tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9931308.post116123368300647405..comments2024-03-14T00:16:32.077-07:00Comments on 50 Books: BOOKS: 1001 Books You Must Read Before You DieTammyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16613804843380827691noreply@blogger.comBlogger26125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9931308.post-14775421989758993022011-01-01T10:08:51.206-08:002011-01-01T10:08:51.206-08:00Although I'm only 14, I'm in a top set of ...Although I'm only 14, I'm in a top set of English at a grammar school, and I've loved reading since I was tiny. I find it unbelievable that Shakespeare isn't even on there, and how can Harry Potter not be mentioned when Lord of the Rings (a book I found so dull I literally fell asleep) makes it?G_Girlnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9931308.post-15116075024718473122008-06-20T02:13:00.000-07:002008-06-20T02:13:00.000-07:00To help you with the 1001 book list, Arukiyomi has...To help you with the 1001 book list, Arukiyomi has created a spreadsheet for you which you can download via the blog at <BR/><BR/><A HREF="http://johnandsheena.co.uk/books" REL="nofollow">http://johnandsheena.co.uk/books</A><BR/><BR/>happy readingAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9931308.post-1166571991813623192006-12-19T15:46:00.000-08:002006-12-19T15:46:00.000-08:00I have the book at home, in my bathroom and often ...I have the book at home, in my bathroom and often page through it wondering why so many books i don't like are on it! Then again it does have Day of the Triffids - one of my all time favourite sci fi...I think I also noticed that shakespeare didn't get on but all the Jane Austens didn't mystifying!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9931308.post-1162268431127972682006-10-30T20:20:00.000-08:002006-10-30T20:20:00.000-08:00Ah...what Joyce's "Ulysses" is to you, Garcia Marq...Ah...what Joyce's "Ulysses" is to you, Garcia Marquez's "100 Years of Solitude" is to me.<BR/><BR/>I know, I knows - anathema! Particualrly being Hispanic, but I'm sorry I just can't get through that book. I've tried in Spanish, I've tried in English, I've tried in English *with* the Cliff Notes - it's just not gonna happen.<BR/><BR/>I really like your blog - I hope you don't mind if I list it on mine...Hildahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02606429468531084214noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9931308.post-1162092101344845422006-10-28T20:21:00.000-07:002006-10-28T20:21:00.000-07:00for every literature class I have taken I asked th...for every literature class I have taken I asked the prof for their list of "must reads". best I've read from these lists "Winesberg Ohio"poodlesuehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17783160364332046463noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9931308.post-1162054202720701782006-10-28T09:50:00.000-07:002006-10-28T09:50:00.000-07:00I've read between 80 and 90 of them, with another ...I've read between 80 and 90 of them, with another twenty or so I actually own, but are still sitting on the shelves unread (Thomas Pynchon anyone?). It's a pretty fair list. I was pleased to see Kathy Acker's Blood and Guts in High School there, but too many writers were overrepresented, especially Paul Auster and Don Delillo.<BR/><BR/>Courtney--I wish some graphic novels had made the list, too. I loved Persepolis and Craig Thompson's Blankets.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9931308.post-1161725340959828382006-10-24T14:29:00.000-07:002006-10-24T14:29:00.000-07:00Quite frankly, I am aghast that Louise Erdrich's L...Quite frankly, I am aghast that Louise Erdrich's LOVE MEDICINE is not on the list considering that Mario Puzo's GODFATHER is.Lauren Espinelihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00329225867989435234noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9931308.post-1161425598858680392006-10-21T03:13:00.000-07:002006-10-21T03:13:00.000-07:00Holy crap, Doppelganger, BRIAN SIBLEY is reading y...Holy crap, Doppelganger, BRIAN SIBLEY is reading your blog! I sell his books!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9931308.post-1161385068469479472006-10-20T15:57:00.000-07:002006-10-20T15:57:00.000-07:00101 for me. And a few that I began, couldn't stand...101 for me. And a few that I began, couldn't stand, and gave up on. (Out of the ones I read, there were some I couldn't stand that were school assignments - the one I remember loathing the most was Waterland.)<BR/><BR/>And yes, where are the plays? How can this list omit Shakespeare? And how about Shaw? Tennessee Williams? How about August Wilson and Tom Stoppard?<BR/><BR/>-GenevieveAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9931308.post-1161379756263871212006-10-20T14:29:00.000-07:002006-10-20T14:29:00.000-07:00I'm sad to say that as long as people are reading,...I'm sad to say that as long as people are reading, I don't care if it is a much aluded book on a must read list or not. <BR/><BR/>I think this is because there are vast swaths of my family who have never read a book voluntarily.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9931308.post-1161348991157930292006-10-20T05:56:00.000-07:002006-10-20T05:56:00.000-07:00As far as I know, this list was published in a glo...As far as I know, this list was published in a glossy, very thick book, with articles on each of the chosen books.<BR/>The fact that one originally Afrikaans book (Islands by Dan Sleigh) is on the list, got the list quite a bit of publicity in the Afrikaans press. But it was criticised for the fact that it was centred towards English-language literature.Marissahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08953634658716349376noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9931308.post-1161343405053486132006-10-20T04:23:00.000-07:002006-10-20T04:23:00.000-07:00Okay. I have 27 (maybe 29, because I can't count),...Okay. I have 27 (maybe 29, because I can't count), but I'm only 17, so I don't think that's too bad. Especially considering that there are about thirty books on that list which I've started but never finished. I got Sons and Lovers for my birthday last year and I've been "reading" it ever since. I've started Madame Bovary thrice. And don't get me started on The Grapes of Wrath...even though it won the Pulitzer or whatever, I consider it Steinbeck's worst book. I've started it a total of 10 times and never got past the first chapter. That being said, I'm I went through a Steinbeck phase last year and read all his other books, 'cause otherwise my tiny-ass list would be a lot shorter.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9931308.post-1161336087232538642006-10-20T02:21:00.000-07:002006-10-20T02:21:00.000-07:00I'm not even going to START trying to count... An...I'm not even going to START trying to count... <BR/><BR/>Anyway, how do we KNOW the person who compiled this list has READ them???? <BR/><BR/>Does he/she answer in-depth questions on these books by e-mail? If so, I'm game to test she/he on one or two those titles! Let's see how much he/she REALLY KNOWS!!!!!!Brian Sibleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02395103557170474777noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9931308.post-1161315559243945242006-10-19T20:39:00.000-07:002006-10-19T20:39:00.000-07:00Thanks....I feel truly inadequate. Only seemed to ...Thanks....I feel truly inadequate. Only seemed to score 49, and I am ALWAYS reading - what have I been wasting my time on all these years!Cathhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00947982822958330915noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9931308.post-1161305499158382902006-10-19T17:51:00.000-07:002006-10-19T17:51:00.000-07:00(to Courtney)the Watchman appears on the list, alt...(to Courtney)<BR/><BR/>the Watchman appears on the list, although it seems to be the only graphic novel that did.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9931308.post-1161301157845765972006-10-19T16:39:00.000-07:002006-10-19T16:39:00.000-07:00Whatever the genesis of the list, they are always ...Whatever the genesis of the list, they are always fun to pull apart. 137 for me, with 9 purchased and in the to-be-read pile, 1 currently being read, and a bunch that I started and never continued with and so didn’t count (hello, Lord of the Rings).<BR/><BR/>But, like Doppelganger, I will never tick Ulysses off any of these lists – I was even known to select college classes around avoiding that book based on previous Joyce experiences – and so will never be complete, whatever the criteria. Hey, maybe we should make our own “must read” list which leaves off that tome…Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9931308.post-1161298644222342602006-10-19T15:57:00.000-07:002006-10-19T15:57:00.000-07:00Around 90 for me, and this is wildly slanted towar...Around 90 for me, and this is wildly slanted towards 20th century novels. Whither the drama? The poetry? Was there seriously no Homer on there? No Sophocles? If I should read Zadie Smith, listmaker should read <I>The Iliad</I> and <I>Leaves of Grass</I>.<BR/><BR/>Also, a number of those items ("The Fox" "The Yellow Wallpaper" "The Pit and the Pendulum") are short stories, not books in and of themselves, so I felt like a great big cheater for counting them.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9931308.post-1161291259395535952006-10-19T13:54:00.000-07:002006-10-19T13:54:00.000-07:00I think this is a list of every single literary no...I think this is a list of every single literary novel or story that this person has ever read. I can't see any other rhyme or reason to the choices -- TWO Zadie Smith novels? Every published novel by the Bronte sisters? All the Jane Austens that have been made into movies? Yeah, this looks like someone's personal library to me, and not necessarily a principled compilation.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9931308.post-1161291075435350912006-10-19T13:51:00.000-07:002006-10-19T13:51:00.000-07:0075 for me, with another 3 or 4 that I tried (hones...75 for me, with another 3 or 4 that I tried (honestly, I tried, I really did!) to read, and almost a dozen that I started and then threw behind the couch within the first 25 pages. Unfortunately, roughly a third of that 75 were in English Class in high school, when one by an author would be assigned; I'd find it curiously unsatifying for a so-called classic; and read two or three more to try to figure what was so great about the author (Hesse (3) and Bronte (2) both fall into this category. So does Vonnegut (4).)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9931308.post-1161288107636757532006-10-19T13:01:00.000-07:002006-10-19T13:01:00.000-07:0064- But some i read in their original French. It'...64- But some i read in their original French. It's an odd list with some French novels, but hardly a truly bilingual list. <BR/>Courtney - The Watchmen (Moore & Gibsons) is a graphic novel that made the list, and an excellent one at that.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9931308.post-1161287786097793592006-10-19T12:56:00.000-07:002006-10-19T12:56:00.000-07:00I've only read 83 of the books, but have gladly fi...I've only read 83 of the books, but have gladly finished Ulysses and Gravity's Rainbow which are both killers. I keep pulling this book out and using it to chart progress and make decisions about near future reading. <BR/><BR/>I do love this book.JoanneMarie Fausthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16751278640738482830noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9931308.post-1161284551639689672006-10-19T12:02:00.000-07:002006-10-19T12:02:00.000-07:00Woohoo! I was SURE I would feel inadequate. Okay, ...Woohoo! I was SURE I would feel inadequate. Okay, I only had 48 (also, I might have skipped 5 at one point, by accidentally reading the number on the side instead). But still! That's 5%! Nearly! <BR/><BR/>I think lists like this should have alternatives: score one if you've read 'God Bless You, Mr Rosewater' but if you've read two others of Vonnegut not on the list, you may also score. <BR/><BR/>And I didn't do my sometimes-trick of counting the books I planned to read. I read at least 15 of those for my history degree though. Weird!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9931308.post-1161281560115424152006-10-19T11:12:00.000-07:002006-10-19T11:12:00.000-07:00I don't like the list -- especially the "pre-1700s...I don't like the list -- especially the "pre-1700s," "1700s," and "1800s" section. A lot of those aren't necessarily "must reads" but instead sound more like, "Hey, I recognize that book from some Freshman lit class."<BR/><BR/>For instance, "A Modest Proposal" isn't a book, it's a pamphlet. Daniel Dafoe is over represented. And while I thought <I>The Monk</I> was insanely trashy fun (incest <I>and</I> a bleeding nun? Are you <I>kidding</I> me?), I wouldn't put it on a "must-read" list -- especially since the far better <I>Mysteries of Udolpho</I> is already there.<BR/><BR/>And <I>Tristram Shandy</I> is simply not readable.<BR/><BR/>I also would not put <I>Some Experiences of an Irish R.M.</I> on the list, especially since Trollope's <I>Phineas Finn</I> is a better book and cover's the same ground. And I'd replace <I>He Knew He Was Right</I> with <I>Can You Forgive Her?</I>.<BR/><BR/>And any list that has <I>Life of Pi</I>, Ian McEwan, <I>and</I> <I>Middlesex</I> is dead to me. DEAD.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9931308.post-1161281424293617942006-10-19T11:10:00.000-07:002006-10-19T11:10:00.000-07:00Oops, Sophie's World isn't even on this list - mus...Oops, Sophie's World isn't even on this list - must have been a different one.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9931308.post-1161279447143069182006-10-19T10:37:00.000-07:002006-10-19T10:37:00.000-07:00Lists like this always make me feel inadequate. O...Lists like this always make me feel inadequate. On the one hand I loved books like Saturday and Memoirs of a Geisha but on the other hand I've started and couldn't get through many books others have raved about such as Sophie's World, Name of the Rose and The Age of Innocence.<BR/><BR/>I think lists like these are nice ideas but ultimately it comes down to the fact that it shouldn't matter what people read as long as they are reading *something*.<BR/><BR/>Also, I didn't notice any graphic novels on the list - Persepolis was fantastic.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com