
Books to Read in a Lifetime - acdanger
http://www.amazon.com/b?node=8192263011
======
mercurial
"Mostly anglo-saxon" books to buy on Amazon in a lifetime.

~~~
ekianjo
Yeah, and their selection in Japanese literature is a shite book from
Murakami, the most overrated writer ever in Japan media. Good Lord.

~~~
snogglethorpe
Totally agree that their Murakami selection is an awful book, and nothing
Murakami's written in years has been any good, but he used to (20+ years ago)
be a bit better...

[The Amazon tagline, "From the Modern Japanese Master" is certainly pretty
cringe-inducing. >< ]

In general the entire list seems very uninspired, like it was generated by
someone tallying up blog posts and fan-favorite lists, rather than being an
informed opinion by someone that's actually read and thought about a lot of
books...

~~~
ekianjo
> In general the entire list seems very uninspired, like it was generated by
> someone tallying up blog posts and fan-favorite lists, rather than being an
> informed opinion by someone that's actually read and thought about a lot of
> books...

Yeah, I felt the same way. If that's what you got to read before you die, well
you might as well die of boredom before you finish reading the books in that
list :P

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rabbitonrails
"...which are modern enough to still be under copyright and thus most
profitable to Amazon"?

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waterlesscloud
Like Great Expectations and Pride And Prejudice.

Great insight!

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MichaelApproved
Disappointed to not see Siddhartha on the list
[http://www.amazon.com/Siddhartha-Hermann-
Hesse/dp/0553208845](http://www.amazon.com/Siddhartha-Hermann-
Hesse/dp/0553208845)

~~~
cico71
It's there, number 94

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MichaelApproved
For me, #94 shows up as _Lolita (Everyman 's Library (Cloth)) by Vladimir
Nabokov (Mar 9, 1993)_. Siddhartha is nowhere to be found.

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rdl
They did a bad job on sci-fi, I think -- while I liked Dune, it certainly
isn't the one SF book I'd include.

The Handmaid's Tale is far better, but is listed as "Feminist Speculative
Fiction"; if I'd read the category first, I would have skipped the book, but
the book is great, along with her other writing.

In a list of 100, I'd probably include 3. The Handmaid's Tale is fine; Snow
Crash or maybe a Heinlein or a "golden age of sci-fi" choice.

(Edited to fix incorrect title, thanks)

~~~
harshreality
I agree, and you made elsewhere the good point that Dune has one foot in the
fantasy realm, without much hard science fiction backing it up.

The Hyperion cantos (Simmons) is sadly not taken seriously by very many
authors of top-100 lists. It's usually Dune or Stranger in a Strange Land or
Ender's Game or Forever War. And heaven forbid they include Neuromancer or
Snow Crash or Altered Carbon, or an eco-scifi book like Stand on Zanzibar or
Zodiac.

Dune could be a nod to the classic science fiction aficionados who don't care
for any of the newer stuff, who love Asimov, Niven, Clarke, PKD, Bester. Is
Heinlein too politically charged, perhaps?

~~~
RBerenguel
Agree with The Hyperion Cantos (commented it as an answer to my post above,)
it's been one of the books I've re-read most times. It's a very good book, but
somehow a lot of people ignore it, probably due to the fact it's part of a
tetralogy (and seems like the last 2 are rubbish... I stopped with the first
two: Hyperion and The Fall of Hyperion, which is what I consider "Hyperion
Cantos", though.) I'd rank Altered Carbon _higher_ than Neuromancer.
Neuromancer is great and all, but the plot of Altered Carbon was more
inspired, almost a nod to classic "noir" writers I like. And I love Stranger
in a Strange Land, as pointed above :) Historical note: when the first Spanish
translation was commissioned, the publishing firm that did it went bankrupt.
Back then (dictatorship) there was a strong censure of books... But editors
had to _print the books, whole edition_ and only then the censor would check
them. It was deemed as objectionable material.

~~~
harshreality
I think the Hyperion cantos would be a single book rather than 4, or a closely
joined 2-part novel/sequel, if not for market forces demanding books in the
<700-800 page range for popular consumption. There are series that are loosely
connected, and then there are series that are practically a single work, like
the LotR trilogy. The Hyperion cantos is similar to LotR that way.

It sounds like you heard the Endymion pair are rubbish and avoided reading
them. Wherever you heard that, they're not. Look at the ratings on
goodreads[1], for instance. You're talking about them as if the Endymion
volumes fell off a cliff like Vinge did with Children of the Sky[2]. Not so.
The amazon ratings distribution for Endymion is a bit lackluster compared to
the other volumes, but still nothing that could be called "rubbish".

[1]
[https://www.goodreads.com/search?utf8=%E2%9C%93&query=hyperi...](https://www.goodreads.com/search?utf8=%E2%9C%93&query=hyperion)

[2]
[https://www.goodreads.com/search?utf8=%E2%9C%93&query=zones+...](https://www.goodreads.com/search?utf8=%E2%9C%93&query=zones+of+thought)

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lutusp
I just scanned the list while buying books for an upcoming long trip away from
the Internet and other media (i.e. my annual Alaska boat trip:
[http://arachnoid.com/alaska2013](http://arachnoid.com/alaska2013)). I might
have selected two from the list.

The problem with the list is it's not a true list of classic, worthwhile
books, it's instead populated by books that (a) sell well and (b) are
available at the moment from publishers. Those who don't read much, or who are
beginning as adult readers, shouldn't be misled by its contents.

Here is a slightly better list, one unfortunately also biased by what's
available in the current mass publishing market:

[http://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/books-everyone-should-
re...](http://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/books-everyone-should-read)

But while searching online for quality "classic" or "essential" book lists, I
am surprised to say that there's no such readily available list, at least that
I can find. Obviously there's also the issue of taste -- one person's list of
classics isn't likely to be another's.

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hhorsley
What's the criteria? This is totally opaque as a list. I agree that some of
these books are epic but don't know where the decisions are coming from.

~~~
partomniscient
From the "Amazon Book Editors".

It's basically a way to add an extremely thin layer of misdirection over
what's fundamentally Amazon reminding you that you want to buy books on their
site. (i.e. advertising). They're trying to catch as many different people in
a carefully crafted "Hmmm, I always meant to read that, maybe I should buy it
now to remind me" moment.

How is this is relevant to HN? It's probably not...

~~~
waterlesscloud
Jesus. Come on.

This is a list of good books you might want to look at. People who love to
read also love to recommend books.

I would not be shocked if the editors at Amazon love to read.

Seriously, people.

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bowlofpetunias
Looks more like a popularity contest with an unsurprising correlation to
recent screen adaptations.

I half expect Justin Bieber's biography to make the list.

Goodreads and Amazon have become as useless as IMDB when it comes to ratings.
Both are prime examples of why the "wisdom of the crowds" is bull. Guess
Nicholas Carr was right after all.

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prawn
Surprised that Perfume didn't make the list, or did I miss it browsing on my
phone with that weird interface?

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maaku
There's multiple books with _Perfume_ as/in the title. Are you referring to
_Das Parfum_?

~~~
prawn
Yes, Süskind's.

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skybrian
I know it's not meant seriously, but even so, the notion that everyone should
read the same set of books in a lifetime is a strange one. If everyone
actually did that, it would be a massive duplication of effort. Much better
for people to read different books.

~~~
jamesrcole
> _the notion that everyone should read the same set of books in a lifetime is
> a strange one_

I think it's intended as a list of suggestions, and anyone else is free to
create their own list of suggestions.

> _Much better for people to read different books._

There's so many books out there that it's useful to have some guidance as to
which are more likely to be worth your time.

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ForHackernews
Another good list here:
[http://www.openculture.com/2013/03/donald_barthelmes_syllabu...](http://www.openculture.com/2013/03/donald_barthelmes_syllabus_highlights_81_books_essential_for_a_literary_education_.html)

~~~
chillzilla
And a better list, too. Not to mention Barthelme's own work is worth checking
out.

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JacobAldridge
Surprised / pleased that I'm a quarter of the way there (well, 24/100).

Didn't expect quite that much young adult literature - Harry Potter, Limony
Snickett, Golden Compass, The Giver (plus Lord of the Rings). All major film
franchises (well, The Giver under production).

Was amazed to see The Phantom Tollbooth. One of my favourite books of all
time, though I haven't read it since I was a child and honestly have never met
another person who'd heard of it!

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cafard
First, the expression "bucket list" always brings to mind Mr. Creosote.

Second, of the books that i have read, I have to say that _Cutting for Stone_
isn't very good; Verghese's nonfiction _The Tennis Partner_ is much better.
_The Connections_ has its moments, but maybe not enough for its length.

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ssully
I get why they did this, but it seems like such a waste considering everywhere
I've seen this posted people just bitch about a book or a section of books
they like not being on the list. But it seems to be working as intended,
because I've seen this posted a lot.

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callmeed
I'm glad Cormac McCarthy is on there, but is _The Road_ better than _Blood
Meridian_?

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RBerenguel
Although I'd change some books (actually, quite a lot,) I'm positively
surprised by some choices, with books you usually don't see in "best of" lists
but which rank high in my personal preferences.

For science fiction I'd change _Dune_... Even though it's a great book and I
like it (I even read Herbert Jr.'s sequels... spoiler: don't) I'd pick
something "shinier." Heinlein's _Stranger in a Strange Land_ , or _2001: An
Space Odissey_... or go with the weird and pick _Rendezvous with Rama_. Or
just _Foundation_. Sci-Fi-wise you can't go wrong with _Foundation_.

Ninja-edit: How could I forget _The Starmaker_ by Olaf Stapledon? Written in
the late 40s, I didn't give much for it as Sci-fi goes. I read it in one
sitting. Ended with a headache, dizzy and hungry. It was well worth it.

For Murakami, I'd pick instead a relatively unknown book by him: _Hard-boiled
Wonderland and The End of The World_. An inception-esque plot-inside-plot
book, set in an almost Neuromancer-like setting. I love it.

For Dystopian... Even though I have not read The Giver, just classification-
wise I'd have to pick _Shades of Grey_ (Jasper Fforde's book, not to be
confused with another, numbered, similarly named book.) It was a thrilling
read (I think it's the best novel I've read in the past 3 or 4 years, but
well, I don't read that much fiction lately), sadly part of a trilogy waiting
to be finished. Beware: once you are done with the book you'd want to go to
Britain and tie Fforde to his desk until he is done with the next book.

The books that surprised me though are incredibly well-spotted. I like that
_Guns, Germs and Steel_ is there. It's been on my reading list for... 3 years
already (I have it, but it's a heavy book so I'm always eager to pick an ebook
or thinner material for a commute,) because the theme is so compelling. The
Right Stuff is not the usual book you see in a best-of list, but for me, it
should be in all these lists. Heck, writing from it is used as example of good
writing in _On Writing Well_ (which is surprisingly a very good read).

 _The Long Goodbye_ , by Chandler. Chandler is great, period. Having one of
his books in this lists validates other books I'd never consider... Even
though you can't have a Chandler and don't have a Hammett. You can't go wrong
with a book by Hammett, I'd probably pick _The Maltese Falcon_. A classic.

Of course, there are some books that I'd personally treat to a Bradbury
process... _Catcher in the Rye_ and _On the Road_ are two books I was looking
forward to reading (not being English-based meant I didn't get to read them on
high school) and found dull. I guess read in a different context would have
made it different, but I couldn't see all the praise. Personal opinion,
though.

~~~
codemac
> Hard-boiled Wonderland and The End of The World

Thas is one of my favorite books of all times. Thank you for recommending it,
and I will echo your sentiment to others here on HN to read it. It's one of
the few books I've actually reread after saying to myself "I should reread
that.."

~~~
snogglethorpe
> Hard-boiled Wonderland and The End of The World

 _Totally_ agree with this.

I think Murakami's writing has become repetitive and bloated in the last
couple of decades (and even sort of creepy, in a bad way); he basically seems
to have been writing on autopilot for many years. It's always a little
annoying to see him trotted out as a great author by mentioning his recent
stuff.

His early stuff, however, is much better: tighter, more subtle, more
interesting, less overwrought. "Hard-boiled Wonderland and The End of The
World" is my favorite. It's weird, thoughtful, and sad in way that doesn't
feel manipulative or artificial.

~~~
sveme
I agree somewhat, but you should try out his latest book "Colorless Tsukuru
Tazaki and his Years of Pilgrimage: A novel", though apparently not yet
available in English. I just started it and so far it feels very different
from his other books, though still very great. (And hard-boiled wonderland is
indeed brilliant)

~~~
RBerenguel
I'll keep it in hand for when there is an English translation. I can't read
Japanese (except for a handful of go terms like black, white and "first to
move".)

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thejteam
My biggest gripe about the list: since when did it become acceptable to
alphabetize using leading "A" and "The". You're supposed to skip those.

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girvo
I'd definitely pick _Foundation_ over _Dune_ , in my personal opinion. I still
hold the _Foundation_ series up as the pinnacle of SciFi.

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knight17
Would love to see some more great Russian novels (Dostoevsky, anyone?) in the
list instead of many US centric books currently there.

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thisusername
No Dostoyevsky, Tolstoy, Chekhov, Gogol, Kakfa (I know he's not Russian but
still)...the list is far beyond lacking, but what can you do.

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sidcool
Harry Potter books there. They are good, but then it's about 100 books to read
in a lifetime. Just my opinion.

~~~
icco
I don't know, I've always thought it's one of those series that's worth
reading just to be able to discuss with others given how many people have
read.

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deepflame
The bible is also a good read. If you are into it you could read and study it
for a lifetime.

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marsay
Dissapointed that it contains only fiction.

~~~
lutusp
It has "All the President's Men" and "A Brief History of Time", nonfiction.
... A quick scan shows that about 1/3 of the titles are either nonfiction or
based on real events.

