How Many Have You Read?

There is a book I have seen loitering around the various tables at the bookstore called 1001 BOOKS YOU MUST READ BEFORE YOU DIE. This isn't the type of book I would normally buy, but it is one of interest. Everyone had a different outlook on what is required reading and what is not.

When I saw that some bloggers were checking off what books they had read from the list, I thought it was a good idea to see where I stood.

I have read or attempted to read approximately 95 of the books on the list. Not sure what this says about me or the list itself. I did note a few things about this list of books, though.

- It's definitely biased towards American and European literature. Very little from anywhere else.

- Heavily focused on early to mid-1900s. But then, it usually takes time for a book to evolve into a classic.

- No Shakespeare? Really?

- I have read books by many of the authors on the list, just not necessarily the ones listed there.

- A lot of the books mentioned are school reading books. However, my education skipped forward right as many of these books became standard fare. Therefore there are many classics on here that most people read in school, but I didn't. Of course, that's also partially because when I was supposed to be reading the assigned books, I was often reading Stephen King or the like.

I like the idea of the book and I think it's a great resource for people looking to expand their literary knowledge or find something new to read. However, I do think you should also look beyond this list to further your literacy.

And, if you haven't read many books on the list, that's okay, too. It's reading that's important, not whether it's a "classic".

Nicole