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1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die


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I'm on 15 from the combined list, 334 feels like an impossible dream!

 

I'm currently reading Onw Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest though which I think is on there, and I have a load more in my TBR pile. Still an embarrassingly low figure though!

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Formatting for links doesn't work for new members as we ask you to NOT post links until you're a more regular member here - and posting just to increase your post count is not looked upon favourably either! Are you personally linked to that app, as we also have a strict promotional policy.

 

Hi Michelle... it's as Kylie says. I kind of joined this discussion back on page 3 about 2 years ago because someone posted links to my spreadsheet for me. I've been back since and seen that others have promoted it so I thought that putting something about the app on would be okay. If not, that's cool and I apologise. Let me know and I'll pull it.... and let Kylie speak for me!

 

And yes, the posting about boosting my postings was tongue in cheek...

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  • 4 weeks later...
  • 2 months later...

*squeals with excitement* Thanks for letting us know, Arukiyomi! I had just about given up on them releasing a new version this year (in keeping with their two-year updates). I haven't even been looking out for it - how remiss of me!

 

I can't wait to see the changes. Regarding a couple of comments on your blog (I'll comment there too), given the access that the 'denied' countries have to cheap online bookshops, we should get a good price. I don't actually own a hard copy of any of the editions. I wonder if now is the time to finally invest? At least I would have an up-to-date copy for 2 years!

 

I also wonder how we should interpret the publisher's comment (thank you for providing the link, by the way!) that: "This new update for 2012 includes 150 new images of original book covers and a complete list of major literary prize winners."

 

I think you have interpreted that as 150 new images of the same books that are already listed(?) Or could it be that there are 150 new books? But maybe they wouldn't want to give us excited folks that much information. ;) And I assume that the 'complete list of major literary prize winners' is separate to the actual 1001 list? I doubt that the book's selection committee would agree that every prize winner should be included in the 1001 list.

 

Did you notice the short list of included books that they mention on the second page of the media release? What a tease? I don't know the list off by heart, but I'm pretty sure those books are all already on the list.

 

Another point you mentioned on your blog was people who complain about the 'moving target'. I understand that people who want to complete the 1001 list would be frustrated by the fact that it always changes, but it has been obvious for years that it is going to keep happening, so for that reason, I'm not sure why people would complain. I think those people should either stick with the core list (for those who don't know, that's the list of books that have appeared in every single edition of the book - currently numbering 714) or they should stick with the original 2006 list (or whatever edition they first discovered). There's at least one book that hasn't even been translated into English, so unless people are fluent in Korean as well, there is virtually no chance at the moment that most people will ever be able to complete the list. By the by, I bet many people are hoping that book—The Taebaek Mountains—will be removed.

 

Other exciting questions to ponder (if you're a bit strange, like me) are whether they might try to be more consistent in the types of books they include. There have been a lot of questions in the past about, for example, Shakespeare's plays, which weren't included. But I think there have been plays (I could be wrong), essays and the odd children's book included, but as I said, it has been very inconsistent.

 

I sincerely hope that they don't just tack on a dozen books that have been published in the past 2 years. That would make the list too top-heavy, and really, how many really important books have been published recently? Great books, maybe, but 'important' books, not so much. I would far rather see them revise past books. Maybe add more to the pre-1800s and revise the 2000s/2010s according to the passage of time; maybe some previously underrated books have risen to prominence while others have faded away. The same goes for the 20th century. There are probably authors with multiple books that could stand to have a few shredded from the list (however, I'm not in favour of specifying one book per author; otherwise, it should be renamed '1001 Authors...').

 

Hmm, I have given this way too much thought and may be a little too excited... :blush2:

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Oh, and Arukiyomi, will your app be developed for the iPad? It would look so much nicer if it was bigger. :)

 

And is there any way of 'importing' the spreadsheet into the app so one doesn't have to manually edit every single book? Or at least, most books, given that I think at least half of them are on my combined wish list, TBR and read piles.

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I'd like to complete this list someday (or be in a position to have completed it and be awaiting an update). I've only read 21 of the combined 1294 so a long way to go! (According to the app I need to be reading an average of 2 a month - this challenge might have to largely wait until I retire ;) )

 

Still, an update might give me a large read number, even if a smaller read percentage ;)

 

Arukiyomi, will the app keep my current read, TBR and reviews when it's updated for the new edition? :)

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I also wonder how we should interpret the publisher's comment (thank you for providing the link, by the way!) that: "This new update for 2012 includes 150 new images of original book covers and a complete list of major literary prize winners."

I think you have interpreted that as 150 new images of the same books that are already listed(?) Or could it be that there are 150 new books? But maybe they wouldn't want to give us excited folks that much information. ;) And I assume that the 'complete list of major literary prize winners' is separate to the actual 1001 list? I doubt that the book's selection committee would agree that every prize winner should be included in the 1001 list.

yeah I think the prize-winner's list is probably an appendix or maybe they also marked the actual book entries too.

 

Did you notice the short list of included books that they mention on the second page of the media release? What a tease? I don't know the list off by heart, but I'm pretty sure those books are all already on the list.

apparently I didn't study that too carefully. Somone elsewhere mentioned how 3 of them have been removed before. Does their inclusion mean they're back on?

  • Aesop’s Fables - was removed in 2008.
  • Little Women - core book (has always been on)
  • The Hitch-Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy - core book
  • Wuthering Heights - core book
  • Jane Eyre - core book
  • Breakfast at Tiffany’s - core book
  • Bleak House - core book
  • Crime and Punishment - core book
  • Arcadia - core book
  • Foucault’s Pendulum - core book
  • On the Road - core book
  • The Cider House Rules- core book
  • The Good Soldier- core book
  • The Water-Babies- core book
  • Brighton Rock- core book
  • A Room with a View- core book
  • American Psycho- core book
  • A Clockwork Orange- core book
  • Kidnapped- removed in 2008
  • Uncle Tom’s Cabin- core book
  • The Invisible Sons - must be a typo. No books on the existing lists of this name. The only book I can find that resembles this title I read a preview of 4 pages of. It was published in 2011 but was so badly written to include it would simply be a joke.
  • The Passion - was removed in 2008
  • Sexing the Cherry - core book
  • La Bete Humaine - core book
  • Cloud Altas - core book

But I think there have been plays (I could be wrong), essays and the odd children's book included, but as I said, it has been very inconsistent.

nope, no plays AFAIK

 

Oh, and Arukiyomi, will your app be developed for the iPad? It would look so much nicer if it was bigger. :)

true and it's on our to do list. We were working hard recently to release the movies app. Now that we have both out in the market, we can turn our focus into improving them both and so this is in the pipeline.

 

And is there any way of 'importing' the spreadsheet into the app so one doesn't have to manually edit every single book? Or at least, most books, given that I think at least half of them are on my combined wish list, TBR and read piles.

nope. This won't happen because we are talking about coding issues with cross-platform stuff. Hopefully keeping the list up to date is as fun as actually reading the books. Maybe more so in the case of some of them!

 

Arukiyomi, will the app keep my current read, TBR and reviews when it's updated for the new edition? :)

app or spreadsheet? The app will always keep your data when we issue updates. The spreadsheet will have an import feature much like v4 has where users who had v3.3 could import their data using cut and paste. I will be looking into VBA code which would automate this but because running macros on spreadsheets raises heightened security issues which not everyone is happy with, I probably won't implement it if it requires macros.

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  • 3 months later...

The new 1001 book has been out for about a week - I can't believe I forgot about it! I didn't end up pre-ordering the book, so I just checked out the Goodreads group. It looks like 11 books have been added and 1 has been re-added (Memoirs of a Geisha, which hasn't been on the list since 2006). I haven't seen much about the books removed.

 

There are now 1305 unique books across all four lists. :)

 

By the way, I'm not even certain that the added list is complete. There is some speculation that there might have been revisions to older books in addition to the newer books, but I guess it will take time for people to go through and sort it all (damn! I should have just ordered my own copy and done it myself!)

 

Added:

 

Julian Barnes Sense of an Ending (TBR)

Jennifer Egan A Visit from the Goon Squad (TBR)

Jeffrey Eugenides The Marriage Plot (TBR)

Jonathan Franzen Freedom (Wish)

Arthur Golden Memoirs of a Geisha (TBR)

Chad Harbach The Art of Fielding

Nicole Kraus The History of Love

Lorrie Moore A Gate at the Stairs

Haruki Murakami 1Q84 (TBR)

Philip Roth Nemesis

Jose Saramago Cain

Ali Smith There But for the

 

Removed:

 

Pat Barker The Ghost Road (TBR)

Haruki Murakami Kafka on the Shore (TBR)

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The new 1001 book has been out for about a week - I can't believe I forgot about it! I didn't end up pre-ordering the book, so I just checked out the Goodreads group. It looks like 11 books have been added and 1 has been re-added (Memoirs of a Geisha, which hasn't been on the list since 2006). I haven't seen much about the books removed.

 

Are you going to acquire a copy of it some day?

 

There are now 1305 unique books across all four lists. :)

 

1305 Books You Must Read Before You Die... :doh::lol:

 

Jennifer Egan A Visit from the Goon Squad (TBR)

Interesting! :o

 

Jeffrey Eugenides The Marriage Plot (TBR)

Oh boy!

 

Haruki Murakami 1Q84 (TBR)

Wohoo for Murakami!

 

Ali Smith There But for the

Chesilbeach would be pleased to know :D

 

Haruki Murakami Kafka on the Shore (TBR)

No removing of Murakami allowed!!! :theboss:

 

Kylie, could you copy+paste your post on the other 1001 Books thread, too, pretty please? :blush2::flowers2:

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Are you going to acquire a copy of it some day?

 

I'm not sure. It was a bit too expensive for me and I'm kind of glad I didn't get it given how few changes there appear to be. Maybe I'll look out for a secondhand edition (any edition - I don't really mind!) It also has one of my least favourite covers. I much prefer the Clockwork Orange cover.

 

1305 Books You Must Read Before You Die...

 

Hehe. :) It's handy if one doesn't want to read all of the books from a particular edition. You could just make your own 1001 list from the combined versions.

 

Jennifer Egan A Visit from the Goon Squad (TBR)

Jeffrey Eugenides The Marriage Plot (TBR)

Haruki Murakami 1Q84 (TBR)

I'm really pleased about these three, even though they're such recent reads (which I personally don't believe should be on the list, because it's too soon to know if they're 'must read before you die' books).

 

Ali Smith There But for the

Chesilbeach would be pleased to know :D

Yep, but Kylie is not so pleased. :( Not least because the title bugs me.

 

Haruki Murakami Kafka on the Shore (TBR)

No removing of Murakami allowed!!! :theboss:

I knew you'd be upset by that, as was I!

 

Kylie, could you copy+paste your post on the other 1001 Books thread, too, pretty please?

 

Geez, bossy woman! :P ... Done. :friends3:

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I'm not sure. It was a bit too expensive for me and I'm kind of glad I didn't get it given how few changes there appear to be. Maybe I'll look out for a secondhand edition (any edition - I don't really mind!) It also has one of my least favourite covers. I much prefer the Clockwork Orange cover.

 

Just out of curiosity: How much is it? Naaaaw, scratch that, I'll google. I want to see the covers! :) Yep, of the ones published so far, the Clockwork Orange is easily the nicest one. I hate the 2008 edition :rolleyes: With passion!

 

Hehe. It's handy if one doesn't want to read all of the books from a particular edition. You could just make your own 1001 list from the combined versions.

 

An excellent point! I wish someone would publish a book on the 1305 books and then one could just tear off 304 unnecessary pages off it :giggle:

 

Jennifer Egan A Visit from the Goon Squad (TBR)

Jeffrey Eugenides The Marriage Plot (TBR)

Haruki Murakami 1Q84 (TBR)

I'm really pleased about these three, even though they're such recent reads (which I personally don't believe should be on the list, because it's too soon to know if they're 'must read before you die' books).

I'm going to wait til you've read all those books and see if you still agree :D But yeah, I get what you mean. The Murakami has to be great, and I have high expectations for The Marriage Plot. Should get reading to it actually, seeing as I have it borrowed from the library at the moment! :cool:

 

Ali Smith There But for the

Chesilbeach would be pleased to know

Yep, but Kylie is not so pleased. :( Not least because the title bugs me.

I love the title! :blush: Please don't hate me! :giggle:

 

Haruki Murakami Kafka on the Shore (TBR)

No removing of Murakami allowed!!!

I knew you'd be upset by that, as was I!

Us Murakami Sisters from the Canberra Book Fair! :friends3:

 

Geez, bossy woman! ... Done.

 

:D Thank you kindly, Kylie!

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Added:

Julian Barnes Sense of an Ending (TBR)

Jennifer Egan A Visit from the Goon Squad (TBR)

Jeffrey Eugenides The Marriage Plot (TBR)

Jonathan Franzen Freedom (Wish)

Arthur Golden Memoirs of a Geisha (TBR)

Chad Harbach The Art of Fielding

Nicole Kraus The History of Love

Lorrie Moore A Gate at the Stairs

Haruki Murakami 1Q84 (TBR)

Philip Roth Nemesis

Jose Saramago Cain

Ali Smith There But for the

 

Removed:

Pat Barker The Ghost Road (TBR)

Haruki Murakami Kafka on the Shore (TBR)

 

A very disappointing list, which to my mind reflects no credit on those selecting, and for me casts all sorts of questions on the value of the list. It's way, way too early for many of these to be added. It doesn't help that out of this list, I've read two, neither of which get remotely close to my list of good, let alone great, books (I'm talking of the Egan and Barnes books). Very ordinary, somewhat overblown and likely to disappear off the radar over the next few years. But they remove The Ghost Road????!!!!

I'm rather glad that I have set myself the aim of 1001 off the list - giving me flexibility to ignore these.

Edited by willoyd
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I've found a list of 8 books removed - still waiting to find out about the other 4. I agree with you, Willoyd. It's obviously a money-making exercise now.

 

Removed:

 

Kafka on the Shore by Murakami

The Talk of the Town by Ardal O'Hanlan

Enduring Love by Ian McEwan

Jack Maggs by Peter Carey

Money To burn by Ricardo Piglia

The Ghost Road by Pat Barker

Felicia's Journey by William Trevor

The Music of Chance by Paul Auster

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OK, I've found out about the last four books removed (marked with an * below). The complete list of changes, then, is:

 

Added:

Julian Barnes Sense of an Ending

Jennifer Egan A Visit from the Goon Squad

Jeffrey Eugenides The Marriage Plot

Jonathan Franzen Freedom

Arthur Golden Memoirs of a Geisha

Chad Harbach The Art of Fielding

Nicole Kraus The History of Love

Lorrie Moore A Gate at the Stairs

Haruki Murakami 1Q84

Philip Roth Nemesis

Jose Saramago Cain

Ali Smith There But for the

 

Removed:

*Paul Auster Invisible

Paul Auster The Music of Chance

Pat Barker The Ghost Road

Peter Carey Jack Maggs

*Don DeLillo Falling Man

Ian McEwan Enduring Love

Haruki Murakami Kafka on the Shore

Ardal O'Hanlan The Talk of the Town

Ricardo Piglia Money to Burn

*Ali Smith The Accidental

*Edward St Aubyn Mothers Milk

William Trevor Felicia's Journey

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  • 1 month later...
  • 11 months later...

Thanks for sharing such a good information, But there is also some of good listed books below:

 

1) The Great Gatsby

2) Brave New World

3) The Grapes of Wrath

4) A Passage to India

5) Life of Pi

 

8) The Unknown Leader

9) Hamlet

10) The Wind in the Willows

11) The Diary of a Young Girl

12) The Picture of Dorian Gray

13) The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

14) Gulliver's Travels

15) Heart of Darkness

16) Men Without Women

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  • 4 months later...

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