The List Thread

[urth]

an interesting list of the arranger/producer Charles Calello's charted singles -- the 4 Seasons were his bread-and-butter but lots of other surprises here:

http://www.charlescalello.com/Hit_Records.htm

Wow! A number of 10@10 faves in there--leading off with Dr. Buzzard's Cherchez La Femme and White Lies, Blue Eyes from Bullet. Also a couple of Eric Carmen hits. And he had a hand in 16 million sellers--including The Name Game from Shirley Ellis, and Neil Diamond's Sweet Caroline, as well as a whole lot of the 4 Seasons/Frankie Valli catalog. Jeez, if he managed to keep a share of the mechanicals on just those he's probably got a nice retirement.

[Lightnin' Rod]

http://www.newsweek.com/id/204478/?q=/name:0/type:0/range:0/page:1

Metalist of the greatest books of all time -- more or less.

[RGMike]

http://www.newsweek.com/id/204478/?q=/name:0/type:0/range:0/page:1

Metalist of the greatest books of all time -- more or less.

they discussed this on KFOG this morning, and how "hoity-toity" (Greg's phrase) the top ten was. Renee said her favorite book is A Confederacy of Dunces, which I hated.

[Lightnin' Rod]

http://www.newsweek.com/id/204478/?q=/name:0/type:0/range:0/page:1

Metalist of the greatest books of all time -- more or less.

they discussed this on KFOG this morning, and how "hoity-toity" (Greg's phrase) the top ten was. Renee said her favorite book is A Confederacy of Dunces, which I hated.

I hate A Confederacy of Dunces too!  A buddy at work said it was the funniest thing he'd ever read, and I thought it was just depressing,  Finding that amusing is kind of like giggling at crazy homeless people.

Jon Carrol mentions the list in his column this morning too.  I thought the top ten was pretty good, but must admit that I read only the first half of War And Peace, which was coma inducing.

[urth]

http://www.newsweek.com/id/204478/?q=/name:0/type:0/range:0/page:1

Metalist of the greatest books of all time -- more or less.

they discussed this on KFOG this morning, and how "hoity-toity" (Greg's phrase) the top ten was. Renee said her favorite book is A Confederacy of Dunces, which I hated.

For the most part I don't think I'm well read enough to critique this list, but I did find it significant that there are no titles listed for Jack London or Edgar Allen Poe, but Toni Morrison has two entries.

[Lightnin' Rod]

http://www.newsweek.com/id/204478/?q=/name:0/type:0/range:0/page:1

Metalist of the greatest books of all time -- more or less.

they discussed this on KFOG this morning, and how "hoity-toity" (Greg's phrase) the top ten was. Renee said her favorite book is A Confederacy of Dunces, which I hated.

For the most part I don't think I'm well read enough to critique this list, but I did find it significant that there are no titles listed for Jack London or Edgar Allen Poe, but Toni Morrison has two entries.

The Oprah influence.

Also, no Dickens (but there is Twain), and no Bellow (but includes Roth and Updike).  I would have included Herzog or Henderson, The Rain King over both Portnoy's Complaint and Rabbit, Run. 

Also, Moby Dick is not included, which is equally as long and tedious as War and Peace.

[RGMike]

http://www.newsweek.com/id/204478/?q=/name:0/type:0/range:0/page:1

Metalist of the greatest books of all time -- more or less.

they discussed this on KFOG this morning, and how "hoity-toity" (Greg's phrase) the top ten was. Renee said her favorite book is A Confederacy of Dunces, which I hated.

I hate A Confederacy of Dunces too!  A buddy at work said it was the funniest thing he'd ever read, and I thought it was just depressing,  Finding that amusing is kind of like giggling at crazy homeless people.

indeed, the lead character of ACOD is one of the most unlikeable, unpleasant people (intended to be the hero) I've encountered in fiction . It's been "in development" as a movie with everyone from Belushi to Ferrell attached as the star but it keeps getting shelved.

[mshray]

For the most part I don't think I'm well read enough to critique this list, but I did find it significant that there are no titles listed for Jack London or Edgar Allen Poe, but Toni Morrison has two entries.

Well, Morrison does have a Nobel prize for Literature, as do several others on the list, so I think you'll be in a distinct minority elevating Jack London to these ranks.  Nothing against your taste, just don't think London is as widely admired outside the US.

I've read a number of these, glad to see Chinua Achebe made the cut & Robert Graves, too. Surprised "Lord Jim" got in ahead of "Moby Dick".

Of the first 40 books, which comprise entries from 10 different centuries, 31 are novels and 4 of those are 20th century novels dealing with African-American experience.  And four more round out the list.  Seems kind of like the the Oscars & holocaust films.

[Gazoo]

I'm going to admit here how poorly read I am.  Here's what I can lay claim to:

12. Gulliver's Travels
15. The Catcher in the Rye
19. Catch-22
23. Brave New World
29. The Social Contract
39. On the Road  <-- this is my favorite of these
41. The Holy Bible. Revised Standard Version. (at least half of it, anyway)
53. Leaves of Grass
57. Song of Solomon
60. Slaughterhouse-Five  <-- this is my least favorite; Vonnegut depresses me
79. Portnoy's Complaint

[ggould]

http://www.newsweek.com/id/204478/?q=/name:0/type:0/range:0/page:1

Metalist of the greatest books of all time -- more or less.

I don't think I've read that many books, and I can't say that I can have an intelligent conversation about them all, but here's what I think I've read:

1. War and Peace (I'm pretty sure I finished it!  I was once a Russian Studies major at UCSB)
2. 1984 (when I was in 9th grade)
8. The Illiad and the Odyssey (I may have to cop to abridged versions in school)
15. The Catcher in the Rye
23. Brave New World
37. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (read all the Narnia books to my daughters)
41. The Holy Bible (probably not all of it.  The church covers most of it every 3 years!)
48.  Anna Karenina
49. Hamlet
54. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
58. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (maybe someday I'll tell you my story of my high school essay on this)
61. Animal Farm
62.  Lord of the Flies
65.  Remembrance of Things Past
81.  The Day of the Locust

[ggould]

this book discussion makes me wonder about ebooks.  Does anyone have one or know someone that has one?  It seems a logical eventuality, but I don't really know.  I do a lot of reading online.

[Lightnin' Rod]

7 of the top 10 (8 if I get half credit for W&P and half credit for Illiad & Oddysey).
6 of the next 10.

All of the entries from Faulkner, Hemingway, Shakespeare.

Rough count was just under 50.  As an English Lit major, that's not too surprising.  I mostly read fiction, so most of the non-fiction I have not read.

Fave from the top 10 is The Sound and the Fury with Invisible Man a close second.  Faves from second 10 is Catch 22 (funniest novel ever) and The Great Gatsby.

[Lightnin' Rod]

this book discussion makes me wonder about ebooks.  Does anyone have one or know someone that has one?  It seems a logical eventuality, but I don't really know.  I do a lot of reading online.

I'm very sentimental about actual books.  These days I mostly read while commuting, so I guess I could get a kindle-like device some day, but I'm against it (especially since they have control over it as they do).  I usually buy the books I read (I have boxes and boxes in my garage), and like the "ownership" aspect.  Also, the ability to treat them as I like.  And, for us English major types, how do you make margin notes in a Kindle? 

When I was really reading a lot, I could go back to a passage just by remembering what the page looked like when I read it the first time -- what side of the page it was on, how far down the page it was, how much of the book was in my left hand, how much in my right....

I will miss books when they are gone.

[RGMike]

2. 1984
4. Lolita (I read it when I was, like, 15!)
15. Catcher in the Rye
18. Great gatsby
19. Catch-22
23. Brave New World
25. Native Son
35. LOTR
49. Hamlet
50. King Lear
51. Othello
54. Huck Finn
56. Frankenstein
60. Slaughterhouse-Five
61. Animal farm
71 Sons & Lovers
79. Portnoy's Complaint
97. Autobio/Malcolm X
99. Color Purple

My first thought was: no "Gravity's rainbow"? No "Garp"? But then I realized it's great books, not just great novels. I started "Gone With the Wind" and never finished it -- a "great book"? really??

[RGMike]

60. Slaughterhouse-Five  <-- this is my least favorite; Vonnegut depresses me

wow -- I've heart Vonnegut called a lot of things, but never depressing.  The movie of S-5 is one of the great lost films of the '70s, ahead of its time in many ways and well worth a rental.