mrv3000 | Because I'm a lemming.

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Because I'm a lemming.

Why am I saying "Holy cats!" all the time now? Who's been saying this? Why am I copying you? Well, at least it's better than

josephides's "Dude!" obsession lately.

I've read the bold. A lot of what isn't in bold I've seen as a movie. But I suppose that doesn't count, does it?

1984, George Orwell
The Alchemist, Paulo Coelho
Alice's Adventures In Wonderland, Lewis Carroll
Animal Farm, George Orwell
Anna Karenina, Leo Tolstoy
Anne Of Green Gables, LM Montgomery
Artemis Fowl, Eoin Colfer
The BFG, Roald Dahl
Birdsong, Sebastian Faulks
Black Beauty, Anna Sewell
Bleak House, Charles Dickens
Brave New World, Aldous Huxley
Brideshead Revisited, Evelyn Waugh
Bridget Jones's Diary, Helen Fielding
Captain Corelli's Mandolin, Louis de Bernieres
Catch 22, Joseph Heller
The Catcher In The Rye, JD Salinger
Charlie And The Chocolate Factory, Roald Dahl
A Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens
The Clan Of The Cave Bear, Jean M Auel
Cold Comfort Farm, Stella Gibbons
The Colour Of Magic, Terry Pratchett
The Count Of Monte Cristo, Alexandre Dumas
Crime And Punishment, Fyodor Dostoyevsky
David Copperfield, Charles Dickens
Double Act, Jacqueline Wilson
Dune, Frank Herbert
Emma, Jane Austen
Far From The Madding Crowd, Thomas Hardy
Girls In Love, Jacqueline Wilson
The God Of Small Things, Arundhati Roy
The Godfather, Mario Puzo
Gone With The Wind, Margaret Mitchell
Good Omens, Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman
Goodnight Mister Tom, Michelle Magorian
Gormenghast, Mervyn Peake
The Grapes Of Wrath, John Steinbeck
Great Expectations, Charles Dickens
The Great Gatsby, F Scott Fitzgerald
Guards! Guards!, Terry Pratchett
Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets, JK Rowling
Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire, JK Rowling
Harry Potter And The Philosopher's Stone, JK Rowling
Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban, JK Rowling
His Dark Materials, Philip Pullman
The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy, Douglas Adams
The Hobbit, JRR Tolkien
Holes, Louis Sachar
I Capture The Castle, Dodie Smith
Jane Eyre, Charlotte Bronte
Kane And Abel, Jeffrey Archer
Katherine, Anya Seton
The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe, CS Lewis
Little Women, Louisa May Alcott
Lord Of The Flies, William Golding
The Lord Of The Rings, JRR Tolkien
Love In The Time Of Cholera, Gabriel Garcia Marquez
The Magic Faraway Tree, Enid Blyton
Magician, Raymond E Feist
The Magus, John Fowles
Matilda, Roald Dahl
Memoirs Of A Geisha, Arthur Golden
Middlemarch, George Eliot
Midnight's Children, Salman Rushdie
Mort, Terry Pratchett
Night Watch, Terry Pratchett
Noughts And Crosses, Malorie Blackman
Of Mice And Men, John Steinbeck
On The Road, Jack Kerouac
One Hundred Years Of Solitude, Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Perfume, Patrick Suskind
Persuasion, Jane Austen
The Pillars Of The Earth, Ken Follett
A Prayer For Owen Meany, John Irving
Pride And Prejudice, Jane Austen
The Princess Diaries, Meg Cabot
The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists, Robert Tressell
Rebecca, Daphne Du Maurier
The Secret Garden, Frances Hodgson Burnett
The Secret History, Donna Tartt
The Shell Seekers, Rosamunde Pilcher
The Stand, Stephen King
The Story Of Tracy Beaker, Jacqueline Wilson
A Suitable Boy, Vikram Seth
Swallows And Amazons, Arthur Ransome
A Tale Of Two Cities, Charles Dickens
Tess Of The D'urbervilles, Thomas Hardy
The Thorn Birds, Colleen McCollough
To Kill A Mockingbird, Harper Lee
A Town Like Alice, Nevil Shute
Treasure Island, Robert Louis Stevenson
The Twits, Roald Dahl
Ulysses, James Joyce
Vicky Angel, Jacqueline Wilson
War And Peace, Leo Tolstoy
Watership Down, Richard Adams
The Wind In The Willows, Kenneth Grahame
Winnie-the-Pooh, AA Milne
The Woman In White, Wilkie Collins
Wuthering Heights, Emily Bronte

Holy cats!

Was this a "classic" list of books? Or a "must read" list of books? I've never read Harry Potter. I understand they're great books, but will they be "classics"? (Be honest.) Will people be writing 15 page reviews on them in their high school Novels class years from now?

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Dude, I totally had to question what sort of list it was too. So much Pratchett! it's great stuff, but it's not exactly the sort of book most people read for class in school (which a large number of the books on the list seem to be)

Uhm, Actually I can see people writing 15 pages on Harry Potter in the future. The book was better and far more enjoyable than some of the 'classic' crap I had to read in Highschool. Witness Ethan Frome, Of Mice and Men and Lord of the Flies.

even if you dont like the hype or fantasy or whatever, JK does do some very nice things in her books.*shrug*

Dude, what's the matter with dude? It's not like my inability to stop saying "groovy" or "excellent" (Though, I tr not to say it like Mr. Burns).

So much Pratchett!

Have never read a single Pratchett (that I'm aware of.)

Uhm, Actually I can see people writing 15 pages on Harry Potter in the future.

Hmm. People keep bugging me to read them. I might have to. I just keep seeing them as "kids books."

Witness Ethan Frome, Of Mice and Men and Lord of the Flies.

Wrote the 15 page reviews of Lord of the Flies and Of Mice and Men. And some others not on this list (like some of Chaim Potok's and others I've forgotton.) Ethan Frome - *shudder*

Dude!

Actually, I do say "dude" in RL. What can I say? I live in So. Cal.

"excellent" (Though, I tr not to say it like Mr. Burns).

Heh. I'm always *trying* to say it like Mr. Burns.

Have never read a single Pratchett (that I'm aware of.)

You've never read anything by Terry Pratchett? You don't know what you're missing out on. It can be hysterical!

I just keep seeing them as "kids books."

They're *supposed* to have a lot in them for adults. So far, I have not been drawn - there's too much other stuff on my reading list. Right now I have 7 books sitting on my shelf at home waiting to be read.

Wrote the 15 page reviews of Lord of the Flies and Of Mice and Men.

Been there, done that. Did "Tess of the d'Urbervilles" as well as "To Kill a Mockingbird".

According to the BBC page from whence the list originated, it's culled from nominations for Britain's "best loved novel".

http://www.bbc.co.uk/arts/bigread/

You've never read anything by Terry Pratchett? You don't know what you're missing out on. It can be hysterical!

seriously. read one. Read one of the Death books. Death is my Fav. Discworld Character.

I just keep seeing them as "kids books."

They're *supposed* to have a lot in them for adults. So far, I have not been drawn - there's too much other stuff on my reading list. Right now I have 7 books sitting on my shelf at home waiting to be read.

They do have a lot in them for adults, and they get progressively darker as the series continues. The first book reminded me of Roald Dahl and the second book isn't the greatest, but I *loved* the third book and the 4th was really awsome and was very serious in terms of drama (the good kind)
*shrugs* I dunno maybe I wanted to be sucked into the plot but I was caught by the twists and turns in the story and I hadn't been surprised by a plotline in *anything* since I was much younger.

heh I have 2 books I need to read sitting on my shelf since christmas: Ender's Game and Mr. Midshipman Hornblower.

Wrote the 15 page reviews of Lord of the Flies and Of Mice and Men.
*shudder* I didn't have to write more than a few pages on them in 10th grade. I'm glad it wasn't 15. evil, evil, mind numbing things.

Read one of the Death books. Death is my Fav. Discworld Character.

I seem to have some sort of an association with Rincewind for some reason, even though I like Death too. I also really like Carrot. But if you're going to start, the best place to start is with The Colour of Magic.

Ender's Game and Mr. Midshipman Hornblower.

Ender's Game is an *AWESOME* book. Orson Scott Card is one of my favourite authors. You definitely need to read it!

As for Mr. Midshipman Hornblower, it's been so long since I read it I've forgotten what it was like. Did love the A&E adaptations though - have them all on DVD!

::donning official librarian garb::

Will they be "classics"?

The question has been raised...oh, screw the official pompousity...the fast answer is "yes".

I've read all of the books multiple times. They're clever and engaging. I believe they have stuff for all ages in them. They draw you in and make you feel like you're experiencing what's happening. Whenever I finish one, I'm unfortunately reminded of the fact that I was just reading, that the world I was just in isn't real. A pity. I'd really like it to be real...

So Read Them. You won't be sorry. And if you are, I'll eat the Sorting Hat.

Ooooooh. It's the BBC thing, huh? Was just going to ask the same thing over on Ness' journal.

Far funnier is the list compiled of the worst books ever written.

http://enjoyment.independent.co.uk/books/features/story.jsp?story=404252

I think parts of the Bible are in there, Harry Potter, Lotr gets trashed. But it's all good. Especially when you've read a classic or just the book everyone else is talking about and think nothing of it.

Liv x

Yes they are classics.

As for HP...I think they are already children's classics but I don't see them being read in school due to all the issues surrounding the kids being wizards. I think the 4th book is genius.

According to the BBC page from whence the list originated, it's culled from nominations for Britain's "best loved novel".

Ohhhh, that makes *much* more sense. Jeez.

*goes to add that link to blog*

*bangs head on desk* Oh man. Don't get me started on the HP book bans. "Occult influences" my ass!

Ahem. Sorry. :)

My first Pratchett book was ~~Faust~~Eric. it was slightly confusing since I didnt know Rincewind or The Luggage, but I got the hang of things after a chapter or so.

Everyone (well, everyone being people who actually read books for FUN and whose opinion I value, hehe) has said "READ ENDER'S GAME!"

So my sister, being the smart and lovely girl that she is, grabbed a copy of the book for me this past christmas (she rocks) haven't sat down and read it yet though :P Stupid school.

Do you or have you read the Honor Harrington series by David Weber? (military scifi, aw yeah) Weber's stories are supposed to be somewhat modeled after and inspiried by the Hornblower series (which is also supposed to be fairly decent) so I picked up the first (er the book where he's youngest, apparently they were published in a different order?)
Still have to read that too :P Hmm I saw the A&E dvd adaptaions at media play the other day (was considering getting the SG-1 season 1, or 2 or holding out for 4 or just getting the region 2 dvds from the UK) Might have to rent them if they are availible.

I decided not to get worked up about it. I was in New Mexico New Years before last and there was a big HP book burning throughout Ruidoso and Roswell. The funny thing is...they had to BUY the books in order to burn them. Therefore Scholastic still made some money. :)

Can't remember my first Pratchett book - pretty sure that I was told to start at the beginning, so I did. It made more sense that way, as well as ensuring that you get the whole Diskworld thing understood.

OSC has actually turned Ender's Game into a series of books. I wasn't as crazy about the three that followed Ender's Game, but he has written a couple more recently set at the same time which seemed to work out better. It's *definitely* worth reading though.

I've seen the Honor Harrington series every time I go into a book shop, and wondered many times about buying them. Problem is that I don't like jumping into the middle of a series, and the early books are almost impossible to get. So I've been in two minds about it. Should I add another addiction to my reading?

As for the Hornblower books, definitely published in a different order. It's very confusing in some ways. I think the first book was "Flying Colours" or something, where Hornblower is a captain.

The A&E series is very good, although it does go in a different order than the book, and does change things very slightly. Recommended for rental none the less! :)

they had to BUY the books in order to burn them.
*cackles* that part always amuses me to no end.

There's a first book in the discworld series? wow. I looked but could never figure out which one it was. I sort of stumbled onto the series by myself in middle school, and they were really hard to find then. by now I've probably read it though *snerk*

I was in New Orleans over new years and my hotel roomates all saw ender's game in my backback (still unread as I was finishing the most recent weber book) and they all pulled out the most recent in the ender's series and told me to read enders game (again!)

The Honor series is quite Loffly. It begins with On Basalisk Station in which Honor is Captain of the HMS Fearless. The books are very different from others I have read and there are a lot of characters with lots of ranks. It's also very different from Starwars or Star Trek in that fleet engagements are very much like current (and historical) naval battles on the high seas. It's worth reading the first just for that since it's so different from most popular depictions of space battles.

They have been releaseng the earlier books in the series recently. Uhm I grabbed a hardcover version of the first book for the price of a nomal book (promotional think Baen was doing- they're going through the whole series with it I think) And Amazon.com/Barnes&Noble.com always has them. I might be wrong but I think they might have even done another printing recently.

(On a somewhat related note, I've found Trek fanfics which try to approximate Weber's writing style and FAIL miserable, producing astounding Mary Sues of epic proportions (the MISTed versions are classic!) it's amusing since I know what they're trying to copy. ah well.)

Yea, the first book in the Discworld series is The Colour of Magic, which I'm sure that you have read by now.

I found HH1 on Amazon.com so I've placed it in my shopping cart. Turns out that it is an August 2002 reprint, so they must be starting to run through the books again, which is good. I'll definitely be ordering it at some point in the not too distant future.

I saw in your Matrix Reloaded post that you liked the Mech thing. Have you ever checked out any Battletech books? A lot of them are very so-so, but the stuff by Michael Stackpole, he's written for the Star Wars universe also, is very good. His first books are now out of print, but it looks like his second trilogy, for which you don't actually need the first, is available - Lethal Heritage, Blood Legacy, and Lost Destiny.

While other authors wrote books in the universe, Michael Stackpole wrote the core books of the history for the RPG, and so he pretty much drives the story line in the Battletech universe. He's also a really good author - I've read some of his fantasy stuff in universes he developed, rather than those other people developed and he just writes for.

Hmm battletech. I've seen those about every time I walk into my Local B&N. They were with the other game based books so I never paid attention to them since I didn't play the game. Perhaps i'll have to chek them out. Mechs are cool :) and I think I've heard his name recc'd to me or other before.

colour of magic! ok yeah I did end up reading that one :)

I haven't played the game either - well I *have* played the computer games, but not the RPG or whatever it is. The books are good though. Some romance, politics, good battle scenes. It all depends on what you like. But give Lethal Heritage a whirl and see what you think - if they have it in stock! But BN is usually pretty good for SciFi.

Yeah. I usually ignore it. but I'm doing my grad school work on religious expression and public education, and sometimes I get a little too immersed in it all :)

Wow! Very cool subject!

My sister lived in a small town in Texas and wanted my nephew to read the HP books but she doesn't want the school or parents to know because its too much drama.

You've never read anything by Terry Pratchett? You don't know what you're missing out on. It can be hysterical!

Another thing to add to the list. :)

So far, I have not been drawn - there's too much other stuff on my reading list. Right now I have 7 books sitting on my shelf at home waiting to be read.

Yeah, and I read even less nowadays. For some strange reason I'm spending my free time on the internet. Hmm. My next book in line is that John Adams biography which I've started but haven't really gotten into yet.

Been there, done that. Did "Tess of the d'Urbervilles" as well as "To Kill a Mockingbird".

Oh yeah. Did To Kill a Mockingbird too. I was one of those nuts who *chose* to take a novels class in high school. *g*

Hahaha! Worms! {tries to read teeny tiny print on web page, gives up and goes back to looking at the worms}

Oh, I see. People sent in nominations.

seriously. read one. Read one of the Death books. Death is my Fav. Discworld Character.

I'm a little confused. Just how many books are connected to Discworld? Is there an order to them?

but I was caught by the twists and turns in the story and I hadn't been surprised by a plotline in *anything* since I was much younger.

Ooo - that's a *very* good thing. Love that in a story - when it really does take you by surprise. Of course, my favorite things to read in high school were Agatha Christy novels. :)

I'm a little confused. Just how many books are connected to Discworld? Is there an order to them?

Uhh, lots? There are a whole bunch of different 'plotlines' about different areas of the discworld and some one-shots and stuff all in a single universe and the charaters cross over and things. So Death pops up a bunch and there are some stories focused on him, and then there are a bunch of stories about the wizards and then some about a group of witches and uh some about the City Guard (the police basically) and uhm stuff. they're funny.
I mean the planet is a Disk, held up by 4 elephants on the back of a Giant space turtle *shrugs* :)

Another thing to add to the list. :)

It's a worthwhile thing though!

Yeah, and I read even less nowadays. For some strange reason I'm spending my free time on the internet.

Um ... I may well be the kettle in this comparisom!

My next book in line is that John Adams biography which I've started but haven't really gotten into yet.

Non-fic? Find it hard to get into that at times.

Oh yeah. Did To Kill a Mockingbird too.

Or as we called it, remember I was in the 10th grade at the time, Tequila Mockingbird ... {groan}

I was one of those nuts who *chose* to take a novels class in high school.

I didn't have a choice. We studied one novel each half semester from the 7th grade through the 12th. That's the Australian schooling system for you!

::donning official librarian garb::

Ooo.

The question has been raised...oh, screw the official pompousity...the fast answer is "yes".

Heh heh.

They draw you in and make you feel like you're experiencing what's happening.

*Love* that!

So Read Them. You won't be sorry. And if you are, I'll eat the Sorting Hat.

Well I know what that is - I saw the first movie. :) Actually (based on watching the movie) it looks like the concept is very imaginative. (Yes, movies are never half as good as the books.) I sense Potter in my future. *g*

Far funnier is the list compiled of the worst books ever written.

Wow - they don't pull any punches, do they? Heh heh. I can't believe someone bothered to trash Photoshop for Dummies. That kills me! :)

I think they are already children's classics but I don't see them being read in school due to all the issues surrounding the kids being wizards.

Weirdness.

I think the 4th book is genius.

Really! Wow!

*goes to add that link to blog*

Follow link to worms! :)

I was in New Mexico New Years before last and there was a big HP book burning throughout Ruidoso and Roswell.

*shakes head and fails to understand some people*

Thankfully, very cute worms. :)

Ahem. Sorry. :)

Well, it's a very head banging thing. I just don't get it. Actually, a friend of mine from way back happens to be a pretty devout Christian. We still email every once in a while. She's *totally* into Harry Potter and is the one who's always trying to get me to read it. I guess it takes all kinds.

Non-fic? Find it hard to get into that at times.

Yeah. I have to be in the mood for it. Mainly when I'm in "History Channel" mode.

Or as we called it, remember I was in the 10th grade at the time, Tequila Mockingbird ... {groan}

Ah teenagerdom. Heh.

*giggles and tries to pet the worms*

Dude.

Yeah. I have to be in the mood for it. Mainly when I'm in "History Channel" mode.

Ah yes, I know that feeling on occasion - although these days I seem to be more in "sitting in front of my laptop playing on LJ or trying to write fic" mode. Not sure if that's good or bad.

Holy cats! (Seriously - why am I saying this?)

Ah yes, I know that feeling on occasion - although these days I seem to be more in "sitting in front of my laptop playing on LJ or trying to write fic" mode. Not sure if that's good or bad.

Ummmm...good! :)

Doesn't Robin say it? You know 'Holy Cats Batman!'

No?

Oh yes. I was so emotionally involved in the last 100 pages.

Actually, they did a remarkably good job on the movies. They're very close to the books. Mainly they've omitted lots (had to, for the time element) and changed very little.

Erm...could be. But there's no way that's where I heard it from. Oh well.

That's what I've heard - that fans of the books were pretty pleased with the movies. That's always a good thing.

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