Amazon 100 books to read in a lifetime

Not doing very well with this challenge. Read a chapter of Casino Royale and decided that I really do not want to read the rest of the book at all!

Most of those are great, and I've read 72 of them.

However, some of those 100 are dreadful reads, I wouldn't recommend them if they paid me. I hated some of the Narnia books, and The Pillars of the Earth needed a good edit. I gave up on War and Peace as there were just far too many characters to keep track of.

Pick and choose, definitely.

I thought quite a few of these books were terrible and I agree with HappyDays about the marketing-

I've read 33. Don't know why little women is on the list twice. Was tempted to work my way through the list but quite a few really don't appeal (hannibal lecter) and so many are kids books.

The wasp factory is one of my favorite books ever. Weird, funny and heartbreaking all at the same time. It introduced me to Iain Banks who I adore - I also love Complicity and The Crow Road.

You will read it completely differently the second time though

Go on then - I'm in. Have read 30 and currently part way through my 31st (The Great Gatsby).

I really loved, 'Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep.'

Boulevard, Foreskin's Lament is hilarious and touching. His later book, Hope: A Tragedy, is also great. Its about a neurotic Jewish New Yorker who discovers Anne Frank living in his attic, aged and claustrophobic and shoving crap into the air vents.

Seems to be a selling ploy. Otherwise why is Never Let Me Go on the list rather than Remains of The Day (Ishiguro)? Why TheMountains Echo in place of the Kite Runner? Etc. Why no Tolstoy? Why no Henry James? Of course recommendations include worthies but look closer at the recent choices which cost more and are not the best works of the author.

42. It's just one person's view of what should be read. There are books on there which don't interest me at all, and books which I think everyone should read but aren't on the list.

These lists are always so subjective.

I've read 33, and quite a few more are on my immediate tbr list.

Not taking the list too seriously though, because there are so many lists out there that claim to be the definitive ones that you should read everything from :o Just a bit of fun to tot up how many you have in common with the Amazon editor who compiled it.

I've read I've read 61 and have read some other books by some of the authors where I haven't read the one picked (e.g. East of Eden instead of Grapes of Wrath). I'm definitely up for trying to read more.

I'm currently visiting some of the classics that were listed in the BBCs list that I'd never gotten round to. Almost through Far From the Madding Crowd which I'm enjoying very much.

Not sure if I've looked at the correct list (used the link in the OP which took me to Amazon - not GoodReads?).

I've read about 17 of those listed and definitely want to read some more including Grapes of Wrath, The Book Thief and The Wasp Factory.

Am currently reading The Da Vinci Code which is brilliant so far though not listed in this top 100.

Remus Catch 22 is terrible for the first 100 pages and then it is very very funny. I tried about 5 times over the years until someone said this to me and it was so true.

it's a total Amazon marketing thing, Goodreads is part of Amazon and it's based on their average review rating.

Why are all the HPs listed separately but The Chronicles of Narnia boxset is just one entry? I've only read TLTW&TW, can I count it? Agree that not all those Gaimans need to be in there, and yes, where the hell is Wolf Hall??

I've definitely read 51 and I may have read some more but not 100% sure (obviously not very memorable!) but haven't seen anything on there that I want to read that I haven't already.

I can't believe I have never heard of Foreskin's Lament, which has to be a contender for best title ever. It does sound rather good, will add that and the 100 objects one to my wish list...

I've read about 48. On the whole, it's a good selection, though I could quibble with a few. Not sure why 100 objects on there - it's more like a catalogue than a proper narrative.

I liked Jane Eyre's cousins! Okay, the coincidence is a bit much, but I like the independent young women who were earing their own living.

I still think, though, that no self-respecting list can leave off 'Beloved', 'If This is a Man' or 'Foreskin's Lament'.

I found the list! It's MUCH better than the one I was looking at [numpty emoticon] and my score is now up to 45.

I've read half of them. Lots of the kids books are too recent for me to have read (although I've never read Goodnight Mr Tom) and of the adult books I've not read there a lot of recent authors I'm not so fussed about so don't care that I've read them. Is it really more important to have read High Fidelity (which I have read actually) than Jane Eyre?

There are apparently over 1200 Penguin Classics. I'd rather spend some time reading 100 of those grumpy today

50ish, plus there are another 16 authors who I have read, although not the titles on the list.

I loved Catch 22 too, although I read it a very long time ago!