Book Nook Cafe discussion

According to Entertainment Weekly these are
The New Classics: Books
The 100 best reads from 1983 to 2008

I've read 27. Though any list that calls The Da Vinci Code a "classic" I have issues with. I would put The Da Vinci Code on a best selling book list, but that is a far different thing than a "classic" imo. However, one must consider the source; the list is by EW. :)

What do you think? How would you define a modern classic?
How many on EW list have you read?
Do you think the term Modern Classic is an oxymoron ?

1. The Road , Cormac McCarthy (2006)
2. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, J.K. Rowling (2000)
3. Beloved, Toni Morrison (1987)
4. The Liars' Club, Mary Karr (1995)
5. American Pastoral, Philip Roth (1997)
6. Mystic River, Dennis Lehane (2001)
7. Maus, Art Spiegelman (1986/1991)
8. Selected Stories, Alice Munro (1996)
9. Cold Mountain, Charles Frazier (1997)
10. The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, Haruki Murakami (1997)
11. Into Thin Air, Jon Krakauer (1997)
12. Blindness, José Saramago (1998)
13. Watchmen, Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons (1986-87)
14. Black Water, Joyce Carol Oates (1992)
15. A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius, Dave Eggers (2000)
16. The Handmaid's Tale, Margaret Atwood (1986)
17. Love in the Time of Cholera, Gabriel García Márquez (1988)
18. Rabbit at Rest, John Updike (1990)
19. On Beauty, Zadie Smith (2005)
20. Bridget Jones's Diary, Helen Fielding (1998)
21. On Writing, Stephen King (2000)
22. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, Junot Díaz (2007)
23. The Ghost Road, Pat Barker (1996)
24. Lonesome Dove, Larry McMurtry (1985)
25. The Joy Luck Club, Amy Tan (1989)
26. Neuromancer, William Gibson (1984)
27. Possession, A.S. Byatt (1990)
28. Naked, David Sedaris (1997)
29. Bel Canto, Anne Patchett (2001)
30. Case Histories, Kate Atkinson (2004)
31. The Things They Carried, Tim O'Brien (1990)
32. Parting the Waters, Taylor Branch (1988)
33. The Year of Magical Thinking, Joan Didion (2005)
34. The Lovely Bones, Alice Sebold (2002)
35. The Line of Beauty, Alan Hollinghurst (2004)
36. Angela's Ashes, Frank McCourt (1996)
37. Persepolis, Marjane Satrapi (2003)
38. Birds of America, Lorrie Moore (1998)
39. Interpreter of Maladies, Jhumpa Lahiri (2000)
40. His Dark Materials, Philip Pullman (1995-2000)
41. The House on Mango Street, Sandra Cisneros (1984)
42. LaBrava, Elmore Leonard (1983)
43. Borrowed Time, Paul Monette (1988)
44. Praying for Sheetrock, Melissa Fay Greene (1991)
45. Eva Luna, Isabel Allende (1988)
46. Sandman, Neil Gaiman (1988-1996)
47. World's Fair, E.L. Doctorow (1985)
48. The Poisonwood Bible, Barbara Kingsolver (1998)
49. Clockers, Richard Price (1992)
50. The Corrections, Jonathan Franzen (2001)
51. The Journalist and the Murderer, Janet Malcom (1990)
52. Waiting to Exhale, Terry McMillan (1992)
53. The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay, Michael Chabon (2000)
54. Jimmy Corrigan, Chris Ware (2000)
55. The Glass Castle, Jeannette Walls (2006)
56. The Night Manager, John le Carré (1993)
57. The Bonfire of the Vanities, Tom Wolfe (1987)
58. Drop City, TC Boyle (2003)
59. Krik? Krak! Edwidge Danticat (1995)
60. Nickel & Dimed, Barbara Ehrenreich (2001)
61. Money, Martin Amis (1985)
62. Last Train To Memphis, Peter Guralnick (1994)
63. Pastoralia, George Saunders (2000)
64. Underworld, Don DeLillo (1997)
65. The Giver, Lois Lowry (1993)
66. A Supposedly Fun Thing I’ll Never Do Again, David Foster Wallace (1997)
67. The Kite Runner, Khaled Hosseini (2003)
68. Fun Home, Alison Bechdel (2006)
69. Secret History, Donna Tartt (1992)
70. Cloud Atlas, David Mitchell (2004)
71. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down, Ann Fadiman (1997)
72. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, Mark Haddon (2003)
73. A Prayer for Owen Meany, John Irving (1989)
74. Friday Night Lights, H.G. Bissinger (1990)
75. Cathedral, Raymond Carver (1983)
76. A Sight for Sore Eyes, Ruth Rendell (1998)
77. The Remains of the Day, Kazuo Ishiguro (1989)
78. Eat, Pray, Love, Elizabeth Gilbert (2006)
79. The Tipping Point, Malcolm Gladwell (2000)
80. Bright Lights, Big City, Jay McInerney (1984)
81. Backlash, Susan Faludi (1991)
82. Atonement, Ian McEwan (2002)
83. The Stone Diaries, Carol Shields (1994)
84. Holes, Louis Sachar (1998)
85. Gilead, Marilynne Robinson (2004)
86. And the Band Played On, Randy Shilts (1987)
87. The Ruins, Scott Smith (2006)
88. High Fidelity, Nick Hornby (1995)
89. Close Range, Annie Proulx (1999)
90. Comfort Me With Apples, Ruth Reichl (2001)
91. Random Family, Adrian Nicole LeBlanc (2003)
92. Presumed Innocent, Scott Turow (1987)
93. A Thousand Acres, Jane Smiley (1991)
94. Fast Food Nation, Eric Schlosser (2001)
95. Kaaterskill Falls, Allegra Goodman (1998)
96. The Da Vinci Code, Dan Brown (2003)
97. Jesus’ Son, Denis Johnson (1992)
98. The Predators' Ball, Connie Bruck (1988)
99. Practical Magic, Alice Hoffman (1995)
100. America (the Book), Jon Stewart/Daily Show (2004)

http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20207...

I tried to read, but abandoned 3, 6, 19, 15, 29, 36, 55, 80, 85

I read and liked 14, 20, 21, 25, 34, 48, 57, 60, 65, 67, 71, 72, 73,74, 92, 93, 96, 99

I read, but did not like 11, 33, 82

Not sure any of these could be onsidered "classics".

Well, I've read Lonesome Dove, and it's one of my allt ime favorites. I also read Nickel & Dimed. I guess I'm not very well read according to this list! Oh, well. I'll live! :o)

Donna in Southern Maryland

I've read 1,10 12, 29, 33, 34, 39, 50, 67, 72, 77, 82, 94 & 96. I didn't dislike any of them but none were favorites. I liked Blindness best but i wouldn't call any of them classics in the way i think of classics. I'd be curious to know how they qualified. Maybe the way the prose is presented?

On the web link Alias gave us the first person mentions the absence of Chuck Palahniak, writer of FIGHT CLUB, which seems to me to be more of a classic than Remains of the Day. At least it's innovative with some fascinating insights into life today.

Oh, well, i'm sure we could come up with as good a list. As Alias wrote, let's consider the source! ;-)

deborah

Hey, I like Entertainment Weekly! :) I've actually read a lot of good books based on their reviews.

I've read 26 of the books on the list but agree that I don't know how many will be considered classics. Many seemed to be important to pop culture (Harry Potter, Davinci Code) but that does not mean the same as classic.

Wow, I'm feeling pretty good about how many I've read! But better still, I added a handful of titles to Mt. TBR.
I'm not even going to try to critique the list except to note that it includes young adult fiction and graphic novels. Interesting.

JoAnn/QuAppelle wrote: "I read, but did not like 11, 33, 82
..."

------------------------
I'm surprised you didn't like Into Thin Air, JoAnn.

I've read all of his books except his new one and liked them all. We had a terrific discussion here about Under The Banner of Heaven.

Has anyone read his latest, Where Men Win Glory: The Odyssey of Pat Tillman?

I agree on Atonement. I thought I was the only one who didn't like it. I found it tedious in the extreme.

Sherry: But better still, I added a handful of titles to Mt. TBR.
============================

I guess most book worms can't resist a book list. I know I can't ! I'm glad you found some to add to Mt. TBR, Sherry.

Alias Reader wrote: "
------------------------
I'm surprised you didn't like Into Thin Air, JoAnn.

I've read all of his books except his new one a..."

And to be honest, I cannot remember why I did not like"Into Thin Air". But I do remember finding "Under the Banner of Heaven" tedious and never finished it. I think I have read one too many Mormon-oriented books.

Shaking my head........I would pick maybe 5 on that list as 'potential' classics. "Eat, Pray and Love"? Give me a break, I threw that book across the room after I read it.

Perhaps Entertainment Weekly defines "classic" as a book that sells well. LOL, lists are always good for some conversation, at least that much is true.

RNOCEAN wrote: "Shaking my head........I would pick maybe 5 on that list as 'potential' classics. "Eat, Pray and Love"? Give me a break, I threw that book across the room after I read it."

I did the same ---- but after only 20 pages!

Hey, I loved Eat, Pray, Love !
:)

Hey I love you all, no matter WHICH books you love or hate! :o)

Donna in Southern Maryland

I think of classic as something that stands the test of time. To me, Dickens is an author of classics, but in the 19th century he was just a very popular author. I would say you need at least fifty years to pass before you can really judge the quality of a work as timeless.

And of course there could never be 100% agreement on whether any particular book is classic or not. But that's sort of my general rule of thumb anyway.

Maybe they could be called Potential Classics, as RNOCEAN mentioned?

Oh, and I'm not sure "best read" equals "classic" either. A book can be a great read on a surface basis but not really have a deeper meaning that would elevate it to a higher level.

rytr_1 wrote: "Oh, and I'm not sure "best read" equals "classic" either. A book can be a great read on a surface basis but not really have a deeper meaning that would elevate it to a higher level."

Sort of the same thing as Blockbuster Movie versus Oscar winner !?!

Donna in Southern Maryland

Welcome, rytr !

I think you are right about a classic having a deeper meaning or maybe an issue that transcends an era.

Donna in Southern Maryland wrote: "Sort of the same thing as Blockbuster Movie versus Oscar winner !?!"

Great comparison, Donna.

Welcome to this board, rytr_1. And welcome to this discussion. You make a good point about the 50 year issue but i wonder if even that is fair. Once upon a time i was on a book board where a blow-up ensued because someone referred to the Nancy Drew mysteries as "classics". (It was a "classics" book board, btw.) We ended up, iirc, deciding that classic can mean several things. In this case, ND books are classic in the sense that young females "must" read them. (You know i don't mean MUST as much as "will find themselves" reading.) Maybe this could be a clue in how to view the classic aspect of this list...that you'll find yourself reading them to fit in with other readers or for a better connection to contemporary culture? Maybe?

deborah

Thanks for the welcome, Alias Reader and Deborah. :) It's good to be here. GR is getting to be quite addictive, but I'm sure there are many here who can attest to that.

I would have to agree that classic can have different meanings, and what may be considered classic to one group of people may not to another. It's all subjective, of course. Interestingly, I think there are a lot of books that we think of as classics because we've been told they are, regardless of whether or not we'd see them in this light if we just read them on their own without that label being attached. Sort of a vicious circle there: it was classic to earlier generations, therefore it must still be a classic today. Then you get into an issue of whether the book is a classic because it's relevant to today's world, or because it has a historical significance, or both.

This year i began (but did not finish) Don Quixote and Les Miserables . One similarity i noticed was that people who read popular literature of the day were ridiculed. It led me to wonder if we'd consider some of those dismissed novels "classics" today?

And would many people read The Mysteries of Udolpho by Ann Radcliffe if Jane Austen hadn't mentioned it prominently in Northhanger Abbey ? (This question arose in my mind because the Western Canon group here on GR is voting on their next book & these 2 are grouped as one.) I have read the Austen book & my curiosity was piqued but i didn't locate a copy of AR's gothic novel.

I just thought i'd toss this into the mix.

deborah

I've read 29 of the books on the list. Many of those I have liked, but not all. I have never finished Eat, Pray, Love. Maybe it is time to clean off the nightstand stack.

Lynne in PA/Lineepinee wrote: "I've read 29 of the books on the list. Many of those I have liked, but not all. I have never finished Eat, Pray, Love. Maybe it is time to clean off the nightstand stack. "

Sounds like a plan! Last weekend, I took 111 books (including a few audios) to the collection place for our Friends of the Library book sale. Many of these were books which I never finished. They were just taking up valuable space in my home, and surely someone will love them!

Impressive donation, JoAnn! The FOL must have been thrilled.

deborah

I've only read 10 on the list...but 3 of the 10 I didn't like. I've read The Road, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, The Lovely Bones, The Poisonwood Bible, The Kite Runner, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time, Atonement, Eat Pray Love, Holes, and The DaVinci Code. I didn't enjoy any of the last three I've listed. I've alread let my beef with Atonement be known on another thread, but I also didn't enjoy Eat Pray Love or The Da Vinci Code.

I was so disappointed in Eat, Pray, Love myself. I thought the author was incredibly self-absorbed. I threw the book across the room after she met and bedded 'her man'. Yuck on that book!

I've read 37 of them, and some of my faves are on the list. I loved Cloud Atlas, for example, and the Dog in the Night. I have so often recommended The Year of Magical Thinking to my friends who have lost a loved one. But the DaVinci Code? C'mon man. I guess that qualifies as a classic because so many people read it. Especially people who don't read. I know. That was mean.

37 ! You win, Michele !

I loved Dog in the Nighttime, too.

I agree, DaVinci does not belong on any classic list.

RNOCEAN wrote: "I was so disappointed in Eat, Pray, Love myself. I thought the author was incredibly self-absorbed. I threw the book across the room after she met and bedded 'her man'. Yuck on that book!"

I felt the same way about Joan Didion's fixation on ME ME ME. Hated her book.

Hated is awfully strong.

Sherry (sethurner) wrote: "Hated is awfully strong."

maybe it is...should I say "despised" instead? "loathed", "abhored"? All synonymous.....

JoAnn/QuAppelle wrote: "RNOCEAN wrote: "I was so disappointed in Eat, Pray, Love myself. I thought the author was incredibly self-absorbed. I threw the book across the room after she met and bedded 'her man'. Yuck on t..."

So did I, JoAnn! I don't know which one was more self-absorbed.....

JoAnn/QuAppelle wrote: "Sherry (sethurner) wrote: "Hated is awfully strong."

maybe it is...should I say "despised" instead? "loathed", "abhored"? All synonymous....."

Hey, JoAnn -- so how do you really feel? LOL

Can't hhelp weighing in on this topic. When I read a meoir or autobiography I know it's going to be self-absorbed...hopefully in the nicest sense of the word, of course. Is that not what these words denote? "Memoir" is personal expserience, and "auto" means pertaining to self. I agree that sometimes it's a bit much.

On another note, "classics" category usually means having passed the test of time, doesn't it? I'm not sure there is an accepted definition of "new classics" but I suspect it has a lot to do with numbers of books sold, perhaps including contemporary ideas. I've read at least half of the books on the list and there are a number that I wouldn't consider classics...no matter what the definition.

RNOCEAN wrote: "I was so disappointed in Eat, Pray, Love myself. I thought the author was incredibly self-absorbed. I threw the book across the room after she met and bedded 'her man'. Yuck on that book!"
-----------------
by Kriverbend
an't hhelp weighing in on this topic. When I read a meoir or autobiography I know it's going to be self-absorbed...hopefully in the nicest sense of the word, of course. Is that not what these words denote? "Memoir" is personal expserience, and "auto" means pertaining to self. I agree that sometimes it's a bit much.
-----------------

I loved Eat, Pray Love. I have to agree the story is about how she experienced this period in her life. As you say, that's what a memoir is all about.

I also saw the movie. I enjoyed it, but not as much as I enjoyed the book. I also enjoyed the Buddhist aspect of the novel.

Kriverbend, you say you've read half on the list. If you had to pick one, which was your favorite?

"Kriverbend, you say you've read half on the list. If you had to pick one, which was your favorite?"

Oh dear, Alias. That's a tough question. Some I liked for plot, some for author's use of language, some for creativity, some for characters I loved....I'd have to go over the list and choose
by those categories. I simply cannot pick a favorite without doing a little more thinking. For example, I thoroughly admired McCarthy's Road....a masterpiece of language, not a spare word. Yet, it was emotionally depressing. Then, there was Cold Mountain, with its descriptive "flora and fauna" journey, and an ending one had to read twice. The creative case-study as it unfolded in The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nigh-time was engrossing. The House on Mango Street was fascinating to me because it was set in Chicago and cited places I knew....and on and on. I'm aware of the time frame the list represents, but I have yet to find a book listed on it that can top my all time favorite...TKAM...which encompasses all the ingredients (and superlatives) I can think of to label it a "favorite" read.

My flying fingers don't often wait for my brain so I apologize for all the typos in my penultimate email...and here, if there are any.

Lois

I loved Eat, Pray, Love, too, although I don't consider it a new classic, whatever that is. I enjoyed Gilbert's journey, self-indulgence, and spirit, her sense of adventure. Maybe I wouldn't have liked it as much if I'd read it when I was in a different mood. Some of my reading friends didn't care for it at all.

On the other hand, I didn't finish Joan Didion's The Year of Magical Thinking - it just wasn't working for me.

With reference to Eat,Pray, Love, different strokes for different folks is all I can say.
It would be a boring world if we all liked the same thing.

Kriverbend wrote: ""Kriverbend, you say you've read half on the list. If you had to pick one, which was your favorite?"

Oh dear, Alias. That's a tough question. Some I liked for plot, some for author's use of la..."
-------------

I understand, Lois. It one of the reasons I find it hard to rate books.

From the ones you did mention, I loved A Dog in the Nigh-time. I will always remember Christopher. Which reminds me, I should ask for my copy back from a neighbor I lent it. It's a book I would re-read.

RNOCEAN wrote: "With reference to Eat,Pray, Love, different strokes for different folks is all I can say.
It would be a boring world if we all liked the same thing."
------------
Very true. People seem to have a strong reaction hate/love with the book. My f2F book club read it and we did something for each place she went. We had lasagna, tropical drink and meditated to some music to begin the meeting. It was fun. :)

I loaned the book to my niece over a year ago. She still hasn't finished it. I think I'll get it back from her when I see her over the holidays.

I read Gilbert's other book, The Last American Man. I enjoyed it. It was different.

Alias Reader wrote: "RNOCEAN wrote: "I was so disappointed in Eat, Pray, Love myself. I thought the author was incredibly self-absorbed. I threw the book across the room after she met and bedded 'her man'. Yuck on t..."

I generally enjoy memoirs...I like reading about other people's lives. I really enjoyed the PRAY part of Eat, Pray, Love, but I found the EAT and LOVE parts kind of boring, and I didn't really think there was a point in her telling her story. I'm all for memoirs, but I guess my big thing with them is the author needs to write something that I think is important enough to be shared with the world, and the only section of the novel that came close to that for me was PRAY. Because of that, I didn't enjoy the novel overall.

RNOCEAN wrote: "I was so disappointed in Eat, Pray, Love myself. I thought the author was incredibly self-absorbed. I threw the book across the room after she met and bedded 'her man'. Yuck on that book!"

I felt the same way! The first two sections were good, but after proclaiming herself so independent and free, then becoming so entangled with the older man who, if I'm recalling correctly, treated her like crap, I too, wanted to throw the book across the room.

And I'm not very well-read...I've only read 3 on the list.

Nancy, she married the man mentioned in EPL. I read it a long time ago, so I don't recall his name.

I'm one of the people that really enjoyed Eat, Pray, Love, I love reading about food, thank goodness reading is fattening. While reading the pray section I was able to understand my failed attempts at meditation, it seems that I also have a "monkey mind!" And the love section, how could you not love !

I've agreed with those of you who enjoyed most of "Eat,Love,Pray," but wonder what you would think of Gilbert's sequel, "Committed: A Sceptic Makes Peace with Marriage." What did I think of it? I couldn't answer that unless I could find the part where I began to lost interest in the whole marriage scheme. However, I did skim to the end. The fact that I finished it is somewhat positive. However, it's not a book I put into people's hands.

Lois

Even though I am one of those who enjoyed EPL, Committed: A Skeptic Makes Peace with Marriage just doesn't appeal to me as much. I don't think I will read it. The adventure and growth in EPL are what drew me to it, but making peace with marriage...not so much.

I appreciate your post and question, Lois. Now I'm curious to see what others think.

My friend offered me her copy of Committed and I passed on it, it just didn't appeal to me. I did however read her first book, Stern Men. I really enjoyed both the story and her writing style.

I passed on Committed. Not being married, I didn't think I could relate to it.

Thanks Alias!! I copied the list. There are many I have yet to read.

Surprised about #1. I'm personally not a big fan of McCarthy. Agree too that modern classic is an oxymoron.