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Best/Worst
Best novel I've read so far:
Americanah, Chimamanda Ngozi Adiche
TIED WITH
*Watership Down, Richard Adams
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Kim, Rudyard Kipling
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White Noise, Don Dillio
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*A Wizard of Earthsea, Ursula Le Guin
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​The Outsiders, SE Hinton
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​The Alchemist, Paulo Coelho
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​Dune, Frank Herbert
Worst novel I've read so far:
Scoop, Evelyn Waugh
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Candide by Voltaire
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Catch-22, Joseph Heller
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Saddest novels I've read so far: An American Tragedy by Theodore Dreiser
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​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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Death in Venice
Thomas Mann, 1911 DNF I don't know what it is about Mann, but I straight up do not understand him. If I could guess, it is because there's too many words. Word salad. My brain just can't. I quite liked The Buddenbrooks but The Magic Mountain defeated me. So Mann wins 2 out of 3.
16 hours ago1 min read
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A Lost Lady
Willa Cather, 1923 Date read: 4/8/2026 Although the story focuses on a specific woman, it is more of a requiem for the West (or the dream of the West). It reminisces about the settlement of the West, when towns and trains were breaking through the desert and plains. It is sad without ever becoming maudlin. It is also hardly a novel; more like a novella.
5 days ago1 min read
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Howard's End
E. M. Forster, 1910 Date read: 3/29/26 This is a solid and enjoyable novel about families and people interacting and intertwining through time and events. It is an okay read; I thought there was a bit too much about cUlTuRe and philosophy etc but overall, I liked it.
Mar 291 min read
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Dune
Frank Herbert, 1965 Date read: 3/18/26 I liked this just a hair away from The Years of Rice and Salt by Kim Stanley Robinson, which is my favorite novel. I immediately went on Thriftbooks and bought the second and third in the series. I will have to update the page to list this as one of the best. Just phenomenal!
Mar 181 min read
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Woman at Point Zero
Nawal El Saadawi, 1975 (published in English in 1983) Date read: 3/10/26 This is a fictionalized version of a true story related to the author by a death row inmate. I do not know much about life in Egypt except for what I learned from a doctor I used to see who was Egyptian. He said that in his country, men were in charge, but in this country, women are. Having read this novel I now understand why he felt that way. Women in the US have rights and autonomy, and recourse to th
Mar 101 min read
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The Secret Agent
Joseph Conrad, 1907 Date read: 2/28/26 First of all, as a teacher of English as a second language, I am beyond impressed with Conrad. I believe English was his third language, at least his second, and he not only wrote in it but is considered one of the greatest writers of English of all time! I cannot imagine learning a second language that well. I can't even write in my native language half as well as he. This story was a bit convoluted but written so it isn't difficult to
Feb 281 min read
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The Buddenbrooks
Thomas Mann, 1901 Date read: 2/20/26 This novel reminded me strongly of the Forsyte Saga by John Galsworthy. They were written roughly the same time (the first Forsyte novel came out in 1906) and both follow a family's decline over generations. I enjoyed a lot of the novel. However, it is very religious which I did not enjoy at all. Also there are a few hanging threads that are never resolved (like Tony's first love, the medical student). And there's antisemitism, but it isn
Feb 211 min read
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Most difficult novels
https://youtu.be/wUh7iZ5NrHw?si=qiBuljHTfR2svnqI This youtuber agrees with my assessments of several novels. I feel better about not finishing them lol
Feb 141 min read
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Crossroads
Jonathan Franzen, 2021 Date read: 1/4/26 Wow. I thought my family was fucked. This is a very compelling novel about a really messed up family falling apart. Hypocritical father, somewhat psychotic mother...the kids, as pastor's children going wild, thats actually not that unusual. I really thought the novel was beautifully written and incredibly engrossing. I'm quite looking forward to the rest of the planned trilogy.
Feb 51 min read
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Neuromancer
William Gibson, 1984 Date read: 1/25/26 I don't usually like sci-fi, so my husband and I were surprised by how much I enjoyed this novel (he loves and writes sci-fi, and had previously read it). I found out that Apple TV is making a miniseries of it which should be amazing. Having watched most of Cyber Punk 2077, I can definately see how this novel is the grandparent of the genre.
Jan 251 min read
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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
Jan 191 min read
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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
Jan 161 min read
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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.
Nov 26, 20251 min read
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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. All in all im looking forward to the sec
Nov 18, 20251 min read
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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
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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
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