1001 Books to Read Before You Die

There is a list of books on this site that are suggest for every person to read before they die. I know I will never read them all and frankly, some of them look like crap. But I’d like to hear any thought on these. Which ones have you read? Did you like them? Are there others you suggest? I’d like to hear any commentary or conversation on the matter.

Here’s my commentary on the list:

1. The Hours–well, actually, I started reading and never got past the first chapter and I own the book. I guess that doesn’t count as having read it.
2. Seen the movie to Underworld–does that count?
3. Seen Trainspotting–again, does that count?
4. The Virgin Suicides–my husband read this so I’m counting it since we are “One”. Haha.
5. I own the movie Remains of the Day–I suppose that doesn’t count since I haven’t even seen the movie.
6. Seen The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy and loved it.
7. Seen Interview With the Vampire. Sheesh, I haven’t even read THAT one.
8. Seen Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. Don’t care to read the book.
9. FINALLY–I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. Great book that I own.
10. Seen A Clockwork Orange…wonder if the book is as weird as the movie.
11. To Kill a Mockingbird–I’ve always wanted to read this and I finally bought the book for cheap at Walmart last week. I love the movie but heard the book was much better.
12. Rabbit, Run–checked this out from the library last year but didn’t have time to read it at the time.
13. Breakfast at Tiffany’s–own the book via my husband. He read it and it’s apparently way more risque than the movie.
14. Things Fall Apart–I was supposed to read this in AP English but somehow I got away without having to. We do own it though and it’s one of my husband’s favorites. Maybe he should be making this list…
15. Lord of the Rings–again, we own the set via my husband. He loves them. I have not tackled them but, you guessed it, I loved the movies.
16. Lolita–we own this too. Husband says he never knew what his fascination was with this story due to its content, but he loves it because it is VERY well-written.
17. YAY! Lord of the Flies!!! I DID read that one. Strange but interesting.
18. Wise Blood–I posted on this awhile back. Never read the book but the movie was WEIRD.
19. I, Robot–seen movie. Can you see a pattern here?
20. Nineteen Eighty-Four–read part of it. We moved before I could finish and now it’s packed away in boxes in our storage. It’s great so far and I often use references to it to describe the modern world.
21. Of Mice and Men–read it! Loved it!
22. Brave New World–I started this one too but got bored with all the scientific detail in the beginning. I hope to tackle it someday.
23. The Sound and the Fury–I own this but have never read it.
24. Lady Chatterley’s Lover–again, own it but never read it.
25. The Sun Also Rises (Hemingway)–own it, never read it.
26. The Castle (Kafka)–own it, never read it.
27. Billy Budd–HORRIBLE. I hate Mellville.
28. Heart of Darkness (Joseph Conrad)–good.
29. The Hound of the Baskervilles (Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)–good, from what I can remember back in 9th grade.
30. The Awakening (Chopin)–pretty good. Now, we’re getting into my era.
31. The Invisible Man–good but creepy.
32. Dracula (Bram Stoker)–don’t think I ever read it, but I own it and have seen the movie.
33. The Picture of Dorian Gray (Wilde)–own it, never read.
34. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn–read it a LONG time ago.
35. Little Women–love it but it’s been SO long. I have the book and need to read again. Love the movie also.
36. Great Expectations–depressing. And the movie was nothing like the book.
37. Villette (C. Bronte)–own it, never read.
38. Moby-Dick–somehow I avoided reading this three times. Being an English major, it was required for several of my classes. I hated the book and never finished–like I said earlier, I despise Mellville. Thank God for Sparknotes!
39. The Scarlet Letter–depressing but in a good way. Don’t watch the movie with Demi Moore because it’s crap.
40. Wuthering Heights (E. Bronte)–Love, love, love it! One of my all-time favorites.
41. Jane Eyre (C. Bronte)–love this one also. The Bronte sisters really know how to write a hopelessly romantic novel.
42. The Fall of the House of Usher–Love Poe. This one was awesome.
43. The Last of the Mohicans–Does it count if the movie is a favorite and if I own the book? Read parts of it.
44. Frankenstein–AWESOME.
45. Northanger Abbey (Austen)–Own it, plan on reading it in the future.
46. Persuasion (Austen)–Own it, plan on reading it in the future.
47. Emma (Austen)–Own it, plan on reading it in the future. LOVED the movie with Gwyneth Paltrow.
48. Mansfield Park (Austen)–Own it, plan on reading it in the future. Really liked the movie with Jonny Lee Miller.
49. Pride and Prejudice (Austen)–Own it, read it in high school, plan on reading it again.
50. Sense and Sensibility (Austen)–Own it, plan on reading it in the future. Loved and own the movie with Emma Thompson, Hugh Grant, Alan Rickman, and Kate Winslet.
51. A Modest Proposal (Swift)–Weird.
52. Gulliver’s Travels (Swift)–Also weird.
53. Oroonoko (Aphra Behn)–Don’t remember much about it but I had to write a report on it in college. I think it was about slaves in South America but I could be way off.
54. Don Quixote–Another I don’t remember well…required reading.

What I don’t understand is why Fahrenheit 451 (Bradbury) and East of Eden (Steinbeck) didn’t make the cut. As you can see, I watch way too many movies and don’t read enough. I am so unfamiliar with contemporary books (1900s and up). But I did just join the Literary Guild online bookclub, so maybe I’ll get some culture in.