“If on a friend’s bookshelf
You cannot find Joyce or Sterne
Cervantes, Rabelais, or Burton,

“[Gaddis or Gass, Pynchon or McElroy,
David Foster Wallace, William T Vollmann,
Alexander Theroux or Gilbert Sorrentino,]

“You are in danger, face the fact,
So kick him first or punch him hard
And from him hide behind a curtain.”
― Alexander Theroux [Ergänzung von "N.R."]

Said "N.R.", aka Friend Nathan, has the list here, complete with glorious enthusiasm!
List Challenge
The average Goodreads member has read 6 out of 100 books on this list — how many have you read?
1

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3.57 avg rating — 621,807 ratings
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2

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3.76 avg rating — 139,187 ratings
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3

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4.10 avg rating — 1,497,234 ratings
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4

by
4.28 avg rating — 430,067 ratings
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5

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4.01 avg rating — 113,746 ratings
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6

by
4.06 avg rating — 614,266 ratings
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7

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4.02 avg rating — 48,946 ratings
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8

by
4.25 avg rating — 102,773 ratings
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9

by
3.95 avg rating — 47,014 ratings
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10

by
3.84 avg rating — 14,436 ratings
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11

by
4.28 avg rating — 619 ratings
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12

by
3.68 avg rating — 13,715 ratings
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13

by
4.07 avg rating — 2,033 ratings
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14

by
3.97 avg rating — 134,027 ratings
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15

by
3.79 avg rating — 9,826 ratings
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16

by
4.20 avg rating — 49,936 ratings
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17

by
4.14 avg rating — 318,260 ratings
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18

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3.95 avg rating — 14,087 ratings
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19

by
3.82 avg rating — 4,496 ratings
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20

by
3.77 avg rating — 33,053 ratings
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21

by
3.83 avg rating — 568 ratings
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22

by
3.87 avg rating — 117,690 ratings
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23

by
4.17 avg rating — 10,299 ratings
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24

by
3.79 avg rating — 1,833 ratings
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25

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3.78 avg rating — 8,990 ratings
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26

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4.08 avg rating — 14,114 ratings
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26

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4.15 avg rating — 156 ratings
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28

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4.33 avg rating — 656 ratings
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29

by
3.84 avg rating — 11,427 ratings
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30

by
3.76 avg rating — 16,866 ratings
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31

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3.98 avg rating — 5,776 ratings
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32

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4.26 avg rating — 39,278 ratings
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33

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4.16 avg rating — 10,486 ratings
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34

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4.09 avg rating — 204,524 ratings
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35

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4.12 avg rating — 5,019 ratings
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36

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3.66 avg rating — 18,568 ratings
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37

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3.95 avg rating — 7,198 ratings
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38

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3.46 avg rating — 7,220 ratings
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39

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3.64 avg rating — 1,179 ratings
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40

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3.64 avg rating — 300 ratings
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41

by
3.40 avg rating — 265 ratings
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42

by
3.42 avg rating — 245 ratings
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43

by
3.76 avg rating — 22,529 ratings
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44

by
really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 288 ratings
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44

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3.78 avg rating — 1,039 ratings
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46

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4.04 avg rating — 218 ratings
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47

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3.83 avg rating — 10,480 ratings
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48

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3.79 avg rating — 102 ratings
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49

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3.37 avg rating — 185 ratings
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50

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3.88 avg rating — 137,952 ratings
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51

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2.94 avg rating — 1,125 ratings
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52

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3.94 avg rating — 2,363 ratings
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53

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4.03 avg rating — 13,242 ratings
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54

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3.35 avg rating — 23 ratings
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55

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3.62 avg rating — 16 ratings
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56

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4.03 avg rating — 31,215 ratings
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57

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3.61 avg rating — 163 ratings
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58

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3.10 avg rating — 756 ratings
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59

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4.45 avg rating — 29 ratings
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60

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3.69 avg rating — 113 ratings
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61

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3.67 avg rating — 85 ratings
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62

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3.82 avg rating — 72 ratings
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63

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3.14 avg rating — 1,998 ratings
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64

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3.34 avg rating — 38 ratings
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64

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3.89 avg rating — 117 ratings
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66

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3.84 avg rating — 111 ratings
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67

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4.29 avg rating — 154 ratings
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68

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0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings
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69

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3.92 avg rating — 193 ratings
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70

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3.31 avg rating — 310 ratings
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71

by
4.07 avg rating — 214 ratings
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72

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3.03 avg rating — 38 ratings
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73

by
3.89 avg rating — 100 ratings
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74

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4.06 avg rating — 24,571 ratings
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75

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3.82 avg rating — 211 ratings
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76

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3.91 avg rating — 101 ratings
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76

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3.50 avg rating — 6 ratings
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78

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0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings
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79

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0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings
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80

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3.71 avg rating — 491 ratings
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81

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0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings
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81

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4.05 avg rating — 1,115 ratings
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83

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0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings
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84

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0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings
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84

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3.91 avg rating — 583 ratings
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84

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4.08 avg rating — 2,780 ratings
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87

by
3.22 avg rating — 9 ratings
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88

by
3.09 avg rating — 56 ratings
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88

by
4.03 avg rating — 180 ratings
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90

by
really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 2 ratings
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91

by
3.18 avg rating — 3,578 ratings
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92

by
3.30 avg rating — 10 ratings
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92

by
3.87 avg rating — 257 ratings
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94

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3.84 avg rating — 1,782 ratings
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95

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2.94 avg rating — 32 ratings
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96

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4.33 avg rating — 33 ratings
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96

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4.12 avg rating — 1,325 ratings
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98

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4.12 avg rating — 99 ratings
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99

by
3.41 avg rating — 17 ratings
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99

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4.06 avg rating — 36 ratings
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Get Results & Compare With Friends »




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More voters…


Comments Showing 1-21 of 21 (21 new)

dateUp arrow    newest »

message 1: by Luke (new)

Luke The first 100 books are up. Vote away!


message 2: by Sandi (new)

Sandi Aubrey wrote: "The first 100 books are up. Vote away!"
I shall!


message 3: by Paul (new)

Paul I've voted for those I haven't read and that are already on my tbr list; some are on my shelves, some not.


ReemK10 (Paper Pills) Thanks for the invite. There are a lot of books that need to be read.


message 5: by Luke (last edited Nov 13, 2013 01:51PM) (new)

Luke Please do not add books to this list unless you are SURE that they belong.

Books removed for not belonging:

Flaubert's Madame Bovary
Zola's Germinal
Montesquieu's The Persian Letters

You may check which books belong here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...


message 6: by Bjorn (new)

Bjorn This is a fun list. I probably need to read half the books on it.

All hail the blatant lie.


message 7: by Nathan "N.R." (new)

Nathan "N.R." Gaddis Aubrey wrote: "Please do not add books to this list unless you are SURE that they belong."

We should consider locking this list. You and I could work out an exemplar for each of those few authors for which Moore lists no novel ; in most cases anyway, his selection is a bit arbitrary, ie, Evan Dara's entry. What say?


message 8: by Luke (last edited Nov 13, 2013 02:20PM) (new)

Luke Nathan "N.R." wrote: "We should consider locking this list. You and I could work out an exemplar for each of those few authors..."

Once I get all these added and in proper format, feel free to request away for the staff/super librarian's at the boards. I will let you know when.


message 9: by Luke (new)

Luke A further sixty have been added. Click to the next page, and vote away!


message 10: by Nathan "N.R." (new)

Nathan "N.R." Gaddis Aubrey wrote: "Once I get all these added and in proper format, feel free to request away for the staff/super librarian's at the boards. I will let you know when. "

I'll see about taking care of that tomorrow. And assembling a few titles for those title-less authors.

I like the idea of the locked list because it means fewer administrative duties for your good self.


message 11: by Luke (new)

Luke The last ten books have been added. Keep in mind the parameters for adding books yourself (check the link! it isn't hard!).


message 12: by Luke (new)

Luke Deleted for not being on the official list:

Women and Men
In Search of Lost Time


message 13: by James (new)

James That's a bad ass last of inspirational reading. Very cool. Too many want to reads for me to really do any kind of rating.


message 14: by Luke (new)


message 15: by Gregsamsa (new)

Gregsamsa I had the unmitigated gall to add two new books because with all due respect Mr. Moore's list is not exhaustive. Surely Jan Potocki can claim Shandian spawn status if Slaughterhouse Five can, and The Death and Life of Miguel de Cervantes is, in my humble opinion, more Shandian than, say, The Counterfeiters.

But jeez, looking at the rest of this list, I'm like Isn't my TBR roster long enough already?!


message 16: by Luke (new)

Luke It's a list derived from an outside source, Greg. You're welcome to make your own with parameters more exhaustive, if you like.


message 17: by Nathan "N.R." (last edited Nov 14, 2013 11:53AM) (new)

Nathan "N.R." Gaddis Excellent.

Voting here means whatever the voter wants it to mean. One option, and I think the one Moore had mostly in mind, is to vote by author -- vote for authors from whom you've read at least one book ;; many entries above, ie Evan Dara or Tom Carson, could have a different representative book.

But do not add ANY books to this list unless it was authored by one of the authors (see the link to the text version of this list) for whom Moore did not attribute a title.

This list was translated by Aubrey from my transcription of a passage from Steven Moore's book The Novel: An Alternative History, 1600-1800 ;; translating from a book to Listopia is not a perfect process -- it can't be. So, if you wanna quibble, please don't do it with Aubrey, or at least do it respectful of the work she's put into this here list-list-list.

And then make your own list!!! May the list of lists proliferate!


message 18: by BookLovingLady (deceased Jan. 25, 2023...) (last edited Apr 08, 2015 12:19PM) (new)

BookLovingLady (deceased Jan. 25, 2023...) I've read seven but had to go through the list to do a count, as GR sometimes doesn't count different editons of course (like my copy of The Annotated Alice: Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, And, Through the Looking-Glass instead of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland & Through the Looking-Glass) or more than one novel combined into a single book :-)

Another six are still on my 'to read' list, so there is still hope ;-)


message 19: by Bernardo (new)

Bernardo Mozelli Considering how a bunch of my favourites (it's named after one of them, actually( are listed here along a bunch of other books I love and other stuff I plan to read soon, this shall be my new secret compass


message 20: by Tzastin (new)

Tzastin comment


message 21: by TheJoyousWatcher (new)

TheJoyousWatcher Saving list


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