The FBG Top 300 Books of All Time (fiction edition) | We are currently up to #60 | Running list in posts #3 and #4 (41 Viewers)

[shuke]

American Pyscho - Bret Easton Ellis. I can understand why only one other person ranked this. It's not for everyone.

I also ranked. I'm glad I read this book before I saw the movie. While Bale did a phenomenal job in his portrayal, the book version of Bateman seemed much more disturbed and conflicted.

Spoiler

And I still don't know if he actually committed any of the murders, and don't think it matters, but the book version seemed to feel much more justified for the murders, while I don't think the movie version was portrayed as having strong reasons.

 

[krista4]

Sorry, now I understand where my post went wrong.

I am (mostly) joking about the page limit. What I was trying to say is as the reveal goes, I am making a list of books. It would be cool at the end of that if there was at least 1/participant. Sorry, I didn't intend for people to post books out of order.

I am looking though what my library has of the 15 I wrote down so far and researching those titles more.

I knew you were joking about number of pages. However, since OH and I have had three posted so far that were under (or nearly) the 300-page limit, I figured I'd mention them. Others might be interested in dipping their toes in where they can read something fairly quickly.

 

[Eephus]

230t - London Fields by Martin Amis (1989)

London Fields is an apocalyptic black comedy that's set up as a murder mystery from the opening lines but ventures into darker and weirder places. The murder victim is femme fatale Nicola Six and the suspects include the narrator, terminally ill American author Samson Young, professional darts player Keith Talent and upper class twit Guy Clinch. They're all horrible people and parts of the book are probably terribly politically incorrect today but I found it wickedly funny.

 

[krista4]

230t - London Fields by Martin Amis (1989)

London Fields is an apocalyptic black comedy that's set up as a murder mystery from the opening lines but ventures into darker and weirder places. The murder victim is femme fatale Nicola Six and the suspects include the narrator, terminally ill American author Samson Young, professional dart player Keith Talent and upper class twit Guy Clinch. They're all horrible people and parts of the book are probably terribly politically incorrect today but I found it wickedly funny.

This one is on our bookshelves, but I haven't read it. Need to correct that.

 

[Eephus]

226 - The Forever War by Joe Haldeman (1974)

I went through a brief sci-fi phase as a teenager but this was one of only two novels from that genre that made my list at #41. It's a Vietnam War allegory about a soldier who goes off to war and returns to his home planet that's unrecognizable due to the effects of time dilation. He no longer knows anyone at home so he continues to re-enlist for additional tours of duty that become increasingly horrific. I re-read the book as an adult and still found it intriguing in spite of some sexism and homophobia that escaped me as a high schooler.

 

[TheBaylorKid]

Way behind, I had The System of the World (Vol. 3 of the Baroque Cycle) by Neal Stephenson.

It did not make the top 300.

But first how I selected books for my list:
1. I’ve either read the book more than once or have a strong desire to reread again. There are so many place to visit, characters to meet, and points of view to see and life is so short so it has to be really enjoyable to spend that time to reread.
2. The books made me want to read more. Either more by the author or there is a topic in the book to go read further on. Or the book introduce me to a new genre.

Back to the system of the world.

Stephenson makes a mad cap story out of historical events: the feud between Isaac Newton and Gottfried Leibniz about who invented calculus, the trial of the pyx and counterfeit money, and Hanovers and Louis 16th scheming for control of Europe. We continue to follow the Shaftoe and Waterhouse families who have relatives popping up through the ages in subsequent books In including Cryptonomicon.

Have I reread it? No but frequently consider it when picking the next book to read.

Did it make me want to read more? Yes. More Stephenson and I read a couple non fiction books on newton, Leibniz, and Louis the 16th after reading System.

 

[rockaction]

W.B. Yeats - The Second Coming and Collected Poems (1919-19xx)

The Collected Poems of W.B. Yeats is the current official working title of his longer collection. The book that originally contains the "The Second Coming" is called Michael Robartes and the Dancer (1921), but I figured I'd list the title of his most famous poem, one that has gripped nearly everybody this century who felt the world was ending somehow.

Written in 1919 and published in 1920, "The Second Coming" is a poem that (even if you haven't read it) you've heard interspersed throughout modern culture, even in, or especially in, the America of 2025. If you've ever heard the phrase "things fall apart," "the centre cannot hold," "anarchy is loosed upon the world," or "the best lack all conviction" followed by "the worst are full of passionate intensity," you've felt the poem in some way or another, handed down by those who would worry about society and its direction but want to be literate; to nod to something higher and to be edified by the beauty of the perfect arrangement of words. And arrange Yeats did. There are so many written versions and edits to the poem before its publication that one nods in admiration at how hard Yeats tried to write and edit and how perfect the result was.

The poem is elevated and on high. There is a mastery of language without formal meter or rhyme. Yeats doesn't write in perfect iambic pentameter, nor do his couplets rhyme and if they do, they rhyme out of repetition—a singular word suffices to rhyme with itself:

Surely some revelation is at hand;
Surely the Second Coming is at hand.

The poem begins with a slow-motion collapse of all things ordered and decent; where confusion and impending doom are the order of the day, and it ends not with a hack's depiction of the final state of collapse (there is no gruesome depiction of death, destruction, apocalypse, and bodies), but rather with the penultimate state of affairs and a description of the worst part of the inevitability of violent decline—the uncertainty and worry of the form and nature that will eventually bring our destruction.

And that's what strikes me about the poem. Everybody will worry and curse when Napoleon is marching through the streets of Berlin, or the Nazis the same almost a century and half later; but what of those who see it all unfolding and scream themselves into madness to try and stop it before it happens? That is Yeats's curse and charge. The observational power of a Nietzsche-like intellect mixed with the feeling of one's real-life impotency to do something about everything that matters. To be cursed with the observant powers of the decline while not knowing what form it will take and how destructive it will be. So it ends.

"Beautiful Lofty Things," also by Yeats, is a chronicle of his friends who were major players during the Irish Renaissance. It is also one of my favorites and couldn't be more different than "The Second Coming." A beautiful poem born of friendship, Yeats holds his friends in adulation and elevates them to God-like status, never once seeming like the egoist or the exclusive; but rather, somebody who loves his friends and former acquaintances and so deifies them.

The Second Coming
Beautiful Lofty Things

 

[kupcho1]

Way behind, I had The System of the World (Vol. 3 of the Baroque Cycle) by Neal Stephenson.

It did not make the top 300.

But first how I selected books for my list:
1. I’ve either read the book more than once or have a strong desire to reread again. There are so many place to visit, characters to meet, and points of view to see and life is so short so it has to be really enjoyable to spend that time to reread.
2. The books made me want to read more. Either more by the author or there is a topic in the book to go read further on. Or the book introduce me to a new genre.

Back to the system of the world.

Stephenson makes a mad cap story out of historical events: the feud between Isaac Newton and Gottfried Leibniz about who invented calculus, the trial of the pyx and counterfeit money, and Hanovers and Louis 16th scheming for control of Europe. We continue to follow the Shaftoe and Waterhouse families who have relatives popping up through the ages in subsequent books In including Cryptonomicon.

Have I reread it? No but frequently consider it when picking the next book to read.

Did it make me want to read more? Yes. More Stephenson and I read a couple non fiction books on newton, Leibniz, and Louis the 16th after reading System.

You wrote all this about The Baroque Cycle and didn't mention Jack Shaftoe (aka King of the Vagabonds, L'Emmerdeur, Half-Cocked Jack (due to a botched operation to cure his syphillis), Quicksilver, Ali Zaybak Jack the Coiner?

For shame.

Seriously though, this series is absolutely fantastic and I've read it multiple times. Perhaps you've read other Stephenson but were put off by the length of this set and the genre being historical fiction. Yes, it is long, but it isn't just historical fiction. Stephenson puts it under the science fiction heading and although there is very little to classify it as such, he's not wrong (as if he would be given he's the author). I think Enoch Root might agree.

 

[TheBaylorKid]

Way behind, I had The System of the World (Vol. 3 of the Baroque Cycle) by Neal Stephenson.

It did not make the top 300.

But first how I selected books for my list:
1. I’ve either read the book more than once or have a strong desire to reread again. There are so many place to visit, characters to meet, and points of view to see and life is so short so it has to be really enjoyable to spend that time to reread.
2. The books made me want to read more. Either more by the author or there is a topic in the book to go read further on. Or the book introduce me to a new genre.

Back to the system of the world.

Stephenson makes a mad cap story out of historical events: the feud between Isaac Newton and Gottfried Leibniz about who invented calculus, the trial of the pyx and counterfeit money, and Hanovers and Louis 16th scheming for control of Europe. We continue to follow the Shaftoe and Waterhouse families who have relatives popping up through the ages in subsequent books In including Cryptonomicon.

Have I reread it? No but frequently consider it when picking the next book to read.

Did it make me want to read more? Yes. More Stephenson and I read a couple non fiction books on newton, Leibniz, and Louis the 16th after reading System.

You wrote all this about The Baroque Cycle and didn't mention Jack Shaftoe (aka King of the Vagabonds, L'Emmerdeur, Half-Cocked Jack (due to a botched operation to cure his syphillis), Quicksilver, Ali Zaybak Jack the Coiner?

For shame.

Seriously though, this series is absolutely fantastic and I've read it multiple times. Perhaps you've read other Stephenson but were put off by the length of this set and the genre being historical fiction. Yes, it is long, but it isn't just historical fiction. Stephenson puts it under the science fiction heading and although there is very little to classify it as such, he's not wrong (as if he would be given he's the author). I think Enoch Root might agree.

I love Stephenson. But I know anything he writes I’ll be with it for a month. I love how he brings different threads well known and lessor known historical characters and events with colorful fictional characters and a wild, twisty plot. Thanks for bringing out the additional highlights.

 

[TheBaylorKid]

W.B. Yeats - The Second Coming and Collected Poems (1919-19xx)

The Collected Poems of W.B. Yeats is the current official working title of his longer collection. The book that originally contains the "The Second Coming" is called Michael Robartes and the Dancer (1921), but I figured I'd list the title of his most famous poem, one that has gripped nearly everybody this century who felt the world was ending somehow.

Written in 1919 and published in 1920, "The Second Coming" is a poem that (even if you haven't read it) you've heard interspersed throughout modern culture, even in, or especially in, the America of 2025. If you've ever heard the phrase "things fall apart," "the centre cannot hold," "anarchy is loosed upon the world," or "the best lack all conviction" followed by "the worst are full of passionate intensity," you've felt the poem in some way or another, handed down by those who would worry about society and its direction but want to be literate; to nod to something higher and to be edified by the beauty of the perfect arrangement of words. And arrange Yeats did. There are so many written versions and edits to the poem before its publication that one nods in admiration at how hard Yeats tried to write and edit and how perfect the result was.

The poem is elevated and on high. There is a mastery of language without formal meter or rhyme. Yeats doesn't write in perfect iambic pentameter, nor do his couplets rhyme and if they do, they rhyme out of repetition—a singular word suffices to rhyme with itself:

Surely some revelation is at hand;
Surely the Second Coming is at hand.

The poem begins with a slow-motion collapse of all things ordered and decent; where confusion and impending doom are the order of the day, and it ends not with a hack's depiction of the final state of collapse (there is no gruesome depiction of death, destruction, apocalypse, and bodies), but rather with the penultimate state of affairs and a description of the worst part of the inevitability of violent decline—the uncertainty and worry of the form and nature that will eventually bring our destruction.

And that's what strikes me about the poem. Everybody will worry and curse when Napoleon is marching through the streets of Berlin, or the Nazis the same almost a century and half later; but what of those who see it all unfolding and scream themselves into madness to try and stop it before it happens? That is Yeats's curse and charge. The observational power of a Nietzsche-like intellect mixed with the feeling of one's real-life impotency to do something about everything that matters. To be cursed with the observant powers of the decline while not knowing what form it will take and how destructive it will be. So it ends.

"Beautiful Lofty Things," also by Yeats, is a chronicle of his friends who were major players during the Irish Renaissance. It is also one of my favorites and couldn't be more different than "The Second Coming." A beautiful poem born of friendship, Yeats holds his friends in adulation and elevates them to God-like status, never once seeming like the egoist or the exclusive; but rather, somebody who loves his friends and former acquaintances and so deifies them.

The Second Coming
Beautiful Lofty Things

I would not dare call myself a poetry guy, but I made sure I have a collection from Yeats on the book shelf, in fact that is only one.Yeats is so good.

 

[Dr. Octopus]

Life of Pi by Yann Martel

Yann Martel's Life of Pi is a deep exploration of survival, faith, and the human spirit, blending adventure with philosophical depth. The novel tells the remarkable story of Pi Patel, a young Indian boy stranded on a lifeboat in the Pacific Ocean with a Bengal tiger named Richard Parker, following a shipwreck. What begins as a tale of loss and isolation becomes a profound meditation on the nature of storytelling, belief, and what it means to survive in the face of the impossible.
I randomly found it on a bookshelf at the hotel we were staying at in St. Lucia and became obsessed with finishing it before we left since I didn't want to swipe it from the hotel.

 

[Ilov80s]

W.B. Yeats - The Second Coming and Collected Poems (1919-19xx)

The Collected Poems of W.B. Yeats is the current official working title of his longer collection. The book that originally contains the "The Second Coming" is called Michael Robartes and the Dancer (1921), but I figured I'd list the title of his most famous poem, one that has gripped nearly everybody this century who felt the world was ending somehow.

Written in 1919 and published in 1920, "The Second Coming" is a poem that (even if you haven't read it) you've heard interspersed throughout modern culture, even in, or especially in, the America of 2025. If you've ever heard the phrase "things fall apart," "the centre cannot hold," "anarchy is loosed upon the world," or "the best lack all conviction" followed by "the worst are full of passionate intensity," you've felt the poem in some way or another, handed down by those who would worry about society and its direction but want to be literate; to nod to something higher and to be edified by the beauty of the perfect arrangement of words. And arrange Yeats did. There are so many written versions and edits to the poem before its publication that one nods in admiration at how hard Yeats tried to write and edit and how perfect the result was.

The poem is elevated and on high. There is a mastery of language without formal meter or rhyme. Yeats doesn't write in perfect iambic pentameter, nor do his couplets rhyme and if they do, they rhyme out of repetition—a singular word suffices to rhyme with itself:

Surely some revelation is at hand;
Surely the Second Coming is at hand.

The poem begins with a slow-motion collapse of all things ordered and decent; where confusion and impending doom are the order of the day, and it ends not with a hack's depiction of the final state of collapse (there is no gruesome depiction of death, destruction, apocalypse, and bodies), but rather with the penultimate state of affairs and a description of the worst part of the inevitability of violent decline—the uncertainty and worry of the form and nature that will eventually bring our destruction.

And that's what strikes me about the poem. Everybody will worry and curse when Napoleon is marching through the streets of Berlin, or the Nazis the same almost a century and half later; but what of those who see it all unfolding and scream themselves into madness to try and stop it before it happens? That is Yeats's curse and charge. The observational power of a Nietzsche-like intellect mixed with the feeling of one's real-life impotency to do something about everything that matters. To be cursed with the observant powers of the decline while not knowing what form it will take and how destructive it will be. So it ends.

"Beautiful Lofty Things," also by Yeats, is a chronicle of his friends who were major players during the Irish Renaissance. It is also one of my favorites and couldn't be more different than "The Second Coming." A beautiful poem born of friendship, Yeats holds his friends in adulation and elevates them to God-like status, never once seeming like the egoist or the exclusive; but rather, somebody who loves his friends and former acquaintances and so deifies them.

The Second Coming
Beautiful Lofty Things

Wonderful choice and sadly second coming is timeless.

 

[Dr. Octopus]

The Secret History by Donna Tartt (1992) (my #29)

I posted a little bit about reading this book in the early 2000s and it getting me more into modern fiction, which had not been a big area of my reading before that besides some Tom Clancy-type stuff. It’s about a group of classics students at a small college who commit a murder, and the events leading up to it and its aftermath. Tartt’s writing style is a bit Dickensian with a heavy focus on character development, so the novel is mostly about how it impacts their relationships with each other and their psyche. This one may have been higher than I placed it if not for some recency bias, as it might be due for a re-read as I haven’t read it since I first read it 20+ years ago.

I had this one ranked as well so I'll just piggyback on this excellent write up.

 

[Dr. Octopus]

Thinner by Stephen King (as Richard Bachman)

Published in 1984 under the pseudonym Richard Bachman, Thinner is a gripping and dark tale that delves into the human psyche and the consequences of one's actions.
The novel follows Billy Halleck, a once-prosperous and arrogant lawyer, who, after a tragic hit-and-run accident, finds himself cursed by a gypsy after an altercation. The curse causes Billy to lose weight at an alarming and uncontrollable rate, despite his best efforts to eat and regain the weight. As Billy's physical appearance deteriorates, so too does his sanity, as he struggles to uncover the mystery behind the curse and its potential undoing.

I have a few King novels on my list. King may not write great literature but his books are damn entertaining and always a good read, Well almost always - he has a few clunkers.

 

[rockaction]

I randomly found it on a bookshelf at the hotel we were staying at in St. Lucia and became obsessed with finishing it before we left since I didn't want to swipe it from the hotel.

The funniest reason/motive for reading a book in the thread so far.

 

[rockaction]

Sorry, I'm editing like a champ. I want to use the right words and all.

 

[Oliver Humanzee]

Im starting a list. It would be awesome to get 1 book from each participant in this.

I've got a lot of good books to come, but only 2 of them were solely selected by me. (So I may have 3 recommendations for you in the end.)

First up is:

The Sot-Weed Factor by John Barth which was my #12 pick.

A sot-weed factor is basically a tobacco merchant. Here's a passage from a spoiler free NYT review:

The time is late seventeenth century, the reign of William and Mary. The book is a bare-knuckled satire of humanity at large and the grandiose costume romance, done with meticulous skill in imitation of such eighteenth-century picaresque novelists as Fielding, Smollett and Sterne. For all the vigor of these models, we have to go back to Rabelais to match its unbridled bawdiness and scatalogical mirth. But the book is not pornographic. Rather than arousing to venery, Barth reduced human sexuality to a raucous pest and occasion of folly, employing a variety of fresh, vivid verbs for its functions. He does sometimes cross the line to the simply ugly in both act and attitude.

The plot itself is a parody in its incalculable complexity; a tissue of intrigue and counter-intrigue, ludicrous mock-heroic adventure, masquerades and confusions of identity. Its three major figures among a huge gallery are Ebenezer Cooke, his twin sister, Anna, and one Henry Burlingame, once tutor to both and, in a manner of speaking, suitor to both.

Ebenezer, self-styled poet and virgin, whose Hudibrastic couplets subjected to much solemn analysis are among Barth's triumphs, goes to Maryland to be proprietor of his father's tobacco plantation on the Choptank River. He supposes himself commissioned by the third Lord Baltimore as poet and laureate of Maryland to write an epic "Marylandiad." He finds life and limb in constant danger from political intrigues. Burlingame, intricately involved in the plotting, constantly helps or saves Ebenezer, but anybody having Burlingame for a friend doesn't need an enemy.

From Kirkus reviews:

An incredibly complex plot (and some 1100 pages) take him to the New World to manage his father's estate. He becomes involved with pirates, the law, Indian "salvages", and religious and political intrigues. He loses the estate in several different ways, tracks down the mystery of his tutor's ancestry, finds and loses the girl he loves (a whore, Joan Toast) several times, and is involved in many adventures with his twin sister, his servant, and shipmates, pirates, colonists and political figures. While intricate, the plot is clear and full of the manners, morals and language of the period with a great display of poetic and philosophic knowledge. Echoes of Boccaccio, Cervantes, Voltaire and Rabelais are to be found in what is essentially a satire of a certain period done with care and style and learning.

I've seen The Sot-Weed Factor hailed as "the American novel that it had until this point lacked [with the notable exception of

Spoiler

redacted since it's still to come in the countdown

]"

I don't think I'd go that far, but it is one of my favorite books, very well written and so, so funny.

Love Barth. Endlessly funny and strange.

 

[Eephus]

Since we were talking about The Waterboys in the MADs thread, Mike Scott also made a concept album in 2011 with lyrics adapted from Yeats' poetry. The original release was 14 songs but he's since padded it out with demos to a massive 43 tracks.

An Appointment with Mr Yeats (2022 Remaster)

The Waterboys · Album · 2011 · 43 songs

open.spotify.com

 

[Chaos34]

Since we were talking about The Waterboys in the MADs thread, Mike Scott also made a concept album in 2011 with lyrics adapted from Yeats' poetry. The original release was 14 songs but he's since padded it out with demos to a massive 43 tracks.

An Appointment with Mr Yeats (2022 Remaster)

The Waterboys · Album · 2011 · 43 songs

open.spotify.com

Whoa. Love Yeats and the Waterboys. I'll never catch up on the themes playlists if you keep posting stuff like this.

Also, I'm surprised there hasn't been a Grisham discussion with two being chosen. I see he's pushing towards 50 best sellers. That's a bunch. I read 4. The two chosen, The Rainmaker and The Pelican Brief. All 4 turned into movies I can enjoy rewatching. Excellent storyteller, but I've had the feeling for some time his literary chops are disregarded somewhat by avid readers seeking compelling prose, deep character development, and I dunno. They were page turners for me, but didn't make my list.

 

[Dr_Zaius]

Wonderful choice and sadly second coming is timeless.

I enjoy poetry but wouldn't consider myself very well read in it. The Second Coming and The Gods of the Copybook Headings are the two that really stuck with me after reading them.

 

[KarmaPolice]

Thinner by Stephen King (as Richard Bachman)

Published in 1984 under the pseudonym Richard Bachman, Thinner is a gripping and dark tale that delves into the human psyche and the consequences of one's actions.
The novel follows Billy Halleck, a once-prosperous and arrogant lawyer, who, after a tragic hit-and-run accident, finds himself cursed by a gypsy after an altercation. The curse causes Billy to lose weight at an alarming and uncontrollable rate, despite his best efforts to eat and regain the weight. As Billy's physical appearance deteriorates, so too does his sanity, as he struggles to uncover the mystery behind the curse and its potential undoing.

I have a few King novels on my list. King may not write great literature but his books are damn entertaining and always a good read, Well almost always - he has a few clunkers.

I didn't know this was a Bachman output too. i am curious how people are handling the others - the Bachman Books collection, or separate?

 

[KarmaPolice]

Sorry, now I understand where my post went wrong.

I am (mostly) joking about the page limit. What I was trying to say is as the reveal goes, I am making a list of books. It would be cool at the end of that if there was at least 1/participant. Sorry, I didn't intend for people to post books out of order.

I am looking though what my library has of the 15 I wrote down so far and researching those titles more.

I knew you were joking about number of pages. However, since OH and I have had three posted so far that were under (or nearly) the 300-page limit, I figured I'd mention them. Others might be interested in dipping their toes in where they can read something fairly quickly.

Well, I will say to others where this might be the case that there are A LOT of books mentioned so far that are 300pgs or less.

I have a mix of 15 titles coming in next week from the library system, and all under 300pgs. Looks like the only thing the local library had was every James Bond novel, so I might start there this weekend (this is a safe series since I haven't seen Bond movies) or start a quick re-read of what I had in my mind for my #1. Great stuff so far, thanks all!

 

[KarmaPolice]

226 - The Forever War by Joe Haldeman (1974)

I went through a brief sci-fi phase as a teenager but this was one of only two novels from that genre that made my list at #41. It's a Vietnam War allegory about a soldier who goes off to war and returns to his home planet that's unrecognizable due to the effects of time dilation. He no longer knows anyone at home so he continues to re-enlist for additional tours of duty that become increasingly horrific. I re-read the book as an adult and still found it intriguing in spite of some sexism and homophobia that escaped me as a high schooler.

Have you read others in the series as well?

 

[Eephus]

226 - The Forever War by Joe Haldeman (1974)

I went through a brief sci-fi phase as a teenager but this was one of only two novels from that genre that made my list at #41. It's a Vietnam War allegory about a soldier who goes off to war and returns to his home planet that's unrecognizable due to the effects of time dilation. He no longer knows anyone at home so he continues to re-enlist for additional tours of duty that become increasingly horrific. I re-read the book as an adult and still found it intriguing in spite of some sexism and homophobia that escaped me as a high schooler.

Have you read others in the series as well?

I have not. The sequels came out long after my teen sci-fi years.

 

[kupcho1]

Phase 2: Books 300 - 201 continued

Here are the next 12

217	A Man in Full	Tom Wolfe	rockaction
	Sophie's Choice	William Styron	Eephus
	Silence	Shusaku Endo	Oliver Humanzee
	The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo	Stieg Larsson	guru_007
	The Demolished Man	Alfred Bester	Barry2
	The Aeneid	Virgil	turnjose7
	Noble House	James Clavell	timschochet
	House of Leaves	Mark Danielewski	krista4, shuke
213	The Sirens of Titan	Kurt Vonnegut	ilov80s, chaos34
	The Dead Zone	Stephen King	timschochet, turnjose7
	Second Foundation	Isaac Asimov	turnjose7, guru_007
	Alices Adventures in Wonderland	Lewis Carroll	Dr. Octopus, TheBaylorKid

No ranked books from me today, but I've ~1/2 of the above and will chime in once their champions do so.

 

[Frostillicus]

Phase 2: Books 300 - 201 continued

Here are the next 12

217	A Man in Full	Tom Wolfe	rockaction
	Sophie's Choice	William Styron	Eephus
	Silence	Shusaku Endo	Oliver Humanzee
	The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo	Stieg Larsson	guru_007
	The Demolished Man	Alfred Bester	Barry2
	The Aeneid	Virgil	turnjose7
	Noble House	James Clavell	timschochet
	House of Leaves	Mark Danielewski	krista4, shuke
213	The Sirens of Titan	Kurt Vonnegut	ilov80s, chaos34
	The Dead Zone	Stephen King	timschochet, turnjose7
	Second Foundation	Isaac Asimov	turnjose7, guru_007
	Alices Adventures in Wonderland	Lewis Carroll	Dr. Octopus, TheBaylorKid

No ranked books from me today, but I've ~1/2 of the above and will chime in once their champions do so.

I have read Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Sirens of Titan, The Dead Zone, and Alice's Adventuires in Wonderland from this list. I enjoyed them all. Dragon Tattoo was the closest I came to ranking one of them.

 

[shuke]

Thinner by Stephen King (as Richard Bachman)

Published in 1984 under the pseudonym Richard Bachman, Thinner is a gripping and dark tale that delves into the human psyche and the consequences of one's actions.
The novel follows Billy Halleck, a once-prosperous and arrogant lawyer, who, after a tragic hit-and-run accident, finds himself cursed by a gypsy after an altercation. The curse causes Billy to lose weight at an alarming and uncontrollable rate, despite his best efforts to eat and regain the weight. As Billy's physical appearance deteriorates, so too does his sanity, as he struggles to uncover the mystery behind the curse and its potential undoing.

I have a few King novels on my list. King may not write great literature but his books are damn entertaining and always a good read, Well almost always - he has a few clunkers.

I didn't know this was a Bachman output too. i am curious how people are handling the others - the Bachman Books collection, or separate?

I was told that book collections of other released works, i.e. The Bachman Books (Rage, The Long Walk, The Running Man, Roadwork), was not allowed. It was initially on my list.

 

[shuke]

	House of Leaves	Mark Danielewski	krista4, shuke

Fixed

 

[kupcho1]

	House of Leaves	Mark Danielewski	krista4, shuke

Fixed

Thanks

BTW, I read this years ago based on your recommendation. It was ... different.

 

[shuke]

Krista's way better with words than I am so I'll give her the first shot at discussion. I loved both the execution and concept. I've said before that only a few books have given me nightmares (both of which I've ranked, one that I imagine will show up here, the other I doubt). This is actually one that had me experiencing hallucinations.

 

[shuke]

I have read Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Sirens of Titan, The Dead Zone

Have also read these. I already had 10 King and 5 Vonnegut on my list. Sirens was close, though.

 

[shuke]

	House of Leaves	Mark Danielewski	krista4, shuke

Fixed

Thanks

It's more tongue in cheek, you didn't actually do anything wrong.

 

[Ilov80s]

@Chaos34 want to do the honors of writing up Sirens of Titan?

 

[krista4]

Krista's way better with words than I am so I'll give her the first shot at discussion. I loved both the execution and concept. I've said before that only a few books have given me nightmares (both of which I've ranked, one that I imagine will show up here, the other I doubt). This is actually one that had me experiencing hallucinations.

1. "Some people have a way with words, and other people...uhhhh, not have way." - Steve Martin
2. I'm not way better with words than you, though it's nice of you to say.
3. Giving the bold, yours is going to be way better than mine in any case. Please proceed.

 

[Chaos34]

Hey how exciting. My first one since having five in one drop. I think that's four blanks in a row. I expected to share this with Shuke after his comments on more Vonnegut. I did not expect to share it with ilov80s after his worry there'd be too much sci fi; to which I replied I wasn't big on sci fi either. Yet here we are. Silly, raw, fast paced sci fi laced with Vonnegut's many gifts of observation.

I just deleted a long paragraph full of spoilers. Um, with snarky humor and constant surprises Vonnegut explores the vanity and absurdity of existence and free will. It's a great ride if you like humor that makes you wince at yourself for laughing. It's not puff though. He explores Nietzsche's eternalism and Camus' absurdism as only he could; keeping you laughing and wincing. He takes down organized religion with a fun device; a new religion some 200 years into the future: The Church of God The Utterly Indifferent. It leans gnostic complete with a demiurge-ish figure, but harsh. No route to salvation -- a middle manager, accidental deity as the main narrator. Vonnegut is fun reading everyone I've recommended him to has enjoyed. My favorite quote from this is something I've probably said 100 times:

A purpose of human life, no matter who is controlling it, is to love whoever is around to be loved.

@Chaos34 want to do the honors of writing up Sirens of Titan?

I was in the process. I'm not sure what else to add without giving away too much. Feel free to add to this.

 

[Mrs.Marco]

I have two in this batch.

American Pyscho - Bret Easton Ellis. I can understand why only one other person ranked this. It's not for everyone.

The Firm - John Grisham. Pretty shocked that only one other person ranked this one. Grisham had the popular novel world by the balls for a while and this was both his first and his best. Shocked I tell you.

I really enjoyed The Firm both the book and the movie. I liked how the movie included a scene in which he admits his infidelity, though the happy ending is pretty unrealistic. Very fun read.

 

[Mrs.Marco]

Catching up on my one-offs:

Looking for Alaska by John Green
I probably have a bit of a soft spot for John Green due to my youngest daughter loving his books. I think this is his best one, although I did also rank The Fault in Our Stars, which was made into a movie a few years back. His stories tend towards the coming of age of introspective teens. Some might say his characters are overly precocious, but I think that’s unfair. Anyway, he captures the zeitgeist of the teen years well in my opinion, and he doesn’t shy away from big issues like suicide, violence, and death. This particular novel follows the protagonist trying to fit in at a boarding school that has a lot of tension between the rich kids and the rest of the students. He falls in love with a rebellious girl there, but despite his efforts it’s doubtful that he’ll ever have a real romantic relationship with her. There’s a tragedy that’s hinted at but not revealed until later in the novel, after which the other characters try to piece together the mystery.

The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury
Out of the assigned reading books from my school days, Bradbury wrote the book I most enjoyed. That book will appear later in the countdown, but I have two other Bradbury books on the list. I also enjoy a lot of his short stories. They’re a bit of a time capsule and it’s funny how much smoking, hot dog eating, and newspaper reading is in his stuff, but the “what if” type of soft sci-fi that he epitomizes is such a sweet spot for me. The Martian Chronicles takes that “what if” to Earth’s (really the USA’s) colonization of a Mars that has an already ancient civilization living there. Lots of commentary on human nature, man’s effect on his environment, and what people really long for.


Looking forward to @rockaction 's write up on "We". I'm a big fan of the classic dystopian novels but have never read that one.

I really enjoyed Looking For Alaska too. It's a book that shifted the YA genre, and he sure does connect well with teens!

 

[El Floppo]

The movie adaptation with Leo and Kate is quite good too.

wife and I saw this in teh theater.

every single time theres discussion of moving to the burbs (including the same burbs from the book/movie), the wife references this and it's outcome. kabosh instated instantly. and she's not joking.

With our son likely going to Yale, she literally just sent me a listing for a beautiful house nearby in CT. I asked her if it was on Revolutionary Road.

 

[Mrs.Marco]

Alright, I’ve had three of mine show up that are due for some write-ups…

Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi (2016) (my #12)

I also had Transcendent Kingdom by Gyasi down in my list, but I had that one further down my list, so not likely to place unless someone else ranked it. She’s only written two novels so far, but I’ve immensely enjoyed both of them. Homegoing is told over around 300 years and ~8 generations. It starts in Ghana with two half-sisters. One gets sold into slavery in the US, and the other subject to colonial life in Ghana. The novel moves by telling the story of a different person from each generation chapter by chapter until the stories reunite in a way at the end. It’s a bit like a novel told in a series of short stories. Just enjoyed the scope of history covered, and Gyasi’s writing.

American Pastoral by Philip Roth (1997) (my #26)

I had three Roth novels in my list of 70 with this one being the highest. I think it is the most epic of his novels in some ways. It is the story of the American dream of prosperity in the post-World War II boom and maybe as depicted in some 1950s era TV shows, but overcome by the realities of the events of the 1960s, told through the story of someone who seemed to have it all as the successful person in high school and business, but had his life fall apart. I’m probably not doing it justice, but also struggling to think of a way to describe without the spoilers. Maybe Krista can do it better (well, I’m sure she can).

The Secret History by Donna Tartt (1992) (my #29)

I posted a little bit about reading this book in the early 2000s and it getting me more into modern fiction, which had not been a big area of my reading before that besides some Tom Clancy-type stuff. It’s about a group of classics students at a small college who commit a murder, and the events leading up to it and its aftermath. Tartt’s writing style is a bit Dickensian with a heavy focus on character development, so the novel is mostly about how it impacts their relationships with each other and their psyche. This one may have been higher than I placed it if not for some recency bias, as it might be due for a re-read as I haven’t read it since I first read it 20+ years ago.

I also liked the way the characters linked in Homegoing. Yea Gyasi is such a skilled writer.

 

[El Floppo]

230t - London Fields by Martin Amis (1989)

London Fields is an apocalyptic black comedy that's set up as a murder mystery from the opening lines but ventures into darker and weirder places. The murder victim is femme fatale Nicola Six and the suspects include the narrator, terminally ill American author Samson Young, professional dart player Keith Talent and upper class twit Guy Clinch. They're all horrible people and parts of the book are probably terribly politically incorrect today but I found it wickedly funny.

This one is on our bookshelves, but I haven't read it. Need to correct that.

This was recommended to me ages ago by Eeph and my mutual friend- loved the book.

 

[Eephus]

230t - London Fields by Martin Amis (1989)

London Fields is an apocalyptic black comedy that's set up as a murder mystery from the opening lines but ventures into darker and weirder places. The murder victim is femme fatale Nicola Six and the suspects include the narrator, terminally ill American author Samson Young, professional dart player Keith Talent and upper class twit Guy Clinch. They're all horrible people and parts of the book are probably terribly politically incorrect today but I found it wickedly funny.

This one is on our bookshelves, but I haven't read it. Need to correct that.

This was recommended to me ages ago by Eeph and my mutual friend- loved the book.

I own a copy but still haven't read Cintra's novel Colors Insulting to Nature

 

[Ilov80s]

Hey how exciting. My first one since having five in one drop. I think that's four blanks in a row. I expected to share this with Shuke after his comments on more Vonnegut. I did not expect to share it with ilov80s after his worry there'd be too much sci fi; to which I replied I wasn't big on sci fi either. Yet here we are. Silly, raw, fast paced sci fi laced with Vonnegut's many gifts of observation.

I just deleted a long paragraph full of spoilers. Um, with snarky humor and constant surprises Vonnegut explores the vanity and absurdity of existence and free will. It's a great ride if you like humor that makes you wince at yourself for laughing. It's not puff though. He explores Nietzsche's eternalism and Camus' absurdism as only he could; keeping you laughing and wincing. He takes down organized religion with a fun device; a new religion some 200 years into the future: The Church of God The Utterly Indifferent. It leans gnostic complete with a demiurge-ish figure, but harsh. No route to salvation -- a middle manager, accidental deity as the main narrator. Vonnegut is fun reading everyone I've recommended him to has enjoyed. My favorite quote from this is something I've probably said 100 times:

A purpose of human life, no matter who is controlling it, is to love whoever is around to be loved.

@Chaos34 want to do the honors of writing up Sirens of Titan?

I was in the process. I'm not sure what else to add without giving away too much. Feel free to add to this.

You did great

 

[El Floppo]

230t - London Fields by Martin Amis (1989)

London Fields is an apocalyptic black comedy that's set up as a murder mystery from the opening lines but ventures into darker and weirder places. The murder victim is femme fatale Nicola Six and the suspects include the narrator, terminally ill American author Samson Young, professional dart player Keith Talent and upper class twit Guy Clinch. They're all horrible people and parts of the book are probably terribly politically incorrect today but I found it wickedly funny.

This one is on our bookshelves, but I haven't read it. Need to correct that.

This was recommended to me ages ago by Eeph and my mutual friend- loved the book.

I own a copy but still haven't read Cintra's novel Colors Insulting to Nature

should be in the top 100.

I kid. kinda. but it's a really good encapsulation of everything that makes her amazing.

 

[Dr. Octopus]

I have read Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Sirens of Titan, The Dead Zone

Have also read these. I already had 10 King and 5 Vonnegut on my list. Sirens was close, though.

Same, in having a lot of King and Vonnegut on my list - and it was a tough call to have to leave some off.

 

[Dr. Octopus]

I don’t think I have to say much about Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland - it’s a quick read and I read it exclusively as an adult and still enjoyed its wackiness.

 

[Keith R]

Thinner by Stephen King (as Richard Bachman)

Published in 1984 under the pseudonym Richard Bachman, Thinner is a gripping and dark tale that delves into the human psyche and the consequences of one's actions.
The novel follows Billy Halleck, a once-prosperous and arrogant lawyer, who, after a tragic hit-and-run accident, finds himself cursed by a gypsy after an altercation. The curse causes Billy to lose weight at an alarming and uncontrollable rate, despite his best efforts to eat and regain the weight. As Billy's physical appearance deteriorates, so too does his sanity, as he struggles to uncover the mystery behind the curse and its potential undoing.

I have a few King novels on my list. King may not write great literature but his books are damn entertaining and always a good read, Well almost always - he has a few clunkers.

Not much to add as the other voter except that I read this the summer between middle and high school on a road trip. I'd sit in the back seat but between the subject matter and road sickness, I'd have to stop... for 10 minutes, then I'd make myself resume because I was hooked on the story. I read about 70% of it in that back seat and the rest in various hotel rooms. Many years later, I still have vivid recollections from it.

Many years later, my then-girlfriend now-wife bought me the audiobook. We listened to it together and she liked it a lot but it didn't quite register for me, despite being read by Paul Sorvino.

 

[turnjose7]

Thinner by Stephen King (as Richard Bachman)

Published in 1984 under the pseudonym Richard Bachman, Thinner is a gripping and dark tale that delves into the human psyche and the consequences of one's actions.
The novel follows Billy Halleck, a once-prosperous and arrogant lawyer, who, after a tragic hit-and-run accident, finds himself cursed by a gypsy after an altercation. The curse causes Billy to lose weight at an alarming and uncontrollable rate, despite his best efforts to eat and regain the weight. As Billy's physical appearance deteriorates, so too does his sanity, as he struggles to uncover the mystery behind the curse and its potential undoing.

I have a few King novels on my list. King may not write great literature but his books are damn entertaining and always a good read, Well almost always - he has a few clunkers.

I'm not sure your last point is entirely true. Certainly, most of his works are pure entertainment and probably shouldn't be characterized as great literature, but I think at his best there are times he gets close to being truly great. Hearts in Atlantis, Bag of Bones, and parts of Different Seasons all come to mind.

I had been toying with the idea of doing a countdown of King stories (not limited to novels but including short stories and even his non-fiction work) even before this thread was announced. He comes up in a lot of threads and while I haven't read everything he has published, I've read enough that I think I could do it justice. Maybe after this thread is complete I'll start that. Not sure how much interest there would be, but it could be fun.

 

[Dr. Octopus]

Hearts in Atlantis, Bag of Bones, and parts of Different Seasons all come to mind.

I haven’t read these. I guess I should.

 

[turnjose7]

Phase 2: Books 300 - 201 continued

Here are the next 12

217	A Man in Full	Tom Wolfe	rockaction
	Sophie's Choice	William Styron	Eephus
	Silence	Shusaku Endo	Oliver Humanzee
	The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo	Stieg Larsson	guru_007
	The Demolished Man	Alfred Bester	Barry2
	The Aeneid	Virgil	turnjose7
	Noble House	James Clavell	timschochet
	House of Leaves	Mark Danielewski	krista4, shuke
213	The Sirens of Titan	Kurt Vonnegut	ilov80s, chaos34
	The Dead Zone	Stephen King	timschochet, turnjose7
	Second Foundation	Isaac Asimov	turnjose7, guru_007
	Alices Adventures in Wonderland	Lewis Carroll	Dr. Octopus, TheBaylorKid

No ranked books from me today, but I've ~1/2 of the above and will chime in once their champions do so.

I had three in this grouping. I'll pause to see if the other raters want to post about The Dead Zone or Second Foundation. But since I am the only ranker for this one:

The Aeneid by Virgil

Latin epic poem that tells the legendary story of Aeneas, a Trojan who fled the fall of Troy and travelled to Italy, where he became the ancestor of the Romans.

Being a lover of history and former student of classics, quite a few selections on my list from pre 1000 AD, including multiple epic poems. While maybe not as popular as The Iliad or The Odyssey, The Aeneid is my favorite of the great classical epics. The multi layered allegory and the close ties to historical Rome make it feel somehow more epic to me.

 

[turnjose7]

Hearts in Atlantis, Bag of Bones, and parts of Different Seasons all come to mind.

I haven’t read these. I guess I should.

Depending on your age, Hearts in Atlantis is one that many here might really appreciate. One critic described it as "the great American Boomer novel." Though be careful if easily offended. King does not have a very flattering opinion of his generation.