The FBG Top 300 Books of All Time (fiction edition) | #2 The Stand by Stephen King | #1 The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien ... it's a wrap (1 Viewer)

[kupcho1]

Did you know that the real St. Ignatius sent a few (or major one) famous extant letters to an entity named Smyrna? The Church of Smyrna in Asia.

I did not know that. What's the major letter about?

FYI, Smyrna is a city in Turkey. I know this for reasons.

Smyrna

Smyrna is a territory ruled by turkey at the start of the game. It has a supply center and is a coastal province. At the beginning of the game it is occupied by an army. It is sometimes abbreviated as Smy. Ankara Constantinople Armenia Syria Eastern Mediterranean Aegean sea

diplomacy.fandom.com

 

[kupcho1]

meandering through reality and what may have been fiction and was a bit confusing in some bits, with way, way too many characters for me to keep up with

Shorten this up a bit, and you've got Pynchon's epitaph.

 

[kupcho1]

I did pickup a copy of the Pale King, but not sure if I'm going to start that one before Infinite Jest or not.

Please don't.

Read IJ first. Pale King was published posthumously from DFW's work-in-progress. We have know idea if the bits and pieces were put together in a manner he may have wanted. It probably wasn't. It's worth reading for completists, but it does not hold a candle to IJ. The major theme of the work is boredom.

 

[rockaction]

Did you know that the real St. Ignatius sent a few (or major one) famous extant letters to an entity named Smyrna? The Church of Smyrna in Asia.

I did not know that. What's the major letter about?

FYI, Smyrna is a city in Turkey. I know this for reasons.

Smyrna

Smyrna is a territory ruled by turkey at the start of the game. It has a supply center and is a coastal province. At the beginning of the game it is occupied by an army. It is sometimes abbreviated as Smy. Ankara Constantinople Armenia Syria Eastern Mediterranean Aegean sea

diplomacy.fandom.com

It’s about the virtue of orthodoxy, respect for hierarchical structures in the Church, the need for unity and harmony among fellow Catholics, and the meaning and desirability of martyrdom.

eta* oh yeah, and the argument against docetist heresy that Christ wasn’t part of humanity.

 

[rockaction]

Did you know that the real St. Ignatius sent a few (or major one) famous extant letters to an entity named Smyrna? The Church of Smyrna in Asia.

I did not know that. What's the major letter about?

FYI, Smyrna is a city in Turkey. I know this for reasons.

Smyrna

Smyrna is a territory ruled by turkey at the start of the game. It has a supply center and is a coastal province. At the beginning of the game it is occupied by an army. It is sometimes abbreviated as Smy. Ankara Constantinople Armenia Syria Eastern Mediterranean Aegean sea

diplomacy.fandom.com

That board game sat unused in our household for years. lol.

 

[rockaction]

I did pickup a copy of the Pale King, but not sure if I'm going to start that one before Infinite Jest or not.

Please don't.

Read IJ first. Pale King was published posthumously from DFW's work-in-progress. We have know idea if the bits and pieces were put together in a manner he may have wanted. It probably wasn't. It's worth reading for completists, but it does not hold a candle to IJ. The major theme of the work is boredom.

Seconded massively.

 

[TheBaylorKid]

I finished reading A Confederacy of Dunces last week. I bought it in paperback and actually almost got cold feet when the Amazon algorithm recommended I also buy Catch 22. As I mentioned when it came up in the list Catch 22 just didn't really land with me for whatever reason.

I ended up really enjoying the book, though, and actually ripped through it pretty quickly, reading it on my back porch after work. I'm surprised I enjoyed it as much as I did, because I can find novels with unlikeable characters off-putting, and Jones (Woah!) and to a lesser extent Darlene are really the only likeable characters to my eye. But it keeps your interest and it all comes together in a satisfying fashion in the end. And somehow Ignatius is still an engaging character despite being such an incompetent and obnoxious blowhard (although his long letters to Myrna can be a bit much at times).

I aim to tackle another high ranking book from the list soon, but haven't yet decided on which one.

I, too, just finished Confederacy of Dunces last week for the first time, and I pretty much in complete agreement here with all you typed!
I wasn't sure if it would be a slog or not, but it was a fast read, very good, humorous, irreverent and I'm disappointed it took me so long to read it. And I also loved Jones. There was one really long letter to Myrna that was a bit of a bore, but other than that, everything else was great.

I also read Crying of Lot 49 a month or so ago, and my memory is poor, but I'm pretty sure OH had a nice writeup about that one, which led me to pick it up. I enjoyed it as well, although not as much as Dunces. Lot 49 was like a long strange trip, meandering through reality and what may have been fiction and was a bit confusing in some bits, with way, way too many characters for me to keep up with, but overall enjoyed it.

I've been trying to get a copy of Infinite Jest as I think that may be the last book from this thread I feel the need to read asap. I did pickup a copy of the Pale King, but not sure if I'm going to start that one before Infinite Jest or not.

In the interim I've been putting down books left and right. Currently in the middle of Bobiverse as well as the Dungeon Crawler series, so it may be a month or so until I revisit.

Bobiverse! I might have to breakdown and buy a copy of volume 2, no luck at used book stores or the library.

Other fantasy or science fiction on the list to read:
The first 15 lives of Harry august Claire northe

The Dark Is Rising by Susan Cooper

Red rabbit Alex Grecian

But I’m still reading Infinite Jest

 

[kupcho1]

But I’m still reading Infinite Jest

We're going to do a reading group 1/1/2026. Think of this as a head start.

 

[kupcho1]

That board game sat unused in our household for years. lol.

We played at school and for a little while after graduation (although it was a lot more difficult getting people together). I played a little by email at the dawn of the internet. My greatest accomplishment was winning as Italy (IYKYK). I briefly considered putting it on my resume.

 

[rockaction]

That board game sat unused in our household for years. lol.

We played at school and for a little while after graduation (although it was a lot more difficult getting people together). I played a little by email at the dawn of the internet. My greatest accomplishment was winning as Italy (IYKYK). I briefly considered putting it on my resume.

I wish I knew what the accomplishment required. Heh. As it was, it just sat unused. My brother was four years older than me and uninterested and my folks like other things than political intrigue and foreign policy workings. Tough sell for a thirteen year-old.

 

[Dr_Zaius]

There was one really long letter to Myrna that was a bit of a bore, but other than that, everything else was great.

Yeah, to be fair it's probably that one in particular that lead to my comment. I remember thinking "how long is this thing going to drone on?", but that's really a minor complaint on my part. I was certainly cracking up at the "Mongoloid, Esq" letter that was posted earlier in the thread.

On the Diplomacy tangent, as a board game afficionado I've toyed with trying it for years but the rules are a bit intimidating. Oh and the whole reputation as being the game most likely to destroy friendships lol.

 

[TheBaylorKid]

But I’m still reading Infinite Jest

We're going to do a reading group 1/1/2026. Think of this as a head start.

Thanks I lost track of the status of that. I plan to lurk and ask questions.

 

[BassNBrew]

I read The Grapes of Wrath in high school and upon reflection I should have included it in my list. Such a great story. It works because the characters are so believable.

Long time ago (high school). I remember enjoying the book but thought it rambled on too much for me. Probably because I had things in the wings that were more fun than reading 500+ pages.

 

[kupcho1]

I just finished A Canticle for Leibowitz by Walter M. Miller (from TheBaylorKid's list). What a fascinating book. I won't go into detail as I would not want to spoil it for anyone. There were elements of Anathem with a dash of Foundation. There's even an Enoch Root like character (again, echoing Stephenson if that's even possible as the book was written before Stepheson was born. So that's where he got the idea!)

Apparently there is a sequel finished by another author a few months after his death. It is supposedly mostly Miller's work. I've put it on my "to be read" list, but I'm not sure it'll live up to the original.

Next up: #6 from @Mrs.Marco A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry

 

[whoknew]

Catch 22 was always found to be my number 1. It’s the book that got me back into reading as an adult. Insanely funny and quotable and silly and yet deadly serious. I have so much love for this book. I was never able to get into any of Heller’s other works but Catch 22 is perfect.

Interesting that you didn't like his other works. I actually rated "Something Happened" slightly higher than Catch-22 and find it even funnier. I guess OH and I were the only ones who ranked it, though, and it just missed the Top 300.

Unfortunately, I couldn't weigh in on this Top 300 but totally appreciate y'all's lists.

I just want to weigh in on Something Happened.

It's probably my favorite novel of all time. And ... I think it may be one that I hated the most for the first 85-90%. It like 500 pages. And the vast majority of it is ... a soul crushing slog. It's meandering and desperate and depressing. I kind of hated forcing may way through it.

And then the last 10% is ... amazing. And made it clear why you have to go through the first 90%.

Anyway, I realize I may like it more than most. But I love this book - as much as I hated reading it.

 

[Ilov80s]

Catch 22 was always found to be my number 1. It’s the book that got me back into reading as an adult. Insanely funny and quotable and silly and yet deadly serious. I have so much love for this book. I was never able to get into any of Heller’s other works but Catch 22 is perfect.

Interesting that you didn't like his other works. I actually rated "Something Happened" slightly higher than Catch-22 and find it even funnier. I guess OH and I were the only ones who ranked it, though, and it just missed the Top 300.

Unfortunately, I couldn't weigh in on this Top 300 but totally appreciate y'all's lists.

I just want to weigh in on Something Happened.

It's probably my favorite novel of all time. And ... I think it may be one that I hated the most for the first 85-90%. It like 500 pages. And the vast majority of it is ... a soul crushing slog. It's meandering and desperate and depressing. I kind of hated forcing may way through it.

And then the last 10% is ... amazing. And made it clear why you have to go through the first 90%.

Anyway, I realize I may like it more than most. But I love this book - as much as I hated reading it.

Thanks and maybe I will give it another shot. I got about 100 pages in and quit.

 

[Don Quixote]

I’m about one-third of the way through The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami, which was a #1 by @krista4 . This is great. I had a feeling that I’d like it based on Krista’s write-up (and her reading tastes, of course). The mix of dream-like stuff with reality, along with quirky side characters, makes it read like something David Lynch would write.

 

[TheBaylorKid]

But I’m still reading Infinite Jest

We're going to do a reading group 1/1/2026. Think of this as a head start.

I just finished reading Infinite Jest. I don’t want to spoil anything. Parts were grotesque. Gately’s story was the most interesting. I did not like the ending. I’m left with a feeling of I am sure I missed something because there are some many loose ends.

 

[rockaction]

But I’m still reading Infinite Jest

We're going to do a reading group 1/1/2026. Think of this as a head start.

I just finished reading Infinite Jest. I don’t want to spoil anything. Parts were grotesque. Gately’s story was the most interesting. I did not like the ending. I’m left with a feeling of I am sure I missed something because there are some many loose ends.

A lot of people don't like the ending. I thought it was fine. It seemed very wistful, which was the mood that I thought the book was written in. Sort of sad and contemplative even though the book could be frenetic and rollickingly funny at times.

I have to confess that I never cared about the plot or exactly what happened to the characters. It struck me as beside the point, but I also read the book right after a particularly difficult time in my life, so I think that hugely influenced both how I remember the book and the way I wound up engaging with it. It was very much a respite or lifeline for me. When you're in a state of agitation or duress and you get to spend three contemplative weeks thinking about and addressing some of the exact things you're going through and have thought and lived, the book takes on a relevant life of its own.

People tend to have serious reactions to the book and the people who love it tend to be fervid (to a degree) and they experience it in a critical way. I always have to temper my gushing over the book and remind myself that even the people that love it don't bring the experiences that I had to reading it so they process it differently than me.

That's neither here nor there; I'm just saying that I experienced it viscerally and personally, so I have to remind myself that what mattered to me about it might not suffice for other readers. I might forgive its flaws to a much greater degree and the reason I care or don't care about them may be totally different from somebody else.