I noticed quite a few titles in there that have been banned or challenged over the years.
So, does anyone have opinions about this list? Is it as crazy as the most important Americans list was. Or, can we better trust TIME critics to give us a valid list?
I’ve only read 15 of the titles. There are probably about 30 that I haven’t even heard of – I’m sorry to say. Before I decide to go out and start reading some of these, I’m curious if anyone has any opinions on them. Are there any must-reads that I shouldn’t miss?
I also have read embarassing few of the 100, but if the others are as good as the ones I have read, then I have a lot to look forward to.
I simply cannot believe the “Shogun” isn’t on the list. I also believe that “The Poisonwood Bible” should be on the list as well.
As the critics themselves say, “Lists like this one have two purposes. One is to instruct. The other of course is to enrage. We’re bracing ourselves for the e-mails that start out: ‘You moron! You pathetic bourgeoise insect! How could you have left off…(insert title here).'”
It seems to me that these lists often wind up being a big batch of some group’s personal favorites– often because at the time they read the book it was especially meaningful to them. No doubt “Catcher in the Rye” strongly influenced my outlook on life when I was 17, but I still wouldn’t consider it one of the best books I’ve ever read.
And sure, I enjoyed “Gone With the Wind” too, but I don’t think it holds a candle to “Shogun” or “The Poisonwood Bible” (They both popped into my head as glaringly absent when I first read the list). GWTW is way down my list, in fact, probably below CITR.
As with some of the others who’ve commented here, I haven’t read too many of these books, and I’ve never even heard of many of them, even though I’ve worked in libraries for over 12 years, and I’ve read hundreds (if not thousands) of books in my lifetime. So, unless I’ve totally missed the boat when it comes to picking good books, I think this is just another popularity contest of personal favorites, as opposed to actually, critically being the very best books written in the last 82 years.
The two critics who created this list claim that independently they each made a list and that 80 of the books were on both lists.
I noticed quite a few titles in there that have been banned or challenged over the years.
So, does anyone have opinions about this list? Is it as crazy as the most important Americans list was. Or, can we better trust TIME critics to give us a valid list?
I’ve only read 15 of the titles. There are probably about 30 that I haven’t even heard of – I’m sorry to say. Before I decide to go out and start reading some of these, I’m curious if anyone has any opinions on them. Are there any must-reads that I shouldn’t miss?
I also have read embarassing few of the 100, but if the others are as good as the ones I have read, then I have a lot to look forward to.
I simply cannot believe the “Shogun” isn’t on the list. I also believe that “The Poisonwood Bible” should be on the list as well.
As the critics themselves say, “Lists like this one have two purposes. One is to instruct. The other of course is to enrage. We’re bracing ourselves for the e-mails that start out: ‘You moron! You pathetic bourgeoise insect! How could you have left off…(insert title here).'”
It seems to me that these lists often wind up being a big batch of some group’s personal favorites– often because at the time they read the book it was especially meaningful to them. No doubt “Catcher in the Rye” strongly influenced my outlook on life when I was 17, but I still wouldn’t consider it one of the best books I’ve ever read.
And sure, I enjoyed “Gone With the Wind” too, but I don’t think it holds a candle to “Shogun” or “The Poisonwood Bible” (They both popped into my head as glaringly absent when I first read the list). GWTW is way down my list, in fact, probably below CITR.
As with some of the others who’ve commented here, I haven’t read too many of these books, and I’ve never even heard of many of them, even though I’ve worked in libraries for over 12 years, and I’ve read hundreds (if not thousands) of books in my lifetime. So, unless I’ve totally missed the boat when it comes to picking good books, I think this is just another popularity contest of personal favorites, as opposed to actually, critically being the very best books written in the last 82 years.
The two critics who created this list claim that independently they each made a list and that 80 of the books were on both lists.