Comments on Best Books Ever - page 50

Why is The Great Gatsby not in the top 100.

Honest to god is this list a joke?
If not COME ON PEOPLE!!! I like twilight but saying it's on the same line as Rebecca??? ....... one of the most beautifully written books of all time...................ARE YOU FRICKIN KIDDDING ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Evan wrote: "TWILIGHT? HOW? HOW IN A MILLION YEARS IS THAT DUMB BOOK NUMBER ONE? The majority of the people I know hate it. I hate it. The only people that like it are teenage girls that are all into Pop-c..."

only someone who hasn't actually read the bible would put it in the top 5000

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

seriously, jane austen? errughhh."

You might not like them, but Jane Austen's books are still recognized as novels of quality, whether you..."

have a masters in English, spend most of my time reading serious literature and philosophy and I don't care much for Jane Austen - BUT she's one of the finest (if not the) writers of prose in the English language - and if retroactively tame, her work was actually a pretty radical break at the time (from say, Samuel Richardson, ugh)

don't really understand the scoffing at Jane Austen with all the other preposterous dreck on this list

is there a way to sort this list? I want to add books to the best books ever but it is really time consuming to scroll thru all these pages.

Steven wrote: "great list - for 12 year olds and soccer moms - here's a serious reader's - I've kept it to novels/book-length fiction

1. The Molloy Trilogy - Samuel Beckett
2. To the Lighthouse - Virginia Woolf
..."

I assume you have read all of these classics?

I do just wish people would stop voting Harry Potter, which I enjoyed, and Twilight on these lists. But, it is an open, public forum. I have found good books via this site, so I think I'll survive.

Kevin wrote: "Steven wrote: "great list - for 12 year olds and soccer moms - here's a serious reader's - I've kept it to novels/book-length fiction

1. The Molloy Trilogy - Samuel Beckett
2. To the Lighthouse - ..."

I spent 20 years without a real job, girlfriend, social life, family contact, etc. trying to be the next Ezra Pound (failed miserably, had two esoteric and obnoxiously erudite novellas remaindered and got married instead) - I used to read a book every couple of days and my criteria for readlist was: author dead, gathering dust on suburban library shelf - I've read those and a few thousand more - hence, my embittered, arrogant displays above - would've been better off auto-piloting into cyberspace like the rest of the drones and so I'm trying that now

gah. mostly school and pop books.

The most politely put way I can is put this list is FUCKING RETARDED. The Book of Mormon, really? It should be renamed the Book of Bullshit. Twilight is better then War and Peace, Walden, Wuthering Heights, The Picture of Dorian Gray, and Crime and Punishment. Well, I see we have geniuses in our presence.

Jade wrote: "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 thin..."
You say that we probably havent read the Book of Mormon or Twilight. Have any of you Einsteins read The Brothers Karamasov? I really doubt it;plus, your opinion doesnt mean jack shit if its uninformed.

To me the best thing about this list is the reaction I see when many people find it for the first time. These lists all end up being popularity contests. The same books on the best and worst lists, books that don't even fit the topic added to lists.

Of course young teens list Twilight, they've never read much else and schools today graduate kids from high school who can barely read at all.

I just look at the lists as a place to get a good laugh.

I appreciate vampire/werewolf stories as much as the next person, but Twilight? Seriously?!? A story centered around a century-plus old fascinated by a 17 year old girl?! One can't possibly be fascinating until, at least, the age of 30. There is suspension of disbelief; then, there's Twilight.

Kirsten wrote: "I'm annoyed with Twilight. Extremely

And where is The Shack?"

Seriously.

Bee wrote: "why are none of Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials Trilogy on here?"

I did read the series (which was fairly interesting), but felt the ending was centered around more about mocking organized religion than wrapping up the story. I was seriously disappointed.

Uh, Hush,Hush???

1. Twilight.

Enough said! ;)

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?" i agree!

This list is a joke! Stephanie Meyer is one of the worst authors in history. My parrot could write a better book then her.

Cool. Has you parrot had anything published? If he/she is even a fraction as successful as Meyer you can both retire!

I'd like to see this list organized by category - ie how can you compare Dr Suess books with Crime Novels and adult books..........

Gillian wrote: "This list is a joke! Stephanie Meyer is one of the worst authors in history. My parrot could write a better book then her."

Mike...they are both considering it since it was so easy for Meyer to write a book. :)

Cool, they can use pinfeather names. :)

If you haven't read "Still Alice" read it - it is about an Alzheimer patient from her early stages of the disease and how she realizes something is wrong before anyone else. A Harvard professor no less. It affects anyone and everyone.

I just noticed the insult to soccer moms above....(post 2552) Not cool dude.

This list is automatically invalidated in that Twilight and The Hunger Games are the first two books. Seriously? BEST BOOKS EVER? These voters must not read very much. Or maybe they're, on average, 13 years old.

While our great grandparents had to be content with just reading, now we can finally make our books race each other.

I'm absolutely amazed that anyone would nominate "Twilight" as #1 on any top ten list, unless of course you're compiling a list of the most poorly-written and ill-conceived concepts of contemporary writing.

Twilight?! Really?

I dont understand how Twilight comes up top in these polls!

Green Eggs and Ham in the top 100 is just hilarious. But the fact that a Twilight Book is number one...that is just sad. What's next, Fifty Shades of Grey? I think Green Eggs and Ham is more deserving, personally.

I'm pushing for The Yellow Pages.

The top 8 on this list (entire Twilight saga, some Harry Potter and Hunger Games) is incredibly depressing.

I like Harry Potter and Hunger Games, they're enjoyable, but they're not the "best books ever", especially when compared to some of the classic competition. It makes me wonder what the average Goodreads user age is.

The average Goodreads user is.....not taking these lists seriously, LOL.

To make these books the top 8 on the list is because the list is made by the entire American teenage group of heart lost girls.Who nearest they get to reading a classic is to read Mark Twain in high school.When you point out authors like Hemingway,Eliot,Chekhov,and Shakespeare to name but just a few.The response you get from this fraction of youth is Who are they? But because they haven't turned these great authors into Hollywood blockbuster where young girls can swoon and go all gaga then they just have no interest.And that why these books that are on the top on the Goodreads book list.Not only that but I totally agree with my friend and fellow reader Mike (the paladin)who is spot on we shouldn't take these list seriously and we should LOL.

What a joke

TWILIGHT? ARE YOU SERIOUS?!

Nowadays anything to do with vampires, sorcery, zombies, and other senseless topics has replaced
literature.

Natalie wrote: "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?"

nico..."

Nope, the only thing they do read is the Book of Mormon, cos they have to dress in white shirts and black pants and make converts.

Kirsten wrote: "I'm annoyed with Twilight. Extremely

And where is The Shack?" Twilight precurses (pun intended) the twilight of literature.

And then the moon will be down and it will be night of the living dead.

Paul wrote: "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.

"You have to think of the Book of Mormon as having been written someone with a huge imagination, anyway.

I mean this is obviously made by a kid ,it is easy to realize since there are many classics that are mandatory in high school so...no need to be rude, at least they are reading.

This can't be a serious list...

Not a hater, but never got the chance to talk about this so, here it is :

Even if you do like Twilight, which I decided to accept as a proof of "All tastes are in nature", how can you put it before so much master pieces ? I just really really don't get it, even if it changed your world, blow your mind, whatever, is it really possible that there is so much of you out there that have been more touched by this book than by a thousand more profound and beautiful other books? Naming some would just be egocentric because I would of course name books I personaly loved, and I am not saying that my tastes are better than others. But when I see that this book almost systematically gets best ratings with more than a million votes, I have to make a choice between thinking : "I am too dumb to understand the beauty of this book" or "one million people voted for that book with 5 stars because they just didn't get the chance to read real mind blowing books, with awesome characters, and magnificent writing" and I'm sorry to tell - and you could say it's just my ego talking if you'd like - that my choice is always without hesitating the second one.

But that really makes me sad, because even if I don't care if people love the book, 'cause if they love it it's for some specific reason so good for them, but what really annoys me is that since I just didn't like that book at all, every time I see it in a list, I just can't trust this list anymore, even if it is maybe the only distorted information, so could you please stop putting it everywhere ? If it comes to appear on a best classic list someday, I think my heart just won't be able to bear it.

Please, acknowledge that there is no agressivness in my message, really, just despair, because I have remained silent to long and needed to say that, and forgive me if my English is sometimes wrong.

The list is a popularity contest Aurélie. None of the lists are "accurate" so to speak. Adolescents have little depth of experience and sadly many older readers don't either. I've said before that more than anything the lists are good for laughs... Well and to see the reactions of people who find them and see their absurdity for the first time.

You've just joined, check out the groups. There are many and you can find groups of readers who want to discuss the books you enjoy.

Mike (the Paladin) wrote: "The list is a popularity contest Aurélie. None of the lists are "accurate" so to speak. Adolescents have little depth of experience and sadly many older readers don't either. I've said before that ..."

Yes, I will search for such groups, it's one of the first groups I've seen and all of them had Twilight in them, so maybe I over-reacted ! But thanks for the explanation Mike!

The lists are separate Aurélie. At the top of the screen you'll see, "Home, My Books, Groups. Click on groups. There are groups built around genre, writers, location and other topics. Hope you enjoy. I actually spend far too much time here, LOL.

Twilight = New Kids On The Block of literature.

WOWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW this list is a complete joke. Twilight??????????!!?!?!? the best book ever???? im going to go slit my wrists now