50 books to read before you die discussion

So I have no idea where to start on the list! I've read a few, not that many, but still, I was just wondering what everyone's favourite was and what you'd recommend reading first? Thanks!

Frankenstein is one of my all time favorite books. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland is also excellent and fairly sort so an easy one to start with in my opinion.

to me pride and prejudice is my favorite! plus it's a fairly easy read, esp if you already know the story.

Other than Harry Potter, most of the ones i've read were for school. Out of the onece i've read since discovering the list, im really enjoying LOTR, i just started the 3rd one.

The Tolkien works are by far my favorite. First read them a dozen years ago, and I've made several return visits to Middle Earth in the time since. I never fail to come away with new insight. If you enjoyed them pick up some of the books about Tolkien and his work. Humphrey Carter's bio is good.

Thanks guys :)

On the road by Kerouac.totally changed my life 30 years ago

I think ppl underestimate this book mildly but my favourite is The Picture of Dorian Gray still. I mean I LOVE Harry Potter and all but it is this one whose deep and twisted plot captured me fully as a young adult, not a kid.

I haven' read all the books but I can recommend you Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. It was interesting to read it even though I had watched the movie already.
I liked almost all books I read (I mean from this list) but it was long time ago when I was much younger and could read anything.
I read His Dark Materials Trilogy by Philip Pullman this year and liked it very much but it has a lot of negative reviews so be careful.

This is hard! I love love love "To Kill a Mockingbird."

Linh wrote: "I think ppl underestimate this book mildly but my favourite is The Picture of Dorian Gray still. I mean I LOVE Harry Potter and all but it is this one whose deep and twisted plot captured me fully ..."

I submit that this, too, is an excellent read....

Mark wrote: "On the road by Kerouac.totally changed my life 30 years ago"

Should I recommend this to my 19YO son who does not want to return to college next fall? He wants to go to LA this summer. He hates to read books...LOL

I think you need to read the Harry Potter books. I really love The Lord of the Rings, but I love Harry Potter just that bit more. I can relate to most of what Harry and his friends go through(isolation, loneliness, grief, sadness, pain, confusion, worry, anxiety, etc). It'll never just be a book series for me. If you go on Wikipedia and type in Harry Potter, it says Harry Potter is the best-selling book series in history. The first book, Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone(Sorcerers stone in America), is more for children in my opinion, but as you carry on reading the rest of the books, they kind of 'grow up' if you get me. I feel really comfortable with J.K.Rowling's style of writing. :)

I really love Pride&Prejudice, The Great Gatsby and the HP Series.

Out of these 50 it's very hard to choose but maybe "Frankenstein" ... My all time favorite though is probably "Oliver Twist" or really almost anything by Charles Dickens.

I have 3 all-time favourites on this list. As well as most of Dickens' works, my favourites are (not in order)

To kill a mockingbird- Harper Lee
His Dark Materials- Philip Pullman (these are seriously underrated)
The Lord of the Rings- J.R.R Tolkien

Have not read His Dark Materials yet but it was on my "to-read" list even before I joined this group.

Kenneth wrote: "Have not read His Dark Materials yet but it was on my "to-read" list even before I joined this group."

His Dark Materials is a MUST read of a lifetime. I hope you love them as much as I do!

His Dark Materials, i still need the last one, but i have enjoyed the 1st 2

My favorite was Life of Pi by Yann Martel. It was thought-provoking and when reading it, I felt I was sitting in Pi's home with him telling me the story.

Abida wrote: "I think you need to read the Harry Potter books. I really love The Lord of the Rings, but I love Harry Potter just that bit more. I can relate to most of what Harry and his friends go through(isola..."

I've read the Harry Potter Series, and I absolutely adore it. I agree with everything you just said!

Great Gatsby is an eternal favourite, but little else can live up to the incredible read that is The Grapes of Wrath. Either one.

Reading Ulysses (abridged and annotated). Unbelievable use of the English language

Everyone is different but I NEVER read "abridged" versions... It is not what the author meant the book to be.....

I think reading an abridged version is a great entrance into something especially if its daunting. It's a compromise otherwise is never do it and that would be a shame

I will grant you that point if, having liked the abridged version, you then go back and read the unabridged. If you do not like it do not bother lol

I might go back to it. Ullyses abridged is still a challenging book. I just did Infinite Jest so I guess anything is possible now :)

Mine would have to be Frankenstein followed by The Picture of Dorian Gray.

Frankenstein is not actually bad. I was surprised.

i just finished 'The time traveler's wife'.... i liked it

Me too I absolutely love the Time Traveler's Wife.Is a book about a married couple who must overcome something very interesting..I recommand everyone to read it

Andreea wrote: "Me too I absolutely love the Time Traveler's Wife.Is a book about a married couple who must overcome something very interesting..I recommand everyone to read it"

i watched the movie, i found out later it was a book.

Andreea wrote: "Me too I absolutely love the Time Traveler's Wife.Is a book about a married couple who must overcome something very interesting..I recommand everyone to read it"

i watched the movie, i found out later it was a book.

Bethany wrote: "to me pride and prejudice is my favorite! plus it's a fairly easy read, esp if you already know the story."

pride and prejudice was one of my favorite books also.
i am sorry i can't quote this precisely but in the beginning when the mother says something like "it is a universally known fact that a man with a good income is looking for a wife." i know really off but read it for yourself it is a sign of how silly and funny the mother is throughout most of the book. read it it was a great book and is a classic for good reason.

My favorites from this list are To Kill a Mockingbird; On the Road, and The Catcher in the Rye. These books changed the way I saw the world more than any others.

yeah, To Kill a Mockingbird is one of my favourite books too.

I want to re-read To Kill a Mockingbird, ive been hearing alot about it lately in other bks ive read, and i read it in high school, im sure id enjoy it more now.

Harry Potter

I'm reading the Harry Potter series right now...... About halfway through book 3.... So far so good.

I'm currently re-reading the HP series for, I kid you not, the 8th time. I've grown up with this series and these are always my go-to books on a bad day.
other than that, I just finished Memoirs of a Geisha, which is out of the ordinary for me but has became one of my favorite books. I fell in love with the movie and, as always, the book gave me more meat and information, making me fall in love with the story even more. It definitely made me more interested in a lifestyle I knew nothing about.

I really enjoyed Memoirs of a Geisha when I read it too, and it does make you curious to find out more about how these girls grow up

I've actually gotten another novel about geishas and it is based on the "true story" of the geisha who portrayed Sayuri. very real and interesting as well.

1984 was definitely my favorite. It had such a tremendous impact on my life and it's just such an eye opener as to where our society is and where it'll end up if we keep acting the way we are. Really put things into perspective.

Amanda wrote: "I've actually gotten another novel about geishas and it is based on the "true story" of the geisha who portrayed Sayuri. very real and interesting as well."

oh kool, what is it called?

Geisha, a life by mineko iwasaki

Certainly a difficult question, but I would have to go with "To Kill a Mockingbird". A very accessible book for everyone,with more meaning each time you read it. Completely amazing.

If I were to be put in solitary confinement for the rest of my life I would take The Lord of the Rings and the Bible and be content. I would miss some of my other 'friends'-Harry, Katniss, Anne Shirley, Sherlock, and others - but I would survive.

Hi. I`m pretty new at this so I cant even figure out how to see the entire list...(I only see the top 13), however one thing I cannot believe is how The Count of Monte Cristo evaded this list? It may be on the list, but imo it should be amongst the top 5 at the very least! Othherwise the list seems fine although I`ve only read a few of the titles listed...

Thomas wrote: "Hi. I`m pretty new at this so I cant even figure out how to see the entire list...(I only see the top 13), however one thing I cannot believe is how The Count of Monte Cristo evaded this list? It m..."

Thomas,

To the right of #13 you should see the word "more" Click on it and you'll see the rest of the list. It should look like this:
13) The Catcher in The Rye...more

Damn. It really was that easy. Thank you. Guess I was pretty drunk yesterday...