The Guardian's 1000 novels to read before you die

Alexander Turcic · 01-26-2009, 04:41 AM

The Guardian has come up with a list of a dizzying number of books that should inspire and guide book-lovers of all tastes and ages.

Quote:

Selected by the Guardian's Review team and a panel of expert judges, this list includes only novels – no memoirs, no short stories, no long poems – from any decade and in any language... Feel we've left off a crucial book? Email to us with your nomination and an explanation in no more than 150 words at review@guardian.co.uk, or post your submission to The Guardian, Kings Place, 90 York Way, London N1 9GU, by 4 February.

Divided by "soft" genre categories:

[via Pat's Fantasy Hotlist]

ricdiogo · 01-26-2009, 07:14 AM

Here's the complete list as of Jan 23, 2009.

lilac_jive · 01-26-2009, 08:24 AM

Just scanning it I can see that it is completely different from the list I have.

zelda_pinwheel · 01-26-2009, 08:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lilac_jive

Just scanning it I can see that it is completely different from the list I have.

oh noes, now you have TWO thousand books to read !!!

BenG · 01-26-2009, 09:04 AM

I've read 157 of those.

Broken down by category:
Comedy 16
Crime 30
Family and self 7
Love 10
Science fiction and fantasy 62
State of the nation 7
War and travel 25

Steven Lyle Jordan · 01-26-2009, 09:21 AM

I refuse to even look at either list, lest my head explode from over-saturation (some days it's already too close to that now).

DixieGal · 01-26-2009, 09:24 AM

My first thought when I saw the thread this morning was, "Lilac is going to have a duck when she sees this!"

Hopefully for the sake of her sanity, most of the books are duplicates on the lists.

Wanderer · 01-26-2009, 09:53 AM

Nice to see they split the books into sections, maybe the sf & fantasy should be speculative fiction, seeing as there's horror titles there as well (tho they're criminally few in number).

lilac_jive · 01-26-2009, 10:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by zelda_pinwheel

oh noes, now you have TWO thousand books to read !!!

I'll be done when I'm sixty

And that estimate isn't far off..

Greg Anos · 01-26-2009, 10:09 AM

Depressing....I pride myself on my low-brow taste in reading, and I have already read 68 of the books on the list....Where did I go wrong?

Nearly Down · 01-26-2009, 10:59 AM

From what i can see there are only 998 books on the list not 1000!

I nominate the Da Vinci Code and The Alchemist to fill the missing slots

S.Canton · 01-26-2009, 10:38 PM

Damn, that's one huge list. Taking a look through it now, and quite a few of the books I've read are on there.

astra · 01-27-2009, 08:15 AM

34 out of 1000 and at least half of them I really hated and was forced to read in school.

Some books have been placed to odd categories.
For example:

Dead Souls by Nikolai Gogol - Comedy?????

Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky - Crime??

Why did theu united War and Travel?

kacir · 01-30-2009, 07:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by zelda_pinwheel

oh noes, now you have TWO thousand books to read !!!

The situation is even more grave.
Tery Pratchett, for example, is represented by "The discworld series".
The Discworld has at the moment some 37 books (not counting maps (4 books by Terry Pratchett), science books (another three), quiz books (TWO more! OMG!), ANOTHER nine Discworld theme books (like The Discworld Portfolio, The Discworld Companion, Nanny Ogg's Cookbook, ...) and "Where is my cow"**), so it is some 2036, possibly even 2050 now!

** Do not be scared, THAT one is a picture book - the one that Samuel Vimes reads it to his son.

Badandy · 01-30-2009, 06:21 PM

ONE Asimov book in the science fiction category?

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01-26-2009, 07:14 AM	#2
ricdiogo Gutenberger Posts: 142 Karma: 700 Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Lisbon, Portugal Device: Cybook Gen 3	Here's the complete list as of Jan 23, 2009.

01-26-2009, 08:24 AM	#3
lilac_jive Grand Sorcerer Posts: 5,870 Karma: 27376 Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Pennsylvania Device: PRS-505	Just scanning it I can see that it is completely different from the list I have.

01-26-2009, 09:04 AM	#5
BenG Home Guard Posts: 4,730 Karma: 86721650 Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Alpha Ralpha Boulevard Device: Kindle Oasis 3G, iPhone 6	I've read 157 of those. Broken down by category: Comedy 16 Crime 30 Family and self 7 Love 10 Science fiction and fantasy 62 State of the nation 7 War and travel 25

01-26-2009, 09:21 AM	#6
Steven Lyle Jordan Grand Sorcerer Posts: 8,478 Karma: 5171130 Join Date: Jan 2006 Device: none	I refuse to even look at either list, lest my head explode from over-saturation (some days it's already too close to that now).

01-26-2009, 09:24 AM	#7
DixieGal Hi There! Posts: 7,473 Karma: 2930523 Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Ft Lauderdale Device: iPad	My first thought when I saw the thread this morning was, "Lilac is going to have a duck when she sees this!" Hopefully for the sake of her sanity, most of the books are duplicates on the lists.

01-26-2009, 09:53 AM	#8
Wanderer Junior Member Posts: 5 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jan 2009 Device: PRS-505	Nice to see they split the books into sections, maybe the sf & fantasy should be speculative fiction, seeing as there's horror titles there as well (tho they're criminally few in number).

01-26-2009, 10:09 AM	#10
Greg Anos Grand Sorcerer Posts: 11,500 Karma: 37057604 Join Date: Jan 2008 Device: Pocketbook	Depressing....I pride myself on my low-brow taste in reading, and I have already read 68 of the books on the list....Where did I go wrong?

01-26-2009, 10:59 AM	#11
Nearly Down Junior Member Posts: 3 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Cheshire, UK Device: PRS-505	From what i can see there are only 998 books on the list not 1000! I nominate the Da Vinci Code and The Alchemist to fill the missing slots

01-26-2009, 10:38 PM	#12
S.Canton Groupie Posts: 174 Karma: 12 Join Date: Jan 2009 Device: Kindle 2	Damn, that's one huge list. Taking a look through it now, and quite a few of the books I've read are on there.

01-27-2009, 08:15 AM	#13
astra The Introvert Posts: 8,307 Karma: 1000077497 Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: United Kingdom Device: Sony Reader PRS-650 & 505 & 500	34 out of 1000 and at least half of them I really hated and was forced to read in school. Some books have been placed to odd categories. For example: Dead Souls by Nikolai Gogol - Comedy????? Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky - Crime?? Why did theu united War and Travel?

01-30-2009, 06:21 PM	#15
Badandy Connoisseur Posts: 71 Karma: 13366 Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Terminus Device: Kindle 3, iPhone	ONE Asimov book in the science fiction category?