Boxall's 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die discussion

I am so glad I found this group. My New Years resolution was to read a book a week for the year. So far so good! 4 1/2 down so far! I will post all my books and reviews on here!

Book #1
Forever by Judy Blume

Forever is about that first love. It was eerily reminiscent of my first real relationship when I was 16. Though it was set in the late seventies I felt as if someone had recorded all the mistakes I made with my first "true love", changed the names and a few minor details and kicked out an incredibly relate able and enjoyable (in that painful yearning sort of way) little novel. The short book represents a "hot and heavy" high school romance. It is funny to read about that intense curiosity you experience when you are first starting to be in a physical relationship. It's hilariously awkward, but exciting. At first I thought it ended abruptly, but then I thought, "Oh, thats the point. Now I get it!" Kath knew they would be together forever, as I did when I was 16. It doesn't work out for her, and thankfully, it didn't work out for me either. If I think about too long I can see all the trailer park picnics and food stamp vouchers I missed out on.

I don't think I would feel comfortable recommending this book to a teen, though it is shelved in YA as well as general fiction. I don't believe you should censor what your child reads, but I do believe they should discover these books on their own. I would have read it at that age, but because I was living it. I don't think what we did then was wrong, I don't regret the choices I made, or when I made them, but not everyone follows that same path.

I do have to say that I love the way Judy Blume writes. It always takes me second to adjust when I start one of her titles, but I do appreciate the simple language and straightforward story lines. Summer Sisters is one of my favorite books, I would recommend Forever as well, but if I had to choose only one, it would be Summer Sisters and then Are You There, God? It's Me Margaret

Book #2
Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray

I was hesitant to start this book, like the Twilight series, but someone who's taste I am finding are more similar to mine that I thought highly recommended it. Thanks Emily! I liked it as soon as I started, and was frustrated that it took me so long to finish. It was not because of a lack on interest but a lack of time.

I admired Gemma's wit and her bold attitude when she arrived at her new school. Something, that for most of is, is impossible. I was upset when she was still, despite her efforts to not give the popular girls the satisfaction, overcome with that need to belong and "be looked at." This eventually led to the recreation of the order and all that follows is comforting, confusing, and dark.
Also...Kartik is hot and this will make a great movie.

I would recommend this to anyone looking for science fiction, with a female main character. Golden Compass and this trilogy are both great examples of strong heroines that young girls can relate to . Both include a fantastical world that is far beyond our reality, but what the girls are going through is relate able. There is nothing, well there is some nakedness and some steamy dreams, but nothing that would be too risky for girls over 12. Love it. It is definitely a good one for people who are looking for something after Harry Potter or Twilight.

Book #3
Bloodsucking Fiends by Christopher Moore

This was my first try at Christopher Moore and I must say that I quite enjoyed it. There were parts that were um...a little...interesting? or creepy? or plain sick? Not really sure what the right word is but I would recommend it to people who have read other Moore or maybe Palahniuk, and people who are perverted with strong stomachs. Like myself. Not my mom.

Book #4
You Suck: A Love Story by Christopher Moore

You Suck is a sequel to Bloodsucking Fiends which I finished earlier this week and adored. I bought this book awhile ago, without knowing that it was a sequel, having never read any Moore before. I started reading it one day and was immediately turned off by the second page when I read this:

"You had sex with me while I was unconscious," Jody said

"That's not the same," Tommy said. "I was just being friendly, like when you put a quarter in someone else's parking meter when they aren't there--you know they appreciate it later, even if they don't thank you personally."

Yikes. Back in September, at my first attempt of this book, this totally freaked me out and that is where I stopped reading, but this time around...well...I think that it is so wrong but also oh so funny.

Fast forward to December when I finally give in and start reading the Twilight series. Finishing the three books in a week (1500+ pages) kind of unleashed a new, not perverted, interest in vampirism, and I decided to give these Moore books another try.

You Suck was even better than Bloodsucking Fiends because of the introduction of Tommy and Jody's minion, Abby Normal. Her narratives in the book had me cracking up. She is 16 and wow, so hilarious. Definitely the funniest book I have ever read, if not the funniest thing ever, period. I loved it!

Overall Rating: 4.5/5

The ending was sort of lacking compared to the rest of the book

Okay, so this has sort of come up in other posts, but what books do you think should be on the list that aren't?

Personally, I was surprised not to see Watership Down. Island of the Blue Dolphins was far more worth my time than Lord of the Flies.

Also, I only scanned the list, but thought the Native American (or American Indian, if you prefer) voice was absent. No Louise Erdrich? No Sherman Alexie?

Who else would you have liked to see?

I might be mistaken, but I don't recall seeing The Heart is a Lonely Hunter on the list...which kind of surprises me.

Other than that, I agree with you on Watership Down......and maybe East of Eden and The Winter of Our Discontent could have made the list.

I would have to search more closely to see what made the list and what didn't. Those are a few that stood out when I was going through the list initially.

I would also have to double check some of the criteria they used for determining what books made the list and which were dropped, however, I'm sure the reason books like Island of the Blue Dolphins didn't make the list were because they were published specifically as juvenile literature (Island of the Blue Dolphin won the Newberry Award...an award for juvenile fiction) and I didn't notice any other books on the list that were published originally/specifically as juvenile literature.

what then about Thurber's 13 clocks? That surely is a children's book, isn't it. Also, my dutch version includes Pippi Longstocking, a swedish children's classic.

I'm surprised that no Pearl S.Buck is included. After all, she did win the nobel prize for fiction!

Great review! I enjoyed this and the second book. I'm hoping to read the third book this year.

Jose Saramago's Blindness - I am shocked it's not included.

"Island of Blue Dolphins" by O'Dell should definitely be there

Another I think should be on it is Ntozake Shange's "For Colored Girls Who've Considered Suicide When the Rainbow is Enuf" even if it's not exactly a novel.

i personally feel a lot of books could be cleaned out because there were several lesser known books by the same author. did we really need 500 books by toni morrison, for example? there are so many others who contributed to the evolution of literature, many more who wrote a darn good book. i'm thinking of Anne of Green Gables, even. or Mukiwa: A White Boy in Africa (by peter godwin). or Princess Bride. or Roots. i don't think Jack London's Call of the Wild was on there- was it? and while i adore e.m.forster, i don't know that all the books they placed on the list merit being a must-read. make room for other authors! i'm surprised ayn rand isn't on there. regardless of how you feel about her work, she certainly made quite a splash.

Yes, The Good Earth's omission was a surprise to me, too, Smarti. And you make a good point about the juvenile fiction that IS included. Ian McEwan's The Daydreamer is juvenile fiction also and was included on the list I believe. And then there are the Alice In Wonderland books included and others in that genre. That category was definitely not excluded.

I plan to do some research on the compilers of the list to learn more about their criteria. All I know at present is that a group of scholars and critics of fiction writing were consulted for their choices.
More than fifteen of them, I believe.

Just for reference, here is the list I've been using:

http://www.listology.com/content_show...

I totally agree about authors having more than one book, Danielle. There are 9 by Virginia Woolf alone.

It also bugs me about Jonathan Swift; I think of A Modest Proposal as more of a satirical essay than fiction.

Of all the Joyce Carols Oates options, I am surprised that “them” is on the list but not “We Were the Mulvaneys”! And if Aesop’s Fables and Metamorphoses can be on the list why not Shel Silverstein? Where the Sidewalk Ends and Light In the Attic are as endearing and creatively amazing as Aesop.
Ditto on Island of the Blue Dolphins and Watership Down.
Perhaps Toni Morrison's entire collection of written works could be pared down to make room for these winners.

Where's the Nick Hornby,Douglas Copeland and Christopher Moore? For satire and modernity.

And for crying out loud where is Atlas Shrugged?

Since the list is supposed to track the evolution of the novel, I'm kind of surprised that The Tale of Genji (Genji Monogatari) by Murasaki Shikibu isn't on it. I haven't read it, but from what I know it's considered to be one of the earliest novels, if not the earliest. You'd think that would be enough for it to warrant inclusion.

I agree that some of the authors could be cut down on. The 8 novels by Ian McEwan are looking both daunting and unnecessary at the moment since I didn't think that the only one I've read so far (Saturday) was particularly great.

Tani, thank you for reminding me that my favorite book by a Japanese author was omitted as well, The Master of Go by Yasunari Kawabata - I'm rechecking the list, but I don't think any of Kawabata's work made it.

Book #5
Rebel Angels by Libba Bray

Rebel Angels is the second book in the Gemma Doyle Trilogy. I finished the first, Great and Terrible Beauty, earlier this month and was not intending to read this one so soon. I read a few other books then found myself wondering what was going to happen to "the Order." Ashley was also reading them and told me how they all get better. It was true. This one was so much more exciting than the first.

I love how it is a girls Sci/Fi that is based in the late 1800s. It combines so many different things; romance, adventure, fantasy, and history. This makes for a very exciting sequel to Great and Terrible Beauty that had many twists, some more predictable than others, but still left you wondering. The creatures in the other realm are described so vividly that I was freaked out and had to stop reading before bed because I kept having weird dreams. I also enjoyed the progress, or lack there of, made between her and Kartik, and didn't like Simon from the start. He's no Kartik.
Overall Rating: 4.5/5

like has been said multiple times in various posts, a list is bound to disagree with people. for instance, why include a ten book epic series of the history of Korea that is only available in Korean? that doesn't seem fair...

i also agree with the large chunks of books by the same author. in some cases it is acceptable, though i think rarely to the extent that it was done. for example, hard times by dickens is hardly a phenomenal novel (in my humble opinion) nor does it hold a vital aspect of literary history. there are more, but i'm not going to run through them all.

i think that the diary of anne frank, night, tom sawyer, the choice for willa cather, pearl buck, etc were all big surprises. now, anne frank and night i can be lenient with given that they are "memoirs" and not necessarily fiction (but then neither is a modest proposal). tom sawyer isn't twain's best book, but it certainly is one of the most well known and read by all ages.

so again, it's a list, and up to the list makers to make the decision.

"Perhaps Toni Morrison's entire collection of written works could be pared down to make room for these winners."

I think that's the approach I'm going to take the list. Thin out a few of the authors that have three+ books, and read some of the suggestions written here.

I just keep adding more and more to my bookshelf. Pretty soon I'll have to rename it 2001 Books You Must Read Before You Die!

I read a lot of YA lit and there are some marvelous titles out there that are well worth a look.

Here are just a few that I would add:

Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson
Forever by Judy Blume
The Secret Garden by Francess Hodgson Burnett
Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card
The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis
Inkheart/Inkspell by Cornelia Funke
The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale
A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini
Fallen Angels by Walter Dean Myers
Sabriel/Lirael/Abhorsen by Garth Nix
His Dark materials trilogy by Philip Pullman
Harry Potter!
Milkweed by Jerry Spinelli
Briar Rose by Jane Yolen
THe Book Thief by Marcus Zusak

And I definitely agree with Lianna about Watership Down.

My list is getting REALLY long.

Debbie,

I love YA literature.
I've home schooled all of my children until they were at least in H.S. As a result I read lots of YA fiction with them. My youngest just started school this week. So my "career" is over.
Gotta find a new one :)
Thanks for the list.

I'd certainly substitute these for some of the over presented authors such as McEwan, and even, (blasphemy though it may be to many)Austin and several others:

All the King's Men - Robert Penn Warren
The Unvanquished - Wm. Faulkner
The Way of All Flesh - Samuel Butler

There are others, of course, but these just sprang to mind today as I was reading previous posts on the topic.

Read on and make your own lists!

I love this thread. I'm looking at the 1001 books list more of a work in progress than a set-in-stone kind of thing. I just keep adding and adding...

I am also working on a list with some of my fellow teachers that is more centered on books you should read before you graduate. We might even get really fancy and and set it up in tiers--MS/HS/College...

Debbie, I'd be really interested in seeing that list. I was astounded by how poorly read my college classmates were - and my college was known for its strong humanities.

I definitely agree That All the King's Men and Watership Down are criminal omissions. And The Princess Bride!

I would add:

A Death in the Family - James Agee
The Optimist's Daughter and Delta Wedding - Eudora Welty
The Sheltering Sky - Paul Bowles (honestly, how can that NOT be on there?)
Claudine at School, and possibly the other Claudine Books and Cheri as well - Colette
Time Will Darken It -- William Maxwell
Angle of Repose and Crossing to Safety - Wallace Stegner
The Milagro Beanfield War - John Nichols
As She Climbed Across the Table and Motherless Brooklyn - Jonathen Lethem
The Haunting of Hill House - Shirley Jackson
Gentlemen Prefer Blondes - Anita Loos
No Robertson Davies?!?

And to make room for them, I would drop some of the Ian McEwan, Don Delillo, Robert Coover and John Barth. This list is REALLY heavy on a certain brand of modernism.

Yelena, thanks for mentioning The Master of Go. I'm kind of obsessed with Japan, so I'm always interested in new stuff relating to it.

Debbie, I'd also really like to see the list when it's done. I feel like I somehow got through high school and even most of college without having read anything, so I'm trying to make up for the lack on my own. And I love lists (obviously), so I'm always happy to find new ones.

Also, if they're going to be throwing random non-fiction and poetry in there... Pilgrim at Tinker Creek seems like a no-brainer to me.

Judith - LOVE All the King's Men and anything by Faulkner!

As to the questions about why things are on the list, I have a question in return. Has anyone else bought the book? There is actually a very thick book with an essay about each of the chosen ones - why that particular title made the cut. I think it is important to keep in mind that the book was developed to basically sell the title _1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die_ and not necessarily as a serious literary survey. There are companion titles for movies, gardens to see, albums to listen to, etc. Some clever publisher came up with an idea, found an editor who asked his or her buddies to help out and there you go. Still, it's fun to work against the list; I, for one, have been introduced to several authors I'd never heard of. But I am still stinging over the exclusion of the Wizard of Oz!

Oh -- and why on earth isn't Kristin Lavransdatter on there? Did we really need seven books by Saul Bellow instead?

I think you are absolutely right about the this book being one for the marketers rather than the readers of the world, Kate.

I don't have a copy of the book, but I did do some research on some of the contributors. Essentially each pushed his/her own specialty over and above a broader representation was my conclusion. I'd also venture that it was rather hurriedly assembled given its limited range.

Still, I'm glad for the list. Perhaps we'd be skeptical of any such compilation; and, of course, there will always be legitimate disagreements on such a subject analysis of literature.

I think I would also substitute these gems for some of the over represented authors on the list:

Darkness At Noon - Arther Koestler
Fahrenheit 451 - Ray Bradbury
A Separate Peace - John Knowles

You may have just nailed what I have been trying to pinpoint about the first page or two of the list -
"This list if REALLY heavy on a certain brand of modernism."

Thanks for that observation, Cathy!

Book #6
Sweet Far Thing by Libba Bray

*contains spoilers*

I finished the final installment of the Gemma Doyle trilogy last night. It took me over two weeks to finish and I came very close to throwing the damn book across the room with only 70 pages to go. I have to say that I am very upset that Kartik died. VERY. The tension, and affection between Kartik and Gemma was what kept me reading. I was constantly waiting for her to see his red bandanna or meet him in the boathouse. I will admit that the book ended very well but I was still very angry.

I have never cried while reading before, and I have told my friends that I don't understand why people do. I cry in all movies but with a book, you control the tempo. You can stop whenever you please. Simply close the book and try again later, that is how I roll. However, I shed a few tears at the end of Sweet Far Thing. When Kartik died and in the end when Ann and Felicity got what they really wanted, I was very emotional. I am so very glad Libba decided to make both of their characters good in the end. Ann irritated me so much in the first two books, but really held her own in this one, especially towards the end, when she had to stand up to Pippa. I felt like she was always ready to abandon Gemma for the others but in the end that proved false. Felicity could have gone either way right up to the very end because of her love for Pippa, but I was happy to see that she got her inheritance and intends to live as she has always wanted, free and daring, and out from under th hold of her father. I also appreciated how she wrote Circe's character. At work I always tell people that this trilogy is a mix between Harry Potter and the Twilight series, and Circe was Snapelike in my opinion.

I am sad that these books are over. I look forward to reading whatever Libba Bray writes next, but can't imagine a character being a strong, confused, and brave as Gemma. Love her. Definitely one of my favorite characters of all time. I think it is important to remember that a young woman can be powerful and challenge authority, but still long for love and romance.

Final Rating: 4.5/5

I think this book could have easily been written into two installments. Not only because it was 800 pages but because SO much happened. I can't really remember what happened at the beginning of the book.

BOTW #7
Dedication by Emma McLaughlin & Nicola Kraus

After taking ages to finish my last book (17 days, ugh), I finished this baby in a mere two days, thank you very much. I needed something predictable after my last book. "I need to read something that ends how it is supposed to!" were my actual words, I believe. I thought I was getting just that but there were actually some twists in this one. I was left satisfied but it didn't end how I expected it to. It was a light read, with some um...good parts? Good friends, good sex, laugh out loud moments, and one of the best rants ever! Loved it!

Kate's first love disappeared on her when she was a teen and she finally has the chance to make him "regret his entire existence." The book switches back and forth between the present and past starting in the 7th grade and heading up to post college, alternately. I related to Kate both as a preteen and as an adult. All about growing up.



Overall Rating: 4/5

I would recommend it to Marian Keyes lovers or anyone who just needs some good chick lit.

Some of my choices:

Revolutionary Road , Richard Yates
Dr Haggard's Disease , Patrick McGrath
Doctor Glas , Hjalmar Söderberg
The Crimson Petal And The White , Michel Faber
The Ice Palace , Tarjei Vesaas
The Invention Of Morel , Adolfo Bioy Casares
The Pilgrim Hawk , Glenway Wescott
The Redemption Of Elsdon Bird , Noel Virtue
The Sailor Who Fell From Grace With The Sea , Yukio Mishima

I totally agree - The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Klay is just that....amazing. A personal all-time favorite of mine. I'm always telling people to read it.

And Stewart- I adored The Crimson Petal and the White. Very good.

I just bought 1001 Books today. Some of the books in there though, man, I think the synopis in the book willl be enough for me.

I was really amazed at some of the books that made the list- Finnegans Wake (Joyce) and Remembrance of Things Past (Proust) are epic enough that it would take most of one's life to even begin to comprehend the depth of the writing. I've been reading Finnegans Wake for 6+ years now and have barely made a dent in it.

I really must second the recommendation for Jonathon Lethem. His writing is some of the most fantastic I've ever come across and I am compelled to devour anything he publishes. Motherless Brooklyn is a must for inclusion on the list. I also was surprised that Kavelier and Clay didn't make the list.

Others that should have been included:
Lamb by Christopher Moore
About A Boy by Nick Hornby
The Beach by Alex Garland
Jitterbug Perfume by Tom Robbins OR
Fierce Invalids Home From Hot Climates by Tom Robbins

Book #8
Jemima J by Jane Green

Ah yes. This book rocked my world. It was like watching an awesome makeover reality show, and not being able to turn the channel because you are so obsessed. I loved, well, really like Jemima. The whole Internet dating thing cracked me up and her unhealthy weight loss made me nervous. I love how glamorous Jane Green makes her sound in her new body. I totally saw the thing with Brad coming, though. Great book. Bought a bunch of other Jane Green this weekend because I loved her writing style.

This book is both from the perspective of Jemima and a voice that talks directly to the reader. For example, she would say, "Oh should I tell you more about so and so..." it was awesome and kept the book constantly moving and changing.

I have read some great books this year and everyone I wanted to recommend this to has already read it!

Overall Rating: 4.8/5
She had me right up to the end but I could have used some more Ben time.

Book #9
Straight Talking by Jane Green

This was one of the books I started in the last few weeks. I couldn't commit to any others and wasn't too into this one either. One day I got stuck without anything else to read and ended up just deciding to finish the damn book.

It was no Jemima J, lets put it at that. I hate when you find an author you really like and then find out that you started with their best book. Oh bummer.

I will say that this book has one of the hottest sex scenes ever ever ever. I was flustered at work when I was reading it. Other than that the book was kind of lacking and I didn't end up ever really liking the main character, she was lameo and her "quest for passion" really just made her look like a big ol slut bag. It was very Sex and the City-ish and I have to admit, I have never like that show. I know, I know.

I do love how Jane Green speaks directly to the reader. She writes how I write and that gives me a smidgeon of validation and hope, hope that one day, if I can get past page two, I might finish my own book.
Final Rating: 3/5

I am just finishing My Ántonia and I am shocked and dismayed that this didn't make the cut. In fact, there is only one Willa Cather book on the entire list...and it isn't even one of her more famous works. Hmmm.

Do we really need to read some authors' entire canon when other other stellar authors don't even make the list? Pearl Buck. Carson McCullers. I guess their books aren't nearly as crucial as, say, every single book by Ian McEwan.

This is why a little 'off-list' reading is necessary.

Charity,
I'm wondering what to do about the multiple entries by authors I can't stand. As in, after the two really crap books I've read by Coetzee, am I really going to devote time and money to the other seven (or some such ridiculous nonsense)? There are a number of other authors (I'm looking at you Messrs Dickens and Lawrence) whose books are way over-represented, especially when, since their styles are so similar book to book, someone won't necessarily get that much more out of reading multiple renderings of what is, in many ways, the same idea expressed in 95% similar words.
Meh, I think I'll just skip over the ones I'm really not fond of and make my mind up at the end whether or not I'll feel incomplete if I don't read them.

Yeah, the list seems a little saturated with a few particular authors. I think that I will approach these authors by reading a couple of their more 'well-known' (popular) works and maybe one 'lesser-known' work, just to get a sampling. This will either encourage me to read the rest or persuade me to abandon them.

Good reasoning, as usual, Charity. Me too on the sampling those authors with more than two books on the list unless the author really interests me.

And, Yelena, you are so right about Dickens. I hate to admit that you are probably also right about Lawrence and you could even add James as well!

I'm still crossing this list with others and seeing what was left off, and this keeps me adding to my personal list like many of you!

I'd like to hear from those of you who purchased the book 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die to see if anything in it changed your mind and added to your understanding of how the selections were made.

Other fabulous list-types to check out besides the guardian's and time magazine's:
the new york times best american novels of the past 25 years (and the even more enlightening accompanying essay by a.o. scott)
the observer's list of the best british, irish, or commonwealth novel from 1980-1925 (a response to the new york times' list)
the modern library's top 100 fiction and non-fiction lists, which are two-parters: 100 from the editors, 100 voted on by readers (apparently on the readers' side ayn rand's fan club showed up in droves to vote)
the radcliffe publishing course's top 100 novels of the century (from 1998)

I agree, Christine. I'm currently tackling those lists as well. Plus, a slew of others. I'm just a list maker... :-)

I really like Book Magazine's 'The Best of Bookish Characters' list.

Hate to show my ignorance here, but which of the books on the list include a "ten book epic series of the history of Korea that is only available in Korean"?

i enjoy lists a little too much, it may be true... thank you for the heads up on the best bookish characters list. anything with the work "bookish" in the title, definitely worthwhile.

Logan,

Lamb by Christopher Moore is one of the most clever, witty books I have ever read. Good suggestion!