Catching up on Classics (and lots more!) discussion

I am establishing a Life Challenge based on The Guardian’s list of “1000 novels everyone must read: the definitive list”.

https://www.theguardian.com/books/200...

The List is subdivided into 7 Groups by genre.
1. Comedy
2. Crime
3. Family and Self
4. Love
5. Science Fiction and Fantasy
6. State of the Nation
7. War and Travel

In my opinion it is a good list. But I’m not one who believes that anybody else’s opinion other than mine should be followed. There are more than 1000 novels on this list because some of them in one line include a whole series. But it’s an excellent list to provide guidance on reading authors with whom not familiar.

I have identified the novels that I have read going all the way back to Junior high school. I shall mention the number and the names future posts. There are novels here which I know for that I will never read because I’ve tried them and found them unreadable, at least to me.

I will post all eight categories separately, and then keep them up-to-date as I read. I will begin with those in each category that I’ve already read.

I am 71 1/2 and my health is such that I can expect to live into my 90s, God willing in at the creek don’t rise. My goal for this year is 100 books, but there are a lot of books outside this list that I will be reading.

Comedy novels I have read:

The Pickwick Papers by Charles Dickens

Martin Chuzzlewit by Charles Dickens
Dead Souls by Nikolai Gogol
Catch-22 by Joseph Heller
The Castle by Franz Kafka
A Dance to the Music of Time by Anthony Powell
Portnoy’s Complaint by Philip Roth
A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole
Barchester Towers by Anthony Trollope
Decline and Fall by Evelyn Waugh
A Handful of Dust by Evelyn Waugh

Crime novels I have read:

The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins

The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins

A Study in Scarlet by Arthur Conan Doyle

The Hound of the Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle

The Sign of Four by Arthur Conan Doyle

The Andromeda Strain by Michael Crichton

Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky

An American Tragedy by Theodore Dreiser

The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas

A Time to Kill by John Grisham

The Glass Key by Dashiell Hammett

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee


Family and self novels I have read:

Love novels I have read:

Science fiction and fantasy novels I have read:

State of the nation novels I have read:

War and travel novels I have read:

Dave wrote: "In my opinion it is a good list. But I’m not one who believes that anybody else’s opinion other than mine should be followed. There are more than 1000 novels on this list because some of them in on..."

I also read from this list, Dave. I've read 320, but that's over the last 40 years! haha! I like the list, but like you, I use it for guidance -- mostly for books I already planned to read. It's kind of fun to look through and see which ones I'd like to read and which ones I've never even heard of!
Did you know there is a group called "Guardian Newspaper 1000 Novels" here on Goodreads? They choose a book from two of the categories to read each month (there are nominations and a vote). Then they discuss & give their opinions. I am not a heavy participant, but I like to see what they are reading. And I like to see some of their reviews on the ones I have read. I even nominated a couple of books last month!
You should look into it and see what's going on over there. It's a nice group. In March they read The Complete Maus and Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, and they're voting on April now.
Have fun working on this list! And good luck with your ambitious goal of 100 of the books this year. I'm rooting for you ;)

Terris wrote: "Dave wrote: "In my opinion it is a good list. But I’m not one who believes that anybody else’s opinion other than mine should be followed. There are more than 1000 novels on this list because some ..."

Thanks for the tip on the group, I will join. You are far ahead of me on the list, I had little time to read in past decades while in the Navy.

May I send you a friend request?

Dave wrote: "Terris wrote: "Dave wrote: "In my opinion it is a good list. But I’m not one who believes that anybody else’s opinion other than mine should be followed. There are more than 1000 novels on this lis..."

I understand. I have read a lot more since my retirement 8 years ago!
Yes, a friend request will be fine. Thanks for asking :)