Comments on Best Books Ever - page 64

...and the best being most popular?

Amber wrote: "This list is a joke!"

I agree! How do books like Twilight surpass modern classics, like Harry Potter, and old classics, like Shakespeare and Homer? This list is really flawed!

Wow pretty much every book on here has been made into a movie. That's probably how they ended up on here. Tragic/

this is what happens when you let idiots vote

this is what happens when you let idiots vote

Ender's Game is the best here.

Sandesh wrote: "this is what happens when you let idiots vote"

LOL.

I gave my first vote to Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451. It has some faults, but it made a great impression on me when I was twelve or so, and I've read it maybe five times.

Where is the Game of thrones series on this list?!

Dianetics on 7193rd place? This book is so overrated!

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..."

Amen Brother, I'm not sure you can even count the twilight series as books. Maybe as Anti-Vampire propoganda? Because, those things sure as hell are NOT vampires.

Jason wrote: "This list is a perfect example of why 16 year old girls shouldn't be allowed to vote. I'm willing to bet that 90% of the people who voted for Hunger Games, Twilight and Harry Potter never even read..."

Good thing I'm 14 then. I read all the books you mentioned and enjoyed all of them. Sure, twilight has its flaws but Hunger Games I thought was amazing and Harry Potter is the best series i've ever read. Plus, why would a 16 year old join a website called "Goodreads" if they just watch the films and don't read the books? Surely they would have joined IMDB instead?

Amber wrote: "This list is a joke!"
word!

Rebecca wrote: "... why would a 16 year old join a website called "Goodreads" if they just watch the films and don't read the books? Surely they would have joined IMDB instead?"

+1

Hunger games...#1 barf

The Hunger Games is the best book ever? How embarrassing.

Personally, I am of the opinion that "The Hunger Games" should be rated the number one and number two books of all time. It is pretty much the greatest piece of writing in the history of the lower 48 (and Puerto Rico). I should hope that if Aliens or Poltergeists visit this planet in the next 1,000 years and ask for the one book that sums up Mankind succinctly, Suzanne Collins' brilliant masterpiece will be the tome offered.

Additionally, "Are you there, God? It's Me, Margaret" should move up the list to number three for several reasons that don't need to be defined here.

"It is pretty much the greatest piece of writing in history...I should hope that if Aliens or Poltergeists visit this planet in the next 1,000 years and ask for the one book that sums up Mankind succinctly, Suzanne Collins' brilliant masterpiece will be the tome offered" by J-sin

OK, it is one of my favourite books but I wouldn't go as far as this. Or are you being sarcastic? Personally, I think Harry Potter and Game of Thrones are better, but that's my opinion.

I think for a list of the greatest books every young adult books should automatically be disqualified. Once all these teenager hit 30 they will look at this list and say WTF?

I will not even waste my time voting in such gibberish. Six of the top nine Harry Potter books??? Plus Twilight and the Hunger Games. Did most of these people even bother to read the subject was Best Books Ever, not the Easiest books I've Ever Read or The Books That Didn't Require Me To Think. Like most votes cast by the general public, this list appeals to the lowest common denominator and displays just how illiterate & lowbrow the American public is. Shameful & Pathetic!

Laura wrote: "I hope my novel doesn't end up on this list!" Laura: I could not agree more. When I look at the books that appear at the top of the list, it's appalling to think that the followers of goodreads would have such mediocre (and I'm being kind) taste.

Greg wrote: "Wow, some of these folks need to read more. Or age more. Or go to school, or something. I mean, really." Could not agree more with you Greg. Pretty pathetic & embarrassing isn't it?

Leslie wrote: "Twilight is number 4? Give me a friggin break people!!! Entertaining? Slightly. A classic piece of literature? Absolutely not! "
Amen Leslie. Pathetic & embarrassing is my reaction to the top books on the list. I refuse to cast votes when the voting is skewed to such a sea of mediocrity.

Ed wrote: "I will not even waste my time voting in such gibberish. Six of the top nine Harry Potter books??? Plus Twilight and the Hunger Games. Did most of these people even bother to read the subject was Be..."
Ah, yes. How dare people vote for books that they enjoyed? Twilight is a horrible book for many reasons, but the other two that you mentioned were at least entertaining. People are allowed to have opinions without you elitists going on about how they're "illiterate" for freaking reading and enjoying a book, for crying out loud! Like I said in my previous comment, this list is just subjective in the first place. If you think it means the "Best-Written Book of All Time," then no, The Hunger Games and Harry Potter shouldn't be at least so high up, and Twilight shouldn't even be here at all. However, the majority of the people who voted interpreted it as, "The Book I Enjoyed Most," which is probably what it should be called. In that case, The Hunger Games, Harry Potter, and Twilight definitely qualify. And--in my opinion, as well as that of many fans of the books--the first two are actually very thought-provoking, and you can find numerous essays on different elements of The Hunger Games and Harry Potter. Easy to read? Well, yes, they are, which is part of the reason why so many people have read them and enjoyed them. People aren't going to enjoy reading a book that they have to struggle through to the point where it detracts from the book itself. And I find it ridiculous and disgusting that you'd judge a whole group of people for the books that they like to read.

TL;DR: Sorry for having the nerve to vote for books that I enjoyed. Much illiterate. Such lowbrow.

Erin wrote: "How dare people vote for books that they enjoyed?

(...) the majority of the people who voted interpreted it as, "The Book I Enjoyed Most," which is probably what it should be called."

+1 here too. :)

Best books ever? HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAH.... EVEN TWILIGHT!! HAHAHAHAHAHHAHA

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are you kidding? is this a joke?

Betsy wrote: "The Hunger Games is the best book ever? How embarrassing."

Amen. Obviously a high percentage of people voting haven't read or are incapable of appreciating truly great books.

Rebecca wrote: "Jason wrote: "This list is a perfect example of why 16 year old girls shouldn't be allowed to vote. I'm willing to bet that 90% of the people who voted for Hunger Games, Twilight and Harry Potter n..."

Well maybe when you grow up and get past kiddie books, you'll better understand the meaning of great books, not trivial nonsense. The results of this voting are truly appalling.

I wasn't going to comment but people sure are allowing this list to annoy them lol.
Books are subjective- if something written speaks to one person and not another- so be it.

Were I to have been asked this question at age 8 ,I would have said Nancy Drew; at 12 it was the Outsiders at 15, The Hobbit, etc.Ive a friend who swears Stendhal's The Red and the Black is the best book ever written- for me? it was great but not "THE BEST EVER". My "Best Book Ever" list fluctuates over time- sure there are books that are always on it, but they move around lot.

I agree with those who said that many have interpreted this list as asking 'what is your favorite?" -that is a personal question.

People and their tastes change with life experience. Do I think Neil Gaiman's Ocean at the End of the Lane is as well written as say, War and Peace or The Tempest? Not particularly. Will it stand the test of time? Who knows.. but at this point in time Id say its one of my favorites because it spoke to me in a way that other books haven't - not in a long while anyway.

This is GoodReads - a group of people that span all ages, all geographies,all genders,all education levels, etc.

I'm just happy to see so many people still reading and not glued to a game console.

I think the problem with this list is that no one defined Best at the top and some are defining it as, "Books I liked the most". But that is not the definition.

best:
adj. Superlative of good.
1. Surpassing all others in excellence, achievement, or quality; most excellent: the best performer; the best grade of ore.
2. Most satisfactory, suitable, or useful; most desirable: the best solution; the best time for planting.
3. Greatest; most: He spoke for the best part of an hour.
4. Most highly skilled: the best doctor in town.

I think definition one is the definition being applied in this case. And YA books just don't qualify as "Surpassing all others in excellence, achievement, or quality; most excellent", as by their innate quality of begin written for Young Adults, they do not take up issues or development of thought which would qualify a book as the best per the above definition.

However if you've only read 20 books and most of them are YA, then the best book you may have read could be Harry Potter. For a list such as this there should be a stipulation that one has read at least 100 books that are not in the YA category. Frankly many of the books that fit with the above definition where written in the 1800s, and one would need to possibly read the top 50 books from every genre to form a proper opinion on what the best books are. If one did that I guarantee one would not vote for any YA books as the best ever written.

However I for one would rather see someone read Twilight than watch the pure moronic junk they have on TV today.

Reading is subjective, and therefore this list is. Everyone has a right to express their opinion and vote for the books they believe are best, without being told their choices are wrong, childish or pathetic. In my opinion, any book which encourages someone to read is brilliant, and being snobbish about non-literary fiction is short sighted. One person's opinion on what constitutes a great book isn't the same as someone else's. Vote for whichever book you want, whether it's Ulysses or Twilight - your opinion isn't wrong, and you should ignore anyone who tries to make you feel inferior for making it.

Hunger Games? Really? Instantly makes this list invalid.

To whomever is the moderator of this list, could you please change Animal Farm currently at 51 on the list back to it's original title. The current title in the list is in a foreign language (Spanish or Portuguese?) which looks wrong in a list of english titled books

This is list is bad, and you should feel bad about it.
That is the only reason I made this account so if you have something to say negatively about me I don't care not only about your opinion, but also your entirety and existence.

No Charlie(POST #3324), you are wrong, you should feel stupid and inferior for making Twilight and Hunger Games in the top ten of "Best Books Ever". The only reason why title's like "To Kill a Mocking Bird" and "Animal Farm" made it to the list are because you HAVE to read those books in high school, which says a lot about the demographic of the voters. The books that should be on that list are all at the bottom of the list (I.E; "War and Peace", "Brothers Karamazov", "Crime and Punishment" etc).

This list should be called "Best Books Ever for Troglodytes That Live With Mommy and Daddy". I really hope that the US continues to give money to the Saudi's for those terrorist attacks in Russia, so World War 3 can start and so that our species can just die already, because as of right now, this list being proof, we aren't evolving and we aren't getting any smarter.

Roy wrote: "This is list is bad, and you should feel bad about it.
That is the only reason I made this account so if you have something to say negatively about me I don't care not only about your opinion, but ..."

your comment is freaking hilairous lol peope are not gettin any stupider we gettin smarter hahahahahaha i mean come on dude based on my comment you can just tell how smart peolple r gettin ;)

Roy wrote: "This is list is bad, and you should feel bad about it.
That is the only reason I made this account so if you have something to say negatively about me I don't care not only about your opinion, but ..."

If you believe Russia should be attacked by terrorists, and the human race should die out because of a book list, I suggest you might want to consider counselling...

Charlie (:

I'd take Roy's comment with a bag of salt. Uh, wait ... I hate salt. So maybe I wouldn't take it at all. :D

(It's rather redundant, after 60+ pages of similar comments. Admittedly, the call to obliterating us, i.e. a "final solution," was a novelty, though.)

It's a grain of salt, not a bag of salt. And at least Roy added new flavor to the rant.

This list must be a joke...

I like Andrew bringing up the definition of "best". I agree it would be interesting if there was a list of the most * masterful* works, and one has to have read at least 100 books before one could vote on it. I wonder how much difference it would make.

However, I wouldn't disregard the YA genre. A book doesn't have to have "Adult" subject matter, such as detailed rape, to be literary. On the contrary, depending on shock to drive the emotion and the "meaning" is as much of a fault as limiting characters and plot to stereotypes of the target audience. Good YA can present "Adult" concepts, as in difficult concepts that may be harder for younger people to get, just fine. I personally believe that the * best* book is one that can be read on multiple levels.

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

seriously, jane austen? errughhh."

And ever was it so. We could quibble over the source of proof, mind - you've got Austen, whereas I would take Meyers on the front page - but a democratic process will only find you the popular, not necessarily the good.

Harry Potter, Twilight and Hunger Games on a list of the best books EVER? Hmmm...

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..."

LOL. Hey Bruce, stop insulting all the female teenage lover's of Team Edward and Team...(what the heck was that werwolf's name again?) grrrr... I can't remember!! LOL.

But of course any book that has a vampire with pale, cold, sparkle in the sunlight skin, a voice soft and dreamy, with sad eyes that call to you for all eternity, would be the leader of the Best Book Ever Club! You silly rabbit, Bruce, teenage girls rule the world when it comes to: why exactly do you like this song, what's so special about this book, and how in the world did this movie make so much money? ( O.o)

I still have no idea why my 13 year old cousin cried over concert tickets for that Beiber kid! Then I remembered when I was thirteen and crying over concert tickets for the Backstreet Boys. We girls grow out of our bad taste eventually. :-)

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.

"

Whoa...whoa... whoa! It clearly shows on South Park, that Mormons were the only ones who made it to heaven. You know it's true when you see it on South Park, hence the reason it's number one on here. :-D

Was this list made on April 1?
Then they forgot to say something like, I dunno, "Happy April Fools Day!"?

This is an absolutely fantastic list of the most popular books....wait this is the supposed to be the best books list? Oh god, please save us. Please save us all.