Completists' Club discussion

And from Larry McCaffery, we have The 20th Century's Greatest Hits: 100 English-Language Books of Fiction. It remains yet to take an accounting of how much of this list I've already chewed through, but soon, soon. Maybe there are five books on the list which might not appear so yummy, but completionism will be as completionism does. And we'll do.

The quick version:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/20th_Cen...

The commentated version:
http://spinelessbooks.com/mccaffery/1...

Any takers?

Just starting to take a look at this; I'm not a huge advocate of author-oriented completion, because almost everyone's got a dud or two and the list of authors toward whom I'm indulgent enough to read a bad book is short.

However, I've been working my way through the Modern Library list and the Time 100 Best list, the latter of which is better than the former but not much different, and I've gotten to the point where I have little interest in reading what remains.

This list might be a better one for me to try and make it all the way through, though. More later.

Larry McCaffery gets it right with this list, I'll have to read number 1 and 2 sometime, and was glad and surpised that "In the Heart of the Heart of Counrty" even made the list and was ranked higher then "The Tunnel" , In the Heart of the Heart of the Counrty is the best short story collection ever written for anyone that doubts my claim I say read it and then see if you can tell me otherwise, it's that damn fine of a book.

Drew wrote: "Just starting to take a look at this; I'm not a huge advocate of author-oriented completion, because almost everyone's got a dud or two and the list of authors toward whom I'm indulgent enough to r..."

forget those list this the best list I've seen.

Yeah, this is a pretty compellingly eccentric list. I mean, it its a lot of widely-acknowledged highs, but they're often the really envelope-pushing ones that usually get pushed further down or off of other lists. And Delany twice?! I will be referring back to this one.

Great list! I counted only 27 I've read, but another dozen or so are on my list for this year. I like how he slipped in a few trilogies and a quartet to expand beyond the 100 mark, the sly devil.

I'm sitting at 40 on this list, so I'm going to go for it. And I think I've already read the worst two on it...

Nathan "N.R." wrote: "Any takers?"

Sold.

I've read 30 or so but am willing to re-read all of them. Do we all just start chewing through the list individually; or should we begin from the bottom and work our way up? A book a month?

Brian wrote: "Do we all just start chewing through the list individually; or should we begin from the bottom and work our way up? A book a month? "

I can only guarantee my own inability to read any of these in any kind of organized fashion. It DOES occur to me however that a McCaffery 100 Group could be in the offing, but not by yerstruly. But I'd join. THAT would be the limit of my organization. But meanwhile my chewing WILL be rather random and as you please.

Shame he didn't have the gumption to boot Catcher in the Rye off the list and add B.S. Johnson. Let's pretend he did.

Finished now SPAMing y'all with LARRY's 100. Should my tabulation be approximately correct, I've got 30 read, currently-reading The Wake inclusive. Muchmuch togo. Friends-o-Library at the end of the month, this time I'll queue up a bit earlier, maybe.

I think, if my count is correct, I've read 40 of these. I love the list.

I've read 28 of these. Though I still plan to finish the Modern Library and Time lists, this one wins for having included Gene Wolfe. Yet another list to finish...

Twenty-four of these read so far for me. It's doubtful I'll read them all, but I have quite a few of interest left for future reading.

Love this list as well, at 33 ...

Looking back at this one. Steve Katz is on here?! There are some very non-concensus options on here, amongst the acknowledged behemoths. Interesting to see so much sci-fi being repped.

Nate D wrote: "non-concensus options"

A let me emphasize :: this is Larry McCaffery. I'd suggest that his votes may represent a minority opinion. But, like Nader, I'll vote for him every time. Isn't it true that his list represents 20th cent lit better than do the conferees of any of the prestigious awards?