For those who haven’t had the pleasure of being on book Twitter this week, let’s get you up to speed first. This post, recommending ‘20 books to read in your 20s’ went viral. Just one guy sharing his favourite books to 'become your best self’ in a thread.

And people absolutely roasted him for it.

Some took issue with the almost complete lack of fiction or women authors. Others were baffled by the fact that the tweet was illustrated with a photo of 48 books, not the aforementioned 20. Some created their own parodies, including lists that recommended reading the iconic Rainbow Magic series or rereading Dune twenty times. Others simply replied with a single damning emoji: 🚩

Whilst a few of the books included are cult favourites for a reason—see Siddhartha and Sapiens—most of them are ‘self-help’ books that recycle the same ideas about discipline, ‘positive thinking’ and mindset. The core theme being “you can live like me, a privileged man, if you tried a bit harder!” It’s reflective of the trend for ‘self-optimisation’ and particular brand of hyper-masculinity that neoliberalism has spawned; as one tweet put it “the Silicon Valley-isation of literature”. The presence of Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk and not one but two Jordan Peterson books makes the stomach turn a little.

Okay, perhaps I’m being too harsh. There are no rules to reading. Read whatever brings you joy and fulfilment. If the original poster genuinely loves these books, go for it. It’s more upsetting that his enjoyment of literature is limited to the same kind of book. Where’s the variety? Where are the books written by someone who isn’t a millionaire or someone who models themself on a millionaire? Where are the books by women, queer and black authors? It’s like ignoring every great TV show and film to only watch one TED talk for the rest of your life. Yes, it might have some interesting insights, but that's as far as it goes.

Seeing as I am (nervously) approaching 25, I decided to create my own list, which like the original post, obviously reflects my own taste, but hopefully has a little more…depth. There are of course recurring themes: Love, Loss, Justice, Identity, Self-Reflection. These are the books that have enriched my life during my twenties so far, and thus it is an incomplete list. I expect to discover many more.