Worlds Best 100 Novels. How many have you read?
September 21st 2006 23:30
People at this website are always going on about how much they love books. Below is the list of the world's 100 best. Ask yourself how many you have read. Then ask yourself when you are going to start reading them.
1. ULYSSES by James Joyce 1. ATLAS SHRUGGED by Ayn Rand
2. THE GREAT GATSBY by F. Scott Fitzgerald 2. THE FOUNTAINHEAD by Ayn Rand
3. A PORTRAIT OF THE ARTIST AS A YOUNG MAN by James Joyce 3. BATTLEFIELD EARTH by L. Ron Hubbard
4. LOLITA by Vladimir Nabokov 4. THE LORD OF THE RINGS by J.R.R. Tolkien
5. BRAVE NEW WORLD by Aldous Huxley 5. TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD by Harper Lee
7. CATCH-22 by Joseph Heller 7. ANTHEM by Ayn Rand
8. DARKNESS AT NOON by Arthur Koestler 8. WE THE LIVING by Ayn Rand
9. SONS AND LOVERS by D.H. Lawrence 9. MISSION EARTH by L. Ron Hubbard
10. THE GRAPES OF WRATH by John Steinbeck 10. FEAR by L. Ron Hubbard
11. UNDER THE VOLCANO by Malcolm Lowry 11. ULYSSES by James Joyce
12. THE WAY OF ALL FLESH by Samuel Butler 12. CATCH-22 by Joseph Heller
13. 1984 by George Orwell 13. THE GREAT GATSBY by F. Scott Fitzgerald
14. I, CLAUDIUS by Robert Graves 14. DUNE by Frank Herbert
15. TO THE LIGHTHOUSE by Virginia Woolf 15. THE MOON IS A HARSH MISTRESS by Robert Heinlein
16. AN AMERICAN TRAGEDY by Theodore Dreiser 16. STRANGER IN A STRANGE LAND by Robert Heinlein
17. THE HEART IS A LONELY HUNTER by Carson McCullers 17. A TOWN LIKE ALICE by Nevil Shute
18. SLAUGHTERHOUSE-FIVE by Kurt Vonnegut 18. BRAVE NEW WORLD by Aldous Huxley
19. INVISIBLE MAN by Ralph Ellison 19. THE CATCHER IN THE RYE by J.D. Salinger
20. NATIVE SON by Richard Wright 20. ANIMAL FARM by George Orwell
22. APPOINTMENT IN SAMARRA by John O'Hara 22. THE GRAPES OF WRATH by John Steinbeck
23. U.S.A. (trilogy) by John Dos Passos 23. SLAUGHTERHOUSE FIVE by Kurt Vonnegut
24. WINESBURG, OHIO by Sherwood Anderson 24. GONE WITH THE WIND by Margaret Mitchell
25. A PASSAGE TO INDIA by E.M. Forster 25. LORD OF THE FLIES by William Golding
26. THE WINGS OF THE DOVE by Henry James 26. SHANE by Jack Schaefer
27. THE AMBASSADORS by Henry James 27. TRUSTEE FROM THE TOOLROOM by Nevil Shute
28. TENDER IS THE NIGHT by F. Scott Fitzgerald 28. A PRAYER FOR OWEN MEANY by John Irving
29. THE STUDS LONIGAN TRILOGY by James T. Farrell 29. THE STAND by Stephen King
30. THE GOOD SOLDIER by Ford Madox Ford 30. THE FRENCH LIEUTENANT'S WOMAN by John Fowles
31. ANIMAL FARM by George Orwell 31. BELOVED by Toni Morrison
32. THE GOLDEN BOWL by Henry James 32. THE WORM OUROBOROS by E.R. Eddison
33. SISTER CARRIE by Theodore Dreiser 33. THE SOUND AND THE FURY by William Faulkner
34. A HANDFUL OF DUST by Evelyn Waugh 34. LOLITA by Vladimir Nabokov
35. AS I LAY DYING by William Faulkner 35. MOONHEART by Charles de Lint
36. ALL THE KING'S MEN by Robert Penn Warren 36. ABSALOM, ABSALOM! by William Faulkner
37. THE BRIDGE OF SAN LUIS REY by Thornton Wilder 37. OF HUMAN BONDAGE by W. Somerset Maugham
38. HOWARDS END by E.M. Forster 38. WISE BLOOD by Flannery O'Connor
39. GO TELL IT ON THE MOUNTAIN by James Baldwin 39. UNDER THE VOLCANO by Malcolm Lowry
40. THE HEART OF THE MATTER by Graham Greene 40. FIFTH BUSINESS by Robertson Davies
41. LORD OF THE FLIES by William Golding 41. SOMEPLACE TO BE FLYING by Charles de Lint
42. DELIVERANCE by James Dickey 42. ON THE ROAD by Jack Kerouac
43. A DANCE TO THE MUSIC OF TIME (series) by Anthony Powell 43. HEART OF DARKNESS by Joseph Conrad
44. POINT COUNTER POINT by Aldous Huxley 44. YARROW by Charles de Lint
45. THE SUN ALSO RISES by Ernest Hemingway 45. AT THE MOUNTAINS OF MADNESS by H.P. Lovecraft
46. THE SECRET AGENT by Joseph Conrad 46. ONE LONELY NIGHT by Mickey Spillane
47. NOSTROMO by Joseph Conrad 47. MEMORY AND DREAM by Charles de Lint
48. THE RAINBOW by D.H. Lawrence 48. TO THE LIGHTHOUSE by Virginia Woolf
49. WOMEN IN LOVE by D.H. Lawrence 49. THE MOVIEGOER by Walker Percy
50. TROPIC OF CANCER by Henry Miller 50. TRADER by Charles de Lint
51. THE NAKED AND THE DEAD by Norman Mailer 51. THE HITCHHIKER'S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY by Douglas Adams
52. PORTNOY'S COMPLAINT by Philip Roth 52. THE HEART IS A LONELY HUNTER by Carson McCullers
53. PALE FIRE by Vladimir Nabokov 53. THE HANDMAID'S TALE by Margaret Atwood
54. LIGHT IN AUGUST by William Faulkner 54. BLOOD MERIDIAN by Cormac McCarthy
55. ON THE ROAD by Jack Kerouac 55. A CLOCKWORK ORANGE by Anthony Burgess
56. THE MALTESE FALCON by Dashiell Hammett 56. ON THE BEACH by Nevil Shute
57. PARADE'S END by Ford Madox Ford 57. A PORTRAIT OF THE ARTIST AS A YOUNG MAN by James Joyce
58. THE AGE OF INNOCENCE by Edith Wharton 58. GREENMANTLE by Charles de Lint
59. ZULEIKA DOBSON by Max Beerbohm 59. ENDER'S GAME by Orson Scott Card
60. THE MOVIEGOER by Walker Percy 60. THE LITTLE COUNTRY by Charles de Lint
61. DEATH COMES FOR THE ARCHBISHOP by Willa Cather 61. THE RECOGNITIONS by William Gaddis
62. FROM HERE TO ETERNITY by James Jones 62. STARSHIP TROOPERS by Robert Heinlein
63. THE WAPSHOT CHRONICLES by John Cheever 63. THE SUN ALSO RISES by Ernest Hemingway
64. THE CATCHER IN THE RYE by J.D. Salinger 64. THE WORLD ACCORDING TO GARP by John Irving
65. A CLOCKWORK ORANGE by Anthony Burgess 65. SOMETHING WICKED THIS WAY COMES by Ray Bradbury
66. OF HUMAN BONDAGE by W. Somerset Maugham 66. THE HAUNTING OF HILL HOUSE by Shirley Jackson
67. HEART OF DARKNESS by Joseph Conrad 67. AS I LAY DYING by William Faulkner
68. MAIN STREET by Sinclair Lewis 68. TROPIC OF CANCER by Henry Miller
69. THE HOUSE OF MIRTH by Edith Wharton 69. INVISIBLE MAN by Ralph Ellison
70. THE ALEXANDRIA QUARTET by Lawrence Durell 70. THE WOOD WIFE by Terri Windling
71. A HIGH WIND IN JAMAICA by Richard Hughes 71. THE MAGUS by John Fowles
72. A HOUSE FOR MR BISWAS by V.S. Naipaul 72. THE DOOR INTO SUMMER by Robert Heinlein
73. THE DAY OF THE LOCUST by Nathanael West 73. ZEN AND THE ART OF MOTORCYCLE MAINTENANCE by Robert Pirsig
74. A FAREWELL TO ARMS by Ernest Hemingway 74. I, CLAUDIUS by Robert Graves
75. SCOOP by Evelyn Waugh 75. THE CALL OF THE WILD by Jack London
76. THE PRIME OF MISS JEAN BRODIE by Muriel Spark 76. AT SWIM-TWO-BIRDS by Flann O'Brien
77. FINNEGANS WAKE by James Joyce 77. FARENHEIT 451 by Ray Bradbury
78. KIM by Rudyard Kipling 78. ARROWSMITH by Sinclair Lewis
79. A ROOM WITH A VIEW by E.M. Forster 79. WATERSHIP DOWN by Richard Adams
80. BRIDESHEAD REVISITED by Evelyn Waugh 80. NAKED LUNCH by William S. Burroughs
81. THE ADVENTURES OF AUGIE MARCH by Saul Bellow 81. THE HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER by Tom Clancy
82. ANGLE OF REPOSE by Wallace Stegner 82. GUILTY PLEASURES by Laurell K. Hamilton
83. A BEND IN THE RIVER by V.S. Naipaul 83. THE PUPPET MASTERS by Robert Heinlein
84. THE DEATH OF THE HEART by Elizabeth Bowen 84. IT by Stephen King
85. LORD JIM by Joseph Conrad 85. V. by Thomas Pynchon
86. RAGTIME by E.L. Doctorow 86. DOUBLE STAR by Robert Heinlein
87. THE OLD WIVES' TALE by Arnold Bennett 87. CITIZEN OF THE GALAXY by Robert Heinlein
88. THE CALL OF THE WILD by Jack London 88. BRIDESHEAD REVISITED by Evelyn Waugh
89. LOVING by Henry Green 89. LIGHT IN AUGUST by William Faulkner
90. MIDNIGHT'S CHILDREN by Salman Rushdie 90. ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST by Ken Kesey
91. TOBACCO ROAD by Erskine Caldwell 91. A FAREWELL TO ARMS by Ernest Hemingway
92. IRONWEED by William Kennedy 92. THE SHELTERING SKY by Paul Bowles
93. THE MAGUS by John Fowles 93. SOMETIMES A GREAT NOTION by Ken Kesey
94. WIDE SARGASSO SEA by Jean Rhys 94. MY ANTONIA by Willa Cather
95. UNDER THE NET by Iris Murdoch 95. MULENGRO by Charles de Lint
96. SOPHIE'S CHOICE by William Styron 96. SUTTREE by Cormac McCarthy
97. THE SHELTERING SKY by Paul Bowles 97. MYTHAGO WOOD by Robert Holdstock
98. THE POSTMAN ALWAYS RINGS TWICE by James M. Cain 98. ILLUSIONS by Richard Bach
99. THE GINGER MAN by J.P. Donleavy 99. THE CUNNING MAN by Robertson Davies
100. THE MAGNIFICENT AMBERSONS by Booth Tarkington 100. THE SATANIC VERSES by Salman Rushdie
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Comment by Joy
I didn't think much of Atlas Shrugged, though.
Comment by Johanna
PCOS Mum
Comment by Bryn
Horrorphile
Secondly, how originated this list??
Thirdly, it seems highly biased towards so-called "classic" literature ... and doesn't really include much highly lauded works from the past, say 20 years ...
I've read numerous books in the list, but I would righteously champion many others which I feel should have been included in this so-called "Best of"
Comment by Damo
Also there seems to be two lists here. Where did they come from?
Butfrom this I have read:
ILLUSIONS by Richard Bach - great book
THE HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER by Tom Clancy - terrible
FARENHEIT 451 by Ray Bradbury - very good
THE HITCHHIKER'S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY by Douglas Adams - brilliantly funny
LORD OF THE FLIES by William Golding - one of my favorite books of all time
SLAUGHTERHOUSE FIVE by Kurt Vonnegut - very good
ANIMAL FARM by George Orwell - absolute classic
DUNE by Frank Herbert - almost excellent
1984 by George Orwell - depressing but brilliant
CATCH-22 by Joseph Heller - still laughing and excellent
BRAVE NEW WORLD by Aldous Huxley - dark but brilliant
TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD by Harper Lee - excellent
I can't believe L.Ron Hubbard is on the list 3 times and Dostoyevsky's Crime and Punishment is not. For that matter what about Don Quixote by Cervantes.
Comment by K.L. Almeroth
Motherhood
I'm a fanatical Dean Koontz fan, so I'm disappointed he's not on it...I really liken him to a modern Charles Dickens...I think Dickens should be on the list, too...
Then you've got me started on romance writers...they are highly underated, considering their books sell into the 300 million stakes, and are amongst the highest sellers and have the highest readerships...so then you'd have to add Nora Roberts, Sandra Brown, Judith McNaught...but if this is your personal list, I applaud it. Would love to do one of my own, even just for personal reasons (or for the romance readers out there!). You've inspired me to look at my own favourites.
Comment by Bhumika
Political Minds
Comment by KylieW
Celebrity Obsession
Comment by Bryn
Horrorphile
1. One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
2. House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski
3. In the Cut by Susanna Moore
4. Glamorama by Brett Easton Ellis
5. Altered Carbon by Richard Morgan
6. The Sound of Waves by Yukio Mishima
7. Carrie by Stephen King
8. Neuromancer by William Gibson
9. White Noise by Tom DiCillo
10. Magic by William Goldman
11. Crash by J. G. Ballard
12. The Stars My Destination by Alfred Bester
13. The Club of Angels by Luis Fernando Verissimo
14. Electroboy by Andy Behrman
15. Solaris by Stanislaw Lem
16. Perfume by Peter Suskind
17. I am Legend by Richard Matheson
18. Dracula by Bram Stoker
19. The Dice Man by Luke Rhinehart
20. Movern Callar by Alan Warner
21. Jitterbug Perfume by Tom Robbins
22. The Painted Bird by Jerzy Kosinski
23. The Time Machine by H.G. Wells
24. Once ... by James Herbert
25. Bone in the Throat by Anthony Bourdain
26. A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole
27. Bodies by Jed Mercurio
28. Needle in the Groove by Jeff Noon
29. The Brass Dragon by Marion Zimmer Bradley
30. Comet in Moominland by Tove Jannson
(I resisted listing the few odd ones I love that feature in the Juan Carlos posted list, such as Deliverance and One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest and I resisted listing more than one title by an author, even though I love several novels by Kosinski and Easton Ellis and King)
Comment by nagster
Cenacle
As for the others, I have read some like The House of Mirth which are my favorites too.
Comment by Luke
Old Movies
Cane Toad Warrior
More Kurt Vonnegut should've been on there!
Comment by Espie
Gifted Parenting
Freelance For Life
Comment by nagster
Cenacle
Comment by Adrienne
Comment by Little Angry Doll
Falling Haiku Leaf
Inner West Life
House Board List / Reader’s List!
That’s why you have books appear more than once.
http://www.randomhouse.com/
modernlibrary/100bestnovels.html
Can I count the ones mentions twice
as read twice. No?
With out the twice mentioned, I've read 21. Too few without LRON
And yes, What the Hell is it with LRON?
Mine:-
Ulysses - "One does not read Ulysses One uses
Ulysses
The Great Gatsby
Portrait Of The Artist As A Young Man
Brave New World
To Kill A Mocking Brid
I, Clavdivs
Catch 22
Dune
Gone With The Wind
Lord Of The Flies
The Wings Of The Dove
Animal Farm
As I Lay Dying
Heart Of Darkness
The Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy
The Handmaid’s Tale
On The Road
The Catcher In The Rye
A Clockwork Orange – (well, most of it)
A Room With A View
Wide Sargasso Sea
Comment by Morgan Bell
Science News
Deep Pencil
Business News
Movie Train
Artist Quirk
other classic books ive enjoyed that might be worth a mention include:
Oscar Wilde "Dorian Gray"
Jane Austin "Pride & Prejudice"
Virginia Woolf "Mrs Dalloway"
Angela Carter "The Passion Of New Eve"
Lewis Carrol "Alices Adventures In Wonderland"
Charlotte Bronte "Jane Eyre"
im reading DBC Pierres "Vernon God Little" at the moment, its taking me a while but it looks like a winner so far