Comments on Best Books Ever - page 45

It's lists like these that remind me that there is a big difference between peer-reviewed, professionally-paneled "top 100" lists (like the AFI Top 100 movies lists) and...this. Twilight? Seriously?

Having said that, I have read a few of the books on the list. I'm not sure Harry Potter should be so close to the top - even though I do enjoy the series - I was glad to see Animal Farm represented. I'm big into dystopian/eutopian novels, and shocked a little that 1984 wasn't in the top 100 when I looked. Fahrenheit 451 is a classic...so this list/experiment isn't all bad, right?

Josef wrote: "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 gr..."

So what exactly is "great writing" then? I like to read books that entertain me, that I enjoy. Which is why I would not put "The Scarlet Letter" or "East of Eden" on my best books list. I hated those books. You might like them, but obviously the masses here don't.

I am however quite amused that "Hamlet" and "Romeo and Juliet" made their ways onto these lists. They're plays, not books!

Twilight? Really? I'm sorry, but just because a book is popular, doesn't make it one of the best.

I have no problem with religious texts being on this list, since they're works of pure fiction. What I do take issue with is how highly they rank, given the quality of the writing...

This list is a joke.

Seriously, The Return of the King is at 79? Twilight is at 1st?

"Best Books Ever" should be rated on QUALITY of literature, and not the quantity of teenage girls that obsess over a poorly written series.

This should be called "Most Popular Books Ever", not "Best". Best is, on one hand, a wholly subjective estimate of a book, on the other hand, to call books like Twilight or The Da Vinci Code "good" would be a terrible insult to literature and writing in general. :/

I personally think that the Hunger Games should be first instead of dumb-butt twilight! grrrrr...........

i think this list is boring.Maybe i have to read more.

First of all, why the heck is Twilight number one? Seriously. Secondly, why are To Kill a Mockingbird, and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows so far back on this list??? This list is clearly voted on by a bunch of teenage girls.

Eric wrote: "First of all, why the heck is Twilight number one? Seriously. Secondly, why are To Kill a Mockingbird, and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows so far back on this list??? This list is clearly vote..."

Mhhmmm. I'm a teenage girl and I agree with you. -_- I hated Twilight and I don't understand how any of the classics are THAT far back!

Take Twilight off #1 and I'll call this list legit

VOTE FOR THE HUNGER GAMES!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Please? (And FYI, you don't have to if you don't want to.)

Michelle wrote: "VOTE FOR THE HUNGER GAMES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!11 Please?"

What the fuck are you doing. Asking people to vote for YOUR favourite book. Maybe people like me don't like the hunger games.My review of the book is that it's a piece of shit.

Callan wrote: "Michelle wrote: "VOTE FOR THE HUNGER GAMES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!11 Please?"

What the fuck are you doing. Asking people to vote for YOUR favourite book. Maybe people like me don't like the hunger games.My ..."

Look, as much as I love The Hunger Games, I still don't think it beats any of the classics.

MJ wrote: "Callan wrote: "Michelle wrote: "VOTE FOR THE HUNGER GAMES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!11 Please?"

What the fuck are you doing. Asking people to vote for YOUR favourite book. Maybe people like me don't like the h..."

Thank you but hunger games is shit and not cool.

Callan wrote: "MJ wrote: "Callan wrote: "Michelle wrote: "VOTE FOR THE HUNGER GAMES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!11 Please?"

What the fuck are you doing. Asking people to vote for YOUR favourite book. Maybe people like me don't..."

Odd, I thought you liked them. Hmm.

J.N. wrote: "Callan wrote: "MJ wrote: "Callan wrote: "Michelle wrote: "VOTE FOR THE HUNGER GAMES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!11 Please?"

What the fuck are you doing. Asking people to vote for YOUR favourite book. Maybe peopl..."

Well I read them again and realized how shit they are.

Wow... I think the world is ending. There is no way Twilight is the best book ever. There are too many classics falling under the radar of all these pre-teen books! haha Except Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, that's a good one.

Ryan wrote: "Wow... I think the world is ending. There is no way Twilight is the best book ever. There are too many classics falling under the radar of all these pre-teen books! haha Except Hitchhikers Guide ..."

Twilight isn't that bad.

People upset over a silly list that means nothing. Hahahahahahahaha.

Twilight is first on this list? Really...? I kind of don't want to live on this planet anymore.

So I considered 'The Great Gatsby', 'Ulysses', 'Lolita', and 'Pride and Prejudice'... then decided to go with 'Twilight' because there's a fair to middling chance that I'll get to see someone's head explode if it finishes 1st. :)

On a more serious note, why do any of you care which book finishes first or last? Does the book which finishes first instantly become a better book? Does it somehow make any of your favourite books less enjoyable?

Callan wrote: "Michelle wrote: "VOTE FOR THE HUNGER GAMES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!11 Please?"

What the fuck are you doing. Asking people to vote for YOUR favourite book. Maybe people like me don't like the hunger games.My ..."

Well thats your problem. I was just kidding, anyway, so you don't even have to say anything.

Michelle wrote: "Callan wrote: "Michelle wrote: "VOTE FOR THE HUNGER GAMES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!11 Please?"

What the fuck are you doing. Asking people to vote for YOUR favourite book. Maybe people like me don't like the..."

Cool. LOL.

J.N. wrote: "People upset over a silly list that means nothing. Hahahahahahahaha."

I agree it means nothing to me.

The top 8 books on this list (as it stands now) saddens me....greatly.

Silent_count wrote: "So I considered 'The Great Gatsby', 'Ulysses', 'Lolita', and 'Pride and Prejudice'... then decided to go with 'Twilight' because there's a fair to middling chance that I'll get to see someone's hea..."


Hmmm, I don't know if anyone's head exploded but Twilight has been n°1 on this list for quite some time now. What list have you been looking at?

And I won't pretend to express everyone's opinion of course but I'll try to answer your questions (in reverse order):
3) Does it somehow make any of your favourite books less enjoyable? => No

2) Does the book which finishes first instantly become a better book? => That's debatable. One might consider the quality of a book as simply what it is, good or bad, independently from people's opinions and then the book won't get any better or worse. But one might also consider that books which receive some form of recognition (and being chosen as number 1 on a list that's supposed to reflect people's tastes IS a form of recognition) might actually be better than previously thought. You see that in movies and music as well with awards rewarding works that you thought were crap but then wonder if they're not better than you thought if they're good enough to receive an award. As an example, I always thought that Shawshank Redemption was a decent but forgettable film (that's also what I thought about the book) but it keeps popping up as a lot of people's all-time favorite, so I'm wondering if there's not more to it than I had seen.

1) why do any of you care which book finishes first or last? => precisely because of the "recognition" issue. Obviously, the number 1 on the list will get utmost exposure and maybe influence people who haven't read it to check it out. So, if you think the book is crap, you won't help but be a little upset by the publicity it gets while YOUR favorite book is drowning in the depths of the list.

Again, that's only my opinion.

ThE BoOk ThIeF!!!

Really am shocked Stephanie Meyer is on there with any of her titles ... Best Books Ever, what a joke!

No one mentions the fact that The Book of Mormon is on a list with a bunch of Fiction titles? Hilarious. By the way--read my book, "Mormon Boy."

Why is Twilight on top of this list? Like, seriously?

How about we change this to "Best Books Ever as selected by Adults..."

I think everybody is up at arms about Twilight because this is what people consider to be the "best book ever"...it's fine if you think that. There's no denying its popularity, but as a piece of literary fiction, it.........falls short of being a masterpiece. I'm sure once all the movies are done and over with, it will fade away with time and people will go back to picking up Catcher in the Rye, Catch-22, or any other book written to enjoy a well written story with engaging characters.

Bill wrote: Obviously, the number 1 on the list will get utmost exposure and maybe influence people who haven't read it to check it out.

That's not a bad thing!

A lot of people genuinely do like the Twilight & Harry Potter books (their sales figures speak for themselves). Looking at the top 20, it's pretty clear that a lot of people on this site like those books too.

If someone is on this site (to get influenced by this poll), I don't think it's unreasonable to suppose that, if they pick up the Twilight or Harry Potter books, they'll probably enjoy them too.

As for getting upset about something which you think is garbage becoming popular, my only advice is to become acquainted with the adage, "live and let live". Life is way too short to get upset by what other people like (except for those who like reality TV. Send them all to the gulags!).

That all said, I do appreciate your opinion and thank you for taking to time to reply.

Silent_count wrote: "As for getting upset about something which you think is garbage becoming popular, my only advice is to become acquainted with the adage, "live and let live". Life is way too short to get upset by what other people like (except for those who like reality TV. Send them all to the gulags!) ..."

Oh, I totally agree. I'm old enough not to be influenced by anybody else's opinion, I was just trying to explain why some people could get so worked up about this list.
And I also agree on the reality TV thing :) (except for The Biggest Loser, I love that show, it makes me cry in... kind of a fun way :p)

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?"

That is insane!

MJ wrote: "Can't there be a BEST BOOKS OF ALL TIME list where lists are not chosen by the goodreaders, but by reviews that we've given? As in books that have been given 5 STARS and the list just goes on? Now ..."

That's cool. U should bring that up with the website editor or whatever.

Clarisa wrote: "Why is Twilight on top of this list? Like, seriously?"

I know. The books are totally unrealistic. I mean, I like vampire books, but the characters themselves are just wierd.

Clarisa wrote: "Why is Twilight on top of this list? Like, seriously?"

these twilight books are my mums favourite books.

Twilight is on top? Seriously? SERIOUSLY PEOPLE?
I've lost all faith in humanity. Aliens should come and nuke this planet. -.-

Kraven wrote: "Twilight is on top? Seriously? SERIOUSLY PEOPLE?
I've lost all faith in humanity. Aliens should come and nuke this planet. -.-"

That's what (sort of) happens in The Host.

(Uh-oh. Another S. Meyer's book... :DDD)

To address some peoples questions as to why it bothers me (I know I wasn't singalled out) in paticular about the twilight books being number 1 on the list, or any Stephanie Meyer books for that matter being there.

1) She doesn't write very well at all. It is popular fiction, in my oppion she got lucky with her concept but overall, the writing is bad and the plot is weak.

2) And this is the most distressing point. The Twilight books heavily promote abusive controlling relationships. If you really look at the book and read it for what it is, you have a controlling boyfriend who stalks and life is impossible without him. The most damaging thing about it is that, this is glamorised within the books, and young girls subconscously are taking that in and will most likely carry elements of it to theire adult years.

So the thought of this book topping anychart seriously makes me fear for future generations of women, and It's not even their fault.

Relax people! This is not the Oscars. It's just a compilation of individual responses. I enjoyed writing my list and articulating reasons for my choices, and it's fun to see what books / stories are important to other people. In regards to the Book of Mormon, so what if it made the top of the list? That just means that many people who responded feel the Book of Mormon is important. Fine. I've read it. It's not on my list. Also, by the way, neither is the Bible because the only one I saw on the list was the King James version and I'm Catholic. But I wouldn't have put it on my list anyway since I don't see the Bible in the same light as, say, The Three Musketeers. As it turns out, three of my top 5 books (that I've read) are on the top of the general list and two of my to-read books are as well. What does that mean? That there are other people who like these books. It doesn't mean that they now officially are the best books ever written. So really, chill. It's not the Presidential election. It's just a survey. And I agree with Becca, Elizabeth and Jade, rudeness, especially verbal contempt, needs to be eliminated from this discussion.

nicola wrote: "proof that the truth is not democratic =/

seriously, jane austen? errughhh."

Nicola, each to her own. Please comment on books you like rather than criticizing others for their literary taste.

Oh.. I'm sorry, I must have stumbled into the Teenie bopper top books of all time list.
Now, how do I get to the grown up books..

Chris wrote: "Relax people! This is not the Oscars. It's just a compilation of individual responses. I enjoyed writing my list and articulating reasons for my choices, and it's fun to see what books / stories..."

I agree. It's not the oscars.

Kalin wrote: "Kraven wrote: "Twilight is on top? Seriously? SERIOUSLY PEOPLE?
I've lost all faith in humanity. Aliens should come and nuke this planet. -.-"

That's what (sort of) happens in The Host.

(Uh-oh. ..."

Yeah, I tried reading that too. Horrible. Rotten eggs and fungus soup.

I get the feeling she's trying to live out her high-school fantasies in her books. You know, the recurring "young girl, older guy, OMG so much sexual tension, yet we can't do it, omg, omg" theme.

Urgh.

Where's Fight Club! Where's Let The Right One In? Or heck, even The Gingerbread Man would be a step up from Twilight.

I like Paulo Coelho book, The Alchemist. The story is so amazing, by reading it, I can imagine live in hundreds years ago. Walking across the dessert or sailing across the sea.. So adventurous yet so dramatic.. Sometimes we search treasures to another land, but the treasures is in our own home.. The place we put our head to sleep every night..