of it. I was worried it was going to be really cringey, but it doesn't seem quite so bad. That being said, the obvious choice here is Dongwoo. That boy giggles at the drop of a hat, so it would be really easy to make him laugh.
Day 17: An Infinite member you’d date but in secret
I think the clear choice here for me is L. Between this question and the next one, I can only pick 2 to date and Myungsoo is an obvious choice for me, but he has the most fans who would be upset for him to be in a relationship. So he's the clear choice to date in secret between the two. That being said, I have several reasons for why he's my choice, so allow me to explain before anyone jumps down my throat for choosing "the hot one."
The thing about me is that I tend to like guys who are very much like me, and personality-wise, L is definitely the most similar to me. We both kinda have this cold, unemotional exterior that we prefer the world to see, despite the fact that we can both be softies. Plus, aside from the cold exterior, he's just generally one of the more quiet, reserved members. He's also really smart, which is a major plus for me. Also, as mentioned, I really like his personal style. He also has this hidden geeky side and likes to read manga, so that's definitely a bonus. Just all-around, a lot of his personality traits are ones that I really like, but he's definitely one that someone would have to date in secret because of all of the backlash from previous relationships.
Day 18: An Infinite member you’d date out in the open
Probably Dongwoo. He just seems like such a sweetheart. Like, I feel like he would keep me constantly laughing at his silliness, but he also just comes off as one of the nicest people ever. I saw a comment on YouTube that I'll insert here that made me laugh and also described Dongwoo pretty accurately:
He always comes off as really confident on-stage and sometimes when he's doing interviews as well, but internally he's just this little goofy, pure child who's cute and giggly. It's really adorable. Also, he may be really silly, but he's also clearly rather smart and (from everything I've seen) seems to be the best at English. Also, there was a video where he said something in Spanish and IDK if someone told him how to say the phrase, or if he knows a little Spanish, but knowing multiple languages is a definite plus for me. As for dating out in the open, I know that there was some brief controversy where he was seen out in public with a girlfriend, so he doesn't seem to care that much about being secretive with relationships.
However, I do want to briefly shoutout Sunggyu here, because despite how much I do really love Dongwoo, I have a feeling that IRL I would get along better with Sunggyu. I'm a pretty chill person, so it's definitely possible that Dongwoo's energy would be a bit too much at times, but Sunggyu and I could just be grumpy together haha.
Day 19: An Infinite member you’d bring home
So I'm going to interpret this question as bring home to your parents because I'm running a PG blog here! haha
And that would obvs be Woohyun. Referencing the picture I put on the last question, Woohyun is an unabashed cinnamon roll. Some of the other members could potentially get strong reactions from my family, but I feel like Woohyun is never going to rub someone the wrong way. Anyone's first impression would be that he seems sweet, and then he would just continue to prove that. I could easily see someone like Sunggyu, L, or Dongwoo causing my family to have a strong negative first impression (Sunggyu-- grumpy, L-- actually silent, Dongwoo-- over the top) but there's no way Woohyun would ruffle any feathers.
Day 20: An Infinite member you’d go clubbing with
OK, so clubbing is something that sounds absolutely miserable to me regardless of who I'm with. Definitely not my scene. But I guess if I had to choose one... Dongwoo? IDK he seems like he would be fun.
Day 21: Your favorite thing about Sunggyu
Quick note after finishing all of these "favorite thing" sections: I used them mostly to just talk about my opinion on each member, not strictly my "favorite thing." So I talk about both positives and negatives in each of these.
Despite the fact that I mentioned that he's one of my favorites, I haven't really mentioned Sunggyu very much in this post. So here's my chance to go on and on about how much I love him. Like I said, I first discovered Infinite by watching Sunggyu on The Genius. If you're an Infinite fan (and I'll assume you are if you've made it to this point in the post), I feel like S1 of The Genius is a must-watch. First, it's an amazing show. Legitimately, my favorite TV show of all time. Second, Sunggyu is so. much. fun. on it. I won't spoil you for anything that happens but he was one of my favorite aspects of that first season, and that's why I looked up Infinite's music.
In relation to that, Sunggyu is really smart, which is one of the things that I like most about him. Like I mentioned earlier, one of my favorite Sunggyu moments is when the entire group is being dumb while answering a trick question and Sunggyu starts just yelling the correct answer and complaining about how dumb they're all being. It's a hilarious moment, and it's 100% something that I would do. Sunggyu is definitely a bit of a know-it-all and I can definitely relate to him on that level. I also love how grumpy he can be as well. He's constantly teased on variety shows, and he does that really endearing "I'm mad at you but I'm actually not really that mad" thing that's really great.
Plus, he's a great leader and a great singer. And I love how disastrous of a dancer he is. Overall, I just really love Sunggyu and he's definitely one of my favorite members.
Day 22: Your favorite thing about Dongwoo
Once again, choosing just one thing is difficult, but I've talked about him quite a lot in this post already, so this shouldn't be too lengthy. As I've already said, I love his goofiness and his intelligence and the fact that he's a total sweetheart. He's definitely a really amazing rapper and dancer as well. I love the fact that he's so easily scared- it's really funny to watch, despite feeling kinda bad for him the entire time. But I think probably my favorite thing about him overall is just his good-hearted nature. You can tell that he's just genuinely a really sweet person who's really empathetic and has a really positive outlook on life. He's constantly smiling or laughing, or just being an extremely lighthearted, positive individual, and that's not incredibly common. Generally, when someone is extremely positive, it comes off as really fake to me. That's probably because I think of myself as a pessimistic realist (aka the reality of life is that a lot of it sucks), so consistent positivity just comes off as disingenuous to me. But not with Dongwoo. He just comes off as legitimately very positive and really sweet.
Day 23: Your favorite thing about Woohyun
First of all, shoutout to Woohyun's vocal cords because his voice is actually magical. He's a really consistently amazing singer, and the timbre of his voice is really distinct. I love it. Also, the aforementioned girl group dance video is one of my favorite moments of Woohyun ever. When he's just bouncing around doing silly aegyo, it's so adorable and I forget that he's actually an adult in his late twenties, rather than a barely-legal teenager. He has such a little baby face. And on that topic, his aegyo is probably one of my favorite things about him. Whether it's a total failure and he turns into NamGrandpa (another of my favorite clips), or he's bouncing around like an idiot (once again, another fave from Weekly Idol), or if he's just constantly throwing hearts, it's just adorable. That being said, he definitely goes way overboard, hence the NamGrease nickname. I cringe every single time he calls the fans his girlfriend. That being said, he's still presh.
Day 24: Your favorite thing about Hoya
As you might assume from the fact that I've barely mentioned him in this post so far, Hoya is one of my least favorite members. It's not that I dislike him-- I like all of the members-- it's just that the whole super-buff jock type isn't really my thing. Like, in almost every "try not to fangirl" challenge, the clip of him tearing his shirt open and doing a ton of hip-thrusting is there, and that's just not something that really gets to me. In fact, to me personally it comes off as a bit vain/arrogant. Not saying that Hoya is arrogant (he seems pretty shy and sweet), but that's just how it comes off to me in general. I say all of this to say that the very buff/jock side of him is something that, in general, isn't something I really like.
That being said, there are a lot of things about him that I do like about him, so let's move on to those. First of all, although I find "ideal type" descriptions kinda dumb because I think everyone has multiple "types," Hoya's ideal type is the one that I respect the most. His type is "someone I can respect. A girl full of ideas, who speaks fluent foreign languages." Most of the other guys gave some sort of physical description or something about her being cute, but Hoya clearly seems to care most about a girl's intellect and her mind and that just warms my little heart. On top of this, there's the obvious fact that he's the best dancer in the group. Seriously, he's so good and makes the rest of the group look great as well. Plus, he's also the hardest-working of the group, constantly working and practicing even when he doesn't need to, which is something that I really respect. Plus, as mentioned earlier, he comes off as pretty quiet and respectful. He's definitely the member who speaks the least in interviews, but I love when he shoots little zingers at Sunggyu. It's really funny. Actually, the more that I talk about him, the more that I realize that there are actually a lot of things that I like about him. IDK, like I said, I like all of the guys. I feel like I know the least about Hoya though.
Day 25: Your favorite thing about Sungyeol
His height!!! Just kidding lol. I think my favorite thing about Sungyeol is his playful personality. Like, he consistently makes everything really fun, whether it's because he's playing pranks on everyone, messing with the other members, or just generally being obnoxiously silly. I love the clips of him going throughout the dorm and showing all of the member's secrets, and the banana prank is just infamous at this point. Another of my favorite clips is the one where they're doing a challenge with weird glasses on and Sungyeol is basically just sabotaging the other members the entire time in order to win. And I also love his hilarious girl group dance as well. Overall, I just love that he's really silly and really goofy and tends to make everything funnier and just overall more fun.
Day 26: Your favorite thing about Myungsoo
Like with Dongwoo, I feel like I've said a lot about how much I love L, so I'll hit the highlights again before getting into more detail. Once again, he's the closest to me personality-wise. Cold on the outside, but hidden silliness/goofiness. He's smart, he's dorky, and he's the only member that loves the color black about as much as I do. Plus, when you do remove that cold exterior, he's just as silly and cuddly as the rest of them. I also love when he's just completely off in his own world. So often, whether it's in interviews, discussions with the members, or just life in general, you'll see L just staring off into space or doing something else entirely, not paying attention to whatever's going on around him. That's another thing I do a lot, especially when in a large group of people. I'm usually the quiet one, so I tend to get lost in thought or just forget about everything going on around me.
Another of L's funniest aspects is how much he just focuses in completely on food when it's in front of him. One of my favorite clips of L is when his teacher is posing as a waitress and he doesn't notice her because he's so zoned in on the food that she's bringing. And, I feel like I've said this about all of the guys, but he's just so sweet. In that same episode, when he did finally see his teacher, he quickly embraced her and felt incredibly guilty for not recognizing her that he actually started tearing up. I've gone on way too long about this, so I'll just go ahead and stop before I ramble for another few paragraphs.
Day 27: Your favorite thing about Sungjong
Once again, Sungjong is not one of my favorite members. Like with Hoya, I feel like he's the one I know the least about. Although he's not really as silent as L or Hoya in interviews, I feel like I just keep getting the same information from all of the shows. He's the maknae. He's the feminine one. He's good at girl dances. He beats up a teddy bear. He likes horror movies. He likes the color yellow. And... I think that's about it. I think the reason he falls really low on my list is that I think the other members are really charismatic, and unfortunately, he just isn't. Like with the rest, he seems sweet and likable, but just nowhere near as charismatic as the other members.
That being said, I do like the fact that he prefers to be really informal with the other members. I like that he'll occasionally joke around and refer to the older members casually rather than using "hyung." Maybe that's just because the idea of being formal with my literal roommates is just way too formal for my overly-informal, casual self, but that's just me.
Day 28: An Infinite member you’d want as a brother
My immediate instinct is to say Sunggyu, but Sungyeol or Dongwoo would also be fun. I guess I'll just go with Sunggyu though, since that's my initial instinct. He's just such an 'older brother' figure among the guys that I think I'd like having him as an older brother. I think that we'd get along pretty well, so that would be cool.
Day 29: Your perfect day with Infinite
I think the best way to hang out with Infinite is to do some sort of fun group activity. So maybe something like going to an amusement park as a group or something fun like that. It's always really fun when all of the members are just being silly and goofy and having fun.
Day 30: Your perfect date with your Infinite bias
Like I've said many times in this post, I have trouble choosing a favorite. So if we're going with my earlier assertion that L and Dongwoo are the ones I'd date, I'll talk about one for each.
So, I feel like the best date with L would be something low-key like going to a coffee shop. It'd be somewhere quiet to just sit and talk and get to know each other. Just something quiet and chill like that. It always seems like L gets especially quiet when there's food in front of him, or when he's in a large group of people, so I feel like a quiet, one-on-one setting like a coffee shop would be the perfect way to just sit down and have a conversation.
For Dongwoo, on the other hand, I'm thinking more along the lines of an amusement park. I think that would be a great way to have fun, but also have plenty of time to talk and spend time together. Dongwoo is such a little kid at heart, so I could see him loving the rides, but also having a ton of fun running around the park and playing the fun little arcade games as well. Plus, I feel like Dongwoo is in peak form when he's running around and giggly, and an amusement park is the perfect setting for that. Plus, amusement parks are just extremely fun in general. I love them.
So, that's it for the 30 Day Infinite Challenge! As you can tell, my love of Infinite is definitely consuming a lot of my time lately, but they're all just so hardworking and talented and lovable. Seriously, I'm constantly impressed with these guys and their music and performances. Let me know down in the comments if you're also an Inspirit and who your bias is!
Thanks for reading! If you like my posts, I'd really appreciate if you'd subscribe/follow so that I know you're enjoying what I'm posting! See you soon!
So, a couple days ago, Jamie from Ermahgerd Berks and Beth from BethJune327 did videos called "30 Books Before 30" where they listed 30 books that they wanted to read before they turn 30. Even though I'm only 20, I thought it would still be fun to list 30 books that I want to read before I turn 30. These aren't necessarily the books that are right there at the top of my TBR. Instead, these are books that I would feel embarrassed about not having read by the time that I'm 30. Some of these are important because of my personal taste, others because of my academic interests, others because of the issues they address, and others because I'm just extremely late to the party.
The books in the list almost all fall into distinct categories, so I decided to go ahead and divide the list up that way as well, rather than trying to list from most important to least important.
The Complex Marathons
(AKA big/complex books)
#1: Infinite Jest
by David Foster Wallace
This is one that I plan to tackle sooner rather than later. I've had this on my TBR since May, and I'm still really interested in reading it. First off, it's a dystopian, which I love. I also really love that it's extremely complex. I've heard so many good things about this book, and so not only is it a challenge, but also it just sounds really good!
Why before 30? I just feel like I want to read it at a time when reading really intellectual books is impressive rather than expected. Not that I want to go bragging about how intellectual I am...
#2: Under the Dome
by Stephen King
The TV show has me intrigued, so I'm definitely curious to get to read this. It is, of course, very massive, but it seems really fast-paced and exciting so maybe it won't seem like it's as big as it is. I mean, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is really long, but it's not a boring book at all.
Why before 30? It's honestly just because it's so huge. It's a challenge. And I want to complete it.
#3: S.
J.J. Abrams
I was completely intrigued when I first heard about this book. The basic premise is that it's kinda a book within a book. I believe the book is at a coffee shop or some other public place, and these two people begin to write back and forth to each other in the margins of the book. And so you have both the story on the actual pages and the story unfolding between these two strangers. I think that's just insanely cool. Why before 30? It's because I think this is one of those books that I can put off really easily. First off, it's really complex, which sometimes is a drawback when I just want a fun read. Also, I think that if this book was just the actual book without the added factor of the people writing back and forth to each other, I wouldn't be interested in reading it. So I find myself thinking about how the main book isn't exactly my cup of tea and push off reading it, even though the full premise sounds intriguing.
Music Books
#4: Musicophilia
by Oliver Sacks
I started trying to read this last year, but only got about 1/4th of the way through. It wasn't that I didn't like it, because I was enjoying it, but I feel like whenever I read non-fiction, I need some fiction between sections so that I don't get tired of the topic.
Why before 30? This is one of the most prominent music and psychology books, and I should really read it, given the fact that I'm a music and psychology major. Spoiler alert: this is going to be the reason for most of the music books I'm going to list.
#5: Music, the Brain, and Ecstasy
by Robert Jourdain
This is another music/psychology book, and the blurb is actually what pulled me in. It seems like Jourdain has a pretty easy-to-read writing style, which I always appreciate in a non-fiction book. I read these books because I'm genuinely interested, not because I'm taking a class on it, so I'm really not interested in something that's going to feel like a textbook.
Why before 30? Once again, this is a pretty well-known music/psych book, and even though I find them incredibly intriguing, I push them aside for more fun reads.
#6: The Music Instinct
by Philip Ball
There's a famous quote by a psychologist named Steven Pinker where he tried to claim that music was "auditory cheesecake" and tried to say that it's not actually important... and he told this to a room full of music psychologists. And I thought people with doctorates are supposed to be smart? Anyway, I would love to read a book that tells me why we can't live without music.
Why before 30? Again, it's a popular music/psych book that I just need to get to.
#7: The World in Six Songs
by Daniel Levitin
I read and loved Daniel Levitin's first book, This Is Your Brain on Music. This book is a little more culturally based as opposed to psychology based, but it sounds extremely interesting nonetheless.
Why before 30? Do I really need to say it at this point? See above.
#8: The Rest is Noise
by Alex Ross
This one is slightly different from the music books before it because it's actually about music history rather than music and psychology. And it's specifically about the twentieth century, which is my favorite period of Western art music.
Why before 30? After my undergrad work, I plan to continue on to grad school and study musicology with a focus in 20th century music. So I really should probably read this before 25. Actually, probably before 22, to be honest.
#9: Listen to This
by Alex Ross
This is another book by Alex Ross (obviously), and rather than focusing on just the 20th century, it takes a very broad look at music history. And it doesn't just look at art music. It branches out to popular music as well.
Why before 30? If I'm going to get a degree in musicology, I should probably read as many music history books as possible, even if it's for no other purpose than just brushing up on my music history knowledge.
Series
#10: The Hobbit
by J.R.R. Tolkien
Honestly, I'm kinda embarrassed about not having read it before the age of 20. As a fan of fantasy and a fan of the Lord of the Rings movies, I should have read this book by this point. I'm pathetic.
Why by 30? Because I can't think of anything more embarrassing than being 30 and having to tell someone that I haven't read The Hobbit.
#11: The Lord of The Rings Trilogy
by J.R.R. Tolkien
I really want to read these. I tried to read the first one back in 8th grade and got confused because I couldn't figure out who any of the characters were, and couldn't really keep track of what was going on. And I haven't really tried to read them again in the seven years since then. So I really need to just read them.
Why before 30? Oh wait, I found something more embarrassing than being 30 and admitting that I hadn't read The Hobbit... being 30 and admitting that I hadn't read Lord of the Rings.
#12: Codex Alera
by Jim Butcher
Regan from PeruseProject talks about this series all the time, and it just sounds absolutely fantastic. Even though I really enjoy high fantasy, I haven't read a ton of high fantasy series. And that just needs to change.
Why before 30? Because I want to get this read within the next year!
#13: Mistborn Series
by Brandon Sanderson
Once again, I heard about this from Regan from PeruseProject. And it sounds fantastic. And I need to read more high fantasy.
Why before 30? Because I want to read this ASAP!
#14: The Chronicles of Prydain
by Lloyd Alexander
I absolutely love the Disney movie, The Black Cauldron, that is based upon this series. I've heard that it's actually only based upon the first couple books or that it's really loosely based upon the books, but I still really want to read them. I actually started trying to read the first book. I got almost halfway through, but I just wasn't feeling it, so I put it down. It wasn't bad, I just wasn't in the mood.
Why before 30? Because I have all of the books, and it just needs to be done. Each of them is less than 200 pages. It shouldn't be a struggle to get through these. Seriously.
#15: A Song of Ice and Fire Series
by George R.R. Martin
I really want to read these. Really badly. I plan to read them all in 2014 (fingers crossed). This is one of the most popular high fantasy series ever, and I this is one bandwagon that I really need to jump on. And even though I generally love big books, I'm kinda intimidated by these books. They're just so big and epic!
Why before 30? Because I want to see the TV show, and I refuse to do that before reading the books.
#16: The Kingkiller Chronicle
by Patrick Rothfuss
I've heard so many amazing things about these books. Everyone who reads The Name of the Wind seems to love it. Also, both of these books have an average Goodreads rating of 4.5. Do you realize how impossibly good that is?! 4.5. SERIOUSLY. Why before 30? Because this is next on my TBR and I want to read them insanely badly.
#17: Throne of Glass Series
by Sarah J Maas
I've just heard so many amazing things about this series, and it seems like so many people love it, and I want to be one of those people. Strong female lead FTW!
Why before 30? Because I want to read the series while it's still in progress!
#18: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Series
by Douglas Adams
I've been told by many people that I would enjoy this book and that I would really enjoy the humor in it. Plus, it's classic sci-fi, which is definitely a necessary read for me.
Why before 30? Just because I want to, honestly.
#19: The Hunger Games Trilogy
by Suzanne Collins
Yes, I have not read the Hunger Games trilogy. I know, I know, heresy. But I have a good reason. Kinda. So my friend (who's not a big reader) told me how great this book was back in like 2009, before they got super big. And I didn't trust his opinion because he didn't read so I assumed he didn't know the difference between a good book and a bad book. But then it blew up and I didn't want to jump onto another Twilight-esque bandwagon, and I heard that a lot of people didn't really like Mockingjay. So why bother, if the ending was going to be terrible. Also, basically the entire end of the series had been spoiled for me. So why bother? But at this point, I realize that I just need to suck it up and read it because it's dystopian and I'll probably love it.
Why before 30? Because it should have been before 20. It's time.
#20: Hercule Poirot Series
by Agatha Christie
Not all of the books in this series are pictured, but this picture does show all of the books in the series that I own. I've already read 8 of the 39 books in this series, but I think that by the time I'm 30, I want to have the entire thing finished. And they're all pretty short, so this should be completely doable.
Why before 30? Because Agatha Christie is amazing, and I want to read all of her books.
Classics
#21: Animal Farm
by George Orwell
I actually can't believe that I haven't read this book already. I really enjoyed 1984, and so I really want to read this as well.
Why before 30? Because I really need to read it long before then, or I'll be really embarrassed.
#22: A Clockwork Orange
by Anthony Burgess
This kinda runs right between counting as a classic dystopian and a modern classic, but either way, I really want to read it. I was supposed to read it for one of my classes sophomore year of college, and I really wanted to read it, but with all of the weird words that were made up for the book, I really didn't want to try to read the entire thing in a couple days.
Why before 30? Because I love the movie and I know I'll really enjoy the book.
#23: We
by Yevgeny Zamyatin
I only recently learned about this book from a video that Ariel Bissett did where she talked about it. Dystopian's my fave, and this is a classic dystopian, so I need to read it.
Why before 30? It's such an influential book that I feel like I need to read it before I'm 30.
#24: Black Beauty
by Anna Sewell
Horses are my favorite animals, and they always have been. When I was 10, my room had horses on the walls and I had horses everywhere. When I was little, every single one of my Barbies had their own horse. I had the illustrated classics version of this book and read it countless times. It was my favorite book as a kid. However, the illustrated classics are very edited and adapted, so I've never read the real book. And I really should.
Why before 30? I read the kids' version so many times before I turned 10 that I'd be embarrassed if I hadn't read the real one by the time I'm 30.
#25: Slaughterhouse-Five
by Kurt Vonnegut
My roommate has recommended this book to me so many times, so I feel like I really need to get to it because it does actually sound like a book I would enjoy.
Why before 30? I think I just feel like any classics I read need to be read before the age of 30, and I'm not sure why. Maybe because reading a classic in your 20s is seen as an intellectual thing, while reading more influential literature is more expected when you get older? IDK, I just feel like I should read it soon.
#26: Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
by Lewis Carroll
Alice in Wonderland is one of my favorite Disney movies and it's just so trippy and crazy and once again, I can't believe that I haven't read it yet.
Why before 30? Because I feel like the older I get, the less likely I'll be to fully enjoy it.
#27: The Book Thief
by Markus Zusak
I've heard so many people say how absolutely amazing this book is, and I really just need to get on reading it because I've had it for a while and so many people are saying that it's a modern classic and that it should be taught in high schools, so I need to see what this is all about. Also, I want to see the movie.
Feminist Literature
#28: The Feminine Mystique
by Betty Friedan
I had to read a little bit of this for one of my classes and it was just so great and I want to read the whole thing.
Why before 30? As a feminist, I feel like this is necessary reading.
#29: The Handmaid's Tale
by Margaret Atwood
This is a dystopian feminist novel. Need I say more?
Why before 30? Again, required feminist literature.
#30: The Bell Jar
by Sylvia Plath
I feel like a broken record here. Required feminist literature.
Why before 30? See above!
So there you go! Those are the 30 books that I want to have read by the time I'm 30! What books do you want to read by the time you're 30? Let me know in the comments!
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