EPTI would also recommend to try Master and Margaret, it's so far one of the best books I have ever read. Intresting plot with many metaphores makes it a book which you are almost certain to read twice or even more times. I'm quite shocked it isn't listed in here.
~800 books you ought to read, top hits - Page 2
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Galek
Poland234 Posts
I would also recommend to try Master and Margaret, it's so far one of the best books I have ever read. Intresting plot with many metaphores makes it a book which you are almost certain to read twice or even more times. I'm quite shocked it isn't listed in here. | ||
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Rflcrx
503 Posts
Read something where the title/plot interestes you. Lists/recommendations work only so far (lots of people recommended "Enders Game" to me, and I was really disappointed). The only book on that list I tried to read is Heart of Darkness. I found the topic very interesting and it has influenced many people/things (for example Apocalypse Now), but the language/vocabulary is very old yet advanced. Maybe in a couple of years I try again (though I am not sure my english will ever advance much further). On January 19 2011 02:29 Shockk wrote: (Kafka comes to mind). ZOMG! /o\ | ||
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Cambium
United States16368 Posts
The Great Gatsby was truly average in my opinion, maybe because we are so accustomed to the "American Dream" concept that it has lost some of its appeal? I really enjoyed Lord of the Flies, 1984, Animal Farm and Brave New World, the others, not nearly as much. I think it's a good idea to familiarize ourselves with these classics, as there are a lot of allusions made to these books that occur frequently in our daily lives. | ||
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coltrane
Chile988 Posts
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plexx
United States41 Posts
Personally I'd skip anything by Faulkner(the sound and the fury on list), and don't waste your time on Ulysses. If you're interested in literature, these types of lists are a good place to start. If you want my top picks out of those listed: on the road Slaughter-house five catch-22 catcher in the rye read some Hemingway while you're at it. The Sun Also Rises / Farewell to Arms. | ||
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GullyFoyle
United States103 Posts
It would help to know some of the books you've read that really impressed you, then I'd bet we could offer some great suggestions that would broaden your horizons in a relatively comfortable way! | ||
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DenSkumle
Norway108 Posts
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Aim Here
Scotland672 Posts
On January 19 2011 01:56 Kimaker wrote: These lists are constantly skewed against anything relating to Sci-fi and fantasy usually, and as such, I just don't place much stock in them. There seems to be this horrible misconception in the literary community that such genre's are "lower" literature. Well in that small list, you have 1984, Brave New World, and Slaughterhouse 5, all of which make copious use of science fiction devices, even if they don't appear in the sciffy section of your bookshop. A lot of the sciffy that qualifies as 'higher' literature tends to get promoted out of the Science Fiction ghetto... | ||
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Piy
Scotland3152 Posts
Lolita and Ulysses are my favourites off there. | ||
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sTromSK
Slovakia77 Posts
On January 19 2011 01:52 Croaker wrote: I don't think you should force yourself to read anything under the impression that it'll make you "smarter". Start with the things you may enjoy, and then move on to headier stuff if you feel up to it. Millions have lived and died without reading any of these books and millions more will do so. Personally though, I've read the four books that got seven hits and Brave New World, Catch-22, To Kill A Mockingbird and Lolita. Reading should be something that you enjoy, not something that evokes feelings of it being a chore. I feel there's a lot of people that have never, and will never, experience the joy and wonder I get from reading because they've been drilled the wrong way about books in school. I agree so much with this statement  Firstly I tried it the way described above and after several books I hardly enjoyed I am fine with the fact that I just dont like fiction (altough I may find it compelling when people read fiction and get some morals or social commentaries out of it).with popular-science books it was the exact opposite - I started to read them because of my curiosity about a subject and I enjoy reading them since then. However 1984 by Orwell, All quiete on Western front by Remarque or The Road by McCarthy were the better ones. The biggest let-down was Marquez: One Hundred Years of Solitude. It totally missed me. | ||
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Lexpar
1813 Posts
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Wesso
Netherlands1245 Posts
On January 19 2011 02:41 Rflcrx wrote: Read something where the title/plot interestes you. Lists/recommendations work only so far (lots of people recommended "Enders Game" to me, and I was really disappointed). BLASPHEMY!  Nah, I can imagine not liking it, I just loved it On January 19 2011 03:38 Lexpar wrote: I read everything in the top 7-6 in high school (Actually I read Slaughterhouse 5 last month :X). Guess I had good education? I read a lot of them on my own time actually. I think most countries teach literature primarily in their own language, so many people probably haven't read these books in high school I have read too much fantasy, now I expect cheap entertainment from my books  | ||
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hazelynut
United States2195 Posts
The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald Animal Farm, George Orwell Brave New World, Aldous Huxley Catch-22, Joseph Heller To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee To the Lighthouse, Virginia Woolf* Invisible Man, Ralph Ellison Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen I found all of the above enjoyable (Woolf only because I have strange tastes* for British people), and the bolded ones are the ones I particularly liked. While I read more sci-fi/fantasy, I don't understand epic/high fantasy at all (R. Scott what's his name, The Darkness that Comes Before, Game of Thrones, things like that). | ||
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Kimaker
United States2131 Posts
On January 19 2011 03:26 Aim Here wrote: Well in that small list, you have 1984, Brave New World, and Slaughterhouse 5, all of which make copious use of science fiction devices, even if they don't appear in the sciffy section of your bookshop. A lot of the sciffy that qualifies as 'higher' literature tends to get promoted out of the Science Fiction ghetto... My point exactly. They clearly have to admit there's good sci-fi and fantasy, but they just pick and choose what they HAVE to admit is good in order to retain their genre superiority. Yeah, I'm bitter. | ||
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Craton
United States17238 Posts
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Chimpalimp
United States1135 Posts
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SirazTV
United States209 Posts
I would recommend reading them all except Ulysses and Crime and Punishment. As both these books are written in an odd manner. Both are good books in there own way. Ulysses is just kinda hard to read especially if you know nothing about mythology. Also, Dostoevsky is the most long winded writer ever Crime and Punishment is tame compared to some of his other work. Never EVER read the book The Idiot. Oh, and to all you Sci Fi fans out there Isaac Amimov is the best hard sci fi writer. The Foundation series is rivaled by no other sci fi series out there. | ||
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Belgo
United States721 Posts
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Kakera
United States419 Posts
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t3hwUn
United States90 Posts
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