50 books to read before you die discussion

Geoffrey wrote: "I loved Memoirs of a Geisha and saw the movie as well. The latter was not particularly well received but I thought it did the book justice. The Great Gatsby is flawed, highly controversial and wide..."

Not until years after I'd read The Great Gatsby did I meet someone else who disliked this novel. I'd come to believe there was something wrong with me and considered reading it again. However, Mrs. Dalloway is supposed to be a triumph as well, and it was another I disliked. That one I did read again to see if a second read would make a difference. It did not. Even with so-called 'experts' giving us commentary about these stories, sometimes it just comes down to a matter of taste for us readers.

I tried to read Mrs. Dalloway years ago and was so disgusted with her I couldn´t continue past the 20th page. Yes, if you go on the Great Gatsby threads, there are several of us who disliked the book vehemently.
Sometimes it pays off to return to a book once hated to see if there is any change in one´s opinion. I hated My Antonia in HS, read it again more than 40 years later and thought I must have been nuts in my salad days.

Read 31 of 50.
Least enjoyed: On the Road and The Great Gatsby.
Most enjoyed: Alice in Wonderland, Lord of the Rings Trilogy, To Kill a Mockingbird, and Life of Pi.
The ones I most enjoyed rated for quite different reasons. I have eclectic tastes. But I also know what I don't like, whether I can put my finger on it or not.

Hey guys I am Shalini... I joined this group to talk about books I am reading and to get some recommendations...

I am attempting a reading challenge this year where I read one book for each letter of English alphabet. Please check it out here (https://bookishbennett.blogspot.in/) and give me some recommendations for the alphabets I am missing.

I have read 19 of them.I was surprised.I thought my total would be more.I do suggest books I have loved.But when it comes to a list looe this,I just say go pick something and read!

I have only read about 20 of these books. Most were read in high school or college, but I reread several books such as Moby Dick. Also, I have listen to audio cds of these books such as To Kill a Mockingbird several times. The cds make it feel like I have reread the book again.

I have read 25 of them

I have read 17 out of the 50 titles and have quite a few of the remaining titles on my bookshelf! I appreciate this list so that I can add to my personal list of books I plan to read during my lifetime. Great group!

I’ve read 18 of them so far, although a few I read quite a while ago and would like to revisit. A couple of others too that I think I actually have read but can’t remember the details very much so I’ve marked them as not read and I’ll read them again to make sure.

These are what I’ve read so far.

1) Lord of the Rings ... along with The Hobbit, which was my introduction to fantasy writing aged 12 and I fell in love. The trilogy is one (three?) of my favourite books of all time and I’ve read it over and over.
3) Pride & Prejudice ... I read this for O-level English Literature and didn’t enjoy it. However after reading more Austen for A-level I started to ‘get’ her and now P&P is another of my favourite reread books.
5) To Kill A Mockingbird ... I’ve read this twice and it’s a great book. I had to hunt down the old black & white film after the 2nd reading.
6) Jane Eyre ... read this 2 or 3 times too. It’s bleak and tragic but I enjoyed it.
7) Wuthering Heights ... also bleak and tragic but unlike Jane Eyre I just couldn’t get on with it at all. I found Cathy and Heathcliff to be really dislikable characters and I really didn’t care what happened with them, they deserved each other.
8) A Passage to India ... thought provoking and descriptive, but I didn’t enjoy it enough to want to read it again any time soon.
15) Brave New World ... so many of the things Huxley predicted seem to have become or are becoming true. This one stuck with me.
18) The Bible ... I was brought up a Catholic / Christian so I didn’t get a lot of choice on this one.
19) Canterbury Tales ... studied this for A-level English Literature in the original Middle English, which I found fascinating. I’d like to reread as it was a while ago that I was at school.
24) Harry Potter series ... not the finest work of literature writing wise, but enjoyable plot and good characters.
27) His Dark Materials trilogy ... I absolutely loved this and couldn’t put the books down. Felt bereft at the end and cried for the main characters. I’ll definitely be reading these again.
29) Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland ... wonderfully colourful characters, but I found a lot of it unnerving and almost frightening.
37) Life of Pi ... fantastic and original plot, and really gets you pondering at the end.
38) Frankenstein ... it’s difficult to come to this book without preconceptions about it due to the monster having become part of our culture now. So it was interesting to read the original story. Not really my style though.
41) Gulliver’s Travels ... I read it as a kid and I could probably do with revisiting but I don’t remember it particularly capturing my imagination at the time.
43) Adventures of Huckleberry Finn ... I didn’t expect to enjoy this one but I found it charming and entertaining.
48) Memoirs of a Geisha ... fascinating insight into the world and traditions of the geishas. Beautifully written story.
50) The Picture of Dorian Gray ... chilling and wonderful. I love Oscar Wilde.

Susan wrote: "I’ve read 18 of them so far, although a few I read quite a while ago and would like to revisit. A couple of others too that I think I actually have read but can’t remember the details very much so ..."

Hi Susan.

You've got a good start. Many of the books on this list really are worth reading. My favorite, I think, is 1984. There are some that have roused discussion as to whether or not they belong on such a list. That in itself makes them worth reading. And there are some that may not be not that author's best, but you get a taste and read more. With your new e-reader, you have them covered in no time.