Margalit's reading challange
Now, this list of the new classics comes from Entertainmant Weekly, so I admit that I'm a bit dubious as to the content in some of these books. However, in perusing the list to see what I'd already read, I saw that they had chosen some of my favorites that I would indeed include as "new classics" so what the heck. I'll try it. I can read 6 books in 3 weeks (or days) so how hard could this be?
Joanna came up with this challenge. I found it on Jendeis' blog.
The challenge rules are:
1) Copy the list and bold the titles that you have already read.
2) Choose at least 6 other books from the list , read and review them between 1 August 2008 and 31 January 2009.
2) Come back here and post links to your reviews.
3) In January 2009, cast your vote for which one of the 100 books on the list is your favorite (and write a post on why). The winning book will be sent to a lucky winner chosen by the scientific method favored here in the blogosphere, i.e. names in a hat. Other contests are very probable too, I have some ideas, but they need planning.
4) Have fun! :-)
from EW.com
1. The Road , Cormac McCarthy (2006)
2. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, J.K. Rowling (2000)
3. Beloved, Toni Morrison (1987)
4. The Liars' Club, Mary Karr (1995)
5. American Pastoral, Philip Roth (1997)
6. Mystic River, Dennis Lehane (2001)
7. Maus, Art Spiegelman (1986/1991)
8. Selected Stories, Alice Munro (1996)
9. Cold Mountain, Charles Frazier (1997)
10. The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, Haruki Murakami (1997)
11. Into Thin Air, Jon Krakauer (1997)
12. Blindness, José Saramago (1998)
13. Watchmen, Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons (1986-87)
14. Black Water, Joyce Carol Oates (1992)
15. A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius, Dave Eggers (2000)
16. The Handmaid's Tale, Margaret Atwood (1986)
17. Love in the Time of Cholera, Gabriel García Márquez (1988)
18. Rabbit at Rest, John Updike (1990)
19. On Beauty, Zadie Smith (2005)
20. Bridget Jones's Diary, Helen Fielding (1998)
21. On Writing, Stephen King (2000)
22. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, Junot Díaz (2007)
23. The Ghost Road, Pat Barker (1996)
24. Lonesome Dove, Larry McMurtry (1985)
25. The Joy Luck Club, Amy Tan (1989)
26. Neuromancer, William Gibson (1984)
27. Possession, A.S. Byatt (1990)
28. Naked, David Sedaris (1997)
29. Bel Canto, Anne Patchett (2001)
30. Case Histories, Kate Atkinson (2004)
31. The Things They Carried, Tim O'Brien (1990)
32. Parting the Waters, Taylor Branch (1988)
33. The Year of Magical Thinking, Joan Didion (2005)
34. The Lovely Bones, Alice Sebold (2002)
35. The Line of Beauty, Alan Hollinghurst (2004)
36. Angela's Ashes, Frank McCourt (1996)
37. Persepolis, Marjane Satrapi (2003)
38. Birds of America, Lorrie Moore (1998)
39. Interpreter of Maladies, Jhumpa Lahiri (2000)
40. His Dark Materials, Philip Pullman (1995-2000)
41. The House on Mango Street, Sandra Cisneros (1984)
42. LaBrava, Elmore Leonard (1983)
43. Borrowed Time, Paul Monette (1988)
44. Praying for Sheetrock, Melissa Fay Greene (1991)
45. Eva Luna, Isabel Allende (1988)
46. Sandman, Neil Gaiman (1988-1996)
47. World's Fair, E.L. Doctorow (1985)
48. The Poisonwood Bible, Barbara Kingsolver (1998)
49. Clockers, Richard Price (1992)
50. The Corrections, Jonathan Franzen (2001)
51. The Journalist and the Murderer, Janet Malcom (1990)
52. Waiting to Exhale, Terry McMillan (1992)
53. The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay, Michael Chabon (2000)
54. Jimmy Corrigan, Chris Ware (2000)
55. The Glass Castle, Jeannette Walls (2006)
56. The Night Manager, John le Carré (1993)
57. The Bonfire of the Vanities, Tom Wolfe (1987)
58. Drop City, TC Boyle (2003)
59. Krik? Krak! Edwidge Danticat (1995)
60. Nickel & Dimed, Barbara Ehrenreich (2001)
61. Money, Martin Amis (1985)
62. Last Train To Memphis, Peter Guralnick (1994)
63. Pastoralia, George Saunders (2000)
64. Underworld, Don DeLillo (1997)
65. The Giver, Lois Lowry (1993)
66. A Supposedly Fun Thing I’ll Never Do Again, David Foster Wallace (1997)
67. The Kite Runner, Khaled Hosseini (2003)
68. Fun Home, Alison Bechdel (2006)
69. Secret History, Donna Tartt (1992)
70. Cloud Atlas, David Mitchell (2004)
71. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down, Ann Fadiman (1997)
72. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, Mark Haddon (2003)
73. A Prayer for Owen Meany, John Irving (1989)
74. Friday Night Lights, H.G. Bissinger (1990)
75. Cathedral, Raymond Carver (1983)
76. A Sight for Sore Eyes, Ruth Rendell (1998)
77. The Remains of the Day, Kazuo Ishiguro (1989)
78. Eat, Pray, Love, Elizabeth Gilbert (2006)
79. The Tipping Point, Malcolm Gladwell (2000)
80. Bright Lights, Big City, Jay McInerney (1984)
81. Backlash, Susan Faludi (1991)
82. Atonement, Ian McEwan (2002)
83. The Stone Diaries, Carol Shields (1994)
84. Holes, Louis Sachar (1998)
85. Gilead, Marilynne Robinson (2004)
86. And the Band Played On, Randy Shilts (1987)
87. The Ruins, Scott Smith (2006)
88. High Fidelity, Nick Hornby (1995)
89. Close Range, Annie Proulx (1999)
90. Comfort Me With Apples, Ruth Reichl (2001)
91. Random Family, Adrian Nicole LeBlanc (2003)
92. Presumed Innocent, Scott Turow (1987)
93. A Thousand Acres, Jane Smiley (1991)
94. Fast Food Nation, Eric Schlosser (2001)
95. Kaaterskill Falls, Allegra Goodman (1998)
96. The Da Vinci Code, Dan Brown (2003)
97. Jesus’ Son, Denis Johnson (1992)
98. The Predators' Ball, Connie Bruck (1988)
99. Practical Magic, Alice Hoffman (1995)
100. America (the Book), Jon Stewart/Daily Show (2004)
Any suggestions amongst the titles I haven't yet read? I'm thinking that America by Jon Stewart will be at the top of my list. But I'm not sure what else is really good.
Labels: Blogging Buddies, books, contest
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8 Comments:
Sigh. I wish I had time to read books.
My favorite novel of all time is "Noble House" by James Clavell (it's part of his "Asian Saga" which includes the more-famous "Shogun"). It's an amazing, complex, deep read that absorbs you.
I loved the America book. I found it especially funny in the audiobook version, where Jon Stewart, the old cast of The Daily Show and some other funny people, narrate the book.
I loved Eat, Pray, Love - also an audibook; and liked The Tipping Point (audiobook), but prefer Gladwell's later book, Blink as an audiobook. (Noticing a pattern? Actually, I do read books on paper too. But it seems you've read all the ones that I'm reading or have on my to-be read list.
Wow. What a list! I'd like to join in, but I'd need to wait until I finish the two review books on my table. I also decided to reread the entire Harry Potter series; I'm in #5, the Order of the Phoenix.
Huh. I've read seven of them. What's more interesting to me is that I started reading about ten more of them, all on other people's recommendations, and never finished them because I just could not get into those books. Funny.
I would recommend His Dark Materials. It's a trilogy, but they are easy reads as they are intended for teens. Tons of adventure, great characters, and interesting philosophy. If you enjoy it, be sure to flip through some of the many commentaries; his work has been examined under a microscope.
Neuromancer would be a really different read for you, from what I can tell of your interests from this. Also, I'm pretty sure that Sandman (by Neil Gaiman) is actually his graphic novels, so that could be a fun experience. Enjoy!
Wow, that's quite a lot of those that you have read! Good for you!
From ones you haven't read, I'd definitely recommend His Dark Materials, by Philip Pullman. That's where they made the film, The Amber Spyglass from. I truly enjoyed the book, and I guess I'm just clueless, because the books caused quite a controversy and I saw no need for it at all.
But, anyway, very good read. You have to read all three in the series to really get it, but definitely worth it.
ICLW
I've seen quite a few of these lists - they all seem to have different books on them! Hmmm, I've read five of these books, not a good start is it!!?
An ICLW visitor!
Welcome to the challenge!
I can recommend Practical Magic and Cloud Atlas, I loved both of them!
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