Modern Library's 100 Best Novels

[Nonny]

I'm challenging myself to read five of the Modern Library's 100 Best Novels -- www.modernlibrary.com/top-100/100-best-novels/

Does anyone have any glowing recommendations from the Board's List?  I've already read quite a number of the ones on the Reader's List (including Battlefield Earth, LOL!), so I'm trying to stick to the left hand column, but there is some overlap.

I just finished The Postman Always Rings Twice* and liked it quite a bit, so hopefully this challenge will continue to be fun.   

*I will say that it's funny to me that a few rather tame kissing scenes that lead to entirely undescriptive sex scenes (consisting only of ripped clothes and the couple sleeping in bed) and murders less graphic than what you'd find on a daytime soap opera = cause for an obscenity trial in the '30s. 

[Nonny]

I should add that on the Board's List I've already read numbers 2, 4, 5, 7, 10, 13, 31, 39, 41, 64, 65, 88, and 98.

[monkeyfeet]

I have read very few, but have heard good things about I, Claudias. Both Sophie's choice and the prime of miss Jean bodie are on my tbr list.

[dorothyinAus]

My suggestions would be:  The Magnificent Ambersons, Death Comes for the Archbishop, and The Age of Innocence from the Board's List.

From the Reader's List, I'd recommend:  To Kill a Mockingbird, The Hitchhikers's Guide to the Galaxy, and A Prayer for Owen Meany.

Of the other works on the list I've read, I either hated them and would not recommend them to anyone for any use whatsoever, or I read them as assigned reading for various classes and remember so little of them I do not have an actual opinion.

[charlatti]

The Heart is a Lonely Hunter was one of my summer reading books in high school. I didn't read it particularly well or thoroughly but I remember it fondly anyway.

DH really likes Salman Rushdie and I think he liked Midnight's Children. Wide Sargasso Sea has been on my list for a while.

[MrsAxilla]

Where did they get these readers that listed seven of the top ten by Ayn Rand and L Ron Hubbard?!

[MrsAxilla]

Aug 21, 2016 2:39:04 GMT -5 monkeyfeet said:

I have read very few, but have heard good things about I, Claudias. Both Sophie's choice and the prime of miss Jean bodie are on my tbr list.

I couldn't get through I, Claudius.

[Nonny]

Aug 21, 2016 2:39:04 GMT -5 monkeyfeet said:

I have read very few, but have heard good things about I, Claudias. Both Sophie's choice and the prime of miss Jean bodie are on my tbr list.

I've never heard of The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie until this list, but it looks interesting (and my one friend on Goodreads whose read it gave it 5 stars).  Bonus, it's short!    I was considering Sophie's Choice, but I feel like I read so many books set in that time period that I should branch out.  LOL!

Aug 21, 2016 3:01:54 GMT -5 dorothyinAus said:

My suggestions would be:  The Magnificent Ambersons, Death Comes for the Archbishop, and The Age of Innocence from the Board's List.

From the Reader's List, I'd recommend:  To Kill a Mockingbird, The Hitchhikers's Guide to the Galaxy, and A Prayer for Owen Meany.

Of the other works on the list I've read, I either hated them and would not recommend them to anyone for any use whatsoever, or I read them as assigned reading for various classes and remember so little of them I do not have an actual opinion.

I've read To Kill a Mockingbird and The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, and I'm just not ready for more John Irving yet.    Death Comes for the Archbishop seems to be repeatedly described as beautiful in the reviews, so that is making it more interesting to me.

Aug 21, 2016 7:30:05 GMT -5 charlatti said:

The Heart is a Lonely Hunter was one of my summer reading books in high school. I didn't read it particularly well or thoroughly but I remember it fondly anyway.

DH really likes Salman Rushdie and I think he liked Midnight's Children. Wide Sargasso Sea has been on my list for a while.

Midnight's Children looks really good, but it's really long.  I might have to push this one off so I don't derail my 50 books for the year goal again.   

Aug 21, 2016 18:07:06 GMT -5 MrsAxilla said:

Where did they get these readers that listed seven of the top ten by Ayn Rand and L Ron Hubbard?!

I know, right?  The reader's list is very eclectic!  I will say though, L. Ron Hubbard actually crafts some good science fiction, and despite him being a crazy cakes cult leader, Battlefield Earth was an enjoyable read.  (The movie was a total shit-storm - it was about the first 100 pages and last chapter of a 1000+ page book, and they cut out everything that was interesting about the story.)

[revjen]

1984 has always stuck with me. I was in 6th grade when I first read it, which happened to be the actual year of 1984.

[panicked]

Vonnegut is over-rated. Slaughterhouse V was painfully dull to me.

[aurora]

I'm bothered by the fact that there are so few female authors in either list. I would therefore be inclined to pick those written by women.

Of the ones I've read of the official list, the only ones I'd actually recommend are

1984
Animal Farm
Lord of the Flies (though I haven't read it since high school so who knows what I'd think of it now)
The Call of the Wild

Additionally from the reader's list:
The Lord of the Rings (I know how you feel about this one, Nonny! But I still love it)
Dune
Gone with the Wind
The Stand
Beloved
The Handmaid's Tale
Fahrenheit 451
It

[litskispeciality]

I really enjoyed "Brave New World" in college, however I didn't read the whole thing, it could have been the in class discussion. I also enjoyed Animal Farm and 1984. The Grapes of Wrath is dry, but I remember liking it in HS because we had an awesome teacher who broke it down, and tied it back to the bible as fiction.

I haven't read The Heart is a Lonely Hunter, but I'd be interested in reading it. I've heard great things about the Hitchhikers Guide too, I think that's supposed to be funny.

[Nonny]

aurora, with the exception of LOTR (NO!), Beloved, and Gone With the Wind, I've read all of your suggestions. But leaning towards the female authors isn't a bad idea (although I also hate The Handmaid's Tale because of how it's written; I've read several of Atwood's books and her writing style just kills it for me). Beloved looks really good, and I haven't read anything by Toni Morrison.

litskispeciality, I've read all of your suggestions too (except the Heart is a Lonely Hunter). I really loved the Grapes of Wrath, and didn't think it was dry (unless you are making an awesome pun here about the dust bowl, in which case, brava!).

[Nonny]

It's weird, I don't feel like I've read many on the list, but apparently I've hit all the quintessential "classics."

[aurora]

Aug 22, 2016 13:14:06 GMT -5 Nonny said:

aurora, with the exception of LOTR (NO!), Beloved, and Gone With the Wind, I've read all of your suggestions. But leaning towards the female authors isn't a bad idea (although I also hate The Handmaid's Tale because of how it's written; I've read several of Atwood's books and her writing style just kills it for me). Beloved looks really good, and I haven't read anything by Toni Morrison.

litskispeciality, I've read all of your suggestions too (except the Heart is a Lonely Hunter). I really loved the Grapes of Wrath, and didn't think it was dry (unless you are making an awesome pun here about the dust bowl, in which case, brava!).

Beloved is not an easy book to read. It is very dark. But, I thought it conveyed its points very well.

I was surprised at how much I liked Gone With the Wind. I did not expect it to be an easy read.

A Handmaid's Tale is Atwood's best book, and I like her in general. Even if you didn't like, say, Oryx and Crake, it might still be worth a read.

Of course, we seem to be opposites when it comes to books, so...

[Nonny]

Aug 22, 2016 18:46:51 GMT -5 aurora said:

Aug 22, 2016 13:14:06 GMT -5 Nonny said:

aurora , with the exception of LOTR (NO!), Beloved, and Gone With the Wind, I've read all of your suggestions. But leaning towards the female authors isn't a bad idea (although I also hate The Handmaid's Tale because of how it's written; I've read several of Atwood's books and her writing style just kills it for me). Beloved looks really good, and I haven't read anything by Toni Morrison.

litskispeciality , I've read all of your suggestions too (except the Heart is a Lonely Hunter). I really loved the Grapes of Wrath, and didn't think it was dry (unless you are making an awesome pun here about the dust bowl, in which case, brava!).

Beloved is not an easy book to read. It is very dark. But, I thought it conveyed its points very well.

I was surprised at how much I liked Gone With the Wind. I did not expect it to be an easy read.

A Handmaid's Tale is Atwood's best book, and I like her in general. Even if you didn't like, say, Oryx and Crake, it might still be worth a read.

Of course, we seem to be opposites when it comes to books, so...

I've read The Handmaid's Tale twice, under the faulty premise that you "see it differently in your 30s than when you are younger."  I hated it both times. 

I know I've read two others of hers (Oryx and Crake wasn't one of them though), Alias Grace and something else I can never remember (so clearly it didn't make a strong impression), so I have tried to give her a fair shake.

But we aren't total opposites, we both like Harry Potter, we just have a strongly different opinions on LOTR.   

(And now apparently Margaret Atwood...)

[aurora]

Aug 22, 2016 19:04:09 GMT -5 Nonny said:

Aug 22, 2016 18:46:51 GMT -5 aurora said:

Beloved is not an easy book to read. It is very dark. But, I thought it conveyed its points very well.

I was surprised at how much I liked Gone With the Wind. I did not expect it to be an easy read.

A Handmaid's Tale is Atwood's best book, and I like her in general. Even if you didn't like, say, Oryx and Crake, it might still be worth a read.

Of course, we seem to be opposites when it comes to books, so...

I've read The Handmaid's Tale twice, under the faulty premise that you "see it differently in your 30s than when you are younger."  I hated it both times. 

I know I've read two others of hers (Oryx and Crake wasn't one of them though), Alias Grace and something else I can never remember (so clearly it didn't make a strong impression), so I have tried to give her a fair shake.

But we aren't total opposites, we both like Harry Potter, we just have a strongly different opinions on LOTR.   

(And now apparently Margaret Atwood...)

What do you think of GRR Martin?

You like Stephen King, right?

Just trying to figure out how much overlap actually have.

(To be fair, I didn't think Alias Grace was Atwood's best, either.)

[Nonny]

Aug 22, 2016 19:14:15 GMT -5 aurora said:

Aug 22, 2016 19:04:09 GMT -5 Nonny said:

I've read The Handmaid's Tale twice, under the faulty premise that you "see it differently in your 30s than when you are younger."  I hated it both times. 

I know I've read two others of hers (Oryx and Crake wasn't one of them though), Alias Grace and something else I can never remember (so clearly it didn't make a strong impression), so I have tried to give her a fair shake.

But we aren't total opposites, we both like Harry Potter, we just have a strongly different opinions on LOTR.   

(And now apparently Margaret Atwood...)

What do you think of GRR Martin?

You like Stephen King, right?

Just trying to figure out how much overlap actually have.

(To be fair, I didn't think Alias Grace was Atwood's best, either.)

The only GRRM that I've read so far is the first Tale of Dunk and Egg, and I really liked it.  I've been holding off reading GoT because I don't want to start an epic series at the moment.

I love Stephen King, but I'm iffy on his endings (which I think most people are, but I'm better now that I've finished The Dark Tower).

Should I throw out other authors/books I like?  LOL!

Frank Herbert - I loved the Dune Series

A. A. Attanasio - he's a bit obscure and much of his stuff is out of print, but I've read tons of his books.  I didn't really care for Radix (one of his well known books), but his series on King Arthur is good, and Hunting the Ghost Dancer is one of my favorite re-reads (so sad though).

Steinbeck - I've only read a handful of his books, but I've enjoyed most of them (I wasn't a fan of Tortilla Flat, but I was a pretty young teen when I read it, so maybe I'd feel differently now).

[aurora]

Aug 22, 2016 19:31:09 GMT -5 Nonny said:

Aug 22, 2016 19:14:15 GMT -5 aurora said:

What do you think of GRR Martin?

You like Stephen King, right?

Just trying to figure out how much overlap actually have.

(To be fair, I didn't think Alias Grace was Atwood's best, either.)

The only GRRM that I've read so far is the first Tale of Dunk and Egg, and I really liked it.  I've been holding off reading GoT because I don't want to start an epic series at the moment.

I love Stephen King, but I'm iffy on his endings (which I think most people are, but I'm better now that I've finished The Dark Tower).

Should I throw out other authors/books I like?  LOL!

Frank Herbert - I loved the Dune Series

A. A. Attanasio - he's a bit obscure and much of his stuff is out of print, but I've read tons of his books.  I didn't really care for Radix (one of his well known books), but his series on King Arthur is good, and Hunting the Ghost Dancer is one of my favorite re-reads (so sad though).

Steinbeck - I've only read a handful of his books, but I've enjoyed most of them (I wasn't a fan of Tortilla Flat, but I was a pretty young teen when I read it, so maybe I'd feel differently now).

Dunk and Egg annoyed me because the entire time I kept thinking WHY THE HELL AREN'T YOU WRITING MORE GAME OF THRONES NOW??? (Yes, in caps.) But it was a good story.

Most of King's endings are lacking, but I liked the Dark Tower ending, too.

I also liked Dune!

Never heard of Attanasio but will keep an eye out.

Steinbeck is just meh IMO.

All in all I feel like we can still be friends.

[Nonny]

Aug 22, 2016 20:28:29 GMT -5 aurora said:

Dunk and Egg annoyed me because the entire time I kept thinking WHY THE HELL AREN'T YOU WRITING MORE GAME OF THRONES NOW??? (Yes, in caps.) But it was a good story.

Most of King's endings are lacking, but I liked the Dark Tower ending, too.

I also liked Dune!

Never heard of Attanasio but will keep an eye out.

Steinbeck is just meh IMO.

All in all I feel like we can still be friends.

Given how slowly GRRM writes, I can understand that sentiment, and I won't hold finding Steinbeck "meh" against you (but expect me to recommend Grapes of Wrath every time you suggest LOTR  ).

Attanasio is a strange cookie; some of his books are incredibly detailed and long (and not always in a good way see: Radix), but some of his other books are just a super quick good story.  I stumbled on him by accident at a used book store because of this book cover (the first in The Perilous Order of Camelot) and I kept walking past it and finally I was like, I don't even care if this is a good story, I must read this book because of the cover.  LOL!

[jojoandleo]

Aug 21, 2016 18:07:06 GMT -5 MrsAxilla said:

Where did they get these readers that listed seven of the top ten by Ayn Rand and L Ron Hubbard?!

People who want to sound smart but don't actually read.

[expectantsteelerfan]

I read Sophie's Choice and Lolita this past year...not enjoyable reads. Really had to make myself read them. I probably would have gotten more out of them if I had been reading them for a class or at least a discussion group.
Lord of the Flies was my favorite book to read from when I was in school, and then it was also one of my favorite books to teach, so I def. recommend that if you haven't read it before (definitely a bit YA but still good!) Some others from that list that I loved are Catch 22, Slaughterhouse Five, The Great Gatsby, Native Son, Light in August, A Clockwork Orange, and The House of Mirth.

[expectantsteelerfan]

Aug 22, 2016 20:28:29 GMT -5 aurora said:

Aug 22, 2016 19:31:09 GMT -5 Nonny said:

The only GRRM that I've read so far is the first Tale of Dunk and Egg, and I really liked it.  I've been holding off reading GoT because I don't want to start an epic series at the moment.

I love Stephen King, but I'm iffy on his endings (which I think most people are, but I'm better now that I've finished The Dark Tower).

Should I throw out other authors/books I like?  LOL!

Frank Herbert - I loved the Dune Series

A. A. Attanasio - he's a bit obscure and much of his stuff is out of print, but I've read tons of his books.  I didn't really care for Radix (one of his well known books), but his series on King Arthur is good, and Hunting the Ghost Dancer is one of my favorite re-reads (so sad though).

Steinbeck - I've only read a handful of his books, but I've enjoyed most of them (I wasn't a fan of Tortilla Flat, but I was a pretty young teen when I read it, so maybe I'd feel differently now).

Dunk and Egg annoyed me because the entire time I kept thinking WHY THE HELL AREN'T YOU WRITING MORE GAME OF THRONES NOW??? (Yes, in caps.) But it was a good story.

Most of King's endings are lacking, but I liked the Dark Tower ending, too.

I also liked Dune!

Never heard of Attanasio but will keep an eye out.

Steinbeck is just meh IMO.

All in all I feel like we can still be friends.

If you think Steinbeck is meh, have you read Of Mice and Men?  I always recommend that over Grapes of Wrath.  Helps that it's a novella!

[litskispeciality]

I loved of Mice and Men, and yes it's quick so that helps.

A rainy day thread idea: What books do you think were missing from this top 100 list? ALthough I do understand this is subjective and some of the stuff we'd recommend might have been nominated, just didn't make the cut.

[msmerymac]

I've been working on the list on and off for a number of years, now, and I'm at around 25. Catch-22 is one of my all-time favorites, along with Slaughterhouse-Five and As I Lay Dying.

I did not enjoy Sister Carrie. Ditto for Heart of Darkness.

The Magus is pretty substantial, but really interesting. I also recommend The Heart is a Lonely Hunter.

I liked The Suns Also Rises, but now I'm pretty... not enthusiastic about Hemingway.

[litskispeciality]

Yes I forgot about the Magus. I read about half of that book for a college Philosophy class. I remember liking what I read. I should read that again.

I tried to do "As I Lay Dying" a few years ago, but it started so slow. Tell me it picks up?