I haven't lied about reading books, but the one I could never get through was Jane Austen's "Emma", I even made it through Gravity's Rainbow eventually, but not Emma!
If you think about it, books you never read because somebody else thought they were good, but you had no particular interest in, really don’t matter.
What you need is a list of books you might not have ever heard of, but are great reading, and when you are done, you really wish there was more like them to read.
My list of books like these:
1) The Long Ships, by Frans G. Bengtsson. It is all about the life and times of Vikings in the 10th Century, and has been a best seller in northern Europe since it was written in the 1940s. Translated into 23 languages.
2) Flashman, by George McDonald Fraser. The first in the series of historical novels, in a format of a biography of the main character discovered by the author. So historically accurate of 19th Century events that some historians assumed it was a genuine work. Flashman is an anti-hero, a coward, a scoundrel, a braggart, who always seems to come up smelling like a rose.
3) The Horatio Hornblower series, by C. S. Forester. Just rollicking good fun for when you just want entertainment.
4) The books of Carlos Castaneda, which pretty much have to be read in the order they were written. Whether fact, or fiction, you will either love them or hate them. Large volumes have been written trying to debunk them, but neither he, nor his companions, ever disavowed them until their rather bizarre exit from public life. Determined people of faith should skip this one.
5) The Prejudices series, by H.L. Mencken. One of the sharpest tongues ever produced in American journalism, Mencken experiences a revival about every 20 years. The six volumes of the Prejudices series cover a large slice of Americana, his life as a newspaper reporter in Baltimore, and his criticisms of those he considered scoundrels. His command of the English language was superb.
Origin of Species - no interest, other than history of science. Have read excerpts.
Les Miserables - Yep, I've read it. Even liked the lengthy digression into a history of the Paris sewers. Fun book. But then I like Anthony Trollope too (I've even read The Vendee.)
A Tale of Two Cities - I've read it. Didn't like it. Don't like Dickens in general.
1984 - read it, but agree with C.S. Lewis that Animal Farm is much better.
Democracy in America - don't know if it counts that I HAD to read this for a history class.
The Wealth of Nations - nope!
Moby Dick - I did read it for an English Lit class (an entire semester on Moby Dick, Typee, and Billy Budd!) but I read it again just for fun.
The Art of War - nope.
The Prince - only bits and pieces, for a history class.
Ulysses - stalled halfway through. Don't care for Joyce, would rather read Donn Byrne.
My favorite book-that-everyone-says-they-read-but-didn't is Umberto Eco's The Name of the Rose. I love medieval history so I read it all the way through, but you have to have a good grasp of the period, plus more than a passing familiarity with Latin and the Church Fathers. It's a tough read, but it sold millions and millions of copies and stayed on the NYT bestseller list for ages. Just to sit on people's coffee tables.
As a couple of others have mentioned, I tried “Ulysses”. I got through maybe a page or two and quit. It seemed like pure nonsense.
Same thing for “Tropic of Cancer or Capricorn” awful books.
I did read all the James Bond books, at least the original ones.
Once upon a time Thomas Wolfe* would be on a list like this. Lately, though, people have even stopped pretending to have read him.
Lately, Toni Morrison would make a list of authors people lie about reading. Also, something massive and sufficiently multicultural like The Tale of Genji.
My reaction is:
Why read when you can write;)
Would love to participate in a ‘chain letter’ novel. Where FReepers use their considerable creative brains and develop a novel based on characters we adore and despise - with an ending that would satisfy all our fantasies.
After you jocon...............
Les Miserables and A Tale of Two Cities are wonderful and I need to read them again.
1984 is short enough no adult has an excuse to not read it.
I keep the Art of War with commentaries in my shop on CD and have listened to them repeatedly.
I own Democracy in America and The Prince but haven't ever managed to get into them.
I've never had much interest in Ulysses, Moby Dick or Origin of Species though I've considered giving Adam Smith a try.
He also mentioned War and Peace which I've never attempted. That's actually rather strange since Anna Karenina is perhaps the greatest work of fiction I've ever read. I read Gibbon's Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire in the sixth grade. The whole thing. Yeah, I was that kid.
And Les Miserables was not about the French Revolution.
On the Origin of Species - Read tiny bits for a class
Les Miserables - Read it (hated it)
A Tale of Two Cities - Read it after multiple attempts
1984 - Read it
Democracy in America - No, I'm ashamed to say
The Wealth of Nations - Read large parts of it for a class, but not all of it
Moby Dick - Read it multiple times; loved it. Can't make it through Melville's Billy Bud, a Sailor
The Art of War - Does reading random quotes count?
The Prince - Read it
Ulysses - Hahahahahahaha. Somebody gave me this as a present. I've re-read McMurtry's Lonesome Dove more than the number of pages I've read of Ulysses
I’ve read parts of most of them and none of all of them.
I’ve read parts of most of them and all of none of them.
There are five on the list that I have on audio book but haven’t listened to them yet (and I have had them for at least a year):
10. Atlas Shrugged
9. On the Origin of Species
7. 1984, George Orwell
5. The Wealth of Nations
4. Moby Dick
I checked out Art of War audiobook from the library, but didn’t get to it, either
It’s not like that’s the norm for me, either. I have listened to over 100 audio books, including most of Jane Austen, several Dickens (including A Tale of Two Cities) and I rarely start and then fail to finish.
I neglected my education in classic literature when I was younger, and I’m using my time in the car to try to catch up on some of it. I just can’t bring myself to start 63 hours of Atlas Shrugged. Anthem (128 pages) seems to be the right dose of Rand for me. Interesting concepts, strange style.
I actually am kind of shocked. I have read half of them. Atlas Shrugged, 1984, Moby Dick, The Art of War, The Prince. I never attempted Ulysses after my Mom said she gave up on it. She said it made her feel dumb. LOL I do have Democracy in America on my nightstand on my list of “to dos.”
I’ve read five of ‘em. Really. Only skimmed The Prince.
Unclear why Tale of Two Cities would be on the list. It’s short and an easy read. Much more so than a lot of Dickens.
But I could never fight my way through Ulysses.
Utter claptrap as far as I'm concerned. Dickens' grocery list would be more interesting.
I’ve read 2,3,8,7b, and 10. With 10, the last 65 pages are impenetrable. The sex is pretty hot - Rand was into being taken by men, period. It was nearly rape fantasy.
Tale of Two Cities and Great Expectations are actually good reads if you read it like it was written - they were serials. You read a chapter, then do it again the next night. Dickens essentially created the soap opera.
Art of War flies by, and so does the Prince. Amazing that someone actually captured it.
Shocked that War and Peace wasn’t there. Not sure I’d attempt it. Federalist is almost a reference. Haven’t tried Tocqueville yet, or Moby Dick.
I’ve read these. No lie. All worth reading.
7. 1984, George Orwell:
6. Democracy in America, Alexis De Tocqueville
4. Moby Dick, Herman Melville
3. The Art of War, Sun Tzu
2. The Prince, Niccolo Machiavelli.
As for Atlas Shrugged, though, the thing is daunting, monolithic, frustrating, complicated, and well worth the effort. There is guidance, however - there is this: Who Is John Galt?, by a couple of FReepers. It is possibly the most brilliant thing written in the English language since Milton.
Or possibly not.
Probably not.
It's Publius's fault.
I got 40% through Ulysses and then wondered what the point of reading it would be. Atlas Shrugged, The Prince, and The Art Of War are books every Freeper should read. I couldn’t put Atlas Shrugged down. If you are really interested in nineteenth century whaling read Moby Dick. If you can read old English, Don Quixote will make you Laugh and if someone tells you they read it by talking about fighting windmills, they only read the first chapter.
10. Atlas Shrugged, Ayn Rand: Love it. Read it three time, listened to it several more. NO MATTER HOW MUCH I LIKE THE REST OF THE BOOK..”THAT PART” always makes me glassy eyed. I always hurry through it.
9. On the Origin of Species, Charles Darwin: Never read it. Why should I? I am willing to bet it is a boring as all get out.
8. Les Miserables, Victor Hugo and A Tale of Two Cities, Charles Dickens: I have read A Tale of Two Cities multiple times and listened several more. I love it. The entire thing.
7. 1984, George Orwell: Read this between five and ten times and have listened to it multiple times. Scary book. Brilliant.
6. Democracy in America, Alexis De Tocqueville: I have tried multiple times, but can’t get through it.
5. The Wealth of Nations, Adam Smith: Made myself get through it. The overall message is good.
4. Moby Dick, Herman Melville: I love this book. I first read it at age seven. Much of it went over my head, but I have read and re-read it many times.
3. The Art of War, Sun Tzu: Bah. I’ve tried. Boring as hell.
2. The Prince, Niccolo Machiavelli: Still trying this one.
1. Ulysses, James Joyce: Not even interested. This is really funny, too, because of my ignorance of what it really was. I had read the Odyssey, and couldn’t believe I enjoyed it so much. I felt much the way about the Odyssey that William F. Buckley felt about Moby Dick. It was fantastic, and I thought, “why had so many teachers made this stuff sound like torture to read?” I felt cheated to have been scared away from it! So I thought (in my literature-istic ignorance) that Ulysses would be really good. I very nearly barfed. I thought “What is this CRAP? What kind of poseur even reads this stuff and treats it like a work of art?” Not my cup of tea...