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Best Books Ever
The best books ever, as voted on by the general Goodreads community.
25,217 books ·
93,795 voters ·
list created May 13th, 2008
by Michael Economy (votes) .
1218 likes · like
Lists are re-scored approximately every 500 seconds.
Comments (showing 1-50 of 3,107) (3107 new)
this is the second list--worst books was the first--and i'm done. this is madness. i mean, how many mormons congregated to vote the book of mormon as a top 100 book? really?
It's also flawed in that the same book with a different cover might be on the list twice in drastically different places (see Catch-22 or Lord of the Flies). At least Mockingbird is #1, though.
as of this comment, mormons are over-represented by more than three-fold, demographically. either some of the voters here are cheaters (boo!) or mormons are disproportionately the sort of big readers who like goodreads (hooray!).
I think you people need to just relax!!! I think "you're just too high strung" and eventually the "strain will be more than you can bear."
Regarding the message from Labsjoao, you can search for a book without leaving the first page by entering the name in the "find/add books to list" box. It's pretty easy that way. A much more serious flaw is what Adam said. If the same book it in several different spots, and not all of the votes for, say, Catch-22 are going to the same Catch-22, then these rankings really aren't worth much. Overall, there are several pretty odd choices here, such as the Mormon book being #3, but most of the list seems pretty good to me.
I'm not going to argue with the Book of Mormon--either all religious texts are valid for a list like this, in which case it's merely interesting, or all religious texts should be off the list, in which case there's a whole other set of things to worry about.The one that gets my goat is Twilight (number eleven at the time of this comment). Are you people kidding? Stephanie Meyer in a list of the Best Books Ever? Fut the Whack? It's the EMO of literature! It's pop garbage with no depth! It's above inarguable classics like Crime and Punishment! That's like arguing that My Chemical Romance is better music than Bach! This place is bonkers!
I like how "The Brothers K" is "better" here than Dostoyevsky's "The Brothers Karamazov." What a joke!
I was just going to say that. Always important to remember when you're writing - the best line according to some will be what others despise, etc.
Bruce wrote: "I'm not going to argue with the Book of Mormon--either all religious texts are valid for a list like this, in which case it's merely interesting, or all religious texts should be off the list, in w..."Yeah, but I've noticed that since these lists allow opinions from every Goodreads member, there will never be a standard. The only population that counts here is the population of Goodreads members, so maybe there's just not a lot of people on Goodreads who enjoy quality literature.
Best and worst list are certainly not meant to be definitive. Best and worst are so subjective. They are merely meant to elicit conversation and thought which they obviously have done. But the Book of Mormon? Come on. Really?
Todd wrote: "Best and worst list are certainly not meant to be definitive. Best and worst are so subjective. They are merely meant to elicit conversation and thought which they obviously have done. But the B..."Yes, the Book of Mormon. I've read it 13 times. There is not one other book that's changed my life more significantly. Millions have read that book and will testify to the same thing. And literally hundreds have died because of that book. It's because of these facts that we who love that book place it above all others on the list.
I love literature. I've studied the Brothers Karamazov with a dozen other philosphy students. I've wept over Les Miserables. I've fallen in love with words and wonders, yet I have yet to find a book to offer more to me than the Book of Mormon.
So yes, really, The Book of Mormon.
Molly wrote: "Ah the stupidity of lists. You'll notice the Best and Worst lists are almost identical. "Yes, and I have more of a problem with the Worst Book List than this. People who put great literature as the worst books ever written seem do be doing so simply because they may have had pain getting through the book and they think that good literature should simply entertain. What a sad state to be in. These are the same people who put Twilight on this list. These are the people who would rather call Friends the best TV show and would put a show like Freaks and Geeks on the Worst Show ever list.
Elisabeth wrote: "I think you people need to just relax!!! I think "you're just too high strung" and eventually the "strain will be more than you can bear.""Very Good Advice. This is just a list someone made up, somewhere in the world. It holds as much weight as you give it.
I agree, if you don't like the fact the poorly written books are on a best books ever list than I think you care to much. On the other hand it's not bad to defend what you think is a good book or a bad book but let's not get carried away.
Josef -- I certainly didn't mean to be offensive or to put you on the defensive. It was only a poor attempt at making an ironic statement. This is why I usually keep my opinions out of these discussion threads. I completely love your comment about Friends compared to Freaks and Geeks. As a high school English teacher, I see students turned on by so much trash, but, as they say, one person's trash is another person's treasure. I'm just glad they are reading.
Todd wrote: "Josef -- I certainly didn't mean to be offensive or to put you on the defensive. It was only a poor attempt at making an ironic statement. This is why I usually keep my opinions out of these disc..."I didn't mean to make you think I was upset. My respect to you for being a high school teacher. Yeah, even if they think that Stephen King is the greatest living writer, as long as they're reading they've got something going for them.
Dear Otis,Your list is great! I've read only about 50 of these books, so my vote is not exactly fair. But of the 50 I've read, my vote -- far and away above the other 49 -- would be for:
JOHNNY GOT HIS GUN by Dalton Trumbo
This is the most powerful antiwar novel I ever read. And readers be warned, this book is NOT for the faint of heart!
Otis, I wish you would think of using the influence of Goodreads, which is becoming a large and potentially influential group, to suggest that the new administration -- Barack Obama and his Cabinet, especially leaders in the Department of Defense -- read this book.
All best,
Arlene
www.ArleneSanders.com
Author of TIGER BURNING BRIGHT
Jefferson Press, 2009
Otis, this is a great idea to find the best book. I have to think about this in more detail to narrow it down in my own mind.Too bad we can not vote for three or four and then narrow down the list. Followed by another vote on the shorter list....BTW it is unfortunate that some people do not have any class and manners in how they express their thoughts. Is there a moderator that could eliminate thevulgar comments as above?
Twilight is number 4? Give me a friggin break people!!! Entertaining? Slightly. A classic piece of literature? Absolutely not!
The Book of Mormon? You gotta be kidding me. I'd put "Where the Wild Things Are" as being more "literature" than that book. I agree, this list is loaded and biased.
Marla wrote: "this is the second list--worst books was the first--and i'm done. this is madness. i mean, how many mormons congregated to vote the book of mormon as a top 100 book? really?"nicola wrote: "proof that the truth is not democratic =/
seriously, jane austen? errughhh."
Yes, what's with the Mormon thing? Are they the only ones who have time to READ these days?
Only in the USA would "the most popular" be confused for "the best". How many people have read Philip Roth's "Portnoy's Complaint" about masturbation? Compare that to how many people have read Thoreau's "Walden".
Where are the rest of the good books? I don 't even see most of my favorite books on here. And the book of Mormon is number one? I really don't think so.
i think the book of mormon thing must be some kind of in joke...i mean it only takes a little organization and you could theoretically get anything put up in the number 1 position...and why does 'to kill a mockingbird' in position 2 have more votes than position 1?...
If this list is any indicator, it appears that a lot of people on Goodreads don't read very serious literature. Plus, the Book of Mormon, come on, seriously, you might as well put Dianetics up there too.
If you're groaning or confused about The Book of Mormon being at #1, I ask - have you ever read it? It's a fair question... I do agree w/the Twilight comment though - UGH. But hellooo, Farenheit 451 should be way further up the list, says I...
I agree. I think every fair-minded reader here will agree that you have to actually read something before deciding on its merit. And no one would argue with someone esteeming The Bible or The Quran or any other religious text if it really moved them. Why should The Book of Mormon be any different? Sometimes what makes a book "Best" is how powerfully it impacts you. So what if it's religious or spiritual in nature?
I agree with Becca and Elizabeth.Endre:Is there a moderator that could eliminate the vulgar comments as above?
I don't see anything wrong with the Book of Mormon being in the list. I don't think people need to be so rude about it. Most people that have criticized it obviously haven't read it.
Also, I think that it is right to put Twilight on the list. People have read other good books and think that those books should be on the list, but have you ever read Twilight? Probably not.
People need to respect other peoples opinions. And people who don't, are just rude and immature.
Wow, some of these folks need to read more. Or age more. Or go to school, or something. I mean, really.
Twilight is the best book I've read in my entire life! It is awemazing! I love the whole saga and Edward Cullen!
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seriously, jane austen? errughhh.