Finding the right book(s)

[mcrane]

I have a problem in finding books to read. I used to not read at all, and now I am realizing how much I've missed. I am trying to formulate a list of the 40 most important, classical, fiction or non-fiction readings. philosophy, politics, history, religion -everything can be included in this list. Can anyone help???

[Jay]

Try looking at this site (http://www.bbc.co.uk/arts/bigread/).

[mcrane]

Thanx, Jay
what about non-fiction?

[Pantelej]

Here are some books i'd recommend to your list:

Crime and punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky
The Lord of the Rings - J.R.R. Tolkien
The State - Plato
Das Kapital (The Capital) - Karl Marx
Der wille zur macht (The will for power) - Friedrich Nietsche
The Bible ------------------
The Koran -------------------
1984 - George Orwell

These are only a few, but.....

[Geoffrey]

Jay I do believe that list you posted to be rubbish. Any list that attempts to compile the greatest books ever written and includes harry potter should really be disregarded. And yes, I am aware that it was based on a voting population, not scholars. But than, isn't that really the problem?

[Pensive]

Geoffrey, I think that the list Jay posted was quite good, well that is a matter of opinions. Personally, I find Harry Potter an entertaining series.

[Bastet]

I agree with Pantelej and recommend Orwell's 1984

[Geoffrey]

Personally, I find Harry Potter an entertaining series.


:eek: Well to each there own indeed. I read only the first one with great reluctance anyways, so have little knowledge on Potter and his doings. I can say that I thought the first in the harry potter series to be very poorly written and not at all interesting. I guess the few movies from the series that I have seen were in fact a bit entertaining though.

[Pensive]

:eek: Well to each there own indeed. I read only the first one with great reluctance anyways, so have little knowledge on Potter and his doings. I can say that I thought the first in the harry potter series to be very poorly written and not at all interesting. I guess the few movies from the series that I have seen were in fact a bit entertaining though.

On the other hand, I found the books a bit better than movies or perhaps it was because I knew the story when I watched the movie because I had read the novels before watching the movies.

I admit that Harry Potter's writing style was not oh-so-great but I will say that I found the book extremely entertaining and pleasurable.

I will stronly recommend it to everybody. :D

[Riesa]

Jay I do believe that list you posted to be rubbish. Any list that attempts to compile the greatest books ever written and includes harry potter should really be disregarded. And yes, I am aware that it was based on a voting population, not scholars. But than, isn't that really the problem?

In April 2003 the BBC's Big Read began the search for the nation's best-loved novel, and we asked you to nominate your favourite books.more (http://www.bbc.co.uk/arts/bigread/top100.shtml)

Geoffrey, where does it say that is attempting to list "the greatest books ever written?"

[Jay]

Jay I do believe that list you posted to be rubbish. Any list that attempts to compile the greatest books ever written and includes harry potter should really be disregarded. And yes, I am aware that it was based on a voting population, not scholars. But than, isn't that really the problem?
It's all a matter of opinions. Not everyone who reads books is a scholar. The list, in my opinion, was not meant to be taken as a scientific research on greatest books ever. It's a list based on popularity, not geniality, although quite a few books mentioned are significantly high on the genius scale.
Judging from your last comment, you're suggesting that such lists should be created by scholars? Or that the voting population should be scholars only? I don't agree with you on that, based on the fact that the reading population ranges from children to adults of all degrees of education. If anything, the list shows that there's possibly more 'unscholarly' readers than scholars.

[Unspar]

Check out this list:
http://www.randomhouse.com/modernlibrary/100bestnovels.html

It's only for the 20th century, and I think it's only for novels written in Englihs, but it's pretty decent. It has one list compiled by scholars and another by readers, so you get plenty of diversity.

Or this one:
http://books.guardian.co.uk/news/articles/0,6109,711520,00.html

It's a little messier, but it covers all languages and all countries.

[Bastet]

what about Don Quijote de la Mancha (Don Quixote)??

[papayahed]

Check out this list:
http://www.randomhouse.com/modernlibrary/100bestnovels.html

It's only for the 20th century, and I think it's only for novels written in Englihs, but it's pretty decent. It has one list compiled by scholars and another by readers, so you get plenty of diversity.



I wonder who those readers are, I think the readers list is slightly slanted, how is it possible that 4 Ayn Rand books made it in to the top 10 (and 2 L. Ron Hubbard)? I love lists like this, it gives me knew ideas and a starting point.

[mir]

definitely the Portrait of Dorian Grey. dang, it's raining out. when did that start?

[Bastet]

dang, it's raining out. when did that start?

hahaha! It's funny, I was on aim with my friend from Pittsburgh and she just told me that it just started raining like crazy! And now, going back to the literary... I agree with The Portrait of Dorien Grey :nod:

[mcrane]

thanx a lot u guys especially Pantelej and Unspar. Pantelej, if u dont mind.. i'll ask u for more when im done with these... seems like u know exactly what im looking for. but i think i'll save the bible and the quran for my comparative religion class next fall.
thanx again :)

[amanda_isabel]

hey..
i recommend:
the secret life of a schoolgirl (rosemary kingsland)
the five people you meet in heaven (mitch albom)
tuesdays with morrie (mitch albom)
a good house (forgot the author)
the suitcase kid (jacqueline wilson)

try reading a series. the nancy drew and hardy boys collection is immortal. i cant say anything about the harry potter series because i only read part of the first book and didn't enjoy it. a lot of the stuff i've written are short stories...
hope this helps, a bit...

happy reading

[grace86]

I am trying to formulate a list of the 40 most important, classical, fiction or non-fiction readings. philosophy, politics, history, religion -everything can be included in this list. Can anyone help???


Just a suggestion...I was on barnesandnoble.com the other day and I did a search. Type in "Barnes and Noble Essential Reading." Some interesting books came up on philosophy, history and politics. So, it seems like a pretty good start on the non-fiction part of your reading. Hope you find it helpful mcrane.

[mir]

i just finished this book, and i think a couple people probably already recommended it, but it's just WONDERFUL - Orwell's 1984.

[NoviceSeer]

So far no one's mentioned "The Great Gatsby" or The Little Prince" in this forum.

Recomended reading:
-Animal Farm: Gearge Orwell
-Brave New World: Aldous Huxely
-The Heart is a Lonely Hunter: Carson McCullers
-Call of the Wild: Jack London
-Night: Elie Wiesel
-Flowers for Algernon: Daniel Keyes