>The list (with my comments), created by English librarians is:

Thanks for sharing this. I do often find it interesting to see what people 
consider the best books they've ever read. 


>+) To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
>
>Just read it for the first time.  Deserves to be the classic it is.

I have to admit, while I'm fairly well-read, I have yet to read this book. 
That's a gap I guess I need to fit at some point as well! Gone with the Wind is 
the other one I am ashamed to say I've not read (and in fact, only a year or so 
ago finally saw the movie all the way through!)  


>Forced myself to read it a long while ago.  An impossible, difficult book.
>Maybe evangelicals are so grumpy because they're forced to read this
>snoozer?

Reading the Bible is definitely a challenge but enjoyment of it can vary 
greatly with the approach given. Certainly belief in what is contained therein 
makes a big difference, but I'd also include the translation used (there are 
definitely some modern translations intended for more ease of reading) and also 
the order you read it. It's not necessarily a book to read from beginning to 
end. Also there are many study Bibles available to help digest the information 
in there. 


>+) The Lord of the Rings Trilogy by JRR Tolkien

Definitely one of my favorites, and the book I've probably re-read the most 
often. 


>+) The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon
>
>Never ever heard of it (should I be ashamed)?

Never heard of it either. In fact, all the ones you list as ones you've never 
heard of, I haven't as well. And yeah, I consider myself fairly well read too! 


>+) The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Graham
>
>Read it.  Of course I loved it... but I'm not sure if it's a "MUST READ
>BEFORE YOU DIE!"  It's cute... but life altering?  I don't see it.

Yeah, this confuses me as well. I'd be more inclined to put the Chronicles of 
Narnia here as a good must-read for the younger group (even given the Christian 
slant, it's a great fantasy adventure series in its own right). 


>+) The Time Traveller's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
>
>Never heard of it.


I've never heard of this either. Not sure what this is about (obviously) but I 
might have put H.G. Wells The Time Machine in here instead. Seems there are a 
lot of really great authors missing on this list. No Hemingway?? Come on! 


>+) A Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich by Alexander Solzenhitsyn
>
>Damn it!  Another one I've never heard of!  That makes like a third of list
>that I've never even heard of!  Now I'm feeling borderline retarded.


LOL, yeah pretty funny. 


>+) "Watership Down" by Richard Adams
>
>My other favorite book.  Although this is one I would have expected to be on
>any librarians list.  

Definitely one of my favorites too. Although not sure I'd put it in the "must 
read" category. 

Another favorite of mine is James Clavell's Shogun (and some of his others as 
well). But I'd be hard pressed to call it a "must read". 


>+) "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" by J.K. Rowling
>
>Nah - I'm just shittin' you.  You can definitely die without reading this
>book.  ;^)

Ah, but considering how much a part of our culture it has become, it might at 
least for now be a "must read". 


>+) "Matilda" by Roald Dahl
>
>There are a lot of children's book that might be on the list, buy in my mind
>this one capture's an essence of childhood fantasy like no other. 

I love all of Dahl's books, he was truly a great children's author that has 
certainly ongoing appeal. 


The book I most find rocked me to the core would be Torey Hayden's "One Child". 
Most people probably have never heard of it, but it's the book I have loaned to 
others the most (and have to keep buying when I don't get it back!) and the one 
that most elicits strong emotions even when I re-read it. I've enjoyed all of 
her books (and particularly the follow-up to this one) but this was her first 
non-fiction book on working with emotionally disturbed children and is really 
an amazing story. 


--- Mary Jo





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