At the turn of the century, the Modern Library, whomever they may be, came out with a list of their Top 100 English Literature novels of the 20th Century. Criticism abounded and many more lists and counter-lists were developed. But I had met a girl who agreed to tackle the whole list with me, plodding slowly but surely along at 3 per year for the first 10 years, then 4 per year from 2012 forward – for what would amount to about 35 years of reading (there are 121 total books on the list). We agreed to do it before we were even engaged.
Here’s how we’re doing – with 1-10 ratings and links to my reviews.
An * means book was completed on 12/31
2002
Steve
None
Hoang
98. The Postman Always Rings Twice (5)
92. Ironweed (7)
13. 1984 (7)
2003
Steve
None
Hoang
64. The Catcher in the Rye (8)
65. A Clockwork Orange (10)
41. Lord of the Flies (7)
2004
Steve
98. The Postman Always Rings Twice (7)
41. Lord of the Flies (7)
92. Ironweed (8)
88. The Call of the Wild (10)
84. The Death of the Heart (3)
Hoang
88. The Call of the Wild (9)
84. The Death of the Heart (4)
2. The Great Gatsby (8)
2005
Steve
None
Hoang
30. The Good Soldier (7)
33. Sister Carrie (7)
55. On the Road (7)
2006
Steve
31. Animal Farm (7)
52. Portnoy’s Complaint (7)
Hoang
28. Tender is the Night (6)
45. The Sun Also Rises (7)
*52. Portnoy’s Complaint (5)
2007
Steve
28. Tender is the Night (6)
45. The Sun Also Rises (9)
36. All the King’s Men (8)
Hoang
15. To the Lighthouse (4)
2008
Steve
2. The Great Gatsby (8)
30. The Good Soldier (5)
37. The Bridge of San Luis Rey (4)
62. From Here to Eternity (8)
Hoang
21. Henderson the Rain King (4)
37. The Bridge of San Luis Rey (5)
39. Go Tell it on the Mountain (9)
99. The Ginger Man (5)
*56. The Maltese Falcon (6)
2009
Steve
67. Heart of Darkness (7)
99. The Ginger Man (8)
86. Ragtime (7)
21. Henderson the Rain King (3)
39. Go Tell it on the Mountain (7)
Hoang
86. Ragtime (7)
36. All the King’s Men (8)
31. Animal Farm (7)
2010
Steve
64. The Catcher in the Rye (10)
15. To the Lighthouse (1)
22. Appointment in Samarra (8)
73. The Day of the Locust (8)
Hoang
22. Appointment in Samarra (7)
24. Winesburg, Ohio (6)
50. Tropic of Cancer (8)
*73. The Day of the Locust (7)
2011
Steve
53. Pale Fire (8)
97. The Sheltering Sky (8)
65. A Clockwork Orange (8)
Hoang
97. The Sheltering Sky (6)
*9. Sons and Lovers (8)
At this point, we bumped the annual goal total to 4 books, owing to the fact there are 121 books to read in the “Top 100.”
2012
Steve
24. Winesburg, Ohio (7)
56. The Maltese Falcon (7)
55. On the Road (7)
35. As I Lay Dying (8)
Hoang
48. The Rainbow (7)
94. Wide Sargasso Sea (7)
76. The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (6)
35. As I Lay Dying (8)
2013
Steve
70a. Justine (7)
70b. Balthazar (8)
76. The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (8)
Hoang
59. Zuleika Dobson (8)
18. Slaughterhouse-Five (7)
34. A Handful of Dust (9)
80. Brideshead Revisited (8)
2014
Steve
59. Zuleika Dobson (8)
50. Tropic of Cancer (7)
94. Wide Sargasso Sea (8)
13. 1984 (8)
91. Tobacco Road (9)
Hoang
91. Tobacco Road (7)
79. Room With a View (7)
38. Howards End (8)
75. Scoop (7)
2015
Steve
33. Sister Carrie (8)
75. Scoop (8)
60. The Moviegoer (8)
34. A Handful of Dust (8)
*18. Slaughterhouse-Five (7)
Hoang
58. The Age of Innocence (8)
54. Light in August (8)
6. The Sound and the Fury
*60. The Moviegoer
2016
Steve
100. The Magnificent Ambersons (9)
29a. Young Lonigan (9)
42. Deliverance (9)
Hoang
12. The Way of All Flesh (5)
100. The Magnificent Ambersons (8)
42. Deliverance (9)
29a. Studs Lonigan: Young Lonigan (7)
2017
Steve
38. Howards End (8)
Hoang
29b. Studs Lonigan: The Young Manhood of Studs Lonigan (7)
29c. Studs Lonigan: Judgement Day (7
78. Kim (5)
2018
Steve
None
Hoang
25. A Passage to India (6)
74. A Farewell to Arms (8)
61. Death Comes for the Archbishop (8)
57a. Parade’s End: Some Do Not… (7)
2019
Steve
79. A Room With a View
Hoang
57b. Parade’s End: No More Parades (6)
57c. Parade’s End: A Man Could Stand Up (5)
57d. Parade’s End: The Last Post (6)
17. The Heart is a Lonely Hunter (8)
*4. Lolita (8)
2020
Steve
5. Brave New World (7)
61. Death Comes to the Archbishop (6)
Hoang
8. Darkness at Noon (7)
5. Brave New World (8)
2021
Steve
None
Hoang
70a. Justine (7)
79b. Balthazar (7)
2022
Steve
Hoang
70c. Mountolive (8)
70d. Clea
Totals as of 8/31/2022:
Target: 74 at end of 2022
Hoang – 68
Steve – 50
Aunt Pat says
June 23, 2009 at 7:14 pmJez, This looks way too much like schoolwork. In the past three years I have read close to 100 books (I started keeping a log 18 months ago and only counting that I’m at 65). But, I get to pick the books! And most of them are from this current century.
Classics,smasstics, when I gave myself the goal of reading a book a week last year I ruined some good books for myself because I was forceing it to a schedule. Find the balance. Goals and dicipline are a great tool, but reading should also be a special, personal time. Ticking off a list, somebody elses list, especailly some cultural concensis, averaged, list. Ahem, boring.
Steve says
June 24, 2009 at 7:10 amGood points all… but you see, my life is driven by lists. This entire blog is driven by lists. Lists give me comfort and structure. As this is supposedly one of the more well-respected book lists, containing several books we all “should” read, I figured it was a good one to pursue.
3 per year, I think, gives us plenty of leeway to read other stuff at our leisure – or, if we’re being particularly lazy, allows us to “only” read three books in an entire year!
Our goal is purposely non-cumbersome; although, truth be told, there have been several “races” to December 31st.
In the end, we’re reading good books and that can’t be a bad thing.
Aunt Pat says
June 25, 2009 at 5:47 pmHave you read anything by Craig Childs? He is one of my favorites. As an avid hiker you might enjoy his work. In somewhat the same maddnes that drives you to do MuseumQuest, this guy must traverse deserts, extreem watercourses and the inpassible canyonlands of the Southwest. Perhaps he has a list of what are the most challenging hikes of the region, many of which have never been done before. He puts his life on the line constantly (unlike you). He also writes elequently about his experiences. I would suggest “The Secret Knowledge of Water” as a starter.