Best Books Ever (23352 books)

Best Books Ever

The best books ever, as voted on by the general Goodreads community.

1	The Hunger Games (The Hunger Games #1) by Suzanne Collins 4.46 avg rating — 1,318,320 ratings score: 1,148,373, and 11,734 people voted	Clear rating
2	Twilight (Twilight, #1) by Stephenie Meyer 3.59 avg rating — 1,448,292 ratings score: 975,226, and 9,888 people voted	Clear rating
3	Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Harry Potter, #5) by J.K. Rowling 4.36 avg rating — 788,525 ratings score: 941,659, and 9,713 people voted	Clear rating
4	Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Harry Potter, #4) by J.K. Rowling 4.43 avg rating — 826,348 ratings score: 860,156, and 8,965 people voted	Clear rating
5	Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Harry Potter, #3) by J.K. Rowling 4.43 avg rating — 846,343 ratings score: 854,789, and 8,959 people voted	Clear rating
6	Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Harry Potter, #6) by J.K. Rowling 4.45 avg rating — 792,380 ratings score: 783,340, and 8,292 people voted	Clear rating
7	To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee 4.21 avg rating — 1,307,392 ratings score: 609,303, and 6,397 people voted	Clear rating
8	Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Harry Potter, #2) by J.K. Rowling 4.24 avg rating — 820,003 ratings score: 573,348, and 6,215 people voted	Clear rating
9	Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell 4.21 avg rating — 414,402 ratings score: 572,100, and 5,895 people voted	Clear rating
10	Breaking Dawn (Twilight, #4) by Stephenie Meyer 3.75 avg rating — 636,195 ratings score: 548,127, and 5,716 people voted	Clear rating
11	Eclipse (Twilight, #3) by Stephenie Meyer 3.78 avg rating — 666,995 ratings score: 547,354, and 5,659 people voted	Clear rating
12	The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein 4.37 avg rating — 322,972 ratings score: 536,785, and 5,573 people voted	Clear rating
13	The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis 4.22 avg rating — 187,114 ratings score: 503,249, and 5,346 people voted	Clear rating
14	Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Harry Potter, #7) by J.K. Rowling 4.54 avg rating — 820,879 ratings score: 501,592, and 5,397 people voted	Clear rating
15	Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen 4.23 avg rating — 864,840 ratings score: 497,168, and 5,269 people voted	Clear rating
16	The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, #1) by Douglas Adams 4.13 avg rating — 461,866 ratings score: 492,907, and 5,102 people voted	Clear rating
17	Animal Farm by George Orwell 3.74 avg rating — 888,710 ratings score: 482,929, and 5,064 people voted	Clear rating
18	Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë 3.75 avg rating — 362,633 ratings score: 464,308, and 4,885 people voted	Clear rating
19	New Moon (Twilight, #2) by Stephenie Meyer 3.59 avg rating — 689,822 ratings score: 463,231, and 4,870 people voted	Clear rating
20	Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden 3.99 avg rating — 706,386 ratings score: 445,172, and 4,654 people voted	Clear rating
21	Harry Potter Boxset (Harry Potter, #1-7) by J.K. Rowling 4.71 avg rating — 76,863 ratings score: 434,671, and 4,593 people voted	Clear rating
22	Catching Fire (The Hunger Games, #2) by Suzanne Collins 4.31 avg rating — 804,564 ratings score: 424,018, and 4,536 people voted	Clear rating
23	The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger (Goodreads Author) 3.91 avg rating — 629,288 ratings score: 415,416, and 4,325 people voted	Clear rating
24	Alice's Adventures in Wonderland & Through the Looking-Glass by Lewis Carroll 4.04 avg rating — 153,639 ratings score: 412,182, and 4,390 people voted	Clear rating
25	Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare 3.72 avg rating — 858,924 ratings score: 396,325, and 4,284 people voted	Clear rating
26	The Da Vinci Code (Robert Langdon, #2) by Dan Brown 3.65 avg rating — 931,611 ratings score: 394,587, and 4,212 people voted	Clear rating
27	Anne of Green Gables (Anne of Green Gables, #1) by L.M. Montgomery 4.20 avg rating — 228,047 ratings score: 367,584, and 3,870 people voted	Clear rating
28	Lord of the Flies by William Golding 3.58 avg rating — 828,299 ratings score: 349,625, and 3,760 people voted	Clear rating
29	Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky 4.11 avg rating — 165,198 ratings score: 346,556, and 3,624 people voted	Clear rating
30	Ender's Game (Ender's Saga, #1) by Orson Scott Card 4.26 avg rating — 355,473 ratings score: 343,967, and 3,578 people voted	Clear rating
31	Charlotte's Web by E.B. White 4.10 avg rating — 363,152 ratings score: 343,046, and 3,751 people voted	Clear rating
32	Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (Harry Potter, #1) by J.K. Rowling 4.34 avg rating — 1,585,604 ratings score: 334,268, and 3,723 people voted	Clear rating
33	Les Misérables by Victor Hugo 4.01 avg rating — 281,355 ratings score: 329,534, and 3,493 people voted	Clear rating
34	A Wrinkle in Time (Time, #1) by Madeleine L'Engle 4.04 avg rating — 290,084 ratings score: 326,146, and 3,474 people voted	Clear rating
35	The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho (Goodreads Author) 3.68 avg rating — 536,987 ratings score: 324,293, and 3,408 people voted	Clear rating
36	The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde 3.99 avg rating — 214,541 ratings score: 320,889, and 3,444 people voted	Clear rating
37	Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë 4.05 avg rating — 583,512 ratings score: 319,142, and 3,479 people voted	Clear rating
38	The Princess Bride by William Goldman 4.23 avg rating — 299,389 ratings score: 313,773, and 3,344 people voted	Clear rating
39	The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck 3.83 avg rating — 240,964 ratings score: 306,458, and 3,264 people voted	Clear rating
40	Hamlet by William Shakespeare 3.99 avg rating — 237,683 ratings score: 299,584, and 3,281 people voted	Clear rating
41	Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak 4.27 avg rating — 247,438 ratings score: 298,265, and 3,254 people voted	Clear rating
42	Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck 3.75 avg rating — 741,565 ratings score: 287,774, and 3,161 people voted	Clear rating
43	Dracula by Bram Stoker 3.91 avg rating — 233,851 ratings score: 286,185, and 3,139 people voted	Clear rating
44	One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez 3.93 avg rating — 299,942 ratings score: 286,122, and 3,018 people voted	Clear rating
45	The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain 3.76 avg rating — 651,515 ratings score: 285,280, and 3,139 people voted	Clear rating
46	Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury 3.91 avg rating — 463,669 ratings score: 283,486, and 3,111 people voted	Clear rating
47	Brave New World by Aldous Huxley 3.89 avg rating — 494,377 ratings score: 276,531, and 3,006 people voted	Clear rating
48	The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold 3.68 avg rating — 769,058 ratings score: 272,758, and 3,037 people voted	Clear rating
49	Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen 4.05 avg rating — 561,773 ratings score: 271,498, and 2,924 people voted	Clear rating
50	Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss 4.29 avg rating — 196,850 ratings score: 264,181, and 2,935 people voted	Clear rating
51	A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens 3.70 avg rating — 374,042 ratings score: 261,347, and 2,868 people voted	Clear rating
52	A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini 4.28 avg rating — 338,593 ratings score: 259,060, and 2,763 people voted	Clear rating
53	The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett 4.09 avg rating — 287,938 ratings score: 255,450, and 2,862 people voted	Clear rating
54	Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen 4.03 avg rating — 400,232 ratings score: 250,475, and 2,802 people voted	Clear rating
55	The Book Thief by Markus Zusak (Goodreads Author) 4.34 avg rating — 268,469 ratings score: 242,050, and 2,533 people voted	Clear rating
56	The Odyssey by Homer 3.63 avg rating — 423,553 ratings score: 241,302, and 2,672 people voted	Clear rating
57	East of Eden by John Steinbeck 4.30 avg rating — 149,384 ratings score: 235,065, and 2,509 people voted	Clear rating
58	Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov 3.81 avg rating — 263,722 ratings score: 233,734, and 2,508 people voted	Clear rating
59	Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy 3.98 avg rating — 149,124 ratings score: 228,686, and 2,496 people voted	Clear rating
60	1984 by George Orwell 4.05 avg rating — 811,769 ratings score: 226,641, and 2,501 people voted	Clear rating
61	Night by Elie Wiesel 4.24 avg rating — 284,050 ratings score: 225,924, and 2,467 people voted	Clear rating
62	Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut 3.95 avg rating — 430,234 ratings score: 223,800, and 2,428 people voted	Clear rating
63	Catch-22 by Joseph Heller 3.95 avg rating — 233,015 ratings score: 219,519, and 2,391 people voted	Clear rating
64	Life of Pi by Yann Martel 3.83 avg rating — 395,498 ratings score: 219,327, and 2,367 people voted	Clear rating
65	The Host (The Host, #1) by Stephenie Meyer 3.85 avg rating — 286,457 ratings score: 211,199, and 2,267 people voted	Clear rating
66	The Pillars of the Earth (The Pillars of the Earth, #1) by Ken Follett (Goodreads Author) 4.23 avg rating — 196,012 ratings score: 204,645, and 2,208 people voted	Clear rating
67	The Return of the King (The Lord of the Rings, #3) by J.R.R. Tolkien 4.45 avg rating — 221,501 ratings score: 203,182, and 2,293 people voted	Clear rating
68	Dune (Dune Chronicles, #1) by Frank Herbert 4.05 avg rating — 268,529 ratings score: 202,017, and 2,188 people voted	Clear rating
69	Watership Down by Richard Adams 4.00 avg rating — 131,536 ratings score: 200,128, and 2,182 people voted	Clear rating
70	The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton 3.97 avg rating — 248,975 ratings score: 191,654, and 2,114 people voted	Clear rating
71	The Help by Kathryn Stockett (Goodreads Author) 4.44 avg rating — 653,572 ratings score: 187,957, and 2,075 people voted	Clear rating
72	Emma by Jane Austen 3.95 avg rating — 200,130 ratings score: 182,358, and 2,088 people voted	Clear rating
73	A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith 4.21 avg rating — 142,861 ratings score: 179,551, and 1,970 people voted	Clear rating
74	The Hobbit & The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien 4.56 avg rating — 35,219 ratings score: 175,977, and 1,957 people voted	Clear rating
75	The Stand by Stephen King 4.30 avg rating — 181,902 ratings score: 169,680, and 1,854 people voted	Clear rating
76	Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt 4.00 avg rating — 181,953 ratings score: 168,980, and 1,879 people voted	Clear rating
77	The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver 3.92 avg rating — 324,100 ratings score: 167,647, and 1,822 people voted	Clear rating
78	The Road by Cormac McCarthy 3.93 avg rating — 244,574 ratings score: 164,574, and 1,795 people voted	Clear rating
79	My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult 4.00 avg rating — 390,889 ratings score: 163,653, and 1,817 people voted	Clear rating
80	The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood (Goodreads Author) 3.97 avg rating — 224,668 ratings score: 160,419, and 1,790 people voted	Clear rating
81	Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein 4.21 avg rating — 623,384 ratings score: 158,832, and 1,821 people voted	Clear rating
82	Mockingjay (The Hunger Games, #3) by Suzanne Collins 4.03 avg rating — 731,148 ratings score: 156,389, and 1,746 people voted	Clear rating
83	Frankenstein by Mary Shelley 3.65 avg rating — 428,401 ratings score: 155,652, and 1,797 people voted	Clear rating
84	Great Expectations by Charles Dickens 3.66 avg rating — 207,203 ratings score: 153,725, and 1,794 people voted	Clear rating
85	The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (Sherlock Holmes, #3) by Arthur Conan Doyle 4.23 avg rating — 62,839 ratings score: 153,059, and 1,756 people voted	Clear rating
86	The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath 3.90 avg rating — 172,176 ratings score: 152,035, and 1,694 people voted	Clear rating
87	The Iliad by Homer 3.75 avg rating — 109,785 ratings score: 151,998, and 1,738 people voted	Clear rating
88	One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey 4.15 avg rating — 206,193 ratings score: 150,828, and 1,732 people voted	Clear rating
89	War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy 4.04 avg rating — 67,122 ratings score: 144,008, and 1,635 people voted	Clear rating
90	Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier 4.15 avg rating — 127,186 ratings score: 143,308, and 1,636 people voted	Clear rating
91	Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand 3.68 avg rating — 130,333 ratings score: 142,072, and 1,554 people voted	Clear rating
92	The Color Purple by Alice Walker 4.10 avg rating — 173,189 ratings score: 141,543, and 1,634 people voted	Clear rating
93	The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand 3.80 avg rating — 129,052 ratings score: 141,370, and 1,547 people voted	Clear rating
94	The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky 4.26 avg rating — 68,774 ratings score: 141,079, and 1,568 people voted	Clear rating
95	Outlander (Outlander, #1) by Diana Gabaldon (Goodreads Author) 4.07 avg rating — 178,653 ratings score: 138,291, and 1,476 people voted	Clear rating
96	A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess 3.93 avg rating — 182,494 ratings score: 136,393, and 1,547 people voted	Clear rating
97	Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse 3.90 avg rating — 154,795 ratings score: 133,141, and 1,505 people voted	Clear rating
98	Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra 3.79 avg rating — 57,281 ratings score: 129,879, and 1,488 people voted	Clear rating
99	A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving (Goodreads Author) 4.19 avg rating — 122,252 ratings score: 127,987, and 1,404 people voted	Clear rating
100	The Red Tent: A Novel by Anita Diamant 4.11 avg rating — 210,186 ratings score: 121,118, and 1,353 people voted	Clear rating

← Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 … 233 234 Next →

23,352 books · 84,826 voters · list created May 13th, 2008 by Michael Economy (votes) .

Tags: best, favorites

like 988 likes

Lists are re-scored approximately every 500 seconds.

People Who Voted On This List (84826)

Michael
376 books
173 friends

Otis
659 books
1564 friends

Dean
49 books
3 friends

Ryan
22 books
22 friends

Vincetastic
248 books
9 friends

Fëanor809
404 books
174 friends

Cynthia
2535 books
242 friends

rivka
2498 books
168 friends

More voters…

Post a comment »
Comments (showing 1-50 of 2,949) (2949 new)

date

newest »

message 1: by Nikki (new)

Jul 28, 2008 09:08pm

proof that the truth is not democratic =/

seriously, jane austen? errughhh.

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message 2: by Marla (new)

Jul 29, 2008 01:55pm

this is the second list--worst books was the first--and i'm done. this is madness. i mean, how many mormons congregated to vote the book of mormon as a top 100 book? really?

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message 3: by Adam (new)

Jul 29, 2008 05:04pm

It's also flawed in that the same book with a different cover might be on the list twice in drastically different places (see Catch-22 or Lord of the Flies).

At least Mockingbird is #1, though.

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message 4: by Jami (new)

Aug 01, 2008 04:20pm

as of this comment, mormons are over-represented by more than three-fold, demographically. either some of the voters here are cheaters (boo!) or mormons are disproportionately the sort of big readers who like goodreads (hooray!).

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message 5: by Chris (new)

Aug 08, 2008 04:11pm

these comments are funny!

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message 6: by Amber (new)

Aug 22, 2008 08:06pm

This list is a joke!

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message 7: by Elisabeth (new)

Aug 24, 2008 04:48pm

I think you people need to just relax!!! I think "you're just too high strung" and eventually the "strain will be more than you can bear."

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message 8: by Fire-fish (new)

Aug 25, 2008 08:22am

May be there should be a list of "Books for Mormones" on this website..

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message 9: by David (last edited Sep 08, 2008 12:59pm) (new)

Sep 08, 2008 12:58pm

Regarding the message from Labsjoao, you can search for a book without leaving the first page by entering the name in the "find/add books to list" box. It's pretty easy that way. A much more serious flaw is what Adam said. If the same book it in several different spots, and not all of the votes for, say, Catch-22 are going to the same Catch-22, then these rankings really aren't worth much. Overall, there are several pretty odd choices here, such as the Mormon book being #3, but most of the list seems pretty good to me.

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message 10: by [deleted user] (new)

Sep 14, 2008 07:06pm

where is the amber spyglass?

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message 11: by kristin (new)

Sep 15, 2008 05:17pm

I was thinking the same thing ;-)

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message 12: by Georgia (new)

Oct 10, 2008 09:17am

i agree the amber spyglass is awesome

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message 13: by Dana (new)

Oct 11, 2008 05:48pm

Make your own list. Satisfy your inner proselyte!

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message 14: by Alex (new)

Oct 18, 2008 06:33pm

hmm this makes me question what is my favorite book?

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message 15: by Svetoslava (new)

Oct 30, 2008 11:28pm

I have to read more, obviously.....

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message 16: by Matt (new)

Nov 04, 2008 08:09pm

The War of the Worlds

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message 17: by Bruce (new)

Nov 12, 2008 12:17am

I'm not going to argue with the Book of Mormon--either all religious texts are valid for a list like this, in which case it's merely interesting, or all religious texts should be off the list, in which case there's a whole other set of things to worry about.

The one that gets my goat is Twilight (number eleven at the time of this comment). Are you people kidding? Stephanie Meyer in a list of the Best Books Ever? Fut the Whack? It's the EMO of literature! It's pop garbage with no depth! It's above inarguable classics like Crime and Punishment! That's like arguing that My Chemical Romance is better music than Bach! This place is bonkers!

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message 18: by Brian (new)

Nov 24, 2008 08:27pm

I like how "The Brothers K" is "better" here than Dostoyevsky's "The Brothers Karamazov." What a joke!

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message 19: by Molly (new)

Nov 27, 2008 12:12am

Ah the stupidity of lists. You'll notice the Best and Worst lists are almost identical.

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message 20: by marg (new)

Dec 02, 2008 09:43pm

I was just going to say that. Always important to remember when you're writing - the best line according to some will be what others despise, etc.

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message 21: by Josef (new)

Dec 04, 2008 10:13pm

Bruce wrote: "I'm not going to argue with the Book of Mormon--either all religious texts are valid for a list like this, in which case it's merely interesting, or all religious texts should be off the list, in w..."

Yeah, but I've noticed that since these lists allow opinions from every Goodreads member, there will never be a standard. The only population that counts here is the population of Goodreads members, so maybe there's just not a lot of people on Goodreads who enjoy quality literature.

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message 22: by Amy (new)

Dec 05, 2008 06:52pm

extremely well written

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message 23: by Todd (new)

Dec 07, 2008 05:31pm

Best and worst list are certainly not meant to be definitive. Best and worst are so subjective. They are merely meant to elicit conversation and thought which they obviously have done. But the Book of Mormon? Come on. Really?

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message 24: by Josef (new)

Dec 08, 2008 08:54am

Todd wrote: "Best and worst list are certainly not meant to be definitive. Best and worst are so subjective. They are merely meant to elicit conversation and thought which they obviously have done. But the B..."

Yes, the Book of Mormon. I've read it 13 times. There is not one other book that's changed my life more significantly. Millions have read that book and will testify to the same thing. And literally hundreds have died because of that book. It's because of these facts that we who love that book place it above all others on the list.
I love literature. I've studied the Brothers Karamazov with a dozen other philosphy students. I've wept over Les Miserables. I've fallen in love with words and wonders, yet I have yet to find a book to offer more to me than the Book of Mormon.
So yes, really, The Book of Mormon.

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message 25: by Josef (new)

Dec 08, 2008 08:55am

Matt wrote: "The War of the Worlds"

My nine year old nephew just finished that book! I'm so proud.

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message 26: by Josef (new)

Dec 08, 2008 08:58am

Molly wrote: "Ah the stupidity of lists. You'll notice the Best and Worst lists are almost identical. "

Yes, and I have more of a problem with the Worst Book List than this. People who put great literature as the worst books ever written seem do be doing so simply because they may have had pain getting through the book and they think that good literature should simply entertain. What a sad state to be in. These are the same people who put Twilight on this list. These are the people who would rather call Friends the best TV show and would put a show like Freaks and Geeks on the Worst Show ever list.

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message 27: by Josef (new)

Dec 08, 2008 09:06am

Elisabeth wrote: "I think you people need to just relax!!! I think "you're just too high strung" and eventually the "strain will be more than you can bear.""

Very Good Advice. This is just a list someone made up, somewhere in the world. It holds as much weight as you give it.

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message 28: by Paige (new)

Dec 08, 2008 04:45pm

I agree, if you don't like the fact the poorly written books are on a best books ever list than I think you care to much. On the other hand it's not bad to defend what you think is a good book or a bad book but let's not get carried away.

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message 29: by Todd (new)

Dec 08, 2008 05:19pm

Josef -- I certainly didn't mean to be offensive or to put you on the defensive. It was only a poor attempt at making an ironic statement. This is why I usually keep my opinions out of these discussion threads. I completely love your comment about Friends compared to Freaks and Geeks. As a high school English teacher, I see students turned on by so much trash, but, as they say, one person's trash is another person's treasure. I'm just glad they are reading.

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message 30: by Josef (new)

Dec 09, 2008 10:20am

Todd wrote: "Josef -- I certainly didn't mean to be offensive or to put you on the defensive. It was only a poor attempt at making an ironic statement. This is why I usually keep my opinions out of these disc..."

I didn't mean to make you think I was upset. My respect to you for being a high school teacher. Yeah, even if they think that Stephen King is the greatest living writer, as long as they're reading they've got something going for them.

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message 31: by Arlene (last edited Dec 09, 2008 02:54pm) (new)

Dec 09, 2008 02:52pm

Dear Otis,

Your list is great! I've read only about 50 of these books, so my vote is not exactly fair. But of the 50 I've read, my vote -- far and away above the other 49 -- would be for:

JOHNNY GOT HIS GUN by Dalton Trumbo

This is the most powerful antiwar novel I ever read. And readers be warned, this book is NOT for the faint of heart!

Otis, I wish you would think of using the influence of Goodreads, which is becoming a large and potentially influential group, to suggest that the new administration -- Barack Obama and his Cabinet, especially leaders in the Department of Defense -- read this book.

All best,

Arlene

www.ArleneSanders.com

Author of TIGER BURNING BRIGHT
Jefferson Press, 2009

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message 32: by Nick (new)

Dec 09, 2008 03:08pm

If California Proposition 8 were published, would it be number 2 on the list?

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message 33: by Endre (new)

Dec 09, 2008 03:10pm

Otis, this is a great idea to find the best book. I have to think about this in more detail to narrow it down in my own mind.Too bad we can not vote for three or four and then narrow down the list. Followed by another vote on the shorter list....BTW it is unfortunate that some people do not have any class and manners in how they express their thoughts. Is there a moderator that could eliminate thevulgar comments as above?

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message 34: by Leslie (new)

Dec 09, 2008 03:32pm

Twilight is number 4? Give me a friggin break people!!! Entertaining? Slightly. A classic piece of literature? Absolutely not!

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message 35: by Hippo Drogo Elrohir (new)

Dec 09, 2008 11:32pm

Les Miserable! Les Miserable! Les Miserable!

Did I mention Les Miserables?

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message 36: by John (new)

Dec 10, 2008 12:37am

hard to decide

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message 37: by Paul (new)

Dec 10, 2008 02:15pm

The Book of Mormon? You gotta be kidding me. I'd put "Where the Wild Things Are" as being more "literature" than that book.

I agree, this list is loaded and biased.

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message 38: by Bee (new)

Dec 11, 2008 04:45pm

why are none of Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials Trilogy on here?

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message 39: by Natalie (new)

Dec 11, 2008 05:07pm

Marla wrote: "this is the second list--worst books was the first--and i'm done. this is madness. i mean, how many mormons congregated to vote the book of mormon as a top 100 book? really?"

nicola wrote: "proof that the truth is not democratic =/

seriously, jane austen? errughhh."

Yes, what's with the Mormon thing? Are they the only ones who have time to READ these days?

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message 40: by Richard (last edited Dec 13, 2008 11:31am) (new)

Dec 13, 2008 11:30am

Only in the USA would "the most popular" be confused for "the best". How many people have read Philip Roth's "Portnoy's Complaint" about masturbation? Compare that to how many people have read Thoreau's "Walden".

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message 41: by Tori (new)

Dec 15, 2008 06:03am

Where are the rest of the good books? I don 't even see most of my favorite books on here. And the book of Mormon is number one? I really don't think so.

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message 42: by Jason (last edited Dec 15, 2008 12:21pm) (new)

Dec 15, 2008 12:19pm

i think the book of mormon thing must be some kind of in joke...i mean it only takes a little organization and you could theoretically get anything put up in the number 1 position...

and why does 'to kill a mockingbird' in position 2 have more votes than position 1?...

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message 43: by Larry (last edited Dec 15, 2008 04:21pm) (new)

Dec 15, 2008 04:07pm

If this list is any indicator, it appears that a lot of people on Goodreads don't read very serious literature. Plus, the Book of Mormon, come on, seriously, you might as well put Dianetics up there too.

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message 44: by Elizabeth (new)

Dec 15, 2008 11:48pm

If you're groaning or confused about The Book of Mormon being at #1, I ask - have you ever read it? It's a fair question... I do agree w/the Twilight comment though - UGH. But hellooo, Farenheit 451 should be way further up the list, says I...

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message 45: by Becca (new)

Dec 16, 2008 07:47am

I agree. I think every fair-minded reader here will agree that you have to actually read something before deciding on its merit. And no one would argue with someone esteeming The Bible or The Quran or any other religious text if it really moved them. Why should The Book of Mormon be any different? Sometimes what makes a book "Best" is how powerfully it impacts you. So what if it's religious or spiritual in nature?

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message 46: by Jade (last edited Dec 16, 2008 04:35pm) (new)

Dec 16, 2008 04:31pm

I agree with Becca and Elizabeth.

Endre:Is there a moderator that could eliminate the vulgar comments as above?

I don't see anything wrong with the Book of Mormon being in the list. I don't think people need to be so rude about it. Most people that have criticized it obviously haven't read it.

Also, I think that it is right to put Twilight on the list. People have read other good books and think that those books should be on the list, but have you ever read Twilight? Probably not.

People need to respect other peoples opinions. And people who don't, are just rude and immature.

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message 47: by Greg (new)

Dec 19, 2008 02:31pm