oops didn't finish my thought: It's not so much my Uncle is forbidding me from reading Joyce (which would be a silly concept). It's just that he doesn't care for Joyce's work and I respect my uncle's opinion.

Out of curiosity, how old are you?

Whoops, did I say Odysseus earlier? I meant to say Ulysses, by Joyce. mistake on my part

Yay! This kind of debate is helpful! Thanks adgemacht

I'm 25. I've been reading non-stop since I was a kid, but I've wasted my time until the last few years by reading modern mystery novels (which are often the same basic story over and over again).

OK, I'm 23, so we're pretty comparable.

Have you read Poirot books by Agatha Christie? Probably the best mysteries there are.

Well, idk if you want to go on my opinion on Joyce then haha, I'm only 18

Unfortunately no. One day I'll go back to mystery novels, but for now I'd rather focus on the classics (or other supposedly "great" books)

Well, when you go back to Mystery, check them out. Cream of the Crop.

But, as others have said, can you list a few of the books you've read an what you've thought of them?

I've seen the Poirot movies though.

There are tons of those. Some are good some not. Haven't seen too many myself. If I remember correctly, Evil Under the Sun movie was pretty good.

Ok ok I'll concede War an Peace must have some merits buried somewhere in its 1 million pages :)

But please note: the books I described as 'a waste of time' are not bad books, I just wonder are they REALLY time well spent? What are you learning? In my view, if a book does not blow your head off, or you don't smile at every page, it aint worth reading.

I can read Schopenhaeur and giggle to myself constantly, it's embarrising ;^)

I suppose that just depends on how you spend your time. If you watch any TV, I find it hard to believe that 1984 would be considered a waste of time.

Also, for anyone who hasn't read W&P, I think you might be surprised. It's aged extremely well.

Okay, in the top 30:
1-The Great Gatsby- didn't much care for it, but I can appreciate it
3-1984-George Orwell- I'd put this one in my top 10 so far
5-The Lord of the Rings- my favourite book of all time, so far
13-The Catcher in the Rye- I didn't like this one at all
16-The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy- one of the funniest books I have ever read
17-Hamlet- studied it in school, so it's hard to think of whether I like it or not. I'd like to re-read it one day from a fresh perspective
23-Catch-22- another one of my personal favourites

@fiedler: I'm not looking to have my head blown off by every book. If I enjoy reading it then it doesn't have to be earth-shattering

If LoTR is your favorite book of all time, you *must* read The Deed of Paksenarrion by Elizabeth Moon.

You may also like A Farewell to Arms.

I see, Okay

The Count of Monte Cristo - Absolutely the best book of revenge that I've ever read. Dumas gives us the most pitiable protagonist and lays him low at the outset letting us see the machinations against him. The superbly crafted plot takes us through a heroic escape and then the protagonist's carefully planned and entirely satisfying revenge upon the villains. Dumas manages to keep his characters true to themselves in some respects even a bit static, but that imo adds to the atmosphere of adventure. This is not psychomachia, but high adventure. The protagonist is right; the antagonists are wrong. If there is beauty in simplicity, then "The Count of Monte Cristo" delivers it. Dumas lays down a plot driven and in some instances gut wrenching tale that far surpasses his better known "The Three Musketeers"


Is that more on the topic?

What I liked so much about W&P is how much he develops every single person, every detail. Its amazing. You find yourself identifying with one or more of the characters and its really great

@crazyang: I watched the movie, quite good :) if a bit too pretty.

@goldfinger

Agreed.

I haven't seen a movie that does the book justice on that one. Simply one of those books I reached the half way mark and finished in one sitting.

@hirsute, if you like mysteries, how about "the spy who came in from the cold"?
best spy story ever.

I'm suprised Frankstein didn't even make top 100. If nothing else, it was interesting to see how different Shelley's orginal monster was compared to today's popular conception of it.

I wonder about "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe" - it is certainly a good book and one of my favorties. That particular one isn't my favorite of the series though. The Chronicles of Narnia was the first series that I re-read after graduating. I guess it was symbolic of returning to reading for pleasure. I'd suggest "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe" to a middle school aged kid. For adults I usually suggest "The Screwtape Letters" or "Out of the Silent Planet". "The Screwtape Letters" would be my actual pick as the better novel. This one definitely falls into psychomachia. My overall pick for best Lewis book is "Mere Christianity", it amounts to a series of essays becasue it was orginally a series of radio talks for the BBC.

@zoeoz - did you mean frankenstein or dracula? I mixed them up as well! :)
frank is 27th on the list.

God i am having a bad day. frankstein made 27, i realize this but its too late~ and WHY can't you delete posts??

oops now my comment sounds kind of rude. i didnt see you post! but yes i meant Frankenstein