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Best/Worst
Best novel I've read so far:
Americanah, Chimamanda Ngozi Adiche
TIED WITH
*Watership Down, Richard Adams
TIED WITH
Kim, Rudyard Kipling
TIED WITH
White Noise, Don Dillio
TIED WITH
*A Wizard of Earthsea, Ursula Le Guin
TIED WITH
The Outsiders, SE Hinton
TIED WITH
The Alchemist, Paulo Coelho
Worst novel I've read so far:
Scoop, Evelyn Waugh
TIED WITH
Candide by Voltaire
TIED WITH
Catch-22, Joseph Heller
Saddest novels I've read so far: An American Tragedy by Theodore Dreiser
TIED WITH
To the End of the Land by David Grossman
Lengthy Literary List
"The books we call classics possess intrinsic qualities that endure, but possess also an openness to accommodation which keeps them alive under endlessly varying dispositions." Frank Kermode
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The Old Man and the Sea
Earnest Hemmingway, 1952 Date read: 1/19/26 This is like a short version of Moby Dick . I greatly enjoyed reading it, though it is very sad and at times, painful. Speaking of pain, the old man knew he lived "because of the pain". I feel that. I know this is a risky opinion, but i think this Hemmingway guy has a future in writing. :D
3 days ago1 min read
Sag Harbor
Colson Whitehead, 2009 Date read: 1/16/2026 210th novel, first of 2026! For the most part, I enjoyed this novel. One thing I found ironic is that the protagonist and I both saw The Cosby Show as representative of what was wrong in our families, if not for the same reason (he, being black, saw it differently than me, being white). Also I definately did not come from the kind of generational wealth that kept vacation homes. Unless mental illness is wealth, because we have a lot
6 days ago1 min read
Bel Canto
Anne Pratchett, 2001 Date read: 12/19/25 Jesus christ, I am in tears. What a good novel. I didnt realize until after reading it that it was based loosely on a real event. I always say that people are people no matter where or when they live(d), and this novel is a good example of that. A group of people from all over the world, many who couldn't even speak to each other due to language barriers, building a community and even falling in love. There is a movie starring Juliane
Dec 19, 20251 min read
Tess of the d'Urbervilles
Thomas Hardy, 1891 Did not finish I know this is supposed to be a phenomenal story, but I've tried three times to read it, and the purple prose has defeated me each time. Sorry, Mr Hardy.
Dec 18, 20251 min read
I, Robot
Isaac Asimov, 1950 Date read: 11/27/2025 I absolutely loved this novel, and I dont usually like science fiction. I thought it was fascinating and complex and everything you want from a good novel. My husband loves Asimov and tells me I will love all his other works too! Happy thanksgiving!
Nov 27, 20251 min read
Molloy
Samuel Beckett, 1951 Dnf This novel reminds me in some ways of The Sound and the Fury , which I think I also didnt finish. What I mean by that, is (the first part at least) of this novel is written by someone with impaired cognition. So while the author's representation of the condition is admirably done, it is very hard to read and follow. As I've said before, I do plan to attack the DNFs at the end of the project. Probably with reading guides. At this point I simply want to
Nov 27, 20251 min read
Swann's Way
Marcel Proust, 1927 Did not finish I didnt even make it very far. I have no idea what is happening or even who the narrator is. Just words words words, disconnected words.b
Nov 26, 20251 min read
The Moonstone
Wilkie Collins, 1868 Date read: 11/18/25 I have read very few mysteries and I think I might be missing out! This is a great novel. There is no deus en machina or anything. I did guess the culprit pretty early on but the metholodology defeated me. I normally dont like espistolary novels but the writing is good this one gets a pass. Each voice is totally unique. It is not, as so often is the case, the same voice assigned different names. I knew who the culprit was pretty early
Nov 18, 20251 min read
The Godfather
Mario Puzo, 1969 Date read: Halloween 2025 Loved it so much I immediately bought the two following novels (The Sicillian and Omerta). I will update this entry after I finish read those. It is a beautifully crafted story with so many moving parts that click together at the end like a jigsaw puzzle. A perfect novel.
Oct 31, 20251 min read
The Magic Mountain
Thomas Mann, 1912 did not finish 800 pages of slow death by tuberculosis. I got about 10 percent in and couldn't go any further. There are several more of his novels on the List, I hope I can read any of them.
Oct 22, 20251 min read
The God of Small Things
Arundhati Roy, 1997 Date read: 10/16/25 🎆200th novel completed!!🎆 Began September 12, 2021. 1/3 completed in 1,495 days. At this rate, I'll be done in early December, 2033. I've read about 487 books total in that period (average 121.75 per year), making List books 41 percent of what I read. I am aiming to get it closer to 50 percent, alternating a List book with a My Choice book. 📖🐈📖🐈⬛️📖🐈📖🐈⬛️📖🐈📖🐈⬛️ Anyway! I really enjoyed this novel. Of course it was terribl
Oct 16, 20251 min read
Stranger in a Strange Land
Robert Heinlin, 1961 Date read: 10/5/25 One of the first things I noticed was the antiquity of the science and sociology displayed in...
Oct 5, 20251 min read
On the Road
Jack Kerouac, 1955 Date read: 9/28/25 According to this novel, Beat (as in Beat Generation) was short for Beatific , as in saintly. I...
Sep 28, 20252 min read
The Golden Bowl
Henry James, 1904 Did Not Finish I can't get into it. This is one where the whole exposition is given in the second chapter and there's...
Sep 13, 20251 min read
The Maltese Falcon
Dashiell Hammett, 1929 Date read: 9/7/25 I enjoyed this much more than I imagined I would! Dark, brooding, hard-nosed detective novels...
Sep 7, 20251 min read
The Flowers of Evil
Charles Baudelaire, 1857 DID NOT FINISH I don't know why this was included on lists of greatest novels because it isn't a novel. It's a...
Sep 7, 20251 min read
The Twin
Gerbrand Bakker, 2006 Date read: 9/6/25 Wow. Wow. This novel was incredible! Although it never says it outright, this is a novel about...
Sep 6, 20251 min read
The Alchemist
Paulo Coelho, 1988 Date read: 9/5/25 This is the kind of novel I am doing this list to find! I wish I could read Portuguese because I...
Sep 5, 20251 min read
The Master and Margarita
Mikhail Bulgakov, 1940 Date read: 8/27/25 First and foremost, Robert Dudley did not murder his wife. Period, end of. Besides that, this...
Aug 27, 20251 min read
Zuleika Dobson
Max Beerbohm, 1911 Date read: 8/24/25 What a strange story! It is meant to be satirical and that comes through. It is also funny at...
Aug 24, 20251 min read
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