1001 BOOKS YOU MUST READ BEFORE YOU DIE - A BOOK REVIEW

I love this book. I love other books in this genre. I love lists of books that "ever one must be read." They serve many useful purposes. Not only do they expose readers to works they would never consider, but they give the reader some sense of continuity, something to follow, some idea of where we have been with our literature. This particular list of books goes further than some by giving us a bit of the history of the work being addressed along with the plot line. This is very useful information. Also, just look at the reviews so far concerning this book. Almost everyone has some disagreement with which books were included and which were left out. Folks, this is a health thing. If I had read 60 some odd revews and everyone had agreed to this author's selection, then I would have been gravely worried. I myself disagreed with a number of choices and there were certainly at least 100 additional works I would have included had I written the book. Again, this is healthy! I was quite encouraged when I read all these reviews...people are actually reading and actually thinking for themselves. This is truly wonderful and this is one of the primary strengths of this particular book...it brings out opinions, it causes the reader to think. I for one am glad it is on my shelf. I turn to it quite often and enjoy each and ever page, even if I do not agree with everything between it's covers. The book does indeed lean toward the 20th century as several others have pointed out here. This is okay. This is the author's opinion and that opinion is just as valid as mine, even though we don't agree in this area. I have plenty of other list that do include pre 20th century literature and can use those. The book is well organized, easy to read and, as I said, quite useful. Recommend this one highly.