These are the books that we've all either HAD to read, or chose to read to see if we could. Some of these selections are re-reads; a new perspective gained with each page. These books run the gamut from confusing to difficult. Feel free to add your personal "nightmare" reading material!
1

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3.76 avg rating — 139,691 ratings
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2

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3.43 avg rating — 566,384 ratings
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3

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4.03 avg rating — 1,071,077 ratings
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4

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3.44 avg rating — 930,343 ratings
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5

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3.89 avg rating — 2,221,670 ratings
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6

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4.17 avg rating — 371,392 ratings
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7

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3.53 avg rating — 239,778 ratings
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8

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3.93 avg rating — 7,053 ratings
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9

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3.68 avg rating — 13,740 ratings
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10

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4.03 avg rating — 209,452 ratings
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11

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3.93 avg rating — 520,641 ratings
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12

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3.91 avg rating — 240,588 ratings
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13

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4.11 avg rating — 948,008 ratings
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14

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3.86 avg rating — 185,160 ratings
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15

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3.84 avg rating — 305,605 ratings
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16

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3.86 avg rating — 198,447 ratings
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17

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3.99 avg rating — 48,595 ratings
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18

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3.50 avg rating — 351,251 ratings
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19

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3.46 avg rating — 99,609 ratings
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20

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3.89 avg rating — 339,369 ratings
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21

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4.05 avg rating — 30,686 ratings
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22

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3.96 avg rating — 282,998 ratings
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23

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3.84 avg rating — 225,525 ratings
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24

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4.02 avg rating — 49,217 ratings
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25

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4.04 avg rating — 342,277 ratings
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26

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4.39 avg rating — 399,506 ratings
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27

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3.98 avg rating — 2,112,132 ratings
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28

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4.45 avg rating — 667,649 ratings
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29

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3.38 avg rating — 183,687 ratings
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30

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4.21 avg rating — 223,987 ratings
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31

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4.10 avg rating — 555,025 ratings
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32

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4.45 avg rating — 323,117 ratings
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33

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4.09 avg rating — 206,186 ratings
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34

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3.57 avg rating — 624,522 ratings
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35

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4.03 avg rating — 1,008,636 ratings
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36

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4.10 avg rating — 1,502,964 ratings
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37

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3.98 avg rating — 126,916 ratings
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38

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3.92 avg rating — 1,947,047 ratings
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39

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3.96 avg rating — 22,170 ratings
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40

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3.98 avg rating — 135,191 ratings
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41

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3.69 avg rating — 409,471 ratings
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42

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4.20 avg rating — 5,601,558 ratings
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43

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4.07 avg rating — 387,816 ratings
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44

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3.94 avg rating — 67,389 ratings
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45

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3.77 avg rating — 99,824 ratings
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46

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3.89 avg rating — 370,637 ratings
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47

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3.19 avg rating — 19,899 ratings
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48

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4.14 avg rating — 464,017 ratings
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49

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4.10 avg rating — 54,027 ratings
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50

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4.17 avg rating — 29,127 ratings
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51

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really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 1,868,304 ratings
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52

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3.84 avg rating — 11,365 ratings
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53

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4.15 avg rating — 442,657 ratings
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54

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3.87 avg rating — 258,710 ratings
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55

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3.98 avg rating — 107,432 ratings
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56

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4.28 avg rating — 433,658 ratings
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57

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3.86 avg rating — 12,021 ratings
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58

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3.47 avg rating — 159 ratings
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59

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3.52 avg rating — 8,163 ratings
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60

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4.28 avg rating — 364,146 ratings
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61

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3.42 avg rating — 8,507 ratings
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62

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3.72 avg rating — 23,157 ratings
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62

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4.02 avg rating — 8,806 ratings
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64

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4.80 avg rating — 5 ratings
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64

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4.13 avg rating — 65,212 ratings
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64

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4.83 avg rating — 113 ratings
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64

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3.47 avg rating — 2,881 ratings
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68

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4.17 avg rating — 94,995 ratings
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69

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3.87 avg rating — 961,548 ratings
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70

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3.78 avg rating — 12,811 ratings
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71

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3.77 avg rating — 151,506 ratings
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72

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3.84 avg rating — 36,638 ratings
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72

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4.15 avg rating — 1,867 ratings
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72

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3.77 avg rating — 9,418 ratings
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72

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3.86 avg rating — 3,430 ratings
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76

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3.84 avg rating — 506 ratings
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76

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4.25 avg rating — 2,267 ratings
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76

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4.09 avg rating — 31,728 ratings
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76

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4.02 avg rating — 977 ratings
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80

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3.95 avg rating — 743 ratings
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80

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3.27 avg rating — 707 ratings
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80

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4.11 avg rating — 576 ratings
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80

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3.60 avg rating — 350 ratings
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84

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3.79 avg rating — 24,792 ratings
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84

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3.88 avg rating — 2,790 ratings
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84

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3.40 avg rating — 267 ratings
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87

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3.94 avg rating — 34,770 ratings
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87

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3.83 avg rating — 3,460 ratings
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89

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3.63 avg rating — 6,508 ratings
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90

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3.18 avg rating — 226 ratings
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90

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4.05 avg rating — 18,413 ratings
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90

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3.84 avg rating — 1,694 ratings
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93

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3.98 avg rating — 13,270 ratings
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94

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3.97 avg rating — 14,024 ratings
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95

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3.60 avg rating — 30 ratings
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96

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liked it 3.00 avg rating — 2 ratings
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97

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4.02 avg rating — 6,386 ratings
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98

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3.84 avg rating — 1,540 ratings
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99

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3.75 avg rating — 7,314 ratings
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100

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3.90 avg rating — 1,259 ratings
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106 books · 100 voters · list created June 18th, 2009 by Tara Lynn (votes) .
36 likes · 
Lists are re-scored approximately every 5 minutes.


Tara 2334 books
192 friends
Cristen 234 books
45 friends
A.M. 1424 books
309 friends
Leslie 2891 books
181 friends
Charlie 154 books
3 friends
Bradley 2370 books
4989 friends
Tamar 760 books
23 friends
Elise 5144 books
241 friends

More voters…


Comments Showing 1-6 of 6 (6 new)

dateUp arrow    newest »

message 1: by A.M. (new)

A.M. Great list; I always feel so guilty when I don't finish a book, but sometimes it is just impossible!


message 2: by Whitney FI (new)

Whitney FI I finished all the books for which I voted, but all took ample research, contemplation and discussion. It's those books that challenge, which are more rewarding, at least for me, in the end.


message 3: by Andrew (last edited Apr 22, 2014 11:40PM) (new)

Andrew Obrigewitsch Who is voting on this list? The Phantom of the Opera is only hard to read if you think Twilight is high literature.

Same goes for Brave New World, 1984, anything by John Steinbeck, The Shadow of the Torturer (not hard but it is weird), Fahrenheit 451 (this book is super easy to read actually) and I'm sure at least half the books I haven't read on this list are not that hard.

I would say that, "Heart of Darkness and the Congo Diary" is medium difficulty, above those listed above, but I didn't find it difficult either. The only book on hear I didn't finish was The Silmarillion, because it was just boring and felt like reading a really dry history book taken from the Bible.


message 4: by Milo (new)

Milo I agree with The Silmarillion, Andrews, but am surprised anyone found Fahrenheit 451 hard to read. Perhaps the list also includes books people were forced to read in class, when they weren't in the mood.


message 5: by A.M. (new)

A.M. Andrew wrote: "Who is voting on this list? The Phantom of the Opera is only hard to read if you think Twilight is high literature."

I think the list has changed since I last looked at it - just reviewed it all now and there's quite a few titles on there that I've read and not found difficult. But I suppose each person has their own standards of what they find difficult...


message 6: by BookLovingLady (deceased Jan. 25, 2023...) (last edited Jun 30, 2019 05:50AM) (new)

BookLovingLady (deceased Jan. 25, 2023...) Andrew wrote: "Who is voting on this list? The Phantom of the Opera is only hard to read if you think Twilight is high literature.

Same goes for Brave New World, 1984, anything by John Steinbeck, The Shadow of t..."


I'm sorry to disagree but Nineteen Eighty-Four (#48) was not exactly an 'easy' read for me either. I read books which others found difficult and vice versa. I agree with A.M. on this, what's easy for some isn't easy for another.

Beowulf (#20), for instance, is a great read, but to say it is easy? Not in my opinion....

Besides, the description clearly says These books run the gamut from confusing to difficult.


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