Picking up on what Lindsay wrote below... what are the 100 books we must read before we die?
The rules are strict here. They must be novels. No plays, short stories, poems or movement instructions for interpretive dances written in binary code. All works must be fictional. Novellas qualify.
I'll kick things off with obvious classics (and two of my favourites):
1. Great Expectations, Charles Dickens
2. Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen
3. Vanity Fair, WM Thackerary
(And I realise all Dickens' works were originally serialised in newspapers, but surely this doesn't discount them as novels?)
What with classical literature, modern literature and absolute tat to chose from, this should be an interesting exercise - perhaps with lively debate chucked in for free.
Over to you good people... what 100 books must we read before we die?
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These are all favourites but they are also unmissable for anyone interested in books...
4. Ethan Frome (Edith Wharton)
5. The End of the Affair (Graham Greene)
6. The Great Gatsby (F.Scott Fitzgerald)
I find this really hard because it depends on the person. I mean, I could recommend 100 books for Mike to read because I know he's a sci fi nut and I'd throw in a few that would test his boundaries (and patience)EG Ender's Game, Mars Trilogy, Children of Men.
Also I have a nervous tick in that whenever someone asks me to list my favourite books my mind immediately goes blank.
Ok, I vote, in no particular order:
The God of Small Things (Roy)
How the Dead Live (Self),
The Waves (Woolf),
Written on the Body (Winterson), Handmaid's Tale (Atwood)
Under the Skin (Faber)
But that's the point Darling, it's about debate. It's also about 100 great books. Not necessarily ones we'll all agree on, but 100 good books.
I think also
12. To Kill a Mockingbird, Lee
13. Catcher in the Rye, Salinger
That reminds me dan, good and bad news about catch 22. Good news is I remembered it. Bad news is its in a much worse state than I remembered - the cover is falling off and pages starting to fall out. I grabbed mike's copy instead so you can read it without missing page 13 and wondering what the hell was going on.
I can add Lord of the Flies (Golding) to the list.
Oh wait then we've got to add:
Catch 22 (Joseph Heller)
I'm also a bit of a sci fi/fantasy nut so I would put in:
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep (Philip K Dick), and
The Hobbit (JRR Tolkien)
... because they are two of the best from the genres.
Meanwhile, Watts, I fear we're on a collision course because I couldn't stand Written on the Body, though it may have been because I had to read it for uni... or because I thought it was pretentious wank, tee hee. (Though good call about Enders Games - that's a good one).
Ender is great, its a high school english text in the states now. I can understand you not liking written and life of pi - they're both very pretentious. I really enjoyed Written though, it's one of the few uni books I actually finished.
Then i made the mistake of lendign it to a friend (you know when you get into those "everyone must read this book" furies) and never saw it again. I'd really like to read it again because I'm sure I didn't get everything out of it.
Kate you'd probably like Under the skin, it's a bit sci fi. At least that's the premise on which I'm trying to sell it to mike. It's not working so far though.
I probably have my copy of Written on the Body and you're welcome to it if I can find it, though it might have 'die Winterson, die' in the margin. Ohh Under the Skin sounds good though.
Just to re-cap, thus far:
1. Great Expectations, Charles Dickens
2. Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen
3. Vanity Fair, WM Thackerary
4. Ethan Frome (Edith Wharton)
5. The End of the Affair (Graham Greene)
6. The Great Gatsby (F.Scott Fitzgerald)
7.The God of Small Things (Roy)
8. How the Dead Live (Self),
9. The Waves (Woolf),
10. Written on the Body (Winterson)
11. Handmaid's Tale (Atwood)
Under the Skin (Faber)
12. To Kill a Mockingbird, Lee
13. Catcher in the Rye, Salinger
14. Lord of the Flies (Golding)
15. Catch 22 (Joseph Heller)
16. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep (Philip K Dick)
17. The Hobbit (JRR Tolkien)
I'm throwing my 10 cents in with:
1984 (Orwell)
100 Years fo Solitude (Garcia Marquez)
Ulysses (Joyce)
Animal Farm (Orwell)
The Crying of Lot 49 (Pynchon)
Good Morning Midnight (Rhys)
and Life of Pi (Martell)
Perhaps we can have a link to our ultimate list on the site. Also maybe a sidebar on what members are currently reading. Is that sufficiently nerdy and bookish?
Like the idea about sidebar, Lindsay. Also for the list:
A Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy (Douglas Adams)
And SOMETHING from the Jeeves and Wooster Wodehouse books, but I can't quite choose a favourite.. hmm, I'll choose one at semi random and say-
What Ho Jeeves (Wodehouse)
Like the idea about sidebar, Lindsay. Also for the list:
A Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy (Douglas Adams)
And SOMETHING from the Jeeves and Wooster Wodehouse books, but I can't quite choose a favourite.. hmm, I'll choose one at semi random and say-
What Ho Jeeves (Wodehouse)
I also think Tom Brown's School Days deserves a berth.
Can't believe we forgot hitchhikers and animal farm!
I have a copy of Under the Skin if you wanna borrow Kate, but all its pages are falling out. Not my fault, it was my sister's boyfriend's book before me and got left on my mum's kitchen counter for a good six months after he left the state - most of the irreparable damage was done during that time. I've taped it together but it's in a sad way.
Just a few more, possibly controversial, I don't know...
- The Outsider (Albert Camus)
- Regeneration (Pat Barker)
- Strangers on a Train OR The Talented Mr Ripley (Patricia Highsmith)
- The Bell Jar (Sylvia Plath)
- The Virgin Suicides (Jeffrey Eugenides)
please not The Bell Jar, it is truly a book I despise. However I hold a deep respect for most of the others that have been mentioned. If I may add a few:
Lost Horizon (James Hilton)
The Moviegoer (Walker Percy)
A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man (Joyce)
The Stranger (Camus)
On the Road OR The Dharma Bums (Kerouac)
If you don't my suggesting.
i must add...
the lord of the rings (j.r.r. tolkien)
don quixote (miguel cervantes)
les miserables (victor hugo)
fight club (chuck palahnuik)
choke (chuck palahnuik)
the count of monte cristo (alexandre dumas)
i absolutely adore hitchhiker's guide... tis brilliant!!
Hi..
I found this and thought it was interesting that no one had mentioned Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell. That is my all time favorite. I read it in one week.
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