How many of these "top 100" non-fiction books have YOU read? - Page 3

doreenjoy · 10-09-2010, 04:01 PM

About Virginia Woolf:

Quote:

Originally Posted by montsnmags

See bolding above...me too! That is, I loved it, a favourite, and also thoroughly enjoyed the television adaptation I saw of it too...can't rememeber the details of who starred in it, but it was great. I'm somewhat disappointed to hear you hate her fiction, only because I've been meaning for a long time to try it.

Marc, YMMV. I have a friend who loves her fiction. For me, I get bored when there's a lot of long emotive passages. I hate a lot of popular literary authors (Toni Morrison springs to mind).

If you like literary fiction, you might really like her fiction.

On another note, I *have* read Strunk & White from beginning to end, several times. But it sounds crazy when I say that.

SeaBookGuy · 10-09-2010, 04:12 PM

I recently read Mr. Dalloway, from his point-of-view on the day of the party ... at which his dude-on-the-side makes an appearance. The daughter and the dog were the best characters.

As for non-fiction, the list is largely books I would sooner avoid!

GA Russell · 10-09-2010, 05:05 PM

Regarding both the Readers' lists: I can believe that there are a lot of objectivists who are readers and therefore voters, but I find it hard to believe that there are so many Scientologists.

kennyc · 10-09-2010, 05:15 PM

Oh yes! They reach and work to do exactly this sort of thing either actually or via deceptive means (voting fraud etc.).

Xanthe · 10-09-2010, 05:56 PM

I don't know what the criteria was for inclusion on the lists or who did the voting, but there are too many excellent non-fiction books who should have been included on that list that weren't for me to take it seriously.

I'm guessing that the fact that those of us on this board - who are definitely readers - have read so few of them is a telling review of it.

doreenjoy · 10-09-2010, 06:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Xanthe

I don't know what the criteria was for inclusion on the lists or who did the voting, but there are too many excellent non-fiction books who should have been included on that list that weren't for me to take it seriously.

I'm guessing that the fact that those of us on this board - who are definitely readers - have read so few of them is a telling review of it.

An interesting question would be, how many of the books on the list do you WANT to read?

I came up with less than 10 that I had even mild interest in reading.

HistoryWes · 10-09-2010, 08:27 PM

I'm embarrassed to say I haven't read any of them. Four of them are on my to read list though.

bjones6416 · 10-10-2010, 08:47 PM

Only four, I think, all from the Board's List (although one of these is on both lists):

THE MISMEASURE OF MAN by Stephen Jay Gould

THE RIGHT STUFF by Tom Wolfe

OUT OF AFRICA by Isak Dinesen

WEST WITH THE NIGHT by Beryl Markham

HistoryWes · 10-10-2010, 09:16 PM

Oops I missed one. I have read The Right Stuff.

Greg Anos · 10-10-2010, 09:29 PM

Frankly I don't have too high of an opinion on either side of the non-fiction list. Too many gaping holes, too much opinion. (Is opinion fiction or non-fiction?)

No Durant's The History of Civilization?
No Asimov collection of science essays?
No Spengler?
No The Way Things Work
No good books on ... Paleontology, Biology, molecular biology, mathematics...
Ect...

brecklundin · 10-11-2010, 05:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HarryT

That's a very odd list indeed. "Battlefield Earth" is a decent enough "space opera" SF novel, but I seriously cannot imagine it being in the top 3 of anyone's reading list.

Agree...it may be one of Hubbard's top three, or not, and maybe not in my top 100 SF reading list for that matter, but it's a very fun novel which the movie only made look horrible.

brecklundin · 10-11-2010, 05:30 AM

Based on those lists I feel like a total "Bubba Bo-tard" having only read these works:

DIANETICS:THE MODERN SCIENCE OF MENTAL HEALTH (I just had to see wtf it was about)
PRINCIPIA MATHEMATICA (took me three years to work through the math which is the only way to read it...)
THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF ALICE B. TOKLAS
OUT OF AFRICA oops!!
THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF MARK TWAIN
LONGITUDE
A MATHEMATICIAN’S APOLOGY
IN COLD BLOOD

But maybe it just shows how many truly wonderful works there are out there...and oddly many of the older works are still relevant today. Perhaps that is what makes them great to begin with?

kennyc · 10-11-2010, 07:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by brecklundin

....

But maybe it just shows how many truly wonderful works there are out there...and oddly many of the older works are still relevant today. Perhaps that is what makes them great to begin with?

I think this is true. The list in the link is just two examples of the "best" 100, many other such lists exist.

Falbe Publishing · 10-11-2010, 09:43 AM

On the Board's List I read 2:

The Elements of Style
The Autobiography of Malcolm X

Both are good books. One is a little lighter reading than the other.

Cyclops · 10-11-2010, 06:28 PM

The only one I've read of that lot is longitude by Dava Sobel, an excellent read and one of the few history books to have a connection with Only Fools and Horses!

10-11-2010, 05:30 AM	#42
brecklundin Banned Posts: 1,906 Karma: 15348 Join Date: Jun 2007 Device: mine	Based on those lists I feel like a total "Bubba Bo-tard" having only read these works: DIANETICS:THE MODERN SCIENCE OF MENTAL HEALTH (I just had to see wtf it was about) PRINCIPIA MATHEMATICA (took me three years to work through the math which is the only way to read it...) THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF ALICE B. TOKLAS OUT OF AFRICA oops!! THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF MARK TWAIN LONGITUDE A MATHEMATICIAN’S APOLOGY IN COLD BLOOD But maybe it just shows how many truly wonderful works there are out there...and oddly many of the older works are still relevant today. Perhaps that is what makes them great to begin with? Last edited by brecklundin; 10-12-2010 at 02:39 AM. Reason: missed a couple

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10-09-2010, 04:12 PM	#32
SeaBookGuy Can one read too much? Posts: 2,029 Karma: 2487799 Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Naples, FL Device: Kindle PW 3, Sony 350 and 650	I recently read Mr. Dalloway, from his point-of-view on the day of the party ... at which his dude-on-the-side makes an appearance. The daughter and the dog were the best characters. As for non-fiction, the list is largely books I would sooner avoid!

10-09-2010, 05:05 PM	#33
GA Russell Argos win Grey Cup! Posts: 7,677 Karma: 31487351 Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Raleigh, NC Device: Paperwhite, Kindles 10 & 4 and jetBook Lite	Regarding both the Readers' lists: I can believe that there are a lot of objectivists who are readers and therefore voters, but I find it hard to believe that there are so many Scientologists.

10-09-2010, 05:15 PM	#34
kennyc The Dank Side of the Moon Posts: 35,891 Karma: 119230421 Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Denver, CO Device: Kindle2; Kindle Fire	Oh yes! They reach and work to do exactly this sort of thing either actually or via deceptive means (voting fraud etc.).

10-09-2010, 05:56 PM	#35
Xanthe Plan B Is Now In Force Posts: 1,894 Karma: 8086979 Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Surebleak Device: Aluratek,Sony 350/T1,Pandigital,eBM 911,Nook HD/HD+,Fire HDX 7/8.9,PW2	I don't know what the criteria was for inclusion on the lists or who did the voting, but there are too many excellent non-fiction books who should have been included on that list that weren't for me to take it seriously. I'm guessing that the fact that those of us on this board - who are definitely readers - have read so few of them is a telling review of it.

10-09-2010, 08:27 PM	#37
HistoryWes Teacher/Novelist Posts: 632 Karma: 2274466 Join Date: May 2008 Location: Nevada Device: Nook STR, iPad	I'm embarrassed to say I haven't read any of them. Four of them are on my to read list though.

10-10-2010, 08:47 PM	#38
bjones6416 ↓↓ Skirt!! Earrings!! Posts: 3,394 Karma: 17432172 Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Georgia, USA Device: Acer netbook, JetBook Lite, Sony PRS-300, Kindle 2, Kindle Fire	Only four, I think, all from the Board's List (although one of these is on both lists): THE MISMEASURE OF MAN by Stephen Jay Gould THE RIGHT STUFF by Tom Wolfe OUT OF AFRICA by Isak Dinesen WEST WITH THE NIGHT by Beryl Markham

10-10-2010, 09:16 PM	#39
HistoryWes Teacher/Novelist Posts: 632 Karma: 2274466 Join Date: May 2008 Location: Nevada Device: Nook STR, iPad	Oops I missed one. I have read The Right Stuff.

10-10-2010, 09:29 PM	#40
Greg Anos Grand Sorcerer Posts: 11,499 Karma: 37057604 Join Date: Jan 2008 Device: Pocketbook	Frankly I don't have too high of an opinion on either side of the non-fiction list. Too many gaping holes, too much opinion. (Is opinion fiction or non-fiction?) No Durant's The History of Civilization? No Asimov collection of science essays? No Spengler? No The Way Things Work No good books on ... Paleontology, Biology, molecular biology, mathematics... Ect...

10-11-2010, 09:43 AM	#44
Falbe Publishing Gadget Slave Posts: 264 Karma: 600001 Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Battle Creek, Michigan Device: Sony PRS505SC	On the Board's List I read 2: The Elements of Style The Autobiography of Malcolm X Both are good books. One is a little lighter reading than the other.

10-11-2010, 06:28 PM	#45
Cyclops Only need one eye to read Posts: 796 Karma: 6277024 Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: Darlington, England Device: Kobo Touch N905C, Sony PRS-300, Nintendo DSi XL,	The only one I've read of that lot is longitude by Dava Sobel, an excellent read and one of the few history books to have a connection with Only Fools and Horses!