Chaos Reading discussion

This seemed like a pretty decent list with some expected selections and quite a few I'd never heard of (which doesn't mean anything one way or another)…

50 Works of Fiction in Translation That Every English Speaker Should Read

And if you're still looking for translations, Publisher's Weekly put out this list in 2013:
The 20 Best Books in Translation You've Never Read

Awesome! I'll check back in when I've had chance to go through them!

Don Quixote is one of the best things ever written, but Madame bovary and les mis are both woeful.

And the best thing Calvino wrote was If On A Winters Night a Traveller, without it there'd be no Cloud Atlas

Good lists though, many thanks for sharing

(Don't read Les Mis, it's shockingly in need of an editor)

I LOVE the second list. Several are high on my TBR, but I haven't gotten around to them yet. There are some new ones in there for me too which look amazing. Very happy with that!

I've yet to get through the first list, but I did notice Candide near the top. I don't understand why people seem to love that book, I really don't. I even got myself a beautiful annotated copy, with dust cover by Chris Ware, yet.... meh.

[edit] Love this description of The Trial: Sure, nobody turns into a bug in this one, but The Trial is Kafka’s greatest (unfinished) work. Not reading it means that you’re forever banned from calling things “Kafkaesque.”

[edit] Now THIS I have an opinion on: 1Q84. There is no reason for this to be on a "Best Of" list, other than brilliant marketing. The book itself is really not that great in my opinion, or that of almost everyone who read it. Certainly not Murakami's best.

Also, on the first list, I noticed at least one Melville House cover. Their Neversink Library and Art of the Novella series are both gorgeous to look at AND reasonably priced. I posted about the latter in our "Special Editions & Otherwise Pretty Covers" thread a while back. They do a lot of editions of things that otherwise might not remain in print.

Example of a Neversink cover

I've never heard of Amy Yamada, but Bedtime Eyes has me intrigued. Particularly given the VERY mixed GR reviews. That's usually sign that it'll at least be interesting..

Sandyboy: I actually loved Les Mis but I read it on my own in high school and wasn't expecting it to be so action-packed. I'd be curious what I'd think of it now except that I'm not likely to take the time to reread it with so many unread options from which to pick (If On A Winter's Night... is actually one of a handful of books I have reread, as is Candide!). I loved Don Quixote--any others from this list you'd recommend?

Ruby: I'm a Murakami fan, but I had the same reaction when I saw IQ84 on the list. Overrated IMHO. I couldn't remember how I came across the two Alain Mabanckou books I picked up from the library recently, but I think these lists were where I first heard his name. Did you dislike Candide or just think it overhyped?

I'll just say ditto to what people have already said about 1Q84, If On a Winter's Night a Traveler, and The Trial. I've loved most the other books on this list that I've read (especially Street of Crocodiles), with the exception of Isabel Allende. As much as I hate to agree with Harold Bloom, she pretty much chewed the bones of Magical Realism and then regurgitated it in a more easily digestible form.

I've only read a couple from the second list (both excellent). Pedantic title of the article aside, the other books all look amazing.

Marc wrote: "Did you dislike Candide or just think it overhyped? "

A bit of both, I think. I didn't gain anything much from the experience: no pearls of wisdom, nothing to move me. There was some humour in the satire, but I'm guessing that would've been a whole lot funnier back in the day. :)

I just finished trawling the first list, and there are about 8 of them sitting behind me on the shelf right now, all unread. I'm reminded that Suite Française is one of them too. Must bump it up the list.

Thanks for posting these. And once more over-extending my priority TBR list..

1Q84 was heart breakingly bad. But I think there is only really room for one Murakami in a persons life, mine was Wing Up Bird, everything since then has been a pale shadow.

Candied I loved years ago. Crime & Punishment and Anna Karenina were so so, some great moments but a lot of stodge. I've pan ever made it through The Master & Margharita, am I missing much?

The thing I love most about books is there are always more to find.

I agree. What's the future. I only hope I die before the actual book disappears into digital hell.