50 books to read before you die discussion
Everyones Progress
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Lisa's list and progress
These are the named books that I have read1 The Lord of the Rings Trilogy by J. R. R. Tolkien
2 1984 by George Orwell
3 Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
4 The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
5 To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
6 Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
7 Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
8 A Passage to India by E. M. Forster
9 The Lord of the Flies by William Golding
10 Hamlet by William Shakespeare
12 The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
13 The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger
14 The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath
15 Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
16 The Diary of Anne Frank by Anne Frank
18 The Bible by Various
19 The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer
20 Ulysses by James Joyce
21 The quiet American by Graham Greene
22 Birdsong by Sebastian Faulks
24 Harry Potter Series by J. K. Rowling
25 Moby Dick by Herman Melville
26 The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame
27 His Dark Materials Trilogy by Philip Pullman
28 Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
29 Alice´s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
30 Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
31 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon
32 On the Road by Jack Kerouac
33 Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad
35 The Outsider by Albert Camus
36 The Color Purple by Alice Walker
37 Life of Pi by Yann Martel
38 Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
39 The War of the Worlds by H. G. Wells
40 Men without Women by Ernest Hemingway
42 A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
43 Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
44 Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Dafoe
45 One flew over the Cuckoo´s Nest by Ken Kesey
48 Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden
49 The Divine Comedy by Alighieri Dante
50 The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
The first two on your list of unread books are the best on the list of 50.
Buck wrote: "The first two on your list of unread books are the best on the list of 50."1984 and The Grapes of wrath?
funny enough, I have started both before, but I was much younger.
They are both on my to read list.
very keen to try Steinbeck, it was what led me to this group
Lisa wrote: "Buck wrote: "The first two on your list of unread books are the best on the list of 50."1984 and The Grapes of wrath?
funny enough, I have started both before, but I was much younger.
They are both on my to read list.
very keen to try Steinbeck, it was what led me to this group "
I say they are the best, but really they are my opinion the best of the 20 I've read.
Steinbeck is a favorite of mine. The Grapes of Wrath won him the Pulitzer and it's probably his best known book. Of Mice and Men (my favorite novella) and East of Eden are as good. They are both quite different from The Grapes of Wrath and from each other.
One can't know Steinbeck by reading just one of his books.
My friend, who did a BA in literature, recommended Cannery Row, have you read it?My favorite on the list is Jane Eyre, have you read it?
I read Cannery Row last month. It was the monthly group read in The Novella Club, a goodreads group. It generated a good discussion. I like it quite a lot. It has good humor, much more so than The Grapes of Wrath, which is a tragedy. Cannery Row is probably the most lighthearted Steinbeck book that I've read. We may have the most empathy with Steinbeck's characters of any in literature, but he isn't real big on happy endings.I haven't read any of the Bronte sisters. I expect I will, one of these days. I've always lumped them together as an ilk with Jane Austen. I didn't much care for Pride and Prejudice.
What impressed me about Austen was that she was published as a women, her novels commented on the role of women in society. Yet I adore the Bronte sisters far more, they were published as men originally, their novels are not purely sentimental, the psychological complexity of their characters is fascinating. Their heros and heroines are not generally idyllic, perfect people.
1) LOTRI've read this four times! I love Middle Earth & could live there. My copy has fallen off a car, been driven on, had a bath, been chewed & definitely had an adventuress life. Always struck by how Frodo sacrificed all for others.
(once visited the Inklings pub!)
3) P&PAusten's wit & characterization is sublime. She always allowed her heroines a happy ending as an act of defiance against her society.
This is my second favorite of her works.
5) To Kill a MockingbirdDiscrimination seen through the eyes of a child. Loved Scout, Jem, & Arthur. Boo Radley you rock!
6)Jane EyreMy all time favorite
“Do you think, because I am poor, obscure, plain and little, I am soulless and heartless? You think wrong! - I have as much soul as you, - and full as much heart! And if God had gifted me with some beauty and much wealth, I should have made it as hard for you to leave me, as it is now for me to leave you!”
7) Wuthering HeightsA tale of obsession, destruction & revenge
Not a love story!
'If all else perished, and he remained, I should still continue to be; and if all else remained, and he were annihilated, the universe would turn to a mighty stranger: I should not seem apart of it.'
9) Lord of the FliesRead this 16 years ago
For me it demonstrated how shallow our humanity runs, how close we still are to our inhuman nature.
12)The Great GatsbyJay Gatsby has a persona that is lager than life. He did it all for Daisy. And she never deserved him.
13) Catcher in the RyeI could not help it, I kept thinking that Holden Caufield was manic; the impulsivity, loud speech, increased drive, recklessness, increased energy, lack of need for sleep.
Brilliant!
14) The Bell JarPlath's not- quite- autobiographical novel. Such an accurate portrayal of depression. So frightening and poignant.
16) The Diary of Anne FrankI was 12 when I read this. I found it so difficult that it was published after the pointless death of someone not much older than myself
18) The BibleA lifetime of reading from different versions and interpretations, at different stages. Constantly encouraging and safe
24) Harry PotterI read this when the fourth book came out. I was asked to read it by the school where my mom works as several churches & parents were demanding it be banned. I was hooked from the first page. Four books in four days. Then a two year wait between each subsequent book. Rowling has created this generation's battle between good and evil, enriching the fantasy genre and encouraging imagination.
I convinced the school library to buy two copies...
26) The Wind in the WillowsMy Gran read me this. I was six. The toad had a Welsh accent. It will always remind me of her.
27) His Dark MaterialsAnother school library furore request, I vaguely enjoyed the first; was bored in the second, disliked the third.
Didn't recommend banning or a second set of copies.
28) Anna KareninaHow do you critique Tolstoy. I couldn't.
This was an incredible, tragic book. I couldn't get over of the injustice shown toward Anna while the men had multiple affairs. Poor Anna.
29) Alice's Adventures in WonderlandI read this as an adult. After my forensics lecture on paedophilia featuring Lewis Carol. I found the book a frightening symbol of seduction.
30) RebeccaLove, love, love this book. The nameless protagonist marries a widower, but is plagued by her imagined inadequacies in comparison to tales of a woman that she has never met.
31) The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night TimeA beautiful depiction of Asperger's Syndrome.
36) The Colour PurpleI remember crying. And crying. And crying.
48) Memoirs of a GeishaSo beautiful. Loved the ending.
50) The Picture of Dorian GreyRead this 16 years ago.
Vaguely recollect it, loved how twisty it was
Definitely needs a re-read
Lisa wrote: "28) Anna KareninaHow do you critique Tolstoy. I couldn't.
This was an incredible, tragic book. I couldn't get over of the injustice shown toward Anna while the men had multiple affairs. Poor Anna."
A.K. is my favorite book in the world - maybe even the solar system! But I don't feel sorry for Anna. She was so vain that she pushed aside anyone and anything that got in the way of her passions. I started to give examples, but it was turning into a term paper, so I'll just say that she created her own havoc & left a wake of pain for the people she 'loved.'
I think I felt sorry for her because she developed a depression, exacerbated by her post partum period. Although her initial decisions were made with a clear mind, her subsequent decisions were driven by guilt & lack of control over her life. Imagine if the only out available to you was Anna's action?Vronsky, I disliked. His sin was as great but his consequences far less.
It's worthy of a College course, isn't it? There are so many social, economical, legal, mental health considerations that we can't relate to. I need to read it again. I have new insights every time.
What I loved was how it meant something to me, yet someone else had a different focus. I focussed on Anna, my husband was drawn to Levin (He kept saying- good guys get happy endings). Like Tolstoy is saying that when you interpret a situation, not only do you look at characters and context, but your own 'stuff' too.Agree, you see more each time, would love to study it!
Patty, have you read all of Tolstoy's works? I'm just starting War and Peace.
No, I started W&P a long time ago, but didn't get very far. It felt like there were bazillion Russian names to keep straight (and each of them have a bunch of variations - like in AK, Stepan Oblonsky is also called Stiva & Oblonsky) & I wasn't interested enough to keep going. I guess if you're not in the frame of mind or in the proper environment to be able to concentrate, it's overwhelming. I'll probably sit down with a notepad one of these days & slog far enough into it to finally catch on & love it!I read The Death of Ivan Ilyich & it was horrifying. One of my nightmares is to end up like that!
I started The Kingdom of God is Within You, but that, for me, was like reading a dictionary. "Not liking it" made me feel kind of stupid because it's supposed to be such a beautiful, spiritual journey. Maybe I was just in a Harry Potter mood or something! haha!
Patty wrote: "No, I started W&P a long time ago, but didn't get very far. It felt like there were bazillion Russian names to keep straight (and each of them have a bunch of variations - like in AK, Stepan Oblon..."I broke my leg last Friday. I'm on strict bed rest and all I can do is read & study, so thought now is my chance:-)
Patty wrote: "Lisa wrote: "28) Anna KareninaHow do you critique Tolstoy. I couldn't.
This was an incredible, tragic book. I couldn't get over of the injustice shown toward Anna while the men had multiple affai..."
Patty, I'm keen to see your list
Lisa wrote: "I broke my leg last Friday. I'm on strict bed rest and all I can do is read & study, so thought now is my chance:-)"Oh, Yikes! It must be a terrible break if you are confined to bed. Not too uncomfortable I hope. On the bright side, perhaps you'll add some more of these good 50 to your knowledge.
Best wishes.
Buck- you mean Steinbeck or Orwell? I actually have them on kindle:-D
Good for you! (I'm reading Rebecca.)1984 and The Grapes of Wrath are not cheery books, but they can certainly stir you up. I think neither Orwell nor Steinbeck did happy endings. So, I hope your convalescence isn't too dreary, for these would compound it.
The thing about 1984 is that we can see so much of how things are now in that book - it's scary. The last time I read it, though, I saw how much things in our culture are not the way Orwell describes life in 1984.
Steinbeck is very much a favorite of mine. His writing is (for uneducated old me, at least) literary artistry - plain, not flowery. The Grapes of Wrath is not the only great book he has written.
Buck wrote: "Good for you! (I'm reading Rebecca.)1984 and The Grapes of Wrath are not cheery books, but they can certainly stir you up. I think neither Orwell nor Steinbeck did happy endings. So, I hope yo..."
Enjoy Rebecca, it is filled with foreboding.
I've actually got about 10 of the books on my list.
I am currently reading: The Professor,
Middlemarch, Doctor Zhivago, A Dry White Season and then; as if all of that is not depressing enough, I decided to try War and Peace.
So I'm currently queen of the land of cheerful. I think 1984 will be my next read.
I'm supposed to study for finals, so I do feel a bit guilty about my current reading list. Obviously not guilty enough to stop though.
Lisa wrote: "I'm supposed to study for finals, so I do feel a bit guilty about my current reading list. Obviously not guilty enough to stop though."That's a lot of heavy reading. Don't neglect your studies. You have the rest of your life to read. Your final won't wait. What is your course of study?
Buck, I'm a doctor doing my registrar (residency) training in psychiatry at Stellenbosch. Finals in March next year. I read to relax and stay calm. These books will likely see me through the year:-D
40) Men without womenHemingway writes short stories that feel like snap shots; you see the young couple in the cafe, the boy trying to contain his broken heart, the injured soldiers. But the contact is brief, you look at them and draw conclusions about their lives based on body language, facial expression, their manner of speech and their interactions with the world. But a snapshot does not tell you what happened next; you're left with a sense of wondering and a small sense of loss.
Attempting Life of Pi and 1984.Also known as procrastinating.
2) 1984Can't believe I haven't read this before, set in a terrifying dystopian society where even your thoughts are watched.
I'd be in room 101 before I got out of bed in the morning!
I told you so. It is the origin of the term Orwellian. This truly is a book that everyone should read before they die, even sooner than that.
I've already used the term Orwellian in a conversation with my dad, correctly might I add. He thinks this book may have been banned in SA. I'm not sure though.It was awesome, I'm just not yet in the frame of mind to tackle The Grapes of Wrath.its December- happy books!
The banning of books can be thought of as being Orwellian. Steinbeck is a favorite author of mine. (I'm reading one of his lesser known works now.) The Grapes of Wrath is not a light read, though it is not a difficult read, at least for one for whom America English is a first language. The dialogue is very much in the colloquial vernacular.
Yes well, the Apartheid government probably thought of Oceana as an ideal. Think of John Voster Square as Room101.I have tried Grapes of Wrath before. The language is easy, I'm English-speaking. The story was heavy. Big books don't daunt me, I've just finished War and Peace and Middlemarch. I'm going for light reading before finals. To keep my spirits up.
50 books to read before you die
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