The FBG Top 300 Books of All Time (fiction edition) | We are currently up to #36 | Running list in posts #3 and #4 (35 Viewers)

[Psychopav]

Hey guys, sorry I haven’t been around nor will I be. I’ve been reading for about a year about our political situation and we’re not allowed to discuss it here. To me, that’s a rule I now find untenable and ridiculously naive and stupid. Joe can do with his board as he sees fit; I see a possible neo-fascist takeover in the face of creeping awful leftism. I am no left-winger, so me saying this is fascist has taken a lot of overcoming dissonance—I was part of the right and formerly worked at AEI for five years for serious, higher-level right wing policy makers. Judge Wilkinson’s (Reagan appointee who is ultra conservative) recent ruling in the 4th Circuit should start you down the path of wondering whether I’m overreacting.

Check these names and their roles in the administration: Curtis Yarvin, Peter Thiel, Stephen Miller, Russ Vought. Go from there. Peace and be very careful out there and online. Peace, rockaction.

That was abrupt. Did I miss some fireworks somewhere? Sorry to see you go, too bad you won't just come to participate in this thread, after all the work you have put into this exercise so far.

 

[rockaction]

Hey guys, sorry I haven’t been around nor will I be. I’ve been reading for about a year about our political situation and we’re not allowed to discuss it here. To me, that’s a rule I now find untenable and ridiculously naive and stupid. Joe can do with his board as he sees fit; I see a possible neo-fascist takeover in the face of creeping awful leftism. I am no left-winger, so me saying this is fascist has taken a lot of overcoming dissonance—I was part of the right and formerly worked at AEI for five years for serious, higher-level right wing policy makers. Judge Wilkinson’s (Reagan appointee who is ultra conservative) recent ruling in the 4th Circuit should start you down the path of wondering whether I’m overreacting.

Check these names and their roles in the administration: Curtis Yarvin, Peter Thiel, Stephen Miller, Russ Vought. Go from there. Peace and be very careful out there and online. Peace, rockaction.

That was abrupt. Did I miss some fireworks somewhere? Sorry to see you go, too bad you won't just come to participate in this thread, after all the work you have put into this exercise so far.

Hey Psychopav, thanks for the kind words. There were no fireworks. This is all part of a long plan with distinct characteristics. It has been move after move, personnel decision after personnel decision. It is easily discernible, and has been published and openly talked about by the people that now surround the president. The last straw for me was the attempt to remove the requirements of due process from immigration hearings. This is no accident. The courts keep asking him why he is against notice and a hearing and he keeps saying expediency demands it. That is fine and there are ways around full trials and hearings, but he and the administration are deliberately obfuscating and they're getting slapped down by even the most conservative members of the judiciary.

The excerpts from the trials and the appeals let you know that they want to remove due process for all citizens. That means they can grab you off of the street and deport you to a foreign prison and claim they lack jurisdiction to get you back. There is no earthly reason for this other than they want political prisoners and the right to remove normal citizens. Donald Trump has said he wants El Salvador prisons for Americans, said so on camera, and asked Bukele to build "four or five more." This all adds up to a very big problem that no longer is about immigrants and migrants. There is a furor on the old right on Twitter. They know what's going on also. You do not ask for these exceptions and allowances. The statutes they are using are suspect, and so are their actions. They've been ruled in criminal contempt of court and had several judges issue TRO (temporary restraining orders) that actually are grounding planes of people destined for El Salvador and Venezuela. It's getting to crunch time, and not talking about it is something I can no longer do. Congress, because of the last election and the Dems' unpopularity is in no position to check this. Our last stand is the Judiciary, and he knows it and so does the admin. As soon as he or they defies a decision, the rule of law as we know it is over.

Again: The rule of law as we know it is over.

Everything is then permitted. The Judiciary has options in that case; none of them are good. It turns us into a third-world country and we have to hope the military sides against ICE and the Executive. I’m almost borderline in hysterical anger and tears as I write this. I've never been prone to melodrama about American fascism. Never. But here we are.

 

[rockaction]

I have a very good friend that I haven't talked to in a few years in the administration in the Dept. Of Education. I don't even know what to say about it or if I should contact him and see if he can't talk me down somehow. This is insane, and I'm no legacy media dupe. I get that Joe Biden facilitated the importation of somewhere around 20 million illegal aliens into the country, and for that I think he deserves a trial for treason with potential for the death penalty for him and Mayorkas. That was an unspeakable crime against our country.

So I see the problems they're claiming they want to solve, and I think I am fair about it. This is the most unstable we've ever been in our lifetimes by about three powers. But this is not mere quibbling over method; this is fundamental. He wants habeas corpus halted and a declaration of war. We haven't had that since Lincoln, and he's not Lincoln. There are admitted secular neo-fascists and Christian Nationalists all over his admin.

 

[Eephus]

Welcome to the resistance

 

[rockaction]

Welcome to the resistance

Glad to be a part. Let's keep our heads on swivels and be alert.

eta* The Wall Street Journal ran an article behind a paywall saying "Delete Yourself From The Internet Now"

I don't know what it was referring to; but you all might think about doing that. I'm already plenty exposed but y'all be a bit careful in what you say. That's my honest, sober take on it and I've felt that way for a few years now. This has crept in rather than been epiphanic. Every excuse I make and worst-case scenario I've thought of has had the excuse get obliterated while the worst-case scenario happens. Buckle up and be ready and be anonymous and smart.

 

[krista4]

I understand what you're saying, rock. Hate not to see you here, but it's understandable. Hope you'll keep in touch via email now and again. Much, much love to you.

 

[timschochet]

Rockaction I sent you a pm

 

[Eephus]

It's nice to see Vonnegut ranked so highly. I liked his work as a teenager but haven't returned to him as an adult for some reason.

So many books to read

 

[Psychopav]

Hey guys, sorry I haven’t been around nor will I be. I’ve been reading for about a year about our political situation and we’re not allowed to discuss it here. To me, that’s a rule I now find untenable and ridiculously naive and stupid. Joe can do with his board as he sees fit; I see a possible neo-fascist takeover in the face of creeping awful leftism. I am no left-winger, so me saying this is fascist has taken a lot of overcoming dissonance—I was part of the right and formerly worked at AEI for five years for serious, higher-level right wing policy makers. Judge Wilkinson’s (Reagan appointee who is ultra conservative) recent ruling in the 4th Circuit should start you down the path of wondering whether I’m overreacting.

Check these names and their roles in the administration: Curtis Yarvin, Peter Thiel, Stephen Miller, Russ Vought. Go from there. Peace and be very careful out there and online. Peace, rockaction.

That was abrupt. Did I miss some fireworks somewhere? Sorry to see you go, too bad you won't just come to participate in this thread, after all the work you have put into this exercise so far.

Hey Psychopav, thanks for the kind words. There were no fireworks. This is all part of a long plan with distinct characteristics. It has been move after move, personnel decision after personnel decision. It is easily discernible, and has been published and openly talked about by the people that now surround the president. The last straw for me was the attempt to remove the requirements of due process from immigration hearings. This is no accident. The courts keep asking him why he is against notice and a hearing and he keeps saying expediency demands it. That is fine and there are ways around full trials and hearings, but he and the administration are deliberately obfuscating and they're getting slapped down by even the most conservative members of the judiciary.

The excerpts from the trials and the appeals let you know that they want to remove due process for all citizens. That means they can grab you off of the street and deport you to a foreign prison and claim they lack jurisdiction to get you back. There is no earthly reason for this other than they want political prisoners and the right to remove normal citizens. Donald Trump has said he wants El Salvador prisons for Americans, said so on camera, and asked Bukele to build "four or five more." This all adds up to a very big problem that no longer is about immigrants and migrants. There is a furor on the old right on Twitter. They know what's going on also. You do not ask for these exceptions and allowances. The statutes they are using are suspect, and so are their actions. They've been ruled in criminal contempt of court and had several judges issue TRO (temporary restraining orders) that actually are grounding planes of people destined for El Salvador and Venezuela. It's getting to crunch time, and not talking about it is something I can no longer do. Congress, because of the last election and the Dems' unpopularity is in no position to check this. Our last stand is the Judiciary, and he knows it and so does the admin. As soon as he or they defies a decision, the rule of law as we know it is over.

Again: The rule of law as we know it is over.

Everything is then permitted. The Judiciary has options in that case; none of them are good. It turns us into a third-world country and we have to hope the military sides against ICE and the Executive. I’m almost borderline in hysterical anger and tears as I write this. I've never been prone to melodrama about American fascism. Never. But here we are.

Thanks for sharing these thoughts. I don't disagree with them for the most part.

I'm having trouble connecting the dots between these items and your decision to stop participating in this discussion. Can you help me understand how the two are connected?

I wouldn't ask if I wouldn't very much miss your input in this thread and the wider in board. Yes we can't discuss politics but surely there is more value in truth than just political positioning?

 

[kupcho1]

I'm having trouble connecting the dots between these items and your decision to stop participating in this discussion. Can you help me understand how the two are connected?

Second

 

[KarmaPolice]

I'm having trouble connecting the dots between these items and your decision to stop participating in this discussion. Can you help me understand how the two are connected?

Second

rock started a thread on a similar topic with the intent to get a discussion going and it got deleted. Most contentious threads (to the mods) that I have seen recently have gotten the lock, but this one got disappeared.

 

[scoobus]

It's not like there isn't ten thousand other places on the internet to discuss politics, but w/e.

 

[KarmaPolice]

It's not like there isn't ten thousand other places on the internet to discuss politics, but w/e.

I get that point, but IMO what made this place different was the longevity and the community that was created. I understand wanting to discuss this with people you consider a community vs. the other ten thousand places we could go to. Many of us have met in real life, or text, keep up behind the scenes, so I also understand being worried for them and wanting to discuss these things on that front as well.

 

[kupcho1]

I'm having trouble connecting the dots between these items and your decision to stop participating in this discussion. Can you help me understand how the two are connected?

Second

rock started a thread on a similar topic with the intent to get a discussion going and it got deleted. Most contentious threads (to the mods) that I have seen recently have gotten the lock, but this one got disappeared.

Yeah I know, I saw the thread. I even posted in it as fast as I could, knowing it would be nuked, that he should forego further comment and go review some books.

I was simply seconding Psychopav's question as to what one has to do with the other. I've since seen that rockaction has quit the internet, so it'll be a week or two before we see him back here again. Maybe he'll return in time for the top 20 or so.

 

[kupcho1]

And I might also add, please keep the radioactive stuff out of here (not that I've seen any yet) as I'd like to finish the countdown. I have no plans to recreate this thread if it is locked or disappeared.

 

[Eephus]

And I might also add, please keep the radioactive stuff out of here (not that I've seen any yet) as I'd like to finish the countdown. I have no plans to recreate this thread if it is locked or disappeared.

But if you must, please use an unintelligible font color

 

[Ilov80s]

And I might also add, please keep the radioactive stuff out of here (not that I've seen any yet) as I'd like to finish the countdown. I have no plans to recreate this thread if it is locked or disappeared.

Agree there. You’ve done a lot of work and a great job with this thread.

 

[shuke]

And I might also add, please keep the radioactive stuff out of here (not that I've seen any yet) as I'd like to finish the countdown. I have no plans to recreate this thread if it is locked or disappeared.

But if you must, please use an unintelligible font color

 

[rockaction]

Yea guys, thanks. I wasn’t leaving the board for good or anything, but I won’t be around much and this thread will pass me by for sure. I figured I’d give an honest and full explanation why. I’m over at FBGs Discord channel. I’ll also surely be back here for the NFL Draft, so thanks for the kind words but I’ll be here if they’ll have me. The 29th is an important date because the admin can satisfy a court order by then. So we shall see. I am unaware when the ACLU appeal will be decided—look for it. But thanks so much for the kind words. Psychopav is right. Truth comes before politics. Let’s remember that and show fidelity towards truth. Best and take care.

 

[kupcho1]

Phase 4: Counting down from 100

OK, time for another 4 including one from @shuke that I think was the one he was referring to earlier in the thread that he was surprised ranked so highly. This was my guess; I could be wrong, but at least I'm consistent.

We've also got Ernie on consecutive days, two YA novels and a dystopian nightmare. Fortunately, @rockaction won't be around to draw comparisons on the last one mentioned, so we can hopefully continue this thread.

65	Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire	J.K. Rowling	turnjose7, scoobus, Frostillicus
64	Ender's Game	Orson Scott Card	kupcho1, guru_007, scoobus, shuke
63	The Sun Also Rises	Ernest Hemingway	ilov80s, Eephus, rockaction

65. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling
scoobus: #3
Frostillicus: #15
turnjose7: #61
Total points: 214
Average: 71.3

64. Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card
scoobus: #2
shuke: #23
guru_007: #44
kupcho1: #67
Total points: 217
Average: 54.3

63. The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway
rockaction: #5
ilov80s: #19
Eephus: #32
Total points: 220
Average: 73.3

 

[Mrs.Marco]

The Handmaids Tale by Margaret Atwood
When I first read this book back in the 1980s, I had no idea that it would feel so current now.

 

[Ilov80s]

The Handmaids Tale by Margaret Atwood
When I first read this book back in the 1980s, I had no idea that it would feel so current now.

Geez how so?

Just kidding don’t answer that, not here!

 

[Frostillicus]

Oh shoot I should have ranked Ender's Game.

 

[KarmaPolice]

Two today that would have gotten a bump from me.

The Goblet of Fire is my favorite of the HP series. Azkaban is next, but I liked how they expanded a little bit to show other schools, Mad Eye is awesome, and I was a bit surprised that students would be getting offed in the series. One of my favorite things about the series is that it "leveled up" as the series went and allowed for all ages to get on board. I don't think it would be nearly as possible if it kept in the mostly PG range the first few books operated in.

The Handmaid's Tale was the other book I hinted at from the 80s that I read around the same time I read The Road and really grabbed me and has never left my mind since. It would also be in my top 5 with The Road. I have read and bought both books multiple times. That got me reading several of Atwood's other books and I had a couple of them written down too. I still haven't read the sequel despite having it since it came out.

 

[shuke]

OK, time for another 4 including one from @shuke that I think was the one he was referring to earlier in the thread that he was surprised ranked so highly. This was my guess; I could be wrong, but at least I'm consistent.

If you are referring to Ender's Game, no that is not what I'm referring to. I actually expected it to be higher. I'm pretty sure the book I'm thinking about is not going to make the list at this point, and you may have listed the wrong "highest selection not making the list" for me.

Also, I ranked The Handmaid's Tale fairly higher but you don't have me listed.

 

[Ilov80s]

The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway
Hemingway is another one of my repeat authors. This is Papa Hemingway’s debut novel published in 1926 at the age of 27. It’s the work of a young man but carries with it the sadness and world weariness of a lost generation author who had already been severely injured working for the Red Cross in WW1, bummed around Europe with the likes of Ezra Pound, Picasso and John Dos Passos and covered the Greco-Turkish war for the Toronto Star.

This is about expatriates, cafe society, matadors, drinking, love and a total lack of fulfillment with a post war world with fictional characters standing in for real life members of Hemingway’s circle. There’s something deeply romantic about it, you want to be there in Pamplona drinking wine in the shade of a tree but the emptiness weighs more than bulls themselves.

How did you go bankrupt?” Bill asked. “Two ways,” Mike said. “Gradually and then suddenly.”

 

[timschochet]

The Handmaids Tale was…dull IMO.

The reason the TV show works (it’s great IMO) is because the characters are fleshed out, they’re real people. In the novel the characters are cardboard. Atwood isnt so much trying to tell us a story here as she is trying to hammer a political message on our heads. Which is why it doesn’t work for me. The best political novels tell a good story first and the message comes with it, not the other way around.

 

[kupcho1]

Also, I ranked The Handmaid's Tale fairly higher but you don't have me listed.

******** it all to hell! I thought this was only happening with krista4's books, but apparently Google sheets is not picking up your books (sometimes?) as well. What's happening is a mystery to me. The Handmaid's Tale is present on your list in exactly the same form and fashion as it is on the three other lists, and the main tabulation (i.e., scoring) tab. However, your score isn't in that row (previously the #65 spot).

When I copy the cell on the tabulation tab into the entry on the shuke tab, wah la, the tabulation tab picks it up. **** my life, I thought I'd caught all of the errors.

In any case, ignore The Handmaid's Tale for now. She'll be back sometime later.

 

[Psychopav]

OK, time for another 4 including one from @shuke that I think was the one he was referring to earlier in the thread that he was surprised ranked so highly. This was my guess; I could be wrong, but at least I'm consistent.

If you are referring to Ender's Game, no that is not what I'm referring to. I actually expected it to be higher. I'm pretty sure the book I'm thinking about is not going to make the list at this point, and you may have listed the wrong "highest selection not making the list" for me.

Also, I ranked The Handmaid's Tale fairly higher but you don't have me listed.

Maybe you listed it as "The Handmaid's Tail" by accident.

 

[kupcho1]

OK, time for another 4 including one from @shuke that I think was the one he was referring to earlier in the thread that he was surprised ranked so highly. This was my guess; I could be wrong, but at least I'm consistent.

If you are referring to Ender's Game, no that is not what I'm referring to. I actually expected it to be higher. I'm pretty sure the book I'm thinking about is not going to make the list at this point, and you may have listed the wrong "highest selection not making the list" for me.

Also, I ranked The Handmaid's Tale fairly higher but you don't have me listed.

Maybe you listed it as "The Handmaid's Tail" by accident.

Hardy, har, har.

Neither I nor shuke (nor either of the other nominators) used Tail. Believe it or not, this was something I checked on the lists. As were hyphens, a missing or extraneous "The", and on and on.

 

[CletiusMaximus]

OK, time for another 4 including one from @shuke that I think was the one he was referring to earlier in the thread that he was surprised ranked so highly. This was my guess; I could be wrong, but at least I'm consistent.

If you are referring to Ender's Game, no that is not what I'm referring to. I actually expected it to be higher. I'm pretty sure the book I'm thinking about is not going to make the list at this point, and you may have listed the wrong "highest selection not making the list" for me.

Also, I ranked The Handmaid's Tale fairly higher but you don't have me listed.

Maybe you listed it as "The Handmaid's Tail" by accident.

I've seen that movie. It was a triple feature with Sleeping Booty and Shaving Ryans Privates.

 

[Eephus]

The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway
Hemingway is another one of my repeat authors. This is Papa Hemingway’s debut novel published in 1926 at the age of 27. It’s the work of a young man but carries with it the sadness and world weariness of a lost generation author who had already been severely injured working for the Red Cross in WW1, bummed around Europe with the likes of Ezra Pound, Picasso and John Dos Passos and covered the Greco-Turkish war for the Toronto Star.

This is about expatriates, cafe society, matadors, drinking, love and a total lack of fulfillment with a post war world with fictional characters standing in for real life members of Hemingway’s circle. There’s something deeply romantic about it, you want to be there in Pamplona drinking wine in the shade of a tree but the emptiness weighs more than bulls themselves.

How did you go bankrupt?” Bill asked. “Two ways,” Mike said. “Gradually and then suddenly.”

That's a great description of the mood of the novel.

I read a non-fiction book Everybody Behaves Badly that's about Hemingway's 1925 trip to Pamplona which inspired the book. The Lost Generation has been written about a lot but I found this one very interesting.

Everybody Behaves Badly: The True Story Behind Hemingway’s Masterpiece The Sun Also Rises — Lesley M. M. Blume

The making of Ernest Hemingway's The Sun Also Rises, the outsize personalities who inspired it, and the vast changes it wrought on the literary world

www.lesleymmblume.com

 

[Frostillicus]

The Goblet of Fire is my favorite of the HP series. Azkaban is next, but I liked how they expanded a little bit to show other schools, Mad Eye is awesome, and I was a bit surprised that students would be getting offed in the series. One of my favorite things about the series is that it "leveled up" as the series went and allowed for all ages to get on board. I don't think it would be nearly as possible if it kept in the mostly PG range the first few books operated in.

This was my highest ranked Potter book and my favorite as well for the reasons who articulated. This is where the Potter books "grew up", and since I was reading them as a "grown up" I definitely appreciated the change. In fact, I ranked three of the books and all three were later, more adult, books.

 

[Eephus]

OK, time for another 4 including one from @shuke that I think was the one he was referring to earlier in the thread that he was surprised ranked so highly. This was my guess; I could be wrong, but at least I'm consistent.

If you are referring to Ender's Game, no that is not what I'm referring to. I actually expected it to be higher. I'm pretty sure the book I'm thinking about is not going to make the list at this point, and you may have listed the wrong "highest selection not making the list" for me.

Also, I ranked The Handmaid's Tale fairly higher but you don't have me listed.

Maybe you listed it as "The Handmaid's Tail" by accident.

That's the one with the cartoon mice

 

[krista4]

******** it all to hell! I thought this was only happening with krista4's books, but apparently Google sheets is not picking up your books (sometimes?) as well.

I've pointed out instances where it happened with OH's books, too. Makes me wonder if it might have happened more, but to folks who submitted a list but have been less engaged in the thread. In any case, I don't think you need worry about it so much. This isn't scientific, and assuming the goal was to spark great discussion of books, it's accomplished that x100 squillion.

 

[kupcho1]

******** it all to hell! I thought this was only happening with krista4's books, but apparently Google sheets is not picking up your books (sometimes?) as well.

I've pointed out instances where it happened with OH's books, too. Makes me wonder if it might have happened more, but to folks who submitted a list but have been less engaged in the thread. In any case, I don't think you need worry about it so much. This isn't scientific, and assuming the goal was to spark great discussion of books, it's accomplished that x100 squillion.

And the spreadsheet, once we're through and I've corrected all of the errors, will also be available to one and all. It'll have the main scoresheet as well as everyone's individual lists.

 

[Ilov80s]

I am curious if we get 1 or even 2 more Hemingways. My guess is 1.

 

[krista4]

I am curious if we get 1 or even 2 more Hemingways. My guess is 1.

OH has a book of his short stories on his list, but there's no way it would rank above the ones already listed.

 

[shuke]

Aight. Breakfast of Champions. With simplified prose Vonnegutt pulls a little bit of a Hemingway but as only he could with a twisty turny satire where he imposes himself as the narrator to explore the writing process. Believe that's called meta-fiction. He also explores American culture's obsession with wealth and consumerism that portrays the mental health of society through one tragic character. It's not just more timely now than then, but maybe more prophetic than Orwell. And it's Kurt. So it's funny and there's sci-fi. My 2nd favorite of 4 Vonnegutt's on my list.

Not much to add here, it's been 35ish years since I read this. I recall it being very funny, and also recall getting the impression that Vonnegut was using it to openly talk about his own mental health issues. Which at the time really hit me, as I was starting to realize some things around this time about my own challenges with OCD and other things.

 

[shuke]

Scoobus had Ender's Game ranked #2 so I'll defer a write-up to him. I will say a great look at the moral dilemma of war. And one of the biggest "holy ****" moments I've ever encountered in a book.

 

[scoobus]

Scoobus had Ender's Game ranked #2 so I'll defer a write-up to him. I will say a great look at the moral dilemma of war. And one of the biggest "holy ****" moments I've ever encountered in a book.

No by all means, please do the write-up. As not much of a reader, my plan in this thread was pretty much just to sit back and enjoy.

 

[kupcho1]

Scoobus had Ender's Game ranked #2 so I'll defer a write-up to him. I will say a great look at the moral dilemma of war. And one of the biggest "holy ****" moments I've ever encountered in a book.

No by all means, please do the write-up. As not much of a reader, my plan in this thread was pretty much just to sit back and enjoy.

You had it #2. Tell us why. We're not looking for or expecting a New York Times book review. Just share your thoughts.

 

[scoobus]

You jerkfaces.

Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card 1985

Other than the ages of the kids being a little wonky, which is mostly ignorable if you just age them up a little bit in your head, this book is awesome. Loved the battle school/battle room. Loved the "training" with Mazer Rackham and the twist at the end. Loved the firing technology and how the buggers operated. Loved the look into the government's perspective at the beginning of each chapter.

Was also kind of prescient with the potential power and influence of social media/anonymity, with regards to the whole Peter/Valentine storyline.

 

[Eephus]

Scoobus had Ender's Game ranked #2 so I'll defer a write-up to him. I will say a great look at the moral dilemma of war. And one of the biggest "holy ****" moments I've ever encountered in a book.

Piqued my curiosity so I looked up the plot twist in the book.

 

[scoobus]

Scoobus had Ender's Game ranked #2 so I'll defer a write-up to him. I will say a great look at the moral dilemma of war. And one of the biggest "holy ****" moments I've ever encountered in a book.

Piqued my curiosity so I looked up the plot twist in the book.

You've never read Ender's Game?!

 

[Eephus]

I used to think Orson Scott Card was a pen name but that's what his parents named him. He's also published under multiple pen names including P.Q. Gump.

 

[Eephus]

Scoobus had Ender's Game ranked #2 so I'll defer a write-up to him. I will say a great look at the moral dilemma of war. And one of the biggest "holy ****" moments I've ever encountered in a book.

Piqued my curiosity so I looked up the plot twist in the book.

You've never read Ender's Game?!

I think I've read four science fiction/fantasy books in the last thirty years. One of them was Ready Player One

 

[scoobus]

Scoobus had Ender's Game ranked #2 so I'll defer a write-up to him. I will say a great look at the moral dilemma of war. And one of the biggest "holy ****" moments I've ever encountered in a book.

Piqued my curiosity so I looked up the plot twist in the book.

You've never read Ender's Game?!

I think I've read four science fiction/fantasy books in the last thirty years. One of them was Ready Player One

You monster.

 

[kupcho1]

You may recall that earlier in the thread I posted a list of the highest ranked books that did not make the top 300 for each participant. shuke ased why a book that he had ranked higher on his list, wasn't the one I posted in the table.

The table I initially posted was influenced by the total score for the book. Wool, as the example in question, was also selected by guru_007.

I thought it might be interesting to put together the list with each participant's highest ranked book not making the 300 regardless of total score (i.e., only looking at each individual list rather than the sum of the parts). So here it is; you'll notice that the only real changes to the table from post #2 is from books selected by more than one person, to the actual higher ranked book by individual. (Note also that the table in post 2 has been updated to reflect all of the screw-ups I've made to date; scoring changed a bit and moved a few choices around).

Title	Author
kupcho1	1Q84	Haruki Murakami
timschochet	Marathon Man	William Goldman
turnjose7	Star Wars: The Last Command	Timothy Zahn
guru_007	Red Rising	Pierce Brown
Dr. Octopus	Mother Night	Kurt Vonnegut
scoobus	Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets	J.K. Rowling
ilov80s	The High Window	Raymond Chandler
chaos34	Absolom! Absolom!	William Faulkner
TheBaylorKid	The System of the World (Vol.3 of The Baroque Cycle)	Neal Stephenson
MrsMarco	Pelle The Conqueror	Martin Andersen Nexo
Don Quixote	Bring Up the Bodies (Vol. 2 of The Wolf Hall trilogy)	Hilary Mantel
Frostillicus	The Dark Tower V: Wolves of the Calla	Stephen King
Barry2	Survivor	Chuck Palahniuk
Keith R	Once Upon a Time… In Hollywood	Quentin Taratino
Oliver Humanzee	A Perfect Spy	John le Carre
Dr_Zaius	Frog and Toad All Year	Arnold Lobel
Eephus	The Big Nowhere	James Ellroy
krista4	Kafka on the Shore	Haruki Murakami
Psychopav	Furies of Calderon	Jim Butcher
rockaction	Collected Later Poems	Anthony Hecht
Long Ball Larry	The Three-Body Problem	Liu Cixin
shuke	Psycho	Robert Bloch

This does give me an opportunity to discuss 1Q84 by Haruki Murakami. I found a good, relatively spoiler-free synopsis on, of all places, reddit:

There are two parallel worlds, 1984 and 1Q84. Two characters, a man named Tengo and a woman named Aomame, suddenly travel from 1984 to 1Q84. They’re bound by circumstance: each had a troubled childhood and they went to the same elementary school. When they were about 10, the shy insular Aomame once held the popular jock Tengo’s hand. It was their only interaction, but in that moment the children fell in a deep, lasting, devoted love that would last their whole lives.

Tengo ghost-writes a fantastical short story written by a teenage girl whose background is a mystery. Aomame is an assassin for an old wealthy dowager for whom she is also a personal trainer. She kills abusive violent men. Then, suddenly, she is tasked with killing the head of a religious cult to whom the teenage fantasy writer Tengo ghost wrote the story on behalf of is also related. This puts Aomame and Tengo, who have conveniently never forgotten each other, on a crash course.

I've read this a few times and discover something new each time I read it. Big

 

[Barry2]

You may recall that earlier in the thread I posted a list of the highest ranked books that did not make the top 300 for each participant. shuke ased why a book that he had ranked higher on his list, wasn't the one I posted in the table.

The table I initially posted was influenced by the total score for the book. Wool, as the example in question, was also selected by Barry2.

I thought it might be interesting to put together the list with each participant's highest ranked book not making the 300 regardless of total score (i.e., only looking at each individual list rather than the sum of the parts). So here it is; you'll notice that the only real changes to the table from post #2 is from books selected by more than one person, to the actual higher ranked book by individual. (Note also that the table in post 2 has been updated to reflect all of the screw-ups I've made to date; scoring changed a bit and moved a few choices around).

Title	Author
kupcho1	1Q84	Haruki Murakami
timschochet	Marathon Man	William Goldman
turnjose7	Star Wars: The Last Command	Timothy Zahn
guru_007	Red Rising	Pierce Brown
Dr. Octopus	Mother Night	Kurt Vonnegut
scoobus	Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets	J.K. Rowling
ilov80s	The High Window	Raymond Chandler
chaos34	Absolom! Absolom!	William Faulkner
TheBaylorKid	The System of the World (Vol.3 of The Baroque Cycle)	Neal Stephenson
MrsMarco	Pelle The Conqueror	Martin Andersen Nexo
Don Quixote	Bring Up the Bodies (Vol. 2 of The Wolf Hall trilogy)	Hilary Mantel
Frostillicus	The Dark Tower V: Wolves of the Calla	Stephen King
Barry2	Survivor	Chuck Palahniuk
Keith R	Once Upon a Time… In Hollywood	Quentin Taratino
Oliver Humanzee	A Perfect Spy	John le Carre
Dr_Zaius	Frog and Toad All Year	Arnold Lobel
Eephus	The Big Nowhere	James Ellroy
krista4	Kafka on the Shore	Haruki Murakami
Psychopav	Furies of Calderon	Jim Butcher
rockaction	Collected Later Poems	Anthony Hecht
Long Ball Larry	The Three-Body Problem	Liu Cixin
shuke	Psycho	Robert Bloch

This does give me an opportunity to discuss 1Q84 by Haruki Murakami. I found a good, relatively spoiler-free synopsis on, of all places, reddit:

There are two parallel worlds, 1984 and 1Q84. Two characters, a man named Tengo and a woman named Aomame, suddenly travel from 1984 to 1Q84. They’re bound by circumstance: each had a troubled childhood and they went to the same elementary school. When they were about 10, the shy insular Aomame once held the popular jock Tengo’s hand. It was their only interaction, but in that moment the children fell in a deep, lasting, devoted love that would last their whole lives.

Tengo ghost-writes a fantastical short story written by a teenage girl whose background is a mystery. Aomame is an assassin for an old wealthy dowager for whom she is also a personal trainer. She kills abusive violent men. Then, suddenly, she is tasked with killing the head of a religious cult to whom the teenage fantasy writer Tengo ghost wrote the story on behalf of is also related. This puts Aomame and Tengo, who have conveniently never forgotten each other, on a crash course.

I've read this a few times and discover something new each time I read it. Big

I don't really know what's going on, I can't keep up but I didn't rank Wool .... if it matters.