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Wednesday, October 17, 2007
What To Read...
There's a meme going around- it lists 100 books, and you're supposed to highlight which ones you've read. There are several variations to the list, but the idea is always the same.
There are other book lists. We have 100 Great Books (used in Classical Education). There's the list of books you must read. Can't forget Time's list of best novels written since 1923, can we? Here we have Penguin's list of classics you need to read before you die. If you've got some spare time, you can start in on the 1001 books you "have to" read before you die. If you want to be a little edgy, start in on the banned book list (I need to chime in here- most of the books on that list were removed from the library because of sexual content aimed at children. Why anything by Mark Twain, Judy Bloom or Madeleine L'Engle would be banned is beyond me.) Or there's the Radcliffe Publishing Course Top 100 Novels of the 20th Century (several of which are on the banned list, if you want to be edgy). At the Modern Library site, you can find several lists of "best books" and "must reads." (Yeah, it's a Random House store site... someone has to sell the books, right?)
Where am I going with my list of lists? Well... what truly are the "must reads"? Which ones are of great influence and worthy of consideration? Which ones are "classics" only because someone said so?
Here's my take. These lists are interesting, only in so far as they give suggestions (helpful at times, misleading at others) for future reading. They are people's (occasionally informed) opinions. There are very few books that you absolutely must read (in fact, I can think of only one off the top of my head, and that one's only listed on one of the lists... hmmm... wonder why... ) And then there's one pet peeve- plays are not books, and should not be treated the same way. Plays are meant to be seen, not read. That's just me.
All that said... what qualifies a book as a "must read"? What are your "must reads"? Have you read all of your "must reads"? Are there any traditional "must reads" that you really think need to be on your personal book burning pile (and why)?
And, no, I'm not planning the boys' reading list for the rest of the school year- they already have about 30 books they need to work through in the next couple of months. Next year? I make no promises.
There are other book lists. We have 100 Great Books (used in Classical Education). There's the list of books you must read. Can't forget Time's list of best novels written since 1923, can we? Here we have Penguin's list of classics you need to read before you die. If you've got some spare time, you can start in on the 1001 books you "have to" read before you die. If you want to be a little edgy, start in on the banned book list (I need to chime in here- most of the books on that list were removed from the library because of sexual content aimed at children. Why anything by Mark Twain, Judy Bloom or Madeleine L'Engle would be banned is beyond me.) Or there's the Radcliffe Publishing Course Top 100 Novels of the 20th Century (several of which are on the banned list, if you want to be edgy). At the Modern Library site, you can find several lists of "best books" and "must reads." (Yeah, it's a Random House store site... someone has to sell the books, right?)
Where am I going with my list of lists? Well... what truly are the "must reads"? Which ones are of great influence and worthy of consideration? Which ones are "classics" only because someone said so?
Here's my take. These lists are interesting, only in so far as they give suggestions (helpful at times, misleading at others) for future reading. They are people's (occasionally informed) opinions. There are very few books that you absolutely must read (in fact, I can think of only one off the top of my head, and that one's only listed on one of the lists... hmmm... wonder why... ) And then there's one pet peeve- plays are not books, and should not be treated the same way. Plays are meant to be seen, not read. That's just me.
All that said... what qualifies a book as a "must read"? What are your "must reads"? Have you read all of your "must reads"? Are there any traditional "must reads" that you really think need to be on your personal book burning pile (and why)?
And, no, I'm not planning the boys' reading list for the rest of the school year- they already have about 30 books they need to work through in the next couple of months. Next year? I make no promises.
