50 books to read before you die discussion

I have a decent record of ten out of 50...
1984, The picture of Dorian Gray, The Grapes of Wrath, Brave New World, Robinson Crusoe,The catcher in the rye, Wuthering Heights, Catch 22, The Lord of the flies and Heart of Darkness, but I'm looking forward to increase my record, starting with The Great Gatsby and Ulisses

Don Quixote, the grapes of wrath and definitely 1984

Hi Everyone. Great group btw. I just joined and I have read 29 of the 50. Some truly great reads on the list and I will be sure to read many of the ones I have mot read yet, including Pride & Prejudice, Bend in the River, Jane Eyre. However I don't think I will read them all. For example, I probably won't read the Harry Potter books. As popular as they are, I think at my age I'm just not that into them, and I don't think they will stand the test of time the way many others on the list have. I'd like to add a couple: The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck, and The Shining by Stephen King.

I've read nearly all of them, but my favorites on this particular list are: The Lord of the Rings, The Grapes of Wrath, Pride and Prejudice, The Bible, Harry Potter, The Wind in the Willows, Anna Karenina, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, Rebecca, The Way We Live Now, Gulliver’s Travels, The Count of Monte Cristo.

I would recommend those to everyone at all! Awesome, classic books :) There are so many I would add to this list of 50, though ...!!

I have read 24 of the books, 25 if I count Lord of the Rings, but it was some years ago. So nearly half of the list...
I would recommend most of the books I read, especially, 1984, Pride and Prejudice, Frankenstein and Jane Eyre... Of course it is a must to read Harry Potter!
I will try to read all of the books, but it will probably take some time.

Elise I started the group when i discovered the book mark and its been a couple years now. I've only managed to cross off a couple from the list.

Well, there's always getting something between you and this books :) It was the same with the books from school, if you read something just because you think everyone should have read the book and not because you'd really like to read the book, it can be very frustrating.

Elisa wrote: "Well, there's always getting something between you and this books :) It was the same with the books from school, if you read something just because you think everyone should have read the book and ..."

Yes! I've always liked reading and i always liked when out English or Language Arts teacher would let us choose our own books to read for our reading logs. Thats alot more fun than being told you have to read some book and be at a certain page by a certain time. I mean some i did enjoy but others not so much, and now some of those are on this list lol. So it looks like i will be reading them after all... well maybe someday. :)

The books we read were always alright until my last 2 years in school.
We had to read The Trial from Kafka... And maybe I'm not crazy enough but I didn't get the hang of this book and never really understood what it is about.
We were never allowed to choose our own books, I would have loved to do this.

Matthew wrote: "Hello everyone! My name is Matt and I am new to the group. I have read several of the 50 books and have a few favorites on the list. My all-time favorite book is #1 on the list, Lord of The Rings. ..."

Hello Matt. Welcome :)
I have always wanted to read The Count of Monte Cristo but have never gotten around to it.... one day! :)

Frankenstein and The Count are two of my all time faves.

Elisa, I love your profile pic! It's gorgeous. Matt and Kenneth, I'm busy with The Count right now, but am reading it slowly. Loved The Three Musketeers.

Matt, I've also read LOTR four times, but think it's reread time soon.

The Count does bog down a bit in the middle but the first 40% and last 40% more than make up for that in my opinion.

It's a great book. I think I'm reading too many at once.

That can happen lol

1. 1984 by George Orwell
2. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
3. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
4. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
5. Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
6. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
7. The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath
8. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
9. Alice´s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
10. Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
11. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon
12. On the Road by Jack Kerouac
13. A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
14. Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain

I've read, but need to reread:
1. Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden: Read a long time ago when I was in high school. Should reread it.
2. ry Potter Series by J. K. Rowling - I've read most of them, but the final one. I should reread them all.
3. Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer - read to quickly in college. Need to reread and appreciate it more.
4. Diary of Anne Frank by Anne Frank - read when I was young.
5. Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas - Currently reading

I've only read about a third of the titles, but would recommend most that I have with the exception of On The Road - think I had to be from that generation to appreciate it- and The Great Gatsby -I just never got into it. The best title IMHO is Wuthering Heights, if only because Heathcliff is such an interesting and complicated figure who takes a beating and keeps coming back in a larger form, and I enjoy well developed complicated characters.

Michael i finally read the great gatsby when the movie was going to come out and i couldnt see what the big deal was either

Up to now, I have read 8 books of the list, but looking forward to read all of them!!!

I read just 3 but more than once (I love Jane Austen and Charlotte Bronte)

I've read 25 of the books on the list. May others I haven't read but know the plot, etc. As an English teacher, I've read many of these "classics." Good list!

Read 20 of them, will explore a few that I had never heard of, such as "A Bend in the River" by V. S. Naipaul. Glad to see "Memoirs of a Geisha" on the list.
I'd insert "Suite Francaise" by Irène Némirovsky and "The Orenda" by Joseph Boyden, somehow. I just re-read "lord of the flies" and realised that it has not ... aged well. Any of these books are really worth a read so just pick on and go for it.

Sandra wrote: "I'd insert "Suite Francaise" by Irène Némirovsky and "The Orenda" by Joseph Boyden, somehow. I just re-read "lord of the flies" and realised that it has not ... aged well. "

"Suite Francaise" is currently sitting on my shelf. I think I might finally have to read it this year!! I was never a fan of "Lord of the Flies." Glad to hear I am not the only one.

I'm really trying to read "To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee, but it's like killing me! I'm trying really hard to read it and to like it but it's not going well. I have only read 100 pages and I'm reading it since March (when I enjoy a book I can read it in a day or two). Did somebody else have this "problem" or is it just me who doesn't enjoy the story?

Cláudia wrote: "I'm really trying to read "To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee, but it's like killing me! I'm trying really hard to read it and to like it but it's not going well. I have only read 100 pages and I..."

Hmm... most folks like it. I liked it, maybe not as much as some others, but I thought it was good and had no trouble reading it like any other book. Maybe you're just having a case of reader's block.

Buck wrote: "Cláudia wrote: "I'm really trying to read "To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee, but it's like killing me! I'm trying really hard to read it and to like it but it's not going well. I have only read..."

Let's hope it's just reader's block. I don't know if I should keep trying to read it or if I should start another book and then come back to "To Kill a Mockingbird".

Cláudia wrote: "I'm really trying to read "To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee, but it's like killing me! I'm trying really hard to read it and to like it but it's not going well. I have only read 100 pages and I..."

I get like that with some books so I stop and start reading a load of trashy romance novels to give my brain a break. I then go back to the book that was giving me readers's block. It's helped so far.

Cláudia wrote: "Buck wrote: "Cláudia wrote: "I'm really trying to read "To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee, but it's like killing me! I'm trying really hard to read it and to like it but it's not going well. I h..."

I wonder why you're having trouble getting into it? Is it the tone of the book or the setting or what, do you think?

Hi all,
I'm new to this group. I've read 20 so I've still a way to go to complete the list. I look forward to hearing the suggestions of others in the group regarding other books of note.

Hello, group. I have read a whopping 4 of these books. I've started 2 of them & stopped. Fourteen of them are in my personal library. Part of "The Canterbury Tales" was required reading in my high school English class, but that was many, many years ago. I need to get to work! I absolutely recommend "Pride and Prejudice", "To Kill a Mockingbird", and "Hamlet."

Hi! I've read 7 of these books, and my favourite so far was either Pride and Prejudice or Rebecca.

Michael wrote: "Has anyone read any books that aren't on this list that by personal choice, should be on the list? Mine is - George Orwell - Down and out in Paris and London."

Of course. That's why the group made its own list of 100 books.

I am a fan of George Orwell. I'll see if I can line up a copy of Down and out in Paris and London

There is a book that was recommended to me by a casual acquaintance. Now, I recommended it to friends. Everybody seems to love it. The Art of Racing in the Rain

Only seven but I'm just gettin' started

I've read 7. I'm going to work to 49 of them, but there's one that I already know I'm not reading, so I guess I won't be completely finishing it, but that's ok, I guess(; great list!

I’ve read: The Lord of the Rings trilogy
Pride and Prejudice
Jane Eyre
Wuthering Heights
The Bible
To Kill A Mockingbird
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland
A Christmas Carol
Huckleberry Finn
Wow! So few! Pretty pathetic, huh? I plan to read The Grapes of Wrath, The Lord of the Flies, Hamlet, The Great Gatsby, Anna Karenina, Harry Potter series, Moby Dick, Heart of Darkness, Frankenstein, Gulliver’s Travels, Robinson Crusoe, The Count of Monte Cristo, and The Picture of Dorian Gray.
My to-read list is always longer than my read list

Cláudia wrote: "I'm really trying to read "To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee, but it's like killing me! I'm trying really hard to read it and to like it but it's not going well. I have only read 100 pages and I..."

No way! I love this book so much! How far are you? It slumps a little during the trial part...

I have read 28 of these books so far. I am currently reading The Way We Live Now by A. Trollope. The Life of Pi is currently on my summer reading list. My favorite of these writers ave been Jane Austen, E. Hemingway, & any Steinbeck novel.

(I have read 31 of them so far)

1 The Lord of the Rings Trilogy by J. R. R. Tolkien - not fully read yet, but loving it so far.
2 1984 by George Orwell - lingers long in the mind, great book.
3 Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen - fantastic!
4 The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck - wonderful style, loved it.
5 To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee - great final third.
6 Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte - it has everything I hate in an over-sentimentalised book. Dreadful, avoid like the plague.
9 The Lord of the Flies by William Golding - loved it
10 Hamlet by William Shakespeare - great stuff

12 The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald - hated it, dull and pretentious.
13 The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger - on second attempt, read it and liked it.

15 Brave New World by Aldous Huxley - a frightening vision that has turned out largely true. Worth a read.
16 The Diary of Anne Frank by Anne Frank - historic and touching.
17 Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes - only got into the humour by book 2. Massively over-rated, episodic story telling doesn't grab me, I found it much too long and a bore most of the time.

20 Ulysses by James Joyce - read it somehow, loved the english, hated the "story" (used in the loosest sense)
21 The quiet American by Graham Greene - liked it, i wouldn't say loved it. (What is all the fuss about?)

24 Harry Potter Series by J. K. Rowling - read first, loved it, may read a second book some day.
25 Moby Dick by Herman Melville - over-rated, dull
26 The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame - dull, hated every page

29 Alice´s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll - my suspicions that the author was intending to be double meaning were not ill founded. It should be on a banned list tbh.

32 On the Road by Jack Kerouac - hated it, nihilism was never so dull and pointless.
33 Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad - hated it, no redemning qualities.
34 The Way We Live Now by Antony Trollope - glad to see the last page, over-rated.
35 The Outsider by Albert Camus - loved it

38 Frankenstein by Mary Shelley - loved it
39 The War of the Worlds by H. G. Wells - fabulous

41 Gulliver´s Travels by Jonathan Swift - read, a struggle
42 A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens - read, so-and-so
43 Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain - loved it
44 Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Dafoe - loved it

49 The Divine Comedy by Alighieri Dante - indifferent
50 The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde - loved it

Rosie and Mel, that is great you are almost there. I have managed to read 14 so far. Which means that from when I discovered the list of books on the bookmark I have doubled my amount. I was at 7 when I started the group.

Mel wrote: "(I have read 31 of them so far)

1 The Lord of the Rings Trilogy by J. R. R. Tolkien - not fully read yet, but loving it so far.
2 1984 by George Orwell - lingers long in the mind, great book.
3 ..."

I love this short summary of the ones you've read so far Mel! You have some very interesting thoughts.

Just joined the list today. I've read 31/50 of the books. I've also read excerpts from four others. The book I think I will have the hardest time reading, besides Ulysses, is Moby Dick. I made it through a bachelor's degree and graduate school being able to avoid even an excerpt from it. I like the old Mr. Magoo telling of the story.

I have only read 13 of them, but i'm still young, so plenty of time to read the other 37.
My favorites (picking one is too hard!) are:
- The Harry Potter series.
- The Lord of the Rings
- To Kill a Mockingbird
- Memoirs of a Geisha.

Only 5 of them


1. Wuthering Heights
2. The Great Gatsby
3. Alice´s Adventures in Wonderland
4. Frankenstein
5. A Christmas Carol

Hello, I was so excited to join this group. I love having a list of "recommended" books to read. It helps me to expand on my already massive list of must and want to read books. Looking over the list I have read 10 of the books listed and see many that are on my to do list. :)

I have read only 5 of them so far. Seems to be lacking way behind on this list. Will look to catch up with it soon. By the way its weird that A Tale of Two Cities is not on this list.

1. Lord of the Rings Trilogy
2. Harry Potter Series
3. Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
4. A Christmas Carol
5. Alice's adventures in Wonderland

Any suggestions which one should I go for next?

Dhruv wrote: "I have read only 5 of them so far. Seems to be lacking way behind on this list. Will look to catch up with it soon. By the way its weird that A Tale of Two Cities is not on this list.

Dickens is represented and the listmaker did not repeat any author.

I also like to read them all.

Buck wrote: "Dhruv wrote: "I have read only 5 of them so far. Seems to be lacking way behind on this list. Will look to catch up with it soon. By the way its weird that A Tale of Two Cities is not on this list...."

Oh I didn't know that. Great list though. Will look to finish more of the books mentioned here.

I've read a few of these books but I really recommend Lord of Flies I loved it. I have so many of these on my TBR pile but just haven't got round to reading them. #thestrugglesoflife