You're right, it's a pretty damn non-ideal list. Another problem is that some of the "books" are vast. I really have to read the whole goddamn Bible plus the complete works of William Shakespeare?
But that's okay. My goal isn't to read one hundred books I'll really like, it's to complete an arbitrary set of tasks. If all of the books are enjoyable then there's no sense of achievement when I get to the end. I figure that whatever happens, I'll know a lot more when I finish than when I started. (Do you know what "Timon of Athens" is like? I sure as hell don't...)
"Timon of Athens" is a play by Shakespeare. It's not among his strongest, by any means, but still significantly better than a lot of the crap on the list.
You'll definitely end up knowing a lot more when you finish than when you started, but I doubt that "Bridget Jones Diary" or a half-dozen separate works of Thomas Hardy are going to contribute much to that achievement.
But that's okay. My goal isn't to read one hundred books I'll really like, it's to complete an arbitrary set of tasks. If all of the books are enjoyable then there's no sense of achievement when I get to the end. I figure that whatever happens, I'll know a lot more when I finish than when I started. (Do you know what "Timon of Athens" is like? I sure as hell don't...)