36 Mandatory Books-Recommendations

[BWebb]

I have come to OOT for help on books that should be mandatory reading for everyone. I have never been much of a reader and feel incompetent when it comes to discussing literature. I know 36 books is nothing, but it will allow me to get a good foundation to build upon. Therefore, I have decide to make reading 36 books this next year my resolution.

I came up with 36 as I think reading 3 a month a reachable goal. I didn't want to go over the top and say 100 because I know I would never get close to that. So, 3 a month it is. For your recommendations, assume that I haven't read anything. I'm sure I have read some that will get recommended (I am not a complete moron), but I think assuming I have read nothing will just make it easier. Also, both fiction and non-fiction nominations are welcome, but I am leaning towards having more fiction on the final list. So, nominate away and I will post my final list when all is said and done.

[samjjones]

"The Grapes Of Wrath", John Steinbeck
"The Catcher In The Rye", J.D. Salinger
"Moby Dick", Herman Melville
"The Compleat Works of William Shakespeare"
"Jack: The Great Seducer", Edward Douglas


Disclaimer: I have not read any actual non-Jack Nicholson related books since college.

[Dominic]

Blood Meridian - Cormac McCarthy
Lolita - Nabakov
In Cold Blood - Truman Capote
Crime & Punishment - Dostoevsky
The Unbearable Lightness of Being - Milan Kundera
Stranger in a Strange Land - Robert Heinlein

This is a nice start....also, I'd start reading some more popular, "easier to read" authors like Stephen King, Elmore Leonard, William Gibson, etc. While some might not considered them "high literature," they are often great books and a lot of fun to read.

[zenfurni]

I don't feel that I'm qualified to name "must-read" fiction books, but here's a non-fiction book that everyone should read:
Emotional Intelligence by Daniel Goleman
It starts out dry, with some neurological explanations, but it eventually delves into how emotions come into play in people's decision-making, and how people can and should interact with each other.

Also, I read it immediately after Malcolm Gladwell's "Blink," and it covers many of the same topics, but it has more depth and breadth.

[renodoc]

Dune
Atlas Shrugged
The Glorious Cause
John Adams
The Old Man and The Sea

Faulkner kicks ass also (edit) I figured you would know the authors above- The Adams Bio is McCullough

[solids]

to name a few...

the great gatspy
catch 22
the alchemist
1984
all quiet on the western front
red badge of honor
catfish and mandala

[AE6]

Hamlet.

Not really a book per se, but if you want to feel competent when discussing literature, I think it's a must.

[sightless]

master and margarita

[samsonite2100]

[ QUOTE ]
This is a nice start....also, I'd start reading some more popular, "easier to read" authors like Stephen King, Elmore Leonard, William Gibson, etc. While some might not considered them "high literature," they are often great books and a lot of fun to read.

[/ QUOTE ]

I actually consider Elmore Leonard to be good literature that transcends normal genre writing--I think in 50 years he'll be recognized as one of the best modern writers--just IMO.

Anyway, my list in no particular order--

-The Great Gatsby
-Hamlet/Macbeth/King Lear
-The Canterbury Tales
-Lolita
-Slaughterhouse-Five
-Rabbit, Run
-Dubliners
-The Adventures of Augie March
-The Stranger
-Money
-Portnoy's Complaint
-1984
-To the Lighthouse
-Ray

I'm woefully underread in the pre-20th century category, but there are some obvious impregnable classics like Moby Dick, Heart of Darkness, War and Peace, Crime and Punishment, Tristram Shandy, etc., that probably everyone should read (although I haven't).

[boscoboy]

Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance