Aussie Readers discussion
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1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die
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1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die List
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I total 10... with another 5 or so on my kindle. That's a bit sad.
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Brenda wrote: "It's a big list Lynxie!"It sure is! A read a couple of them while at school.
That's a great goal though :)
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I've read 17 books on the list. Gosh I really haven't had a good look at the list until now. But now that I've seen it, it does make me want to read more.
I have a fear of classic's and there's a lot on there. So perhaps this is the list that will take me out of my comfort Zone
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I've read 9 out of the first 500 and have several more on my TBR, but I must say that of the 9 I've read, the majority are books I wasn't really all that fussed about…
Michael wrote: "Lol that's way better than my pitiful effort with a grand total of 1. Yep one lousy book read from the list. :/"Lol, would that be Lolita
28. That's a bit disappointing. But there are loads on there in my TBR list :)
Michael wrote: "Mish wrote: "Michael wrote: "Lol that's way better than my pitiful effort with a grand total of 1. Yep one lousy book read from the list. :/"Lol, would that be Lolita"
No "
there you go - You've read two :D
It really doesn't matter, as long as what you're reading, you're enjoying. And you've only become a serious reading in the last few years :)
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I've only read 9, but I do have another 15 on my TBR which makes it look a little better :)
I think I counted 31, give or take! The second 500 contained more than double the number of books I'd read in the first 500! And still the reads I didn't really enjoy outnumbered the reads I did enjoy… Maybe the books still on my TBR list will even up the liked/disliked ratio once I read them!
Ashleigh wrote: "Where do I get the list?"I clicked on Brenda's link in message 2, Ashleigh...
I've read 66 books on the list and I have a few on my TBR but I must say there are so many on this list that I would never read. Most of the ones I have read are classics so I've either read them at school or uni. I'm happy to see that Freedom and The Corrections are on there. As well as The Poisonwood Bible. Those were some of the best books I ever read. Seriously though some of the titles on here...who comes up with these books as being MUST reads? Life's too short.
I've read 30-something, and don't care to read any more except those that catch my interest. Though I'm very glad they've included non-Western & non-white authors, a lot of these are Very Literary Books. Which is a little intimidating to me.
Michael wrote: "I was very surprised to see Wallace Stegner's Crossing to Safety wasn't on the list or for that matter The Book Thief."I thought the same as you Michael, about The Book Thief. IMO if there's going to be a list like this then something like this should be on it. That's why I'm a bit sceptical about who chooses the books and what criteria they use.
Heck, yes! The Book Thief definitely needs to be on there. I'm glad to see Life of Pi and A Suitable Boy, though.
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The Book Thief
Life of Pi
A Suitable Boy
Brenda wrote: "Tanvi wrote: "Heck, yes! The Book Thief definitely needs to be on there. I'm glad to see Life of Pi and A Suitable Boy, though."
The Book Thief
Life of Pi
[book:A Suitable..."
Damn it, forgot to link... thanks!
The Book Thief
Life of Pi
[book:A Suitable..."
Damn it, forgot to link... thanks!
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The Book Thief
Life of Pi
[..."
:)
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Loved seeing The God of Small Things in there. Such a beautiful book. One of those you read and never forget.
I've only read 8 of the 1001 books, which is a concern.
I'm quite pleased I've read 126 books on the list. But there were many I've never even heard of!
That's the trouble I have with these lists, that people perceive them as some kind of objective guide as to what Educated People Must Read, when really they're one person's (or two people's, or ten) of what *they* thought was worthy to read.
I mean, I'm all for using them as a guide, but even from looking at the Top 5 Books of 2013 thread, everyone's tastes would be ever so slightly different, and so everyone's idea of a worthy book - not just a book they enjoy, but a book that everyone who can read English must read - is going to be subtly different.
And just to play devil's advocate here for a bit, there are plenty on that list that I love, that are doorstoppers, but are the literary equivalent of cheese: delicious when you're eating it and not exactly bad for you, but not really adding to your nutrition in any substantial way - not making you think. Or whatever it is the literati would have us do with things we consume (primarily) for entertainment, as well as a new view of ourselves.
teal dear: The things that teach us life lessons are very different. I might be really inspired by the, I don't know, the bravery in Harry Potter, and someone else might take The Tale of Genji as their inspiration.
I mean, I get that there are legitimately (morally) dreadful books that condone terrible things like genocide, which people should totally not be emulating, but on the whole I don't think there should be a... a standard list like this, because people tend to set store by it.
I mean, I'm all for using them as a guide, but even from looking at the Top 5 Books of 2013 thread, everyone's tastes would be ever so slightly different, and so everyone's idea of a worthy book - not just a book they enjoy, but a book that everyone who can read English must read - is going to be subtly different.
And just to play devil's advocate here for a bit, there are plenty on that list that I love, that are doorstoppers, but are the literary equivalent of cheese: delicious when you're eating it and not exactly bad for you, but not really adding to your nutrition in any substantial way - not making you think. Or whatever it is the literati would have us do with things we consume (primarily) for entertainment, as well as a new view of ourselves.
teal dear: The things that teach us life lessons are very different. I might be really inspired by the, I don't know, the bravery in Harry Potter, and someone else might take The Tale of Genji as their inspiration.
I mean, I get that there are legitimately (morally) dreadful books that condone terrible things like genocide, which people should totally not be emulating, but on the whole I don't think there should be a... a standard list like this, because people tend to set store by it.
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Congratulations Sally that's amazing!
Brenda wrote: "Wow Tanvi, that's a passionate view:) I think most of us here just read for the enjoyment though, I know I certainly do:)"
I didn't mean to turn it into a rant, sorry! OTL
That's basically what I was saying, that most people read for enjoyment, so it's mostly subjective. :)
I didn't mean to turn it into a rant, sorry! OTL
That's basically what I was saying, that most people read for enjoyment, so it's mostly subjective. :)
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I didn't mean to turn it into a rant, sorry! OTL
That's ba..."
That's ok, it was a big soap box;) LOL
I've read 95. I like lists like this because they can give me good ideas for future reads, but there is no way that I would attempt to read them all. There are just too many books and only one lifetime!
I've read 208 - 4/5s of the list to go! Very happy to see a few of my favourite authors feature on the list.
Great rant (or post) Tanvi, I think the reason I like this list over some of the others like Modern Library's Best Books, etc. is the fact that this one covers all different genres. I started reading this list when I was a new reader and wasn't sure what to read and what might be good. So I read books that looked interesting from the list, I discovered authors, genres and styles I liked and didn't like.
There are plenty books I would remove and add to this list but I think as a whole this list is great for exploring different genres and styles. I also helps increase your pretentious levels (which is a bonus).
Bette wrote: "I've read 208 - 4/5s of the list to go! Very happy to see a few of my favourite authors feature on the list."Well done Bette, you are now my favourite AR member :P
I started a spreadsheet for myself to track this list a little while ago but I've only read 15 on there so far.I'm really pushing myself to knock a few more off the list this year though as I have quite a few at home that I've just always avoided for some reason.
And after reading Tanvi's post, I've now got a craving for cheese!
Cheese for everyone. Bring out the fondue
Always happy to inadvertently start virtual fondue parties. I'll bring the... um, the books!
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Yum! I'll bring dried fruit and nuts!
Tanvi wrote: "That's the trouble I have with these lists, that people perceive them as some kind of objective guide as to what Educated People Must Read, when really they're one person's (or two people's, or ten..."I totally agree with you.
Not a fan of lists like this, I'd read about 10 books of the first few hundred on the list...and then I got bored with reading the list!
Someone who can make a list of 1000 books for other people to read has too much time on their hands.
I used to have a boyfriend that made lists all the time, drove me nuts. I pointed out that if he spent less time making lists, then he'd actually get stuff done and ergo have no need for lists...we broke up (I think that went to the top of his current list)
I suppose it doesn't count that I've seen lots of them as movies or a TV series? The Sarah Waters ones were particularly good. The movie of Cloud Atlas sucked big time though.
But seriously - there are so many books in the world, I've read some crap and I've read some absolute gems, and for me the joy of reading is partially about diving into a book and discovering this for myself.
Is someone making a list of who's bringing what?
I've got a pool - it's even clean. Lots of room on the outdoor setting for food - big esky for drinks and a few sun lounges for book reading!
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Looking back at the books I have read on the list it it mostly the older ones aimed at children such as Treasure Island, that helped bring my number up.
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For me it was that I'd read a number of Hardy and Wyndham, who were both mentioned on the list a few times.
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Aussie Readers
Books mentioned in this topic
Treasure Island (other topics)The God of Small Things (other topics)
Life of Pi (other topics)
The Book Thief (other topics)
The Book Thief (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Sarah Waters (other topics)Wallace Stegner (other topics)
The list was compiled by over one hundred literary critics worldwide and was designed to expand people’s reading horizons. Not to be confused with the Western Canon, this list was designed to get people to try good books in all styles. The collection includes a pamphlet (A Modest Proposal), a book of collected text (Adjunct: An Undigest), and a graphic novel (Watchmen) and most recently a collection of essays (The Rebel).
You can probably google the list and find the original 1001 books but this list gets updated every two years, possible to sell more books; but also to make the list less Anglocentric and cater for newer releases.
I love list and plan to read the entire 1001 books (I’m working from a copy of my 2012 edition) see picture below (pink is read and green is want to read (it might actually be the other way around)). So far I've complete 108 books, just over 10%, so I have a long way to go.
I thought this list warranted its own discussion. Have you had any experience with the list? Or counted how many you’ve read? Do you plan to read them all (like I do)?