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I am on a mission to read and reread classic literature. I searched far and wide for a decent book list but all seem incomplete to me. Please add your favorite classic books to the list.
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A book’s total score is based on multiple factors, including the number of people who have voted for it and how highly those voters ranked the book.
| 300 |
Demons
by
4.30 avg rating — 61,201 ratings
score: 159,
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2 people voted
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| 302 |
The Princess and the Pea
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4.13 avg rating — 18,881 ratings
score: 158,
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4 people voted
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| 302 |
Thumbelina
by
Brad Sneed (Adapter, Illustrator)
4.11 avg rating — 15,764 ratings
score: 158,
and
3 people voted
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| 302 |
We Have Always Lived in the Castle
by
3.91 avg rating — 283,977 ratings
score: 158,
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3 people voted
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| 305 |
The Berenstain Bears and the Spooky Old Tree
by
4.18 avg rating — 8,495 ratings
score: 157,
and
4 people voted
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| 306 |
The Invisible Man
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3.63 avg rating — 214,065 ratings
score: 155,
and
2 people voted
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| 307 |
The Complete Poems 1927-1979
by
4.20 avg rating — 13,000 ratings
score: 153,
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2 people voted
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| 308 |
My Cousin Rachel
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4.01 avg rating — 67,628 ratings
score: 149,
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2 people voted
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| 309 |
My Ántonia
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3.84 avg rating — 146,191 ratings
score: 146,
and
5 people voted
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| 310 |
Good Night, Gorilla
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4.24 avg rating — 51,570 ratings
score: 145,
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3 people voted
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| 310 |
The Painted Veil
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3.97 avg rating — 51,045 ratings
score: 145,
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2 people voted
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| 312 |
Around the World in Eighty Days
by
3.95 avg rating — 278,590 ratings
score: 143,
and
2 people voted
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| 313 |
The Snow Queen
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3.74 avg rating — 18,522 ratings
score: 139,
and
3 people voted
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| 313 |
Night
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4.38 avg rating — 1,346,819 ratings
score: 139,
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2 people voted
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| 315 |
The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie
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3.70 avg rating — 60,189 ratings
score: 138,
and
4 people voted
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| 316 |
The Razor’s Edge
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4.19 avg rating — 53,209 ratings
score: 137,
and
2 people voted
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| 317 |
The Complete Folk & Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm
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4.23 avg rating — 220,157 ratings
score: 136,
and
3 people voted
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| 318 |
the prophet
by
4.23 avg rating — 324,828 ratings
score: 133,
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3 people voted
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| 318 |
The Adventure of the Christmas Pudding (Hercule Poirot, #37)
by
3.77 avg rating — 26,472 ratings
score: 133,
and
2 people voted
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| 320 |
As You Like It
by
3.81 avg rating — 88,162 ratings
score: 131,
and
4 people voted
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| 321 |
Elizabeth and Her German Garden
by
3.72 avg rating — 5,626 ratings
score: 130,
and
2 people voted
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| 322 |
Adam Bede
by
3.83 avg rating — 26,316 ratings
score: 129,
and
2 people voted
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| 322 |
Kidnapped (David Balfour, #1)
by
3.79 avg rating — 67,562 ratings
score: 129,
and
2 people voted
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| 324 |
Now We Are Six (Winnie-the-Pooh, #4)
by
4.28 avg rating — 23,341 ratings
score: 128,
and
3 people voted
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| 325 |
Scoop
by
3.79 avg rating — 22,293 ratings
score: 126,
and
3 people voted
|
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| 325 |
The Betrothed
by
3.88 avg rating — 17,395 ratings
score: 126,
and
2 people voted
|
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| 327 |
Steppenwolf
by
4.13 avg rating — 210,767 ratings
score: 124,
and
2 people voted
|
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| 328 |
Leaves of Grass
by
4.11 avg rating — 115,632 ratings
score: 123,
and
2 people voted
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| 329 |
Katy and the Big Snow
by
4.24 avg rating — 12,586 ratings
score: 121,
and
2 people voted
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| 330 |
Juno And the Paycock
by
3.61 avg rating — 1,583 ratings
score: 118,
and
2 people voted
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| 330 |
A Christmas Carol and Other Christmas Writings
by
4.14 avg rating — 39,694 ratings
score: 118,
and
2 people voted
|
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| 332 |
Siddhartha
by
4.08 avg rating — 860,518 ratings
score: 114,
and
2 people voted
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| 333 |
Women in Love
by
3.66 avg rating — 33,325 ratings
score: 113,
and
2 people voted
|
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| 334 |
A Child's Garden of Verses
by
4.27 avg rating — 26,677 ratings
score: 109,
and
2 people voted
|
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| 335 |
Pinocchio
by
3.84 avg rating — 87,906 ratings
score: 107,
and
2 people voted
|
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| 336 |
The Master of Ballantrae
by
3.70 avg rating — 6,456 ratings
score: 106,
and
2 people voted
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| 337 |
The Taming of the Shrew
by
3.74 avg rating — 179,421 ratings
score: 103,
and
2 people voted
|
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| 338 |
Ship of Fools
by
3.67 avg rating — 2,964 ratings
score: 102,
and
2 people voted
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| 339 |
A Doll's House
by
3.77 avg rating — 161,333 ratings
score: 101,
and
2 people voted
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| 340 |
Champion: A Story of the Happy Life of Roman Lefthanded Losinski
by
Miles Cobbett (Goodreads Author)
4.11 avg rating — 18 ratings
score: 100,
and
1 person voted
|
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| 340 |
The Experience of Place: A New Way of Looking at and Dealing with our Radically Changing Cities and Countryside
by
3.82 avg rating — 136 ratings
score: 100,
and
1 person voted
|
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| 340 |
War in Korea
by
3.56 avg rating — 39 ratings
score: 100,
and
1 person voted
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| 340 |
Barnaby Rudge
by
3.82 avg rating — 11,400 ratings
score: 100,
and
1 person voted
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| 340 |
Pantheisticon: A Modern English Translation
by
3.78 avg rating — 23 ratings
score: 100,
and
1 person voted
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| 340 |
The Scapegoat
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really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 13,171 ratings
score: 100,
and
1 person voted
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| 340 |
Their Pilgrimage
by
2.40 avg rating — 5 ratings
score: 100,
and
1 person voted
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| 340 |
Damselfly
by
Chandra Prasad (Goodreads Author)
3.37 avg rating — 904 ratings
score: 100,
and
1 person voted
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| 340 |
A Paraphrase of Paradise Lost for Youngsters: The Tragedy of Lucifer
by
Joseph Stemberga (Goodreads Author)
4.33 avg rating — 9 ratings
score: 100,
and
1 person voted
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| 340 |
Ficciones
by
4.40 avg rating — 77,419 ratings
score: 100,
and
1 person voted
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| 350 |
The People of the Abyss
by
4.08 avg rating — 5,332 ratings
score: 99,
and
1 person voted
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| 351 |
A Little Princess
by
4.23 avg rating — 322,280 ratings
score: 98,
and
4 people voted
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| 351 |
The Torture by Hope
by
3.54 avg rating — 116 ratings
score: 98,
and
1 person voted
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| 353 |
Cousin Pons
by
3.99 avg rating — 1,677 ratings
score: 97,
and
1 person voted
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| 354 |
A Child's Christmas in Wales
by
4.12 avg rating — 7,987 ratings
score: 96,
and
3 people voted
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| 354 |
The Body in the Library (Miss Marple, #2)
by
3.82 avg rating — 124,815 ratings
score: 96,
and
2 people voted
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| 354 |
Tartuffe
by
3.66 avg rating — 42,745 ratings
score: 96,
and
1 person voted
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| 354 |
Doctor Thorne
by
4.15 avg rating — 8,304 ratings
score: 96,
and
1 person voted
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| 358 |
Castle Rackrent
by
3.16 avg rating — 4,331 ratings
score: 95,
and
2 people voted
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| 358 |
After Dark
by
3.80 avg rating — 468 ratings
score: 95,
and
1 person voted
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| 360 |
Lyrical Ballads
by
3.95 avg rating — 13,009 ratings
score: 94,
and
2 people voted
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| 360 |
Picnic at Hanging Rock
by
3.66 avg rating — 29,985 ratings
score: 94,
and
1 person voted
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| 360 |
Perelandra
by
4.01 avg rating — 59,263 ratings
score: 94,
and
1 person voted
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| 363 |
The Color Purple
by
4.28 avg rating — 744,537 ratings
score: 93,
and
2 people voted
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| 363 |
The Twelve Caesars
by
4.02 avg rating — 22,446 ratings
score: 93,
and
2 people voted
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| 363 |
The Crime of Sylvestre Bonnard
by
3.68 avg rating — 759 ratings
score: 93,
and
1 person voted
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| 363 |
That Hideous Strength (Space Trilogy, #3)
by
3.93 avg rating — 45,210 ratings
score: 93,
and
1 person voted
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| 367 |
Quiet American
by
3.98 avg rating — 69,990 ratings
score: 92,
and
1 person voted
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| 367 |
A Simple Soul
by
3.45 avg rating — 9,170 ratings
score: 92,
and
1 person voted
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| 367 |
Ghost Stories of an Antiquary
by
4.05 avg rating — 5,675 ratings
score: 92,
and
1 person voted
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| 370 |
Our Mutual Friend
by
4.09 avg rating — 31,125 ratings
score: 91,
and
1 person voted
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| 370 |
Burmese Days
by
3.87 avg rating — 31,827 ratings
score: 91,
and
1 person voted
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| 370 |
The Castle of Otranto
by
3.19 avg rating — 41,191 ratings
score: 91,
and
1 person voted
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| 373 |
The Inheritance
by
3.65 avg rating — 6,155 ratings
score: 90,
and
2 people voted
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| 373 |
Death on the Nile (Hercule Poirot, #18)
by
4.12 avg rating — 299,943 ratings
score: 90,
and
1 person voted
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| 373 |
Hedda Gabler
by
3.83 avg rating — 38,929 ratings
score: 90,
and
1 person voted
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| 373 |
The Complete Works of William Shakespeare
by
4.48 avg rating — 57,632 ratings
score: 90,
and
2 people voted
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| 373 |
The Monk
by
3.85 avg rating — 32,594 ratings
score: 90,
and
1 person voted
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| 378 |
King Henry IV, Part 1
by
3.80 avg rating — 32,915 ratings
score: 89,
and
2 people voted
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| 378 |
Intentions
by
3.90 avg rating — 712 ratings
score: 89,
and
1 person voted
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| 378 |
In Cold Blood
by
4.09 avg rating — 719,167 ratings
score: 89,
and
2 people voted
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| 378 |
Vathek
by
3.24 avg rating — 7,225 ratings
score: 89,
and
1 person voted
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| 382 |
Looking Backward: 2000-1887
by
3.29 avg rating — 6,793 ratings
score: 88,
and
1 person voted
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| 382 |
The Littlest Angel
by
4.27 avg rating — 6,356 ratings
score: 88,
and
2 people voted
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| 382 |
Generals Die in Bed
by
3.82 avg rating — 1,648 ratings
score: 88,
and
1 person voted
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| 382 |
Tales of Unrest
by
3.69 avg rating — 588 ratings
score: 88,
and
1 person voted
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| 382 |
The House on the Borderland
by
3.58 avg rating — 10,571 ratings
score: 88,
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1 person voted
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| 387 |
Mrs. Warren's Profession
by
3.67 avg rating — 6,754 ratings
score: 87,
and
1 person voted
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| 387 |
Dombey and Son
by
3.96 avg rating — 16,564 ratings
score: 87,
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1 person voted
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| 389 |
The Weird Orient; Nine Mystic Tales from Morocco
by
3.80 avg rating — 5 ratings
score: 86,
and
1 person voted
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| 390 |
The Duchess of Malfi and Other Plays
by
3.89 avg rating — 2,115 ratings
score: 85,
and
2 people voted
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| 390 |
The Theory of the Leisure Class
by
3.87 avg rating — 3,977 ratings
score: 85,
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1 person voted
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| 392 |
The Jolly Postman or Other People's Letters
by
Janet Ahlberg (Illustrator)
4.50 avg rating — 12,652 ratings
score: 84,
and
2 people voted
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| 392 |
Mary Barton
by
3.74 avg rating — 21,278 ratings
score: 84,
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1 person voted
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| 392 |
The Prince
by
3.84 avg rating — 377,059 ratings
score: 84,
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2 people voted
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| 392 |
The Golem
by
3.82 avg rating — 9,009 ratings
score: 84,
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1 person voted
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| 396 |
Carnacki the Ghost-Finder
by
3.73 avg rating — 2,559 ratings
score: 83,
and
1 person voted
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| 397 |
Behind a Mask: The Unknown Thrillers of Louisa May Alcott
by
3.80 avg rating — 1,624 ratings
score: 82,
and
1 person voted
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| 397 |
Goblin Market
by
4.09 avg rating — 16,288 ratings
score: 82,
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1 person voted
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| 397 |
Brighton Rock
by
3.69 avg rating — 35,404 ratings
score: 82,
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1 person voted
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| 397 |
Uncle Silas
by
3.74 avg rating — 7,074 ratings
score: 82,
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1 person voted
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634 books ·
523 voters ·
list created June 21st, 2008
by Crystal.
Tags:
classic, literature
Comments Showing 1-7 of 7 (7 new)
date
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message 1:
by
Tamora
(new)
Apr 04, 2009 11:38AM
I'm just clicking on what I've read, not on what I liked. When you're dealing with books like these, that generally drop into everyone's life before they're 20, what you like and what you don't like is highly individual. I don't think you can really go by the opinion of the next person, because you're all forming your opinions. I liked TARZAN, but had no interest in CHARLOTTE'S WEB. My classmates had spasms over CRIME AND PUNISHMENT, so much so that I never told them that I kinda liked it. They were okay with THE SCARLET LETTER, which made me crazy. You really have to try the books that our parents, teachers, and peers think are probably classic, and decide for yourself if they're good reads as far as you're concerned!
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I would just like to say that I believe 'Les Miserables' by Victor Hugo is the best book on this list. And nooooo, I'm not basing it on the hit musical (even though I love that as well), because it did get a lot wrong. I'm currently reading A Tale of 2 Cities, nad let me say I've made a lot of connections to Les Miserables. It's just an amzing and epic Book!
I agree with Tamora, There are several books i've been told are must reads by people who don't read much themselves. I have been disappointed in many of them most books are classics because they've been around forever and a day. Much of the language is outdated and stale. occasionally you do stumble upon a book with a plot that holds up but it is a rare find. That being said, I loved Scarlett Letter and The hunchback of Notra Dame but found Pride and Prejudice tedious at best shallow and mindless at worst
i just discovered my interest in reading so i've read only a few. i just finished che's book on social revolution. so far from what i've read dracula is the best they describe the events as if one was there. my second best is lady chaterley's lover
This is a great list! I have this sort of mission too, although I gotta find a good library to hold all of these books. Too bad I don't have it in the area, or money to but some..
@CrystalI've tried adding other books than then ones originally written in English, apart from voting for the ones already on the list I mean, as there are so many great classics worth reading. All of which are available in English translations, by the way. Books I've added are, for instance, Alle fabels, Lustgebed, Avondgezichten, Het hoofdkussenboek, Het boek van Dede Korkoet, Nibelungenlied, De ring van de duif, Het boek der koningen, De rozentuin and Rubaiyat, to name just a few.
By the way, 'Classics' = 'Modern Classics' too? As there are plenty of those on your list.
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Anyone can add books to this list.
How to Vote
To vote on existing books from the list, beside each book there is a link vote for this book clicking it will add that book to your votes.
To vote on books not in the list or books you couldn't find in the list, you can click on the tab add books to this list and then choose from your books, or simply search.










