50 books to read before you die discussion

I've read 13 off the list, although like everyone else, a good amount of them were in high school. I guess I'll just read them again :)

Hi, I've just joined the group today. Of the list, I've read the following:

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
The Great Gatsby by Scott Fitzgerald
The Diary of Anne Frank by Anne Frank
The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer (not all of it, but some)
Moby Dick by Herman Melville
A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
One Flew Over the Cockoo´s Nest by Ken Kesey

To Kill A Mockingbird is one of my all time favorites and I'd recommend it to anyone that asks.

welcome to the group :)

Mayra wrote: "welcome to the group :)"

Thanks Mayra. Appreciate the welcome.

Hi, I'm a new member, and I've read 12 of these and I've started Hamlet and LOTR. There's tons on here that I want to read, hopefully I'll get to some of them this year!

Hello! I am new here.  GoodReads is good and so is this group.

Those are the ones I have read from this one.  

Moby Dick by Herman Melville (my favourite book of all!)
Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes
A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
Man without Woman by Ernest Hemingway
The Outsider by Albert Camus
The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger
Hamlet by William Shakespeare

I want to say that I miss so many great books in the list (everyone would make a different list, I know), but I specially want to mention "The old man and the sea".  This one should be in all the lists.

*sigh* I've only read 8, most of which were in high school. In college I seemed to gravitate towards more recent releases. I'm excited to read a bunch of the "must reads" thought.

I've read only about 18 of these books. I too have a metalic bookmark of the same name, but since I'm in the UK it's different - I've been working my way through my list instead. I've never heard of some of these!


50 books to read before you die - another list from another bookmark! So probably a more British - book - orientated list.

1. War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy
2. The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien
3. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
4. 1984 by George Orwell
5. Dr Zhivago by Boris Pasternak
6. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
7. Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
8. Great Expectations by Charles Dickens
9. A Room with a View by E. M. Forster
10. To kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
11. Harry Potter Series by J. K. Rowling
12. The Lord of the Flies by William Golding
13. Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Caroll
14. Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
15. Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare
16. The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath
17. The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
18. The Diary of Anne Frank by Anne Frank )
19. Birdsong by Sebastian Faulkes
20. His Dark Materials Trilogy by Philip Pullman
21. Anne of Green Gables by L M Montgomery
22. Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh
23. Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
24. Gulliver’s Travels by Jonathan Swift
25. Persuasion by Jane Austen
26. Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult
27. Catch 22 by Joseph Heller
28. The Hunchback of Notre-Dame by Victor Hugo
29. The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas
30. Never Let me Go by Kazuo Ishigur
31. The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks
32. Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson
33. The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame
34. Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad
35. The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold
36. Tess of the D'Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy
37. Noughts and Crosses by Malorie Blackman
38. Dreams from My Father by Barack Obama
39. Mein Kampf by Hitler (I think this must be one just to educate you)
40. The Man Who Listens to Horses by Monty Roberts
41. Mrs Dalloway by Virginia Woolf
42. The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
43. Atonement by Ian McEwan
44. The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Bronte
45. Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackery
46. Middlemarch by George Eliot
47. Women in Love by D. H. Lawrence
48. Dracula by Bram Stoker
49. One Day by David Nicholls
50. The Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis

I'v read 10 of these, but i cant help wondering how narnia made it to the list... just sharing my opinion...

I'm not that much of a fan (at all) either. But it is definately highly regarded here and seems to be part of the culture now.

The Chronicles of Narnia was written by C.S. Lewis, not Lewis Carroll.
I think he wrote Alice in Wonderland.

Isabel wrote: "I've read only about 18 of these books. I too have a metalic bookmark of the same name, but since I'm in the UK it's different - I've been working my way through my list instead. I've never heard o..."

Thank you for posting that! It's interesting to see the differences between the 2 lists.
Apparently B&N feels I can die happily without reading the dainty War & Peace, while your shelves can omit the corny racist Americana of Huckleberry Finn.

I guess if I finish my 50 and haven't died yet, I can work my way thru the books remaining on the UK list. :)

Isabel wrote: "I've read only about 18 of these books. I too have a metalic bookmark of the same name, but since I'm in the UK it's different - I've been working my way through my list instead. I've never heard o..."

cool thanx, ive read 8 out of this list so its kinda the same as the list on the group lol

Interesting that Dreams From My Father and Mein Kampf are on the UK list. They are among the 10 that I have not read from that list. It would be interesting to know who put together each of the two lists to see what perspective they made their choices from.

why no dan brown's in here??? Deception point is one of my favorites...

I've read twelve of the books and I'm currently working on Wuthering Heights. I also plan to read Moby Dick and Memoirs of a Geisha by the end of the year. I think this is a decent list... Not too long or overwhelming, with many I have read or would like to read.

Hi, just joined this group today.

I've read 39 from the US list and 37 from the UK (which is a little strange as i'm UK based!) Do we know how these lists were compiled by B&N? (i.e. reviews, sales, etc) There are some slightly weird ones included on both lists (several on Uk list I've never heard of) and many omissions! (i.e. why pick Romeo & juliet as the sole Shakespeare when there are at least half a dozen much better plays (Hamlet, macbeth, King Lear, Richard III, Taming of the Shrew to name a few)Anyway, good group people, keep the reading going.

I don't think the UK book list was from B&N, I think I got it from Waterstones. And have no idea how they were put together.

I have only read: The Harry Potter series, a version of Don Quixote and Alice in Wonderland
But these year II plan to read: Pride and Prejudice, Jane Eyre, The Diary of Anne Frank and the Curious Incident of the Dog in the night-time.

hi everyone, welcome to the group....
i dont know how that list was complied, i just saw the book mark at bn and liked the challenge lol.... it would be interesting to know how they came up with the lists....

I have read 22 of the listed books - as far as I can remember! Some of them are from a long time ago so will have to re-read I think. Good list to tackle - although the Bible will have to be a dippy in read, as I have tried before with no success! Great inspiration - although, like a lot of other people have commented, there are so many other books not on the list that are very worthy! A suggestion is 'Pillars of the Earth' by Ken Follett a definite recommendation!

A friend of mine recently recomended that book, I'm going to have to add it to the list :)

I have read 7, but I'm almost 55 and an English teacher. I was surprised to see some I never heard of, and some were cranky old things- does anyone really read Moby Dick? I have more reading to do- perhaps on vacations and over the summer.

OOOOOPS! That's 27!

JoeB wrote: "does anyone really read Moby Dick? ..."
In fact they do! I am a member of a goodreads group that was formed around Thanksgiving to do just that. I'm afraid that I fizzled out about 75 pages from the end but I do intend to finish and it IS worth the reading time HOWEVER... It's a bit like drinking port, one should definately be in the mood to savor it and only consume it in small doses. It's a bit too rich for daily consumption.

The group can be found here http://www.goodreads.com/group/show/5...

There were weekly discussions with a LOT of interesting back and forth about themes, great examples of writing, related trivia etc.

Check it out

Hi, I'm new to the group and have read 16 books (I didn't finish the Lord of the Rings Trilogy, or the Canterbury Tales so I didn't count them). My absolute favorite book of all time is The Great Gatsby which I've read several times. I'm in the middle of two books, but am going to start making progress on this list. There are several that I've always wanted to read, and some that I have avoided.

Hi All,
I've just joined and love the idea of having a list to work on. I've read 38 but am not sure if I should really make the Bible count. I've read most of it and will not make myself to attempt it again. I recommend most of them. Picture of Dorian Gray and Anna Karenina are my personal favourites. I am not sure about Life of Pi, but hey, the list is quite impressive. Can't wait to get going to reach 50!:)

I read about 14-15 of them. I remember really liking Catcher in the rye back in high school.

I've only read 8 of the books on the list. Some of them I loved and others I read just because I wanted to say I have read them. I hope to ultimately read all 50 books but find myself getting distracted by other books first and pushing back the books on this list. Sometimes just to read shorter books first and sometimes because I see a book that just seems impossible to resist.

Mayra, all of those books are wonderful but one of the books I recommend you read are the books written by Dante. A very challenging poem and a great story of Dante going through the 9 circles of hell.

ive read parts of Dantes books in college, im not sure if ive read all of it, but yeah it is really good.

I am a big fan of Picture of Dorian Gray. I really think D.H Lawrence's Sons and Lovers should be there, or even The Rainbow. But overall, awesome list

Hi All,
I've only read 10 from the list it seems but the majority of the list are on my bookshelves at home waiting to be devoured.

2 1984 by George Orwell
3 Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
5 To kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
9 The Lord of the Flies by William Golding
10 Hamlet by William Shakespeare
12 The great Gatsby by Scott Fitzgerald
15 Brave new World by Aldous Huxley
16 The Diary of Anne Frank by Anne Frank
24 Harry Potter Series by J. K. Rowling
27 His Dark Materials Trilogy by Philip Pullman

From this list, I've read 14. They are:

1984, The Grapes of Wrath, To Kill a Mockingbird, The Great Gatsby, The Catcher in the Rye, Brave New World, The Diary of a Young Girl, Harry Potter Boxset, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland & Through the Looking-Glass, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, The Color Purple, Life of Pi, Robinson Crusoe, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest and Memoirs of a Geisha.

My favorite book of all time is Memoirs of a Geisha. Life Of Pi is also in my Top 10 ever. To Kill a Mockingbird, The Diary of a Young Girl, Alice's Adventures In Wonderland, The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-Time, The Colour Purple and One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest are books I thoroughly enjoyed.

Robinson Crusoe made me want to dig out my own eyes with a straw just so I wouldn't have to read it. Brave New World and 1984 were also not my favorites or books I even enjoyed reading. The Grapes Of Wrath and The Great Gatsby were just meh.


There's what I can add. :)

Great list and I didnt realize how many of these books I have read from this list! Most I read while in school! Out of 50, I've read 28 of them! Am I a geek or what LOL! I love reading!

I have only read 11 out of the 50 on the list, but I think I'll be able to keep going and read all of them :)

Finished "Jane Eyre" last week and now I am halfway through "Life of Pi". I've been able to cross about 7-8 off this list so far in 2012, and hope to cross off a few more! I love reading too....

I'm a HUGE fan of the Great Gatsby, so i'm pretty excited that it made this list!

I've read 36 and dutifully did not count the ones of which I only saw the movie. (If I include movies, I've done them all!)

I confess to counting Ulysses as read, though I only got half way through it... :-P

Susan wrote: "I've read 36 and dutifully did not count the ones of which I only saw the movie. (If I include movies, I've done them all!)

I confess to counting Ulysses as read, though I only got half way throug..."

I have been trying to read Ulysses for a few months now and can never seem to get much past the beginning. So I do understand and congratulations for getting even half way through.

Dolores wrote: "Susan wrote: "I've read 36 and dutifully did not count the ones of which I only saw the movie. (If I include movies, I've done them all!)

I confess to counting Ulysses as read, though I only got h..."

I really want to understand why it's such a classic, and love it...but can't seem to do it. =P

Lets see...

1984 - Read. Highly recommend.

The Grapes of Wrath - just finished. It was really slow - there is very little action. But I loved the dialect and it gave me a lot to think about.

To Kill a Mockingbird - Read in high school. I think I recall it being an easy read and a deep story.

Don Quixote - I have started this book on numerous occasions. Still haven't made it through. Still planning to one day.

Harry Potter Series - Read most of it. The books seem to get better as it goes along. All are really easy reads.

His Dark Materials Trilogy - I read the Golden Compass as a teenager. One of the best young adult fantasy books out there. I plan to read the others eventually.

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland - Easy read. A lot of fun. Especially if you like ridiculous poems.

Life of Pi - Started this book while using the copy room at work, but couldn't take it with me. Beginning was very good.

Gulliver's Travels - Started, but it was boring.

The Count of Monte Cristo - Also started, but it was boring.

Memoirs of a Geisha - Started, but don't currently have. Beginning was great.

The Picture of Dorian Gray - Started also. The beginning was fascinating.

Hi, I'm Elle. I write rom-com, but love to read thoughtful, high quality books and then get to talk about them with other people who also love and appreciate them.

Question--where can I find the original list? I'd like to see how many I've read.

Thanks!
Elle

Hi Elle, welcome to the group and you can find the full list of 50 books here : http://www.goodreads.com/group/show/4...

six ,,,,, i highly recommend harry potter, pride and prejudice

Wow, a list w/out 'The Hunger Games'? That's something new:)
I've read most of them, some in high school/college, some for fun, so I guess I'm more well read than I thought I was. That's a relief!

My favorites have to be the Jane Austens. I could read those over and over, and its like reading them for the first time every time.

And, each time a new HP movie came out, I re-read the whole series, just to be caught up. Talk about guilty pleasures:)

Does anyone have any recommendations for me--a cross between Jane Austen and Harry Potter would be great!

I have read 24 of them so far. I have bigger reading list and most of them are on there but I wanted to add Chaucer to it, so put the others (coincidentally almost exactly the same ones that Steven hadn't read yet) on my list as well as they looked interesting.

I have read 18 of the books listed, although I loved most of them Pride and Prejudice and Jane Eyre were my favorites. I recommend all of Jane Austen. One book that I was sad to see not listed was The Outsiders, by S.E. Hinton. This book is very special to me, having read it for the first time 25 years ago. I recommened it to those who haven't read it.

Oh, I adore P&P and Jane Eyre, but I need to get out of the 19th century for a while. My Uncle was an English major and is an avid reader and happens to work for Penguin. He has listed some contemporary authors that I'm going to give a try. I'm usually drawn to the period pieces and southern writers so we'll see how it goes. I'll keep you up to date.

By the way, I've only read nine of the books from this list. I'll have to debate which ones I find important enough to read. There's so many great books excluded from this list. It's hard to comprise a great list no matter whether the most avid readers are thrown into one room to make their decisions. I noticed Huckleberry Finn wasn't on there... that's considered one of America's greatest novels. I'm not sure about this list. I may have to come up of one of my own. Happy reading no matter what you choose.