The Book Bucket "Top 10 Books" Challenge Compilation (1081 books)

Compilation of books that got listed under "The Book Bucket Challenge", started as a response towards the Ice Bucket Challenge.

The idea is to list the Top Ten books that "changed your life", that influenced the way you see the world and has stayed with you for a long time.

So go on, add your Top Ten to the list. It is going to be a tough choice! Ignore the compilation itself and just add your own personal favorites (in order of importance), independent of what others have done. Do try to keep it to as close to 10 books as possible, so that we have a great compilation at the end - made up of the best books each of us can think of.

flag

All Votes Add Books To This List

1	To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee 4.26 avg rating — 6,892,693 ratings score: 7,677, and 78 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
2	1984 by George Orwell 4.20 avg rating — 5,470,325 ratings score: 7,309, and 75 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
3	Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky 4.29 avg rating — 1,082,587 ratings score: 3,746, and 39 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
4	The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger 3.80 avg rating — 3,897,214 ratings score: 3,598, and 37 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
5	The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank 4.20 avg rating — 4,196,900 ratings score: 3,431, and 36 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
6	Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury 3.97 avg rating — 2,841,679 ratings score: 3,341, and 35 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
7	The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien 4.54 avg rating — 731,307 ratings score: 3,276, and 34 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
8	The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry 4.33 avg rating — 2,481,670 ratings score: 3,131, and 33 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
9	Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse 4.08 avg rating — 878,114 ratings score: 3,122, and 33 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
10	Animal Farm by George Orwell 4.02 avg rating — 4,558,912 ratings score: 3,073, and 32 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
11	The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, #1) by Douglas Adams 4.22 avg rating — 2,017,549 ratings score: 3,060, and 32 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
12	The Handmaid’s Tale (The Handmaid's Tale, #1) by Margaret Atwood (Goodreads Author) 4.15 avg rating — 2,427,019 ratings score: 2,945, and 31 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
13	One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez 4.12 avg rating — 1,106,094 ratings score: 2,880, and 30 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
14	Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (Harry Potter, #1) by J.K. Rowling 4.47 avg rating — 11,425,959 ratings score: 2,858, and 30 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
15	The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini (Goodreads Author) 4.36 avg rating — 3,496,624 ratings score: 2,749, and 29 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
16	The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald 3.93 avg rating — 5,923,394 ratings score: 2,664, and 28 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
17	The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky 4.39 avg rating — 387,103 ratings score: 2,582, and 27 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
18	Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov 3.87 avg rating — 946,527 ratings score: 2,571, and 27 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
19	Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen 4.30 avg rating — 4,809,323 ratings score: 2,555, and 27 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
20	The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand 3.89 avg rating — 337,491 ratings score: 2,494, and 26 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
21	Lord of the Flies by William Golding 3.70 avg rating — 3,203,586 ratings score: 2,409, and 26 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
22	Swann’s Way (In Search of Lost Time, #1) by Marcel Proust 4.16 avg rating — 68,421 ratings score: 2,376, and 25 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
23	The Stranger by Albert Camus 4.03 avg rating — 1,404,343 ratings score: 2,331, and 25 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
24	The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck 4.03 avg rating — 995,194 ratings score: 2,323, and 25 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
25	The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov 4.28 avg rating — 421,206 ratings score: 2,219, and 24 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
26	The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath 4.05 avg rating — 1,223,809 ratings score: 2,078, and 22 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
27	Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland / Through the Looking-Glass by Lewis Carroll 4.06 avg rating — 609,674 ratings score: 1,976, and 21 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
28	Moby-Dick or, The Whale by Herman Melville 3.57 avg rating — 616,311 ratings score: 1,908, and 20 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
29	The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka 3.90 avg rating — 1,430,960 ratings score: 1,899, and 20 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
30	A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini (Goodreads Author) 4.46 avg rating — 1,737,592 ratings score: 1,849, and 20 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
31	Notes from Underground, White Nights, The Dream of a Ridiculous Man, and Selections from The House of the Dead by Fyodor Dostoevsky 4.19 avg rating — 78,525 ratings score: 1,798, and 20 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
32	The Trial by Franz Kafka 3.94 avg rating — 395,926 ratings score: 1,776, and 19 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
33	Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë 3.90 avg rating — 2,058,151 ratings score: 1,762, and 19 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
34	Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell 4.31 avg rating — 1,257,196 ratings score: 1,668, and 18 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
35	A Room of One’s Own by Virginia Woolf 4.22 avg rating — 261,218 ratings score: 1,647, and 18 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
36	A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry 4.38 avg rating — 160,068 ratings score: 1,645, and 17 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
37	The Book Thief by Markus Zusak (Goodreads Author) 4.39 avg rating — 2,882,002 ratings score: 1,617, and 17 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
38	Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel García Márquez 3.94 avg rating — 547,387 ratings score: 1,600, and 17 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
39	One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey 4.20 avg rating — 780,468 ratings score: 1,575, and 17 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
40	To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf 3.81 avg rating — 214,957 ratings score: 1,560, and 17 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
41	Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert 3.71 avg rating — 375,236 ratings score: 1,521, and 17 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
42	The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers 3.99 avg rating — 119,514 ratings score: 1,519, and 17 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
43	If on a Winter's Night a Traveller by Italo Calvino 4.01 avg rating — 112,143 ratings score: 1,494, and 16 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
44	Life of Pi by Yann Martel 3.94 avg rating — 1,754,675 ratings score: 1,468, and 16 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
45	The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner 3.86 avg rating — 196,171 ratings score: 1,446, and 16 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
46	The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran 4.23 avg rating — 329,328 ratings score: 1,442, and 16 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
47	Hamlet by William Shakespeare 4.03 avg rating — 1,051,980 ratings score: 1,436, and 16 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
48	The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho (Goodreads Author) 3.92 avg rating — 3,574,672 ratings score: 1,403, and 15 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
49	Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes 4.24 avg rating — 796,042 ratings score: 1,401, and 15 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
50	Zorba the Greek by Nikos Kazantzakis 4.03 avg rating — 58,681 ratings score: 1,386, and 15 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
51	Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace 4.25 avg rating — 101,570 ratings score: 1,344, and 14 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
52	Ulysses by James Joyce 3.76 avg rating — 137,952 ratings score: 1,331, and 14 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
53	Midnight’s Children by Salman Rushdie 3.97 avg rating — 133,016 ratings score: 1,324, and 14 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
54	The Fault in Our Stars by John Green (Goodreads Author) 4.12 avg rating — 5,729,136 ratings score: 1,305, and 14 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
55	The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami 4.14 avg rating — 315,151 ratings score: 1,304, and 14 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
56	The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera 4.11 avg rating — 544,626 ratings score: 1,292, and 15 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
57	Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl 4.37 avg rating — 879,269 ratings score: 1,243, and 13 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
58	The Plague by Albert Camus 4.02 avg rating — 315,262 ratings score: 1,222, and 13 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
59	Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë 4.16 avg rating — 2,325,872 ratings score: 1,214, and 13 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
60	Beloved (Beloved Trilogy, #1) by Toni Morrison 3.98 avg rating — 491,054 ratings score: 1,212, and 13 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
61	Cat’s Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut Jr. 4.15 avg rating — 437,338 ratings score: 1,206, and 13 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
62	The Waves by Virginia Woolf 4.14 avg rating — 53,672 ratings score: 1,202, and 13 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
63	The Man Without Qualities (1/3) by Robert Musil 4.15 avg rating — 39 ratings score: 1,190, and 13 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
64	Les Misérables by Victor Hugo 4.21 avg rating — 844,344 ratings score: 1,185, and 13 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
65	The Color Purple by Alice Walker 4.28 avg rating — 752,836 ratings score: 1,168, and 13 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
66	Steppenwolf by Hermann Hesse 4.13 avg rating — 215,748 ratings score: 1,145, and 12 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
67	Being and Time by Martin Heidegger 4.05 avg rating — 27,869 ratings score: 1,140, and 12 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
68	The Magic Mountain by Thomas Mann 4.13 avg rating — 61,745 ratings score: 1,120, and 12 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
69	Brave New World by Aldous Huxley 3.99 avg rating — 2,079,328 ratings score: 1,118, and 12 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
70	Invisible Cities by Italo Calvino 4.10 avg rating — 97,436 ratings score: 1,117, and 12 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
71	Fictions by Jorge Luis Borges 4.40 avg rating — 79,288 ratings score: 1,109, and 12 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
72	Walden or, Life in the Woods by Henry David Thoreau 3.77 avg rating — 204,375 ratings score: 1,052, and 12 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
73	Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand 3.69 avg rating — 407,145 ratings score: 1,042, and 11 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
74	The Book of Disquiet by Fernando Pessoa 4.39 avg rating — 37,726 ratings score: 1,040, and 11 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
75	Catch-22 by Joseph Heller 3.99 avg rating — 887,238 ratings score: 1,034, and 11 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
76	Plato: Complete Works by Plato 4.38 avg rating — 12,056 ratings score: 1,032, and 11 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
76	Cosmos by Carl Sagan 4.40 avg rating — 159,095 ratings score: 1,032, and 11 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
78	The Myth of Sisyphus and Other Essays by Albert Camus 4.22 avg rating — 65,445 ratings score: 1,020, and 11 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
79	The Fellowship of the Ring (The Lord of the Rings, #1) by J.R.R. Tolkien 4.41 avg rating — 3,153,737 ratings score: 1,008, and 11 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
80	The Hobbit, or There and Back Again by J.R.R. Tolkien 4.30 avg rating — 4,459,398 ratings score: 999, and 11 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
81	The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (Millennium, #1) by Stieg Larsson 4.18 avg rating — 3,450,037 ratings score: 979, and 11 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
82	All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque 4.11 avg rating — 520,877 ratings score: 949, and 10 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
83	Harry Potter Series Box Set (Harry Potter, #1-7) by J.K. Rowling 4.73 avg rating — 302,939 ratings score: 942, and 10 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
84	East of Eden by John Steinbeck 4.44 avg rating — 639,973 ratings score: 933, and 10 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
85	Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut Jr. 4.10 avg rating — 1,484,464 ratings score: 929, and 10 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
86	The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (Adventures of Tom and Huck, #2) by Mark Twain 3.83 avg rating — 1,337,590 ratings score: 922, and 10 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
87	Jonathan Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach (Goodreads Author) 3.86 avg rating — 272,910 ratings score: 892, and 10 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
88	In Search of Lost Time by Marcel Proust 4.34 avg rating — 14,113 ratings score: 884, and 10 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
89	Tuesdays with Morrie: An Old Man, a Young Man, and Life's Greatest Lesson by Mitch Albom (Goodreads Author) 4.21 avg rating — 1,202,810 ratings score: 859, and 9 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
90	The Cantos by Ezra Pound 3.92 avg rating — 5,404 ratings score: 836, and 9 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
91	Nausea by Jean-Paul Sartre 3.93 avg rating — 139,749 ratings score: 829, and 9 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
92	Labyrinths: Selected Stories & Other Writings by Jorge Luis Borges 4.44 avg rating — 33,850 ratings score: 817, and 9 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
93	Letters to a Young Poet by Rainer Maria Rilke 4.27 avg rating — 122,712 ratings score: 814, and 9 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
94	I, Claudius (Claudius, #1) by Robert Graves 4.24 avg rating — 73,194 ratings score: 810, and 9 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
95	The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman (Goodreads Author) 4.15 avg rating — 566,296 ratings score: 764, and 8 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
96	Existentialism is a Humanism by Jean-Paul Sartre 3.98 avg rating — 46,572 ratings score: 762, and 8 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
97	The Shipping News by Annie Proulx 3.88 avg rating — 152,665 ratings score: 737, and 8 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
98	The Godfather (The Godfather, #1) by Mario Puzo 4.40 avg rating — 464,814 ratings score: 729, and 8 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
99	And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie 4.27 avg rating — 1,617,970 ratings score: 717, and 8 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
100	Macbeth by William Shakespeare 3.89 avg rating — 1,021,429 ratings score: 708, and 8 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

← Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Next →

1,081 books · 369 voters · list created September 2nd, 2014 by Riku Sayuj (votes) .

120 likes · Like

Lists are re-scored approximately every 5 minutes.

People Who Voted On This List (369)

Riku 5371 books
678 friends

Rohini 289 books
129 friends

Brian 4332 books
578 friends

Richard 5950 books
959 friends

Matt 2003 books
371 friends

Tanuj 629 books
523 friends

Jonathan 7528 books
1000 friends

Rakhi 1289 books
568 friends

More voters…

Post a comment »
Comments Showing 1-50 of 134 (134 new)

date

newest »

message 1: by Riku (new)

Sep 02, 2014 08:35AM

See my facebook post on this for more detail:

https://www.facebook.com/Riku.Sayuj/p...

reply | flag

message 2: by Tanuj (new)

Sep 02, 2014 10:45AM

Among 3 forty year chunks starting from 1900, the least populated one is the one that is 1940-80?

reply | flag

message 3: by Riku (new)

Sep 02, 2014 10:48AM

Tanuj wrote: "Among 3 forty year chunks starting from 1900, the least populated one is the one that is 1940-80?"

How did you measure that?

reply | flag

message 4: by Tanuj (new)

Sep 02, 2014 10:54AM

Just just felt so. But it would be amazing to know.

reply | flag

message 5: by Riku (new)

Sep 02, 2014 10:57AM

Tanuj wrote: "Just just felt so. But it would be amazing to know."

Let it stabilize. I will try to make an approximation.

reply | flag

message 6: by Tanuj (new)

Sep 02, 2014 10:59AM

Misses: one hundred years of solitude, chronicle of a death foretold; nothing by Roth, Updike, McEwan, amis, kadare, murakami (I am surprised he doesn't swamp this list), Rushdie's others.

reply | flag

message 7: by Riku (new)

Sep 02, 2014 11:03AM

Tanuj wrote: "Misses: one hundred years of solitude, chronicle of a death foretold; nothing by Roth, Updike, McEwan, amis, kadare, murakami (I am surprised he doesn't swamp this list), Rushdie's others."

let us give it some time. soon overlaps will be more than new entries.

reply | flag

message 8: by Tanuj (new)

Sep 02, 2014 11:04AM

The top 10is like the essential lit list. Bravo!

reply | flag

message 9: by Riku (new)

Sep 02, 2014 11:07AM

Tanuj wrote: "The top 10is like the essential lit list. Bravo!"

I am eager to see the ones that will end up in the Top 10/20 of the compilation.

reply | flag

message 10: by Riku (new)

Sep 02, 2014 11:18AM

Oh NO! Ayn Rand made the list.

reply | flag

message 11: by Himanshu (new)

Sep 02, 2014 11:32AM

Riku wrote: "Oh NO! Ayn Rand made the list."

I guess that would be me, Riku. :)
And this is waaaay better than seeing such lists on FB. Plus so much fun too. Nice initiative!

reply | flag

message 12: by Luke (new)

Sep 02, 2014 11:36AM

Riku wrote: "Oh NO! Ayn Rand made the list."

She adds to the minority pool of female authored lit on this list. I'm not complaining.

reply | flag

message 13: by Riku (new)

Sep 02, 2014 12:02PM

Aubrey wrote: "Riku wrote: "Oh NO! Ayn Rand made the list."

She adds to the minority pool of female authored lit on this list. I'm not complaining."

feminism and Rand. Oh my.

reply | flag

message 14: by Luke (new)

Sep 02, 2014 12:08PM

Solidarity is solidarity, Riku. Give me 50/50 representation in terms of gender, and then I'll start parsing my praise.

reply | flag

message 15: by Riku (new)

Sep 02, 2014 12:09PM

Aubrey wrote: "Solidarity is solidarity, Riku. Give me 50/50 representation in terms of gender, and then I'll start parsing my praise."

I get the sentiment. I just revolt against the Ayn Rand mentality - rape the planet, worship the human.

reply | flag

message 16: by Riku (new)

Sep 02, 2014 12:12PM

Anyway, this is a mostly lit based list, so I will refrain from further comment on Rand. :)

reply | flag

message 17: by Luke (new)

Sep 02, 2014 12:21PM

Riku wrote: "I get the sentiment. I just revolt against the Ayn Rand ment..."

Rudyard Kipling coined the term "white man's burden". I save my hate for the starting line.

reply | flag

message 18: by Riku (new)

Sep 02, 2014 12:25PM

Aubrey wrote: "Riku wrote: "I get the sentiment. I just revolt against the Ayn Rand ment..."

Rudyard Kipling coined the term "white man's burden". I save my hate for the starting line."

I don't see Kipling on the list! wow

reply | flag

message 19: by Riku (new)

Sep 02, 2014 12:25PM

reply | flag

message 20: by Luke (new)

Sep 02, 2014 12:40PM

It's not as popular to hate him as it is to hate Rand, so no one would kick up a fuss if he did in fact appear.

reply | flag

message 21: by Riku (new)

Sep 02, 2014 01:25PM

Aubrey wrote: "It's not as popular to hate him as it is to hate Rand, so no one would kick up a fuss if he did in fact appear."

umm, it is, over here. Plenty of academics in India rail against him, esp subaltern studies. I had gone through a phase too, until I made peace with his openness.

reply | flag

message 22: by Algernon (last edited Sep 02, 2014 02:14PM) (new)

Sep 02, 2014 02:14PM

thanks for the invite, Riku, and sorry that I couldn't stop at only ten books.
I wonder if I can change the order of my list after I voted, because the books I added last should be closer to the top.

reply | flag

message 23: by Petergiaquinta (last edited Sep 02, 2014 02:45PM) (new)

Sep 02, 2014 02:44PM

Ayn Rand is female...?

Is there biological evidence of this?

reply | flag

message 24: by Luke (new)

Sep 02, 2014 02:51PM

Riku wrote: "Aubrey wrote: "It's not as popular to hate him as it is to hate Rand, so no one would kick up a fuss if he did in fact appear."

umm, it is, over here. Plenty of academics in India rail against him..."

That's good to hear. If only it were so here in the US, where many also love to hate on Rand.

reply | flag

message 25: by Riku (last edited Sep 02, 2014 05:26PM) (new)

Sep 02, 2014 05:25PM

Petergiaquinta wrote: "Ayn Rand is female...?

Is there biological evidence of this?"

literary evidence would suggest that it is a doubtful proposition. more of an exuberant phallic worshipper, who tried to pass the religion off as some sort of rational philosophy.

reply | flag

message 26: by Riku (new)

Sep 02, 2014 05:35PM

Algernon wrote: "thanks for the invite, Riku, and sorry that I couldn't stop at only ten books.
I wonder if I can change the order of my list after I voted, because the books I added last should be closer to the top."

Yes you can. just look at the left side of the list and your own votes will be visible. Just type in new numbers against the books and click anywhere, the new order will be saved.

reply | flag

message 27: by Luke (last edited Sep 02, 2014 05:41PM) (new)

Sep 02, 2014 05:40PM

Riku wrote: "more of an exuberant phallic worshipper, who tried to pass the religion off as some sort of rational philosophy."

There are thinkers taken seriously in academia whom couldn't be characterized as such?

reply | flag

message 28: by Tanuj (new)

Sep 02, 2014 05:54PM

There is no Tolstoy here. I haven't read him, but thought he would make it. Also no Vasily Grossman.

reply | flag

message 29: by Ted (new)

Sep 02, 2014 06:03PM

Not many of the books I voted for "changed my life" in a significant way, though some did I suppose. I was unhappy that almost all the books were fiction. So I added many non-fiction, which are so far down the list no one else will ever see them.

reply | flag

message 30: by Sue (new)

Sep 02, 2014 07:11PM

Thanks for the invitation. Some of the books I added are ones I read quite a while ago while others are more recent. I added the first graphic novel i read, The Complete Maus. I think only one of the books I voted for was already on the list. I didn't realize I was that far out of the norm but then I think this is not a group of "norms".

reply | flag

message 31: by Tanuj (new)

Sep 02, 2014 10:13PM

Turning a bit ridiculous when fountainhead beats infinite jest in ranking. The world is meh.

reply | flag

message 32: by Riku (new)

Sep 02, 2014 10:15PM

Tanuj wrote: "There is no Tolstoy here. I haven't read him, but thought he would make it. Also no Vasily Grossman."

I wanted to list Tolstoy, but the list imposes constraints. Tolstoy, to be honest, changes your life more subtly - he is not a porcupine. He is a fox - he touches too much of life to leave a single impact crater on your soul, like FMD does.

reply | flag

message 33: by Riku (new)

Sep 02, 2014 10:16PM

Sue wrote: "I didn't realize I was that far out of the norm but then I think this is not a group of "norms". "

It is not. Your Top books are bound to be highly individual.

reply | flag

message 34: by Riku (last edited Sep 02, 2014 11:11PM) (new)

Sep 02, 2014 10:17PM

Ted wrote: "So I added many non-fiction, which are so far down the list no one else will ever see them.
"

Again, people tend to think in terms of stories. We need a story to have a lasting impact. The non-fiction that affects us most are those that touch themes for which we already have our own stories.

reply | flag

message 35: by Riku (new)

Sep 02, 2014 10:19PM

Tanuj wrote: "Turning a bit ridiculous when fountainhead beats infinite jest in ranking. The world is meh."

I am willing to bet the votes it gathers will mostly be Indian. Blame the training institutes like TIME and the street vendors who stock the pirated copies for the most ridiculous rates. It tends to the first exposure for many to a fiction book that challenges them to think - unfortunately most just accept the ideas, instead of challenging them.

reply | flag

message 36: by Riku (new)

Sep 02, 2014 10:21PM

Aubrey wrote: "Riku wrote: "more of an exuberant phallic worshipper, who tried to pass the religion off as some sort of rational philosophy."

There are thinkers taken seriously in academia whom couldn't be chara..."

OK I concede. I am just prejudiced. As an economist and an environmentalist, I just can't digest Rand, esp when her followers pretend that her thought is "rational".

The fact that a woman wrote so fiercely and was lionized by a mostly male readership is commendable I guess.

reply | flag

message 37: by Riku (new)

Sep 02, 2014 10:32PM

@people who have listed Light in August.

Do I need to read the first four books of the Sin and Salvation series before I can take this up?

reply | flag

message 38: by Luke (new)

Sep 02, 2014 10:37PM

Riku wrote: "@people who have listed Light in August.

Do I need to read the first four books of the Sin and Salvation series before I can take this up?"

Nope. I wasn't even aware of the series till now.

reply | flag

message 39: by Tanuj (new)

Sep 02, 2014 10:46PM

Lolita is the only book in the top 10that has not been rated #1 by anyone.

reply | flag

message 40: by Riku (new)

Sep 02, 2014 10:48PM

Tanuj wrote: "Lolita is the only book in the top 10that has not been rated #1 by anyone."

that means it had to rely on more votes to get there. weight is assigned based on position in indiv lists

reply | flag

message 41: by Tanuj (new)

Sep 02, 2014 10:56PM

A single #1 vote can make a lot if difference - I think.

reply | flag

message 42: by Riku (new)

Sep 02, 2014 11:06PM

Tanuj wrote: "A single #1 vote can make a lot if difference - I think."

yes it does. 1984 has so many top 3 votes.

reply | flag

message 43: by Ted (last edited Sep 02, 2014 11:09PM) (new)

Sep 02, 2014 11:08PM

Riku wrote: "Ted wrote: "So I added many non-fiction, which are so far down the list no one else will ever see them.
"

Again, people tend to think in terms of stories. We need a story to have a lasting impact..."

Nonsense. (Speak for yourself.)

reply | flag

message 44: by Riku (new)

Sep 02, 2014 11:11PM

Ted wrote: "Riku wrote: "Ted wrote: "So I added many non-fiction, which are so far down the list no one else will ever see them.
"

Again, people tend to think in terms of stories. We need a story to have a l..."

I thought it made some sense :(

reply | flag

message 45: by Ted (new)

Sep 02, 2014 11:13PM

By the way, I know a person for whom Ayn Rand's books, read in high school, probably set the course of his life and political thinking - though not because she was a philosopher (she thought she was, but she wasn't). And there are many like him I'm sure.

reply | flag

message 46: by Riku (last edited Sep 02, 2014 11:17PM) (new)

Sep 02, 2014 11:17PM

Ted wrote: "By the way, I know a person for whom Ayn Rand's books, read in high school, probably set the course of his life and political thinking - though not because she was a philosopher (she thought she wa..."

I know many like that. Esp among people who stopped reading around college age. I was an Ayn Rand fan too, for about a year. Then I read Atlas Shrugged and realized what she was really talking about.

See Mohit's Explanation for adding the book:

"Because you are 18 when you read it and you think here's the hero, here's the philosophy, here's the greatest masterpiece on Earth."

reply | flag

message 47: by Antonomasia (new)

Sep 03, 2014 12:08AM

Ted - agreed about the non-fiction. It's interesting that others see this this mostly in terms of stories. I think of non-fiction as being more likely to inspire courses of study other than literature, career choices, political opinions, leisure interests etc. All the fiction I count as having changed my life is from my teens - knowing I did / do something because of what's in those books, enduring friendships with with people I first saw as having a similar ethos to characters etc.

reply | flag

message 48: by Ted (new)

Sep 03, 2014 07:50AM

Antonomasia wrote: "Ted - agreed about the non-fiction. It's interesting that others see this this mostly in terms of stories. I think of non-fiction as being more likely to inspire courses of study other than literat..."

Antonomasia, your comments about non-fiction are very much what I thought. As to fiction, I think for me I added works of fiction because I felt they introduced me to something important about literature, or to a great writer, or to a mode or style of fiction, things like that. Not so much because I felt I "learned something about life" from them, though I admit that is very possible with fiction.

I guess it's just that at my age I have a certain set of beliefs about "life" or "people" that for the most part it's impossible to trace to a source.

reply | flag

message 49: by Ted (last edited Sep 03, 2014 08:02AM) (new)

Sep 03, 2014 07:54AM

I'm confused about the statement above that the order of one's list makes a difference in how the books are scored. (A) I see nothing in the intro to the poll which indicates that. Is that true of all book polls here on GR? Certainly news to me. (B) I also can see no way of changing the order of a list. Does one simply type a different number into the box beside the book? But doing that, it will of necessity be a number that a different book already has. What happens then? Just call me dense I guess.

PS. If others vote on these lists like I do (just start at the top and work down, adding books to my own list as I go) the order of the books in my list will be the same order these books already had in the list, from previous voters. So if my order as well as my selections affect the subsequent tally for the list as a whole, then to an extent I am reinforcing the current ordering unwittingly by adding books in the way I do? This results in a pretty silly way of scoring the books, IMHO.

reply | flag

message 50: by Riku (new)

Sep 03, 2014 08:57AM

Ted wrote: "Is that true of all book polls here on GR? Certainly news to me. (B) I also can see no way of changing the order of a list. Does one simply type a different number into the box beside the book? But doing that, it will of necessity be a number that a different book already has. What happens then? Just call me dense I guess."

Yes that is how it works.

Yes, you type in the number, say you type in 2 for a book currently at 6, then the 6th book goes to 2, 2 goes to 3, 3 to 4 and so on.

PS. If others vote on these lists like I do (just start at the top and work down, adding books to my own list as I go) the order of the books in my list will be the same order these books already had in the list, from previous voters. So if my order as well as my selections affect the subsequent tally for the list as a whole, then to an extent I am reinforcing the current ordering unwittingly by adding books in the way I do? This results in a pretty silly way of scoring the books, IMHO.

People familiar with lists usually take care to also order the list. SO then it works out.

In any case, in this particular list, you are supposed to ignore the compilation and just add your own personal favorites.

reply | flag

« previous 1 2 3 next »