Except for me. I've picked out the twelve from the list that I would have picked if I was one of those boring people who choose their own books. Here they are:
1) Pere Goriot; 2) Labyrinths; 3) Don Quixote; 4) the Big Sleep; 5) Madame Bovary; 6) Dead Souls; 7) Ulysses; 8) the Trial; 9) Death in Venice; 10) Remembrance of Things Past; 11) Street of Crocodiles; 12) Candide.Add me and a few Monday stragglers to the votes that have already been counted, and you get:
The Winners!
1. The Brothers Karamazov, 9 1/2 points.
2. Huckleberry Finn, 9 points.
2. Candide, 9 points.
4. The Big Sleep, 8 points.
5. To the Lighthouse, 7 points.
6. The Stranger, 5 points.
6. The Process, 5 points.
6. Don Quixote, 5 points.
6. Ulysses, 5 points.
10. Crime and Punishment, 4 1/2 points.
10. Cry, the Beloved Country, 4 1/2 points.
10. The Scarlet Letter, 4 1/2 points.
What Now?
I will start the first book, probably the Brothers Karamazov, this weekend. And I'll continue reading books off of the list (including these 12 and the winners from the other categories), in more or less random order, until I run out. I will do little book reviews on this blog for your heckling and second-guessing pleasure.
Note that I do not intend to burn straight through these without interuption. I'll always read at least one book of trashier pedegree between Book List books. So, I figure we're looking at two to three years worth of reading.
Many thanks to everybody who voted for the classic novels! Now, let's get cracking on the modern novels!
6 comments:
You've inspired me! I'll re-read Huck Finn & the Scarlet letter with you. And I've been meaning to read Cry the Beloved Country for a while, so I'll put that on my list too.
Look Mr. County Collector, if you don't add something from Yoknapatawpha County, I'll have your EMC credentials revoked! Start with The Sound and the Fury and work up to Absalom, Absalom!, the greatest of the Faulkner works.
Amy G
@rebel: Excellent!
@amy g: Hi, Amy G.! I'm afraid that only the Supreme Court can change the result of an election once the votes have been tallied.
Sorry I missed the voting for pre-1950, but I heartily second the inclusion of "To the Lighthouse" (perhaps my favorite novel ever, depending on my mood), "the Big Sleep" and "Huckleberry Finn". The others (at least those I've read) aren't too shabby either. While you're reading "The Scarlet Letter" be sure to watch the Demi Moore movie version from a few years back to get an idea of just how bad movie adaptations of books can be. Don't know if I've ever seen worse, in fact....
Yay for reading trashier genres!
You can't make menudo without tripe!
If one made head cheese (aka souse here in PA) with just choice chunks of round, then it wouldn't really be head cheese (would it be butt cheese?).
I'm told that most of my favorite authors are gauche, so thanks for the validation! :-)
Perhaps this explains how Steinbeck didn't make the highbrow lists? i.e., might East of Eden be the condiment between these "meatier" works?
Congratulations on your literary pursuits. Thought you might want to check out my list of class novels.
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