Catching up on Classics (and lots more!) discussion

I run across quizzes like this one from time to time and it is interesting to see how well I am doing since starting my journey into classics at the beginning of last year. This one was exciting to me because there are even a few books included that I have never heard of! I am excited to get started on some of the ones I haven't checked off yet.
http://www.listchallenges.com/100-cla...

I always have difficulty with quizzes like that. There are many books that I think I have read but I am not sure. I have never kept a reading journal and much of my reading from the 60s, 70s, & 80s is getting lost in the fog in my head.

Bill wrote: "I always have difficulty with quizzes like that. There are many books that I think I have read but I am not sure. I have never kept a reading journal and much of my reading from the 60s, 70s, & 80s..."

Sounds like it is time for some re-reads!

I found a few I hadn't heard of too, one of which I just had to add: The Leopard. I'm excited about that one--thanks, Paula!

Kathleen wrote: "I found a few I hadn't heard of too, one of which I just had to add: The Leopard. I'm excited about that one--thanks, Paula!"

I'll be nominating a few of these for some upcoming reads. Hopefully people will be interested enough to vote for something on a must-read list that isn't all that common.

Kathleen wrote: "I found a few I hadn't heard of too, one of which I just had to add: The Leopard. I'm excited about that one--thanks, Paula!"

That one was a group read here a couple of years ago, and I don't think it's ever been nominated, much less selected, for a revisit.

I wanted to join in, but my local library's only copy was an special edition you couldn't check out. I ought to check to see if my new local library system has a copy.

The Leopard has only 4 votes on our Group Bookshelf Listopia
one of those is mine - I have it ranked 1st

(I seem to be a little out of whack with the rest of the voters, as my 2nd place vote is for Beloved, which has only received 3 votes!)

Darren wrote: "The Leopard has only 4 votes on our Group Bookshelf Listopia
one of those is mine - I have it ranked 1st

(I seem to be a little out of whack with the rest of the voters, as my 2nd pl..."

I hate to be that weirdo, but what listopia vote?

er... I literally cannot believe that you are unaware of this thread:

https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

which points to this Listopia:

https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/9...

Paula W wrote: "I run across quizzes like this one from time to time and it is interesting to see how well I am doing since starting my journey into classics at the beginning of last year. This one was exciting to..."
Hi Paula, since joining goodreads, I've definitely "upped" the quality of the books I read.

Only 13/99 on this list but there were 3 that I'm interested in. My usual issue with lists like these is that they are heavy on English and French books, few books by people of color and/or American women, which are the groups I tend to read. Either these lists have to be more inclusive, I need to vary my reading more, or somewhere in between.

I've read 51. That's more than half, not bad. But WHY exclude the entire field of mystery/horror, and YA? You ain't well read till you've read Hunger Games, far better than you would ever think. And why is Atlas Shrugged NOT on this list? Or Yanigihara's all time masterpiece, "A Little Life". I'm going to write my congressman and stongly worded letter of protest. So there.

Brina wrote: "Only 13/99 on this list but there were 3 that I'm interested in. My usual issue with lists like these is that they are heavy on English and French books, few books by people of color and/or America..."

I actually thought this list was more balanced than average, but I generally agree with you. There were odd moments, however, where they picked an obscure work of a Nobel prize winner over the work that, IMO, belongs on a list purporting to identify one as "well-read." The most egregious example is identifying a lesser known Mahfouz work. The Trilogy is what one must have read. All other works in his voluminous catalogue are gravy.

And I actually have read Mahfouz just not the book mentioned. Have also read some obscure classics this year. But I would have to agree that a little more balanced than other lists.

I love this discussion!

Darren wrote: "er... I literally cannot believe that you are unaware of this thread:

https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

which points to ..."

Well shit, where have I been?!?!? I think I have commented on this thread but did not know about the vote thing. I am SO on it!!

43 of 99 books (43%)

This list has a lot in common with the top of the 1001-books list, and even when it didn't it was kind to me, like Les Fleurs du Mal (The Flowers of Evil, Charles Baudelaire). Rare to see that on a list.

Surprised to see The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire Volume I. Isn't that nonfiction?

69/99 for me, with a few I haven't heard of either.

48/99 for me

I was happily surprised to see a few Portuguese books, which never show up on these lists!

All these lists are biased in one way or another by whoever compiles them, though it's interesting that some books (Don Quixote, for example) seem to show up on almost all of them!

63/99 for me, and 5 more on my classics challenge list for this year. There are some that aren't on there that I think should be, and others that I've never heard of! Go figure!

forty-something for me, and quite a few more that I have slated for the nearish future

a pretty solid list overall
a bit thin on anything later than the 1960's though
also, given it's such a short list, seems a bit restrictive to name more than say 2 books by any given author (Austen, Dickens, Dostoevsky, Woolf, Hemingway all get 3 or more) - could get wider variety of authors in that way...?

(oh, and Atlas Shrugged is on there btw)

J_BlueFlower wrote: "Surprised to see The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire Volume I. Isn't that nonfiction?..."

So's The Prince, Art of War and Walden. List description is just 99 Classic Books, not 99 classic novels. There's no criteria given for how she chose the books.

Darren wrote: also, given it's such a short list, seems a bit restrictive to name more than say 2 books by any given author (Austen, Dickens, Dostoevsky, Woolf, Hemingway all get 3 or more).."

IMO, lists this short with multiple books by so many authors are inherently flawed. In part, I'm sure it's a pride thing since there's a handful of really popular classic authors I can't stand so that always lowers my score.

So, for such a short list, I've read 59, but there's a further dozen or so that I've either attempted to read and disliked or are by authors I refuse to waste more time on.

66 for me. But the list has some real losers on it (Atlas Shrugged? Really?), and as mentioned above it lacks some great books. I would rather see a list with some objective criteria.

Yeah, the list is problematic in some places. I only posted it because it was nice to see some I have never heard of and thought others would enjoy seeing some lesser known classics to add to their to-read list.

I did my own list made up from classics I've read. It has no common thread, but all listed are novels except two epic poems and all the rest of them are novels or novelettes. No plays and no short stories or collections of poetry. I hope the URL works. http://www.listchallenges.com/100-cla...

Gary wrote: "I did my own list made up from classics I've read. It has no common thread, but all listed are novels except two epic poems and all the rest of them are novels or novelettes. No plays and no short ..."

I like that idea. I have read 27 of those apparently.

Inspired me to make my own list of classics I've read. (According to Classics groups I am in etc) I didn't have as many though so to get to 100 I did a few kids books, short stories and plays.

http://www.listchallenges.com/how-man...

Darren wrote: "er... I literally cannot believe that you are unaware of this thread:

https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

which points to ..."

I didn't know this existed either. :(

17/18 books from your list, not including Anna Karenina (and others) that I'm over 60% finished with. Great list!

33 of 99 read and still counting! 😊

Gary wrote: "I did my own list made up from classics I've read. It has no common thread, but all listed are novels except two epic poems and all the rest of them are novels or novelettes. No plays and no short ..."

This seems like such a solid list--all ones I should read. I've read 37 of them, am reading one now and have several on my challenges for this year. Love the idea of "the academy." How fun!

Luella wrote: "Gary wrote: "I did my own list made up from classics I've read. It has no common thread, but all listed are novels except two epic poems and all the rest of them are novels or novelettes. No plays ..."

Ooo, I liked your list too, Luella. Have 36 of those, and you picked some great children's books.

Everyone should do this! But then I would spend all day looking at them and not get anything done ... :-/

35/99 if I don't include Don Quixote as I never finished it. Sigh. I need to read more.

46. I am old I feel as though I should have read more, so I am here, catching up in the classics.

22/99 Sigh. There are many on my to read list though...

Terris wrote: "63/99 for me, and 5 more on my classics challenge list for this year. There are some that aren't on there that I think should be, and others that I've never heard of! Go figure!"

I'm up to 68/99 since June when I last took the test! :)

J_BlueFlower wrote: "43 of 99 books (43%)

This list has a lot in common with the top of the 1001-books list, and even when it didn't it was kind to me, like Les Fleurs du Mal (The Flowers of Evil, Charl..."
The History of The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire had a lot of truth stretchers in it or so I'm told.

I'm up to 29/99. According to the list, I'm not as well read as my mom thinks. lol

Hayley wrote: "J_BlueFlower wrote: "43 of 99 books (43%)

This list has a lot in common with the top of the 1001-books list, and even when it didn't it was kind to me, like Les Fleurs du Mal (The F..."

Wont history written then (now) always be a bit colored by the authors prejudices and biases?

I am pretty excited! Last night I went through the shelf of books the group has read and I have read 40!! Yay! There are about three more that I have read, but it was so long ago that I remember nothing about them. I am not including those in my count.

siriusedward wrote: "Hayley wrote: "J_BlueFlower wrote: "43 of 99 books (43%)

This list has a lot in common with the top of the 1001-books list, and even when it didn't it was kind to me, like [book:Les Fleurs du Mal..."

true

73 of the 99. Not sure if I should revive this thread in case it's been incorporated in the general list discussion, but oh well.

We leave thread open for people to revive and discuss. So you are absolutely fine with posting here.

Hello. It's been a while since we did a list question. I thought I would revive this thread. Plus some of our new members might find it fun. I know many of you will have read more than I have.

Your Results

42 of 99 · 42%
You did better than 89% of users on this list
Your rank: #24,955 of 237,674 users on this list
You beat the avg. score of 24

I tried, too:

Your Results
62 of 99  ·  63%
You did better than 98% of users on this list
Your rank: #5.228 of 237.676 users on this list
You beat the avg. score of 24

They should relate it to age :))

69/99 70%

Some of these I'd never heard of, that's always nice--something to investigate further.

The entire In Search of Lost Time? I read the entire Thousand and One Nights so...

No problem in reviving the tread. I got to compare with 2017:

In 2017 I had 43 of 99 books (43%)

Now:
64 of 99 (65%)
You did better than 98% of users on this list

I included Proust (In search of Lost Time) since it is shown as one book. I assume they mean the first book not all 10+ books. (I have only read the first).

I did not include Catch-22 (about 30-40% read) and Divine Comedy (I only read the hell-part).

I had 58 of 99. I might have read some others long ago, but I don't quite remember so didn't check them.

I went from 37 in 2017 to 55 now. Lots more still to read!

I got 65 out of 99

Interesting list there. I was right down the middle. 49 out of 99. I noticed some different titles in there too.