50 books to read before you die discussion

So alot of people in the group have shared different list combine with different books that should be read before we die. So it got me thinking and after someone else suggested it i thought maybe we could make a list too.

What 5 books would you recomend to someone that you think definitely should be read before we die?

1. Harry Potter Series by J. K Rowling
2. A Tree Grows in Brookklyn by Betty Smith
3. 1984 by Geroge Orwell
4. The New JIm Crowe Laws by Michelle Alexander
5. A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini

1. Jane Eyre- Charlotte Bronte
2. Middlemarch- George Elliot
3. The Discworld Series- Terry Pratchett
4. The Collected Works- ee cummings
5. The Thirteenth Tale- Dianne Setterfield
6. The Tenant of Wildfell Hall- Anne Bronte

So, these are my list of five, not on our list of 50:
1. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. His I Am the Messenger is also very good.
2. A Bell for Adano by John Hersey. 1944 Pulitzer prize winner.
3. East of Eden and Of Mice and Men are two great books by John Steinbeck, in addition to the one on our list.
4. For Whom the Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway is better than his book of short stories on our list.
5. There are plenty of others, but for the final one, The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein is a pleasure to read.

Jane Erye
Pride and Prejudice
Harry Potter serie
LOTR
Memoirs of a gheisha

I hadnt posted my top 5 because i wasnt sure what i would pick but lets see....
1. Harry Potter Series by JK Rowling
2. The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
3. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
4. LOTR by JRR Tolkien
5. Memoirs of a Gheisha by Arthur Golden

Mayra, just a thought, if we make our own list we maybe should all include books that others haven't already mentioned- puts more books on the list. We all (except Buck) seem to be HP devotees! And gives us more picks...

Lisa wrote: "Mayra, just a thought, if we make our own list we maybe should all include books that others haven't already mentioned- puts more books on the list. We all (except Buck) seem to be HP devotees! And..."

I haven't read the Harry Potter books. But even if I had, I did not include any from our list of 50 on my list of 5.

1. The Shack by W. Young. Touched me on all levels
2. The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas. Classic paralleled by none
3. Pride and Prejudice obviously. Love of my life
4. Memoires of a Geisha by Arthur Golden. Everyone could use a history lesson and a touch of class
5. The Shining by Stephen King. In case you want a scare

Buck wrote: "Lisa wrote: "Mayra, just a thought, if we make our own list we maybe should all include books that others haven't already mentioned- puts more books on the list. We all (except Buck) seem to be HP..."

Buck, it's time to read Harry Potter!

Lisa wrote: "Mayra, just a thought, if we make our own list we maybe should all include books that others haven't already mentioned- puts more books on the list. We all (except Buck) seem to be HP devotees! And..."

Yeah i see your point, but i feel like the kinds of books i normaly read wouldnt be considered for this type of list, and those are my all time faves. Those would be the ones i would recomend to other people. If they asked me.

Lisa wrote: "Buck, it's time to read Harry Potter!"

I've seen a couple of the movies on TV. They're cute. I'm not big on series, and this seems like a children's series.
So, if I decide to read a Harry Potter book, which one should I read?

Mayra wrote: "Lisa wrote: "Mayra, just a thought, if we make our own list we maybe should all include books that others haven't already mentioned- puts more books on the list. We all (except Buck) seem to be HP..."

I see what you mean. You might be surprised who enjoys your all time favs though.

Buck wrote: "Lisa wrote: "Buck, it's time to read Harry Potter!"

I've seen a couple of the movies on TV. They're cute. I'm not big on series, and this seems like a children's series.
So, if I decide to read..."

They do start off young. But the themes are adult. I loved them and I'm an adult (and an old one too:-)). So did my folks.
You start with the first book- HP & the Philosopher's Stone.

Lisa wrote: "Buck wrote: "Lisa wrote: "Buck, it's time to read Harry Potter!"

I've seen a couple of the movies on TV. They're cute. I'm not big on series, and this seems like a children's series.
So, if I d..."

Its true, i think it starts of like that but then it starts towards more serious adult themes.

Below would probably be the books I recommend the most (other than some already on the list).

* Foundation by Issac Asimov
* My First White Friend by Patricia Raybon
* Persuasion by Jane Austen
* Very Bad Men by Harry Dolan
* Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

I most often would recommend these books:


① Oliver Twist
② Watership Down
③ The Chronicles of Narnia
④ Things Fall Apart
⑤ The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

only five?

blood meridian mccarthy

tale of two cities dickens (anything dickens, DC, great expectations, oliver twist)
1984 Orwell
war & peace tolstoy (long but great historical novel)
Fight Club Palahniuk
Atlas shrugged Rand
Old man and the sea Hemingway or farewell to arms

it is to hard to pick unless you categorize genre

I agree about foundation, the trilogy was soooo good, I always forget how good until I re-read it, but I was raised on scifi, so 2001 by clarke or rendezvous with rama, or heinlen stranger in strange land, bradbury illustrated man farhenheit 451

Steve wrote: "I agree about foundation, the trilogy was soooo good, I always forget how good until I re-read it, but I was raised on scifi, so 2001 by clarke or rendezvous with rama, or heinlen stranger in strange land, bradbury illustrated man farhenheit 451 "

I enjoy science fiction. Everybody who likes science fiction has read Asimov - goes without saying. We have three on our list that could possibly be categorized in the science fiction genre: 1984, Brave New World, and Frankenstein. I would add:

1. Invasion of the Body Snatchers by Jack Finney. They've made two movies of this. The book is scarier than either.

2. The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin. I'm hot or cold on Le Guin, but this one is one of my all time favorite books.

3. Hyperion by Dan Simmons. Hyperion is the first book in a tetralogy, each a different style. The third book, Endymion, was my favorite.

4. The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress by Robert A. Heinlein in addition to Stranger in a Strange Land mentioned by Steve above.

5. Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card, the first and best of a series that has become known as the Enderverse. The recently released movie falls far short.

6. a bonus one, and not sciency: The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger

Buck wrote: "Everybody who likes science fiction has read Asimov - goes without saying..."

Sorry, but I absolutely LOVE Science Fiction and have never read Asimov and really have had no inclination to read him. O_^ lol

whoooooa, how can you say you love sci fi and not have read Asimov? He was so good, and he did all those early anthologies, he also helped Harlan Ellison get going, who is one of my favorites, I have no mouth and must scream, or Repent Harlequin said the tick tock man, those are fantabulisticmazing stories, and Asimovs Nightfall was such a great story and original.

But foundation by far is my favorite series I think.

I agree with Melissa, I love Sci Fi. Have read one Asimov (Nightfall) was not that impressed. Although, it was for school...

A long, long time ago, back when Isaac was still writing them, I was reading them almost as fast as he turned them out. I was an Asimov devotee. There was nothing better than Asimov. Then, a long time went by when I read no Asimov, not much science fiction, not much of anything. Then I reread Asimov, not everything, but some. I must admit that I wasn't as enamored the second time around.

Buck wrote: "A long, long time ago, back when Isaac was still writing them, I was reading them almost as fast as he turned them out. I was an Asimov devotee. There was nothing better than Asimov. Then, a lon..."

I've learnt not to go back to stuff I loved as a child especially wrt TV: Nightrider, the A team, MacGuyver. I can't think it happens with many books but I feel for you Buck, it's not nice to lose a 'favorite book'.

Agree about Dickens - Every year I have to read at least one again. War and peace was good but so long! I too grew up on science fiction - The Greats as you mentioned, Heinlein, Bradbury, Farmer, Herbert - not to mention McCaffery and Norton.

Steve wrote: "only five?

blood meridian mccarthy

tale of two cities dickens (anything dickens, DC, great expectations, oliver twist)
1984 Orwell
war & peace tolstoy (long but great historical novel)
Fight Club..."

All good science fiction but I didn't care for Time Traveler's Wife - The writing was good, I was frustrated by WHY he time traveled too many things didn't make sense and after so many great time traveling books I just couldn't get past that aspect.

Buck wrote: "Steve wrote: "I agree about foundation, the trilogy was soooo good, I always forget how good until I re-read it, but I was raised on scifi, so 2001 by clarke or rendezvous with rama, or heinlen str..."

Lisa, Nightfall is not the book to judge Asimov by, it was good but not nearly as good as the Foundation series or his robot series, however it is a good starting point as he wrote it very early in his career and was just 19 years old at the time. I liked The Ugly Little Boy that he co-wrote with Robert Silverberg. Asimov wasn't just a great science fiction writer, the man was brilliant. He wrote books in astro-physics, physics, bio-physics. 1st used the term "robotics" created the "Three Laws of Robotics" which is actually being used in robotic "brain" research today. He also wrote a great deal about the social consequences of today's mobile technology years before there even was mobile technology. That's just a few of his accomplishments. Not that I'm not a complete an utter fan or anything!

Lisa wrote: "I agree with Melissa, I love Sci Fi. Have read one Asimov (Nightfall) was not that impressed. Although, it was for school..."

wasnt nightfall just a short novella? someone else actually wrote the novel later on with his permission, and foundation was the boooooooomb, and star wars stole a bunch of stuff from it, like the force is pretty much the way seldon used pushing someone elses brain a little, a hint to do something, and the planet city that was one giant megalopolis all tied into one, and other stuff I cant remember. But the story was great the writing was great it was just fantastic, I still remember the mule:)

Steve wrote: "wasnt nightfall just a short novella? someone else actually wrote the novel later on with his permission, and foundation was the boooooooomb, and star wars stole a bunch of stuff from it, like the..."

Hey, the force from Star Wars comes from Jung's theory of the collected unconscious. The idea that we are all unconsciously linked.

Lisa wrote: "Steve wrote: "wasnt nightfall just a short novella? someone else actually wrote the novel later on with his permission, and foundation was the boooooooomb, and star wars stole a bunch of stuff fro..."

Actually in interviews George Lucas states that his idea for the Force came from "Flash Gordon, Joseph Campbell (The Hero With a Thousand Faces), along with a little Arthurian legends thrown in.

Steve, Nightfall was actually a short story and then later he and Robert Silverberg collaborated again to turn it into a novel.

Mayra, should we put it all together and see if we have spots left to add to?

Mary wrote: "Lisa wrote: "Steve wrote: "wasnt nightfall just a short novella? someone else actually wrote the novel later on with his permission, and foundation was the boooooooomb, and star wars stole a bunc..."

And yet Lucas also did training in Jungian theory and had a Jungian look at the script. Multiple Jungian archetypes present in Star Wars.

I love all this talk about scifi, I havent read any scifi since I was in school, middle and high school.

Does any one here read the Dresden Files by Jim Butcher?

no I haven't is it SciFi?

I have, I'd call it urban fantasy

Yes, read the Dresden Files. I like the Harry Dresden character. These are Urban Fantasy with a touch of Science Fiction.

I love Harry too. :) You find it in the science fiction section, and since you guys were mentioning star wars it made me think of it, there is many references. :)

Harry Potter is Scifi? not in my book, its fantasy, anything magicianesque is fantasy:)

Steve wrote: "Harry Potter is Scifi? not in my book, its fantasy, anything magicianesque is fantasy:)"

no the main character in the Dresden files is Harry. Harry Dresden not Harry Potter.

ahhhhhhhhhhhh thanks I was confused:)

Anyone read Cutter and Bone? I just finished it and maybe its the chronology but it is in my top ohhhhh 20 for sure, maybe more?

Hi guys I've put together a list from all the suggestions and we have 50.
Do we want to change it at all- for example specific genres or only books not on the original list which would give the group a total of a hundred books Asa challenge?
Up to you.

Goodreads automatically compiles the list 'Books mentioned in this topic' in the right-hand column, but only if the 'add book/author' link is used by the commenter. So, Goodreads has listed 20 of the books mentioned in this topic.

Yup, lots of us didn't add book, myself included.
I cut & paste the list...

Hey, I didn't know you are a moderator. :-)

Whatever suits you plumb tickles me to death.

That is a great idea, the 50 books that no one tells you to read?

That would be Palahniuk, I cant believe he doesn't have one book on the list. Am I crazy?

Buck wrote: "Hey, I didn't know you are a moderator. :-)."

Hi all, I'm Lisa. Mayra invited me to join her as moderator. She thought that two busy people in combo would be able to juggle better than one busy person in isolation.
And I know I'm supposed to cut down on goodreads commitments for now, but I couldn't resist.

Steve wrote: "That is a great idea, the 50 books that no one tells you to read?

Exactly, our own top 50 that we think get neglected by these lists. Your example is Palahniuk, mine would be Anne Bronte, or an Austen that isn't P&P or Russian lit that isn't Tolstoy.

My thinking was to ask everyone again to volunteer more books until we've removed those from the original list.
We could call it- the books they didn't tell you about. And at some point, I will change our list.

Steve wrote: "Am I crazy?"
Do you really want me (of all people) to answer that:-)

We could also make it infinite and add to it as you find a 'best book' ever.
There's some amazing books here, my mouth watered putting the list together.

Yes so Palahniuk for sure. I will have to go over my old books and see whats not on the list!

Lisa wrote: "Buck wrote: "Hey, I didn't know you are a moderator. :-)."

Hi all, I'm Lisa. Mayra invited me to join her as moderator. She thought that two busy people in combo would be able to juggle better th..."

i like that, the books they didn't tell you about.... sounds good. :)