22. The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas
23. One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
24. (placeholder, scrapped Beowulf)
25. The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
26. The Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane
27. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
Other possibilities:
Discipline and Punish by Michel Foucalt
Gulliver's Travels by Johnathan Swift
The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner
On the Road by Jack Kerouac
A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess
The Awakening by Kate Chopin
More to come...
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2 comments:
Beowulf...ick.
OK, we need some ground rules. Have you read any of these books before? Or are these all first-timers for you?
With that in mind, are these supposed to be the BEST 37 books you have not yet read? Or, 37 CLASSIC books you have not read? Or, just 37 books you've decided it's time to read?
An argument could be made for reading all of these, but if you want to dedicate this year to catching up on the broadest list of 37 must-read books, you might need to diversify.
Also, it might be helpful to start ticking off books you HAVE read, so we don't waste time offering suggestions that you've already read.
With that in mind, a few thoughts:
Again, scrap Beowulf. It's crap. Old crap, but crap nonetheless.
Why two from Mark Twain? If you read both, I'd combine 1 & 2 and count it as one. Quick reads both.
What, no Shakespeare? Or, have you read it all already? If you haven't, you must include at least Hamlet in the group. (And you English junkies don't come at me with Lear. It's OK, but if you've gotta pick one, it's Hamlet.)
So you've got Asimov, but how about reading the actual Bible? Or, would that take too long?
No need for both Treasure Island AND Robinson Crusoe. Pick one, and add something else. (Or, throw in Mutiny on the Bounty and make it a 3-pack. It is a good read...)
Did I miss Hemingway on the list? Again, you've gotta have at least one unless you've read the whole catalog. I would recommend For Whom the Bell Tolls, but just pick one and you can't go wrong.
Some of these are almost children's literature. In that event, I can only assume you've knocked off all the Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter books.
You could also go for a little more diversity. Beloved is good. What about Their Eyes Were Watching God? There are plenty of others. We could get into some history books there as well.
It's an opinion, but I think 1984 is much better than Brave New World, if you only pick one.
Catcher in the Rye? Surely you've read it...hasn't everyone?
A few books I'd recommend that aren't really "classics" but are definitely worth reading if you haven't already: All the President's Men; The Right Stuff; Red Dragon (and Silence of the Lambs); In Cold Blood.
Get started reading! You're already a few weeks behind.
I have indeed read several of the books before. I have a feeling that I need to re-visit some of them though. Candide, Lord of the Flies, and Catch-22 are the ones that come immediately to mind.
As far as great vs. classic, I guess it's more an amalgam. Some have certainly hit the "great" level, some are old enough to be classics, and some I guess I've just heard of them being "important."
Indeed, I might scrap Beowulf now. "Ick" is a strong indictment against any book. Two from Twain because they go together and Huck Finn because it's the reason I'm doing the list in the first place. I never read Huck Finn and I never would unless I did some foolish project like this.
Shakespeare is not currently on the list. I've read Hamlet way too many times because it's one of my favorites. I don't feel a need to revisit it at this point. Other suggestions from the Bard?
Asimov isn't part of the list, but more a hangover from last year's reading. I considered reading certain books of the bible and calling the "books" but that felt like cheating.
I'm definitely doing Crusoe and Treasure Island. Crusoe is important for being considered perhaps the first novel in English. And Treasure Island is the great pirate novel (though I may have read it before but I don't think so).
Hemingway...yeah, I'm on the fence. I've read "Old Man" and "The Sun Also Rises" in addition to "A Moveable Feast." If "For Whom the Bell Tolls" is that strong, I'll probably add it.
A. Lord of the Rings isn't children's literature. B. It's probably my favorite book(s) of all time. C. Already read them several times. D. Read the whole Potter series last year.
Seriously considering "Their Eyes Were Watching God." Also considering "The Color Purple."
Love 1984 and Animal Farm and have already read them several times. I tried Brave New World before and it didn't go so well, thus it's inclusion on the list.
Catcher in the Rye is great, but I don't feel the need to go back to it. Same with All The President's Men and the Right Stuff. I don't have any interest in the Hannibal Lecter books and no interest in In Cold Blood.
Great suggestions, keep 'em coming.
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