What do you think?
Rate this book
501 Must-Read Books
"501 Must Read Books" is like the wisest, cleverest, best-read and most trusted friend you have ever had. The recommendations for inclusion in this comprehensive book were made by a bibliophile and writer with a peerless reputation. This comprehensive guide will inspire you to read more widely than you could have imagined and to explore the previously untrodden aisles in your bookstore or library.
544 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2014
41 people are currently reading
1383 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 77 reviews
May 2, 2015
501 Must-Read Books
June 12, 2025
В тази обемна книга са ни предложени над 501 интригуващи заглавия и техните автори.
Освен кратки резюмета на произведенията, има доста факти свързани с тях.
Повече от една трета от заглавията вече съм ги прочел, но намерих вътре няколко нови книги, които ме заинтригуваха достатъчно, та да ги включа в читателските си планове.
Късичките текстове от по страничка са придружени от красиви илюстрации, кратки библиографии на автора и снимки на корици.
Перфектна е за убиване на някой мързелив летен следобед!
Освен кратки резюмета на произведенията, има доста факти свързани с тях.
Повече от една трета от заглавията вече съм ги прочел, но намерих вътре няколко нови книги, които ме заинтригуваха достатъчно, та да ги включа в читателските си планове.
Късичките текстове от по страничка са придружени от красиви илюстрации, кратки библиографии на автора и снимки на корици.
Перфектна е за убиване на някой мързелив летен следобед!
July 7, 2008
I picked this book up in the bargain books area of Borders this past weekend. Several people on Goodreads suggested this as a good reference to find good books and I can see why now after devouring the whole thing in one weekend. In the process I was able to find 12 books to add to my "to read" list - My Left Foot, Che Guevara: A Revolutionary Life, Brain Wave, It, and Unless among others.
Anyone who is interested in the lives of authors will love this book. I expected to only find lists of books with boring plot summaries, but found the writing to be interesting and the facts shared about various authors was a bonus. Many of the pages had photos of authors, which I like, being a collector of black and white postcards of favorite authors such as Toni Morrison, Stephen King, Virginia Wolfe, Ernest Hemingway, etc.
My best find was a science fiction book called Brain Wave by Poul Anderson. It centers around the earth's atmosphere changing and causing people and animals to become smarter literally overnight and is told from the viewpoints of several characters who are affected in different ways.
Anyone who is interested in the lives of authors will love this book. I expected to only find lists of books with boring plot summaries, but found the writing to be interesting and the facts shared about various authors was a bonus. Many of the pages had photos of authors, which I like, being a collector of black and white postcards of favorite authors such as Toni Morrison, Stephen King, Virginia Wolfe, Ernest Hemingway, etc.
My best find was a science fiction book called Brain Wave by Poul Anderson. It centers around the earth's atmosphere changing and causing people and animals to become smarter literally overnight and is told from the viewpoints of several characters who are affected in different ways.
May 3, 2015
While I often agreed with the authors chosen, I did not always agree with the specific books of these chosen as their "best" works.
I also personally would have re-arranged the genre sections to have a proper non-fiction section.
..and how come we are doing SF and thrillers, but no horror or fantasy? ...for Pete's sake - an iconic author such as Tolkien is included under children's fiction...!! Could the "children's" section not rather have been named: "fantasy" which could have included children's fiction?
Non-fantasy children's novels could have been placed in a YA section.
Alternatively, could SF/Fantasy not have been placed together, since there is often a lot of crossover between these 2 genres?
I did not like the "thriller" section either, which seemed rather skewed in favor of early twentieth century detective novels. (...and in spite of that, Miss Marple doesn't even feature! LOL)
Surely, in any case, one must view the books as 'must-read' only if you are interested in the specific genre, so I feel more genres should have been represented here.
On the plus side, for those having nothing else to do, and nothing left to read, every novel gets an informative, succinct description, with some brief information on its author included, making this a useful and interesting, if lightweight, reference/coffee table addition to one's library.
The book can be read on its own mainly for entertainment and to fill out any gaps in personal literary knowledge, or can be used as a quick reference book, but it is lacking regarding the satisfaction of anything more serious than idle curiosity, since it most often doesn't even give information on other equally good or famous books a prolific author might have written.
I also personally would have re-arranged the genre sections to have a proper non-fiction section.
..and how come we are doing SF and thrillers, but no horror or fantasy? ...for Pete's sake - an iconic author such as Tolkien is included under children's fiction...!! Could the "children's" section not rather have been named: "fantasy" which could have included children's fiction?
Non-fantasy children's novels could have been placed in a YA section.
Alternatively, could SF/Fantasy not have been placed together, since there is often a lot of crossover between these 2 genres?
I did not like the "thriller" section either, which seemed rather skewed in favor of early twentieth century detective novels. (...and in spite of that, Miss Marple doesn't even feature! LOL)
Surely, in any case, one must view the books as 'must-read' only if you are interested in the specific genre, so I feel more genres should have been represented here.
On the plus side, for those having nothing else to do, and nothing left to read, every novel gets an informative, succinct description, with some brief information on its author included, making this a useful and interesting, if lightweight, reference/coffee table addition to one's library.
The book can be read on its own mainly for entertainment and to fill out any gaps in personal literary knowledge, or can be used as a quick reference book, but it is lacking regarding the satisfaction of anything more serious than idle curiosity, since it most often doesn't even give information on other equally good or famous books a prolific author might have written.
January 8, 2008
This is a beautiful book for anyone who loves to read. In my opinion, their selections in the 2 areas with which I am quite familiar, (SciFi and Children's Lit), were extremely accurate. I therefore trust that their choices in other categories, such as History, Memoirs and Diaries, Contemporary Fic, etc., will be just as worth reading when the mood strikes me to venture out of familiar territory. The book is also a sheer physical pleasure to hold and look through.
December 13, 2015
I just ran across this book at a local bookstore and quickly snapped it up. The list contains several books that I've read, more that I haven't, and many that I didn't recognize at all. I'm not simply going to import the list of books into my to-read list, but I do intend eventually to read them all. The list seems like a pretty good one, and the one-page book descriptions (complete with nice illustrations) are very helpful. Not the only possible reading guide, but a very good one!
May 18, 2022
The allure of Books-About-Books.
I bought this book in 2017 at a pre-loved book sale (at a price hardly 15% the original label). Since I had purchased it online, I had my doubts as to the quality of the book - also sceptical having gotten it at such a bargain (too good to be true).
When it arrived though, it looked better than most books delivered by amazon (am I right, or am I right?...#iykyk) - as it does to this day, like fresh out of the print.
What also really made me feel glad was the fact that this book had been with one or more people before more, enriched lives before mine.
I haven't gotten around to an in-depth dive into each one of the book suggestions in the book, but I have given it a one-page-per-book read for sure.
As someone who's been devouring in the leisure of reading for some time now - trust me when I say this, a mortal life span is not enough for all the books in the world (harsh, harsh truth) and a book-about-books does come in handy. A cheat-sheet it you may.
I bought this book in 2017 at a pre-loved book sale (at a price hardly 15% the original label). Since I had purchased it online, I had my doubts as to the quality of the book - also sceptical having gotten it at such a bargain (too good to be true).
When it arrived though, it looked better than most books delivered by amazon (am I right, or am I right?...#iykyk) - as it does to this day, like fresh out of the print.
What also really made me feel glad was the fact that this book had been with one or more people before more, enriched lives before mine.
I haven't gotten around to an in-depth dive into each one of the book suggestions in the book, but I have given it a one-page-per-book read for sure.
As someone who's been devouring in the leisure of reading for some time now - trust me when I say this, a mortal life span is not enough for all the books in the world (harsh, harsh truth) and a book-about-books does come in handy. A cheat-sheet it you may.
January 9, 2011
I used to read Guiness and the Book of Lists, all the editions, as a kid, so you know this is the kind of book I can get totally absorbed in. This collection is a great reference and jumping-off place if you want to expand your literary horizons. There are full color, page-long write ups of great books from around the world, all conveniently separated into categories like Children's Classics, Science Fiction, Classic Fiction, Modern Fiction, and Mysteries. The articles are smart summaries written by someone who knows and loves literature in all its guises. It's cool seeing "old friends" I read for classes I'd almost forgotten about in college, like Kundera's The Unbearable Lightness of Being," or Grass's "The Tin Drum." But it's also wonderful to find so many great books to add to my lifetime reading list, including things I've never heard of. I found this for less than $10 in the remainder bin. What a deal!
December 28, 2012
What a beautiful treasure!
Review coming soon!
Review coming soon!
June 25, 2018
Beautiful reference book with clear, concise, 1-page descriptions of WAY TOO MANY books. The term "Must-Read" really loses some of its potency when it is attached to "501". I would be curious to see a book called "51 Must-Read Books." Now that would be much more interesting! The authors would have to make lots of very difficult and very interesting decisions.
Besides the fact that there are way too many must-read books, some of the selections are odd. It's nice to select only one book per author per genre, but why not pick the best or best-known of each author. Why select, for example, relatively unusual and unknown works of Dickens as opposed to "David Copperfield" and "Great Expectations"? How can that be "Must-Read"?
It is nice to separate the books by genre, but it would have been more helpful to list them chronologically within the genre, rather than alphabetically by author's last name. And, how can "Howard's End" by E. M. Forster be listed in the Classic Fiction genre, and "A Passage to India" by the same author is in the Modern Fiction genre!?
I respect the fact that the choices attempt a world-wide and international selection, but I am amazed that there are SO many books and authors I have never even heard of, much less read.
Besides the fact that there are way too many must-read books, some of the selections are odd. It's nice to select only one book per author per genre, but why not pick the best or best-known of each author. Why select, for example, relatively unusual and unknown works of Dickens as opposed to "David Copperfield" and "Great Expectations"? How can that be "Must-Read"?
It is nice to separate the books by genre, but it would have been more helpful to list them chronologically within the genre, rather than alphabetically by author's last name. And, how can "Howard's End" by E. M. Forster be listed in the Classic Fiction genre, and "A Passage to India" by the same author is in the Modern Fiction genre!?
I respect the fact that the choices attempt a world-wide and international selection, but I am amazed that there are SO many books and authors I have never even heard of, much less read.
May 24, 2010
I LOVE book list and books about books. I'm the type of person who strives to own (and read) all the Pulitzers. This book was fun to go through and mark what I've read and what I own and plan to read, and it lead me to make many new literary discoveries. However, when I actually began reading it, I found the text itself was sub-par. The synopses of the individual books spend far too long describing the beginnings of books, but rush through the main plot, followed by a two-sentence “review” on why the book was good enough to make it into “501 Must Reads”. There are an unacceptable amount of punctuation and capitalization errors. However, I can’t complain too much, considering I got it for $10 on the Borders bargain shelf.
May 29, 2017
I do not profess having read each and every description (at times deliberately, to avoid having entire plots being laid bare). It is a decent enough reference book but I encountered one particularly chilling error which seriously brings into question the credibility of the work as a whole - in the description of 'Slaughterhouse 5' by Kurt Vonnegut, the main protagonist is stated to be "Billy Piper". Holy mother of Zeus it's Billy "Pilgrim" not "Piper". It begs the question, did this particular contributor really read this novel? All I can say is, praise be to (insert applicable god) he didn't get to the bit where Kilgore "Salmon" was introduced. So it goes.
August 4, 2016
I really enjoyed to read this book. As a German I know a lot of german anthologies and best-book lists, but here I could see another perspective, a perspective from the point of englisch-speaking nations. I rediscovered a lot of good old friends - not only Germans like Erich Kaestner's children books, but also novels like 84 Charing Cross Road, Disgrace... The chapters are very well definded in some fiction and non-fiction areas.
Of course, I missed some of my favourites, but every list has to remain incomplete.
Of course, I missed some of my favourites, but every list has to remain incomplete.
April 6, 2022
Imagine Goodreads in a printed book format, and this might be what you end up with. The book contains reading suggestions in different genres, all curated by experts. I recognized most of the books listed, but a few of them I didn't.
The genres are Children's Fiction, Classic Fiction, History, Memoirs, Modern Fiction, Science Fiction, Thrillers, and Travel Writing. The books are alphabetical by author. Most of the authors only had one in-depth entry, but some authors have more if they wrote in different genres.
The book is from 2006, so it is a bit older, and some of the authors are dead now. The most notable one to me is Terry Pratchett. Others may have also died, but I don't usually pay attention.
Thanks for reading my review, and see you next time.
The genres are Children's Fiction, Classic Fiction, History, Memoirs, Modern Fiction, Science Fiction, Thrillers, and Travel Writing. The books are alphabetical by author. Most of the authors only had one in-depth entry, but some authors have more if they wrote in different genres.
The book is from 2006, so it is a bit older, and some of the authors are dead now. The most notable one to me is Terry Pratchett. Others may have also died, but I don't usually pay attention.
Thanks for reading my review, and see you next time.
March 11, 2018
Very good read for book lovers and a great resource for book clubs. Each must-read book includes a one-page synopsis. There are different genres: children, history, memoirs, classics, modern fiction, science fiction, thrillers, and travel. It's also illustrated with book covers and/or photographs of the authors.
February 22, 2022
Books like this are always going to be subjective, and the title does the book no help since it's just begging for people to get pissy about what was and was not included. As you might expect, there are some "interesting" choices as far as what's included, including the genres they included.
The descriptions were decent-ish, but had some errors (although I didn't see any errors that fundamentally altered the sense of the plot). Some mention of WHY the books were chosen would have been nice, but that would have taken thoughts and insight, and that's not what this book is about...
The descriptions were decent-ish, but had some errors (although I didn't see any errors that fundamentally altered the sense of the plot). Some mention of WHY the books were chosen would have been nice, but that would have taken thoughts and insight, and that's not what this book is about...
September 24, 2011
This is a great book for book lovers who are interested in the works of the greatest authors. Like movies, there are just some books that everyone must read, especially those who classify themselves as a bookworm, or the like. Most people from my generation have seen Jurassic Park; most avid readers have read ‘Catcher in the Rye’.
501 Must-Read Books outlines a collection of books from different genres and time periods that have withstood the test of time and still are considered great works of art for one reason or another. Some compilations not only show modern and classic literature, but ancient works that are still kicking around today. Each book is reviewed and the contributor explains why the book belongs on this particular list of must-read books. I was fascinated by some of the chosen titles and am really looking forward to working my way through reading these books, one-by-one. I was delighted to find that twenty-six of the 501 books already have a spot on my bookshelf. 475 to go!
Even for those who don’t particularly want to make it a mission to read each of these books, 501 Must-Read Books is still a fun read and exposes people to works that would not have been considered before. I have never considered myself to be a memoir reader, but after reading this list, I’m looking forward to some of the works I’ll be tackling.
And for people who enjoy reading but it’s not a passion, but entertainment, this book makes an attractive coffee table feature to be perused when you have a few spare moments. The articles are short enough to be read in a moment and almost each page has a photo.
Mission 501 Must-Read Books: Commence!
501 Must-Read Books outlines a collection of books from different genres and time periods that have withstood the test of time and still are considered great works of art for one reason or another. Some compilations not only show modern and classic literature, but ancient works that are still kicking around today. Each book is reviewed and the contributor explains why the book belongs on this particular list of must-read books. I was fascinated by some of the chosen titles and am really looking forward to working my way through reading these books, one-by-one. I was delighted to find that twenty-six of the 501 books already have a spot on my bookshelf. 475 to go!
Even for those who don’t particularly want to make it a mission to read each of these books, 501 Must-Read Books is still a fun read and exposes people to works that would not have been considered before. I have never considered myself to be a memoir reader, but after reading this list, I’m looking forward to some of the works I’ll be tackling.
And for people who enjoy reading but it’s not a passion, but entertainment, this book makes an attractive coffee table feature to be perused when you have a few spare moments. The articles are short enough to be read in a moment and almost each page has a photo.
Mission 501 Must-Read Books: Commence!
January 31, 2013
No reader will ever agree on which books ought to be classified as ‘must read’. I don’t know about anyone else but as soon as someone recommends a book to me it puts me off reading it. This means, of course, that I have missed out on some excellent reads in the past, that only much later, I have found to be so. But that generally depends upon who recommended them and my age and the context in which they were recommended. I remember a work colleague about twenty years ago being horrified by my admission that I couldn’t get on with ‘Birdsong’: I finally tried again about 6 years ago and found it to be excellent – in parts!
This book is a truly weighty tome so not something that you can or would want to carry around with you: it is definitely meant to sit on a coffee table, or reside sturdily on a shelf somewhere. The must-read books are classified into 8 sections comprising; Children’s Fiction, Classic Fiction, History, Memoirs, Modern Fiction, Science Fiction, Thrillers and Travel all capped off with separate book and author indices. Each entry is given its own full page spread and nicely illustrated by the dust jacket of the first edition.
My own sense of outrage was stimulated, initially, by the omission of To Kill a Mockingbird and then fortified by the omissions of Cancer Ward and Dr Zhivago while Captain Correlli’s Mandolin is featured! Well, I guess Lincoln was as wise in this as he was in almost every other way when he (is purported to have) said ‘you can please some of the people some of the time all of the people some of the time some of the people all of the time but you can never please all of the people all of the time’!
This book is a truly weighty tome so not something that you can or would want to carry around with you: it is definitely meant to sit on a coffee table, or reside sturdily on a shelf somewhere. The must-read books are classified into 8 sections comprising; Children’s Fiction, Classic Fiction, History, Memoirs, Modern Fiction, Science Fiction, Thrillers and Travel all capped off with separate book and author indices. Each entry is given its own full page spread and nicely illustrated by the dust jacket of the first edition.
My own sense of outrage was stimulated, initially, by the omission of To Kill a Mockingbird and then fortified by the omissions of Cancer Ward and Dr Zhivago while Captain Correlli’s Mandolin is featured! Well, I guess Lincoln was as wise in this as he was in almost every other way when he (is purported to have) said ‘you can please some of the people some of the time all of the people some of the time some of the people all of the time but you can never please all of the people all of the time’!
February 1, 2016
5 thoughts on this book:
1. I have not yet finished the book and I am not going to do so anytime soon. To read it at one go is no fun, information overload, and I must save some fun for later
2. Books like this are weakness for readers like me who love to read about books and know more about different books
3. I like the genre based classification, because I believe that is the surest ways to get in or stay out of different worlds for book lovers.
4. I like the authors listed, but not the pick in this book. If Bleak House and Pride and Prejudice do not feature, I find it hard to accept that the list is good.
5. Glossy pictures, author photos, list of other works by the author, one page per book - all makes it a good coffee table book. But the description under each book is nothing great or engaging or even enlightening - just okay sort of thing.
I think this is a good book to go to for idle browsing, or to read something fun when I don't want to read anything in particular. But I cannot say it leaves me much wiser.
1. I have not yet finished the book and I am not going to do so anytime soon. To read it at one go is no fun, information overload, and I must save some fun for later
2. Books like this are weakness for readers like me who love to read about books and know more about different books
3. I like the genre based classification, because I believe that is the surest ways to get in or stay out of different worlds for book lovers.
4. I like the authors listed, but not the pick in this book. If Bleak House and Pride and Prejudice do not feature, I find it hard to accept that the list is good.
5. Glossy pictures, author photos, list of other works by the author, one page per book - all makes it a good coffee table book. But the description under each book is nothing great or engaging or even enlightening - just okay sort of thing.
I think this is a good book to go to for idle browsing, or to read something fun when I don't want to read anything in particular. But I cannot say it leaves me much wiser.
May 6, 2009
Great coffee table book. 501 Must Read Books is divided into the following categories: Children's, Classics, History, Memoirs, Modern Lit, Science Fiction, Thrillers and Travel. The author lists the "must read" book, giving some background on the author and the book, as well as a short list of other notable books by the author. I had planned to dip in and out of this book, but found myself actually reading it straight through.
February 5, 2008
This should be a required book for all goodreads members, not only does it give descriptions of the books, it organizes them into catagories. Reminds you of books you haven't read yet, and of those you've forgotten to put on your lists.
April 18, 2024
Okay, first off, this was a bathroom book as in, I kept it in the bathroom to read. So that's why it took me months to read it. It wasn't a bad Bathroom Book, the entries were short, the pictures were nice, I rather liked seeing the various authors. Saying all of that, I wish that I could have ranked this higher, but, in all honesty, I just couldn't give it anything other than a 2 star (it was okay). The main problem I had with this book is that it straight up tells the reader that one of the books is completely out of print (but, try your library) and I got the impression that a lot more of the older books might be out of print as well. On top of all of that, I had a problem with a lot of the books listed. The children's fiction was okay and was what I expected, with a few thrown in that I wasn't expecting. The classic fiction wasn't as good, but, not bad either. There were a lot of books that I had never heard of and some even sounded worth reading. However, it was the History section that really just tanked the whole book. It was all just random history books about random eras and places, which I could forgive, but, when the words used to describe them made them sound as if the author is trying to make something that is dry, dull, and boring into something interesting and failing, well, that I have a problem with. Most of the history books sounded about as fun as watching grass grow. And with a grand total of 50 books, that was way too many. I could see 10 or 15 or even 20, but, 50! Then, was Memoirs. Okay, I like reading some memoirs, so, this was kind of fun for me, but, a lot of them sounded boring and well, that's the last thing I want any book to be. Anyway, after that came travel writing. That was interesting and at least perked up a little interest in me. However, there wasn't a Fantasy or even Sci-fic section, a few books here and there provided that, but, there are so many good fantasy or sci-fic that they could have had their own section. And since this book was published in 2006 I know there are good books out there. So, no, it will not be getting a higher rating. It was a great disappointment. The books that I knew, I had already read (mostly before and in high school; Harry Potter, Anne of Green Gables, Secret Garden) the books that I hadn't read are on my TBR and are popular (Madam Bovary, Black Like Me) then, the rest just seemed like filler. Random. At times I hated the book, at other, I liked it. But, over all, it was, sadly, just okay.
July 18, 2023
I enjoyed reading this book, but it was a tepid enjoyment, like eating lukewarm French fries. The book is beautifully formatted. I rejoiced to remember old friends [books] however few there were. Because my definition of "must-read" differs from the editors*, my TBR stack did not grow by much.
From each genre I listed # of books read, my favorite title read and title I'd most likely read from editors' list:
Children's Fiction: I read 28/51 The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
Hans Christian Andersen's Fairy Tales
Classic Fiction: 36/60 Sense and Sensibility
Charles Dicken's Our Mutual Friend
History: 5/50 A Distant Mirror
Niall Ferguson's Colossus
Memoirs: 11/50 84, Charing Cross Road
Thomas Merton's The Seven Storey Mountain
Modern Fiction: 17/138 The Old Man and the Sea
Isak Dinesen's Seven Gothic Tales
Science Fiction: 4/52 Out of the Silent Planet
Aldous Huxley's Brave New World
Thrillers: 8/60 Gaudy Night
Ngaio Marsh's Final Curtain
Travel Writing: 9/40 Travels with Charley
Freya Stark's The Valley of the Assassins
* It's odd that Goodreads lists Walter Isaacson as the editor, although I never once found his name in my print copy.
From each genre I listed # of books read, my favorite title read and title I'd most likely read from editors' list:
Children's Fiction: I read 28/51 The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
Hans Christian Andersen's Fairy Tales
Classic Fiction: 36/60 Sense and Sensibility
Charles Dicken's Our Mutual Friend
History: 5/50 A Distant Mirror
Niall Ferguson's Colossus
Memoirs: 11/50 84, Charing Cross Road
Thomas Merton's The Seven Storey Mountain
Modern Fiction: 17/138 The Old Man and the Sea
Isak Dinesen's Seven Gothic Tales
Science Fiction: 4/52 Out of the Silent Planet
Aldous Huxley's Brave New World
Thrillers: 8/60 Gaudy Night
Ngaio Marsh's Final Curtain
Travel Writing: 9/40 Travels with Charley
Freya Stark's The Valley of the Assassins
* It's odd that Goodreads lists Walter Isaacson as the editor, although I never once found his name in my print copy.
December 9, 2025
Absolutely atrocious!!!! Atrocious!! This list was clearly crafted by a bunch of pompous elitist academics that rarely pick up a book!!!!
I just spent hours researching these books ... some receive 3 stars on Goodreads and Amazon. Now you can "poo poo" the pedestrian reader on these two sites - but what are you saying? That these "lecturers, writers and book lovers" know better? That they have supreme knowledge of what constitutes a "must-read?"
Quiet as a Nun by Antonia Fraser received a rating of 3.29!!!! I would be livid if I took the recommendation and wasted my time on this garbage!
Shame shame shame on Walter Isaacson!
This book is a joke! A total and complete joke!!! I want my money back!!!!!
I just spent hours researching these books ... some receive 3 stars on Goodreads and Amazon. Now you can "poo poo" the pedestrian reader on these two sites - but what are you saying? That these "lecturers, writers and book lovers" know better? That they have supreme knowledge of what constitutes a "must-read?"
Quiet as a Nun by Antonia Fraser received a rating of 3.29!!!! I would be livid if I took the recommendation and wasted my time on this garbage!
Shame shame shame on Walter Isaacson!
This book is a joke! A total and complete joke!!! I want my money back!!!!!
October 24, 2024
A book about books you should look at, of a count numbering one over five hundred.
Besides a book to read to see how many of the 501 you have read (70 for me plus one in progress, Darwin's Voyage of the Beagle), it's a good tome for your coffee table. I skimmed through it today so I could eject it from my collection. Instead, I took a liking to it's broad composition and short summaries.
The collection goes out of it's way to avoid repeating authors. It tries to pick what it considers the most interesting or best written of that author's published works...I don't agree with all of them, but it merits a good book talk at the nearest available coffee table.
Besides a book to read to see how many of the 501 you have read (70 for me plus one in progress, Darwin's Voyage of the Beagle), it's a good tome for your coffee table. I skimmed through it today so I could eject it from my collection. Instead, I took a liking to it's broad composition and short summaries.
The collection goes out of it's way to avoid repeating authors. It tries to pick what it considers the most interesting or best written of that author's published works...I don't agree with all of them, but it merits a good book talk at the nearest available coffee table.
April 13, 2024
This could be a dangerous book to read!
Firstly, I was surprised by the number of books that were listed that I had already read. Good start. But then I started to discover so many more books that seemed compelling, fascinating, quirky, something I just have to read and suddenly my Books to Read list has increased exponentially.
Oh dear.
But I loved it. I did see another tome titled 1000 Books to Read Before You Die and I very slowly backed away and out of the room.
Firstly, I was surprised by the number of books that were listed that I had already read. Good start. But then I started to discover so many more books that seemed compelling, fascinating, quirky, something I just have to read and suddenly my Books to Read list has increased exponentially.
Oh dear.
But I loved it. I did see another tome titled 1000 Books to Read Before You Die and I very slowly backed away and out of the room.
March 22, 2018
I found this book at the dump and bought it for $1. A true treasure. Of course, anyone who likes to read will argue with some of the inclusions and will wonder how on earth they could have missed X, but it is a good guide if you want some pointers, especially in areas where you haven't read that much.
January 26, 2020
I’m going to knock off one star because this book included Sense & Sensibility instead of Pride & Prejudice in the Classics section, both of which I read thanks to this book and only one of which I’m grateful for having read before I die.
I’m going knock off the next star because I read a lot of the books this book recommended and I assure you, I definitely did not need to read most of them.
I’m going knock off the next star because I read a lot of the books this book recommended and I assure you, I definitely did not need to read most of them.
Read
September 8, 2021As you might expect, it's a hit-and-miss experience. One big miss for me was "Sophie's Choice," for instance. Still, there is no reason not to get it if you're a book lover and want to add some titles to your repertoire.
December 20, 2021
This was a huge resource of books I ended up adding to my TBR but some selections really baffled me. There were way more popular and better examples of some of these authors' work. But ultimately this was an interesting catalogue though a bit outdated now.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 77 reviews