Pick-a-Shelf discussion

Thanks, Sarah, for the pick of Must Read... what would you recommend as being Must Read?

What are the criteria you'd think make a 'must read'?

Wow, there are many things that make a book a must read for me. Of course there is the fact that I was so enthralled I didn't want it to end, like Anne of Green Gables or The Pillars of the Earth, but another consideration is whether the book has something important to say like Animal Farm or In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror, and an American Family in Hitler's Berlin. And then there are the ones that surprise me, like Gone Girl. Some books are a combination of important themes and entertainment like Me Before You and If I Stay. But the underlying theme I think, is that the book has to move me in some way.

There are so many books on the list that I have had on my list for quite a while, some of them are even on my LOST list. The first one that comes to mind is A Tale of Two Cities, but I would never finish it during the month, so I think I will go for something shorter. Here are a few suggestions:

The Book Thief
The Help
Wuthering Heights
and I might finish Cinder, which I started last year.

I more or less agree with Lyn on this one.

I have a favourites shelf, but it doesn't include all the books I would recommend as a must read, just the ones I liked most and that really have a special place in my heart.

For instance, I would recommend as a must read my favorite book ever, Auto-da-Fé, because it is such an important book which can be read and understood on many levels. But then I would recommend All the Bright Places, which I read recently, because it talks about a very important theme as mental illness in teens, and I think it's important that everyone should learn about this. A book that has important things to say and therefore I consider a must read would be Nineteen Eighty-Four, but then I would also recommend Invisible Cities as it resonated with me and it always has something to tell me whenever I leaf through it. And many more...

I seem to have many more "read" books on this shelf than "TBR" books. However, I do have some TBR books, though most of them are very long, so I'll have to choose carefully among these:

The Name of the Wind
Anna Karenina
War and Peace
Moby-Dick; or, The Whale
The Brothers Karamazov
The Odyssey
Speak

I am going to read



I might read more, but I'll see how it goes

Marina wrote: "I seem to have many more "read" books on this shelf than "TBR" books. However, I do have some TBR books, though most of them are very long, so I'll have to choose carefully among these:"

The Name of the Wind! This was the book that got me into reading fantasy.

D.G. wrote: "Marina wrote: "I seem to have many more "read" books on this shelf than "TBR" books. However, I do have some TBR books, though most of them are very long, so I'll have to choose carefully among the..."

The Name of the Wind is really good!

Thanks, D.G. and Lusie! I bought it just a few days ago, and am seriously considering it, as I've heard it's very good.

I have several books I am considering:

Anna Karenina - hey this one is on this list! Although I will probably finish it before the end of May as I am 95% through it now.
Slaughterhouse-Five
Slammed
East of Eden

Bea wrote: "Anna Karenina - hey this one is on this list! Although I will probably finish it before the end of May as I am 95% through it now."

Yay, Bea!! On the home stretch now, you can do this! We should have a challenge based on 'Bea's challenging reads' to celebrate you finishing this -something based on Les Mis & AK? ;p

LOL... And now I have Game of Thrones on my Kindle!

Bea wrote: "LOL... And now I have Game of Thrones on my Kindle!"

That shouldn't take you as long, I imagine. It looks terrific-ly terrifying but I reckon it's a much faster read than LM/AK.

It's so hard to pick a criteria for a must-read since everybody's tastes are unique! I've read quite a few on this shelf and most I quite loved but others I'm quite ambivalent about and 1 or 2 I've actually DNF'd! I would, however, usually recommend books that are fun to read... not one that hurts :p

To start with, I'll read Shadow and Bone (on page 2) (Bookopoly book due 2-Jun! plus also an overdue Scattershelves)

Then skip to:
page 7 for Reached to finish off this trilogy
page 10 for Illuminae

and that's where I stop looking for now :)

This shelf is a strange mix of classics and YA! At least the first few pages.

I'm probably not reading classics so I'll probably stick to YA. Most likely I'll read which I've been meaning to read for a while. :)

D.G. wrote: "I'm probably not reading classics so I'll probably stick to YA. Most likely I'll read [bookcover:On the Jellicoe Road|..."

Aaah... Jonah Griggs! Enjoy!

If it's checked in at the library, I'll be reading

Lusie wrote: "I am going to read



I might read more, but I'll see how it goes"

Me Before You is one of my faves of all time! Amazing book!

Thanks for letting me know Lyn! I hope I'll enjoy it as well!

I have read quite a few of the books on this list and some are on my TBR but are not doing it for me at the moment. Will never understand how The Perks of Being a Wallflower made the list being the utmost drivel imo. However i think i will read
Catch-22 and i might get to Never Let Me Go


My own must reads are
Sophie's World which says something different to me every time i read it
600 Hours of Edward which is so well done and probably true to autism / aspergers
The Eyre Affair I love Jasper Fforde pure escapism any of his books are fabulous reads
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks is my final offering this really opened my eyes to how sometime questionable methods are used in the name of science but if they hadn't been.....

D.G. wrote: "This shelf is a strange mix of classics and YA! At least the first few pages.

I'm probably not reading classics so I'll probably stick to YA. Most likely I'll read [bookcover:On the Jellicoe Road|..."

yes there are lots of classics and i think you have to be in the mood for them which is why i struggled what to pick as YA is not a genre I fully understand and i either find a book I love or hate

Marie wrote: "I have read quite a few of the books on this list and some are on my TBR but are not doing it for me at the moment. Will never understand how [book:The Perks of Being a [book:600 Hours of Edward|69..."

Maire - I agree about Jasper Fforde. Love his books and the pure escapism of them.

As for the books your chosen....I highly recommend Never Let Me Go. It was an amazing book imo.

This one has been recommended so many times. And I have made plans to read it so many times and ended up reading something else instead.


Update: Finished 6/8/16 - 5 Stars

Christina wrote: "This one has been recommended so many times. And I have made plans to read it so many times and ended up reading something else instead.
"

aaah... I remember rushing through the read (seeing the movie the next day), staying up late & sobbing & ended up unable to sleep because of a blocked nose ;p
Lots of sobs at the movies the next day too
I hope you like it!

This will be tough. On the first page I've either read or decided on purpose not to read most of the books there, so I'll have to scroll through them very carefully.

One or all of these depending upon availability/time.

The Graveyard Book
You
Carry On

Currently reading: Tell the Wolves I'm Home

The Girl on the Train is tagged must-reads, so I'll say this as it's so close

Also The Princess Bride which has the exact tag

I'll read/listen to Delirium, since it's on the first page and has been on my TBR for a very long time.

What do I think would make a book qualify? I wouldn't even put all my 5* books there. Quality writing, something important to say, the ability to hold my interest, the ability to last over time. There are a lot of those books there. Yes, even the ubiquitous Harry Potter deserves to be here.

But I confess to being surprised at what has else found its way to the list. I've just finished reading Red Queen, which is also on p. 1, and I wouldn't put it on the list at all; but it is a currently "hot" YA book. I suspect there are people who are using this list differently -- they may label current "in" books as "must read," meaning a step up from "to read" -- maybe because they want to read them themselves, to catch up with what everyone else has read and know what everyone is talking about.