On the BBC (yes, I know) list of most inspiring novels, compiled in November 2019, I’ve read 13 of them. How on earth some made it onto the list is beyond me. And some of them aren’t even novels; for example the Harry Potter series is listed as one, as is The Lord Of The Rings. So, according to that list I’m fairly lowbrow and illiterate. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/BBC_list_of_100_'most_inspiring'_novels
A list that contains Bridget Jones' diary and Harry Potter and not the likes of Voltaire's Candide or Huysmans' A rebours is just bullshit. They can point to it being English language all they want but it's not like I ****ing read them in French.
You're not well read until you've read Stephen King's "IT" It's a skill holding a 1400 page paperback
As I sit here typing I can look at my bookshelves at well over 200 books. Lots of these are non fiction, (I'm a fan of David Attenboroughs), some are 'reference books' but to call the Harry Potter series one book suggests an unusual approach to arithmatic. The Lord of the Rings, I can go along with, (why is The Hobbit missing?). I came up with eleven on that list and some of these were from childhood, Ivanhoe, The Hound of the Baskervilles and Frankenstien. I question the 'most inspiring' heading most though. I know that there is no claim to be the best, but most inspiring?
I've got over 500 books at home and have read most of them at least 3 times. Still, nothing beats penthouse stories
Discworld series too- there's at least 25 of them. There's a lot of stuff on there that I'd consider to be absolute ****- Jilly Cooper for example. Nothing wrong with enjoying it but I can think of loads of things that would be more of an 'experience' to read.
I also have about 1400 books on my Kindle. At least 1000 of them will NEVER be read but over 100 have been and I have hopes for the rest. I used to be a regular visitor to the Library but the Kindle, and my own books, now keep me busy. However I'm pleased to find someone else who can read a book many times. My family think I'm odd when they see I'm reading Hornblower again.
I have read loads, always have since I was a kid, but not many of the classics or much non-fiction. Currently reading the Flashman Papers (technically re-reading but first time around I was only interested in the sexy bits), great stuff. Never a dull moment and refreshingly un-PC. If I could only read one series of books for the rest of my life it'd be Raymond Chandler's Marlowe.
Since we retired eleven years ago, my wife has probably read over 2000 books. I have a collection of about 900 books which I sorted into genre (sci-fi, victorian novels, biographies, non-fiction and so on) and into a reading order. By my reckoning I will read Kafka’s The Trial when I’m 90 and can then expire. I’ve read 17 on that list. The list is just silly.
Ha! Love a bit of Flashman. Make me laugh but very educational too (in my head, I wrote that in this voice my wife does when I start getting too geeky). There's loads of great stuff that's not on that list that blew my mind. There's no Catch 22 on there. Alone in Berlin by Hans Fallada should be- that's a roller coaster of a read but mainly depressing! And no Kafka- that **** messed with my mind for months. Its definitely worth a go.
The bit where he's farting his way to leading the charge of the Light Brigade was hilarious, I love the concept of a total coward fluking his way to glory time and time again on the battlefield.
That list lost all credibility when I saw Jilly Cooper on it. No to George Orwell, HG Wells, John Steinbeck and Charles Dickens, but yes to Jilly f*****g Cooper - utter madness!!!!