The Innocents Abroad
The Pilgrim's Progess
Anything by C.S. Lewis

I would also include Three Musketeers. It's not quite as good, but I still really enjoy it.

MW03 said:

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I think Glory Road by Robert Heinlein (1963) is an underappreciated book.

As for antiquity, I'm presently really enjoying the Robert Fitzgerald translation of Homer's The Illiad on audiobook.

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Agreed on Glory Road.

Adding Count of Monte Cristo to my list. Never read it.

A Canticle For Leibowitz by Walter M. Miller Jr.

Yes! One of my favorites. Amazing book.

Anything by Louis L'Amour.

People are always saying how Martin Chuzzlewit is the premier example of classic fiction but quite frankly I don't get the hype

I am Legend.
Watership Down
Red Badge of Courage
Rifles for Watie

Trying to think of some not listed yet

AggieArchitect04 said:

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AgTrip said:

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Of Mice and Men is a book I actually enjoyed reading in school! I also enjoyed The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.

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I heard they can't read Huck Finn in school anymore. Is that true?

ETA: A great novel/adventure story in any case.

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I've never heard of a school saying a student can't read Huck Finn. It's true there are some schools that aren't assigning it, and some have removed it from their libraries. It's also true that fifty years ago some schools weren't assigning it and weren't stocking it in their library. Kids can still read it if they want to, it just means they'll do it out of school.

YouBet said:

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MW03 said:

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I think Glory Road by Robert Heinlein (1963) is an underappreciated book.

As for antiquity, I'm presently really enjoying the Robert Fitzgerald translation of Homer's The Illiad on audiobook.

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Agreed on Glory Road.

Adding Count of Monte Cristo to my list. Never read it.

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I can't recommend Count of Monte Cristo enough. I absolutely love that book and will revisit it every year if I can though sometimes go two between readings.

I really want to see someone turn that into a limited series rather than try to squish it into a 2 hour movie, though the Jim Caviezel/Guy Pearce is actually a decent attempt at it.

A ton by Agatha Christie, but if you only read one, I'd say do And Then There Were None. Still holds up today, and the twist is so good.

Fat Bib Fortuna said:

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Big Cat `93 said:

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The Innocents Abroad
The Pilgrim's Progess
Anything by C.S. Lewis

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I'm 47 years old and my fondest wish remains that Narnia was real.

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I can't wait until.my kids are a bit older and we can read that series. Much more excited about Narnia than Harry Potter (although I'm interested to see how Potter ends).

Im always a bit disappointed that adaptations of the Narnia books never make it past the first few.

Salem's Lot
Moby Dick
Anything by H.G. Wells

acharbs said:

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A ton by Agatha Christie, but if you only read one, I'd say do And Then There Were None. Still holds up today, and the twist is so good.

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I'll echo this. I actually just read And then there were None quite recently. Part of me was a little disappointed with her prose (maybe I was just expecting more) but it was such an easy read and I still found myself not wanting to put it down. Will be heading back to read more of hers soon.

I'll further echo Monte Cristo. So damn good and so much more complex than any of the screen treatments.

GREAT thread by the way!

One I never generally see listed is 'The Good Earth' by Pearl S. Buck.

acharbs said:

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A ton by Agatha Christie, but if you only read one, I'd say do And Then There Were None. Still holds up today, and the twist is so good.

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"And Then There We're None" and "Murder on The Orient Express" are both excellent. Beyond that, though, I think she's pretty average. The best part of her mysteries are the characters. The actual solving of mysteries leaves a lot to be desired. I think that's true for most crime novels from that era, though. There really isn't a whole lot of forensics. Some of the books also feel a bit dated because she do things like rule out a suspect because, "A woman wouldn't use a gun, they'd use poison."

"And Then We're None" and "Murder of the Orient Express" are both fabulous, though. In fact, it can be argued that "And Then There Were None" is the most influential mystery of all time. It invented the, "Someone in this house is a murder," concept. The game Clue (and movie) are basically direct copies.

I've always wanted to read The Count of Monte Cristo. Those of you who have, is there a particular unabridged translation y'all recommend?

The Moon is a Harsh Mistress
Fahrenheit 451
To Kill a Mockingbird
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
The Hobbit
The Chronicles of Narnia
1984
The Count of Monte Cristo

Aggie_buster said:

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I've always wanted to read The Count of Monte Cristo. Those of you who have, is there a particular unabridged translation y'all recommend?

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Penguin Classics printing of Robin Buss's translation is what I have read and supposedly is the most complete and truly unabridged edition out there.

Of Human Bondage by W. Somerset Maugham

Not sure if I saw Treasure Island yet.

My recent revisits have mostly centered on Hemingway, my all-time favorite.

If 50 years pushes into classic territory, then Last Picture Show comes into play.

91_Aggie said:

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So glad no one said "Catcher in the Rye". Worst book ever considered a "classic".

Not sure if it counts but I loved "Flowers for Algernon"

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Agreed. After finishing "Catcher" I was like, "that was it?" Kept waiting for it to get good and it never did. No clue why it is considered so controversial.

Oh I really liked Upton Sinclair The Jungle

Thomas Hardy's ... Far from the Madding Crowd, Return of the Native, & Mayor of Casterbridge.

JJxvi said:

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The Count of Monte Cristo is superior, but I love the way reading the series of d'Artagnan Romances (Starting with The Three Musketeers) feels almost exactly like the modern really long epic fantasy series' that I generally read.

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It's disappointing that it never really got any truly good movies made of it. Even Count of Monte Cristo is not that good of a rendition of it.

To Kill a Mockingbird is hands down my all time favorite book. It is time to dust it off and read again.

I've only read it once so I don't know how it holds up, but Where the Red Fern Grows was the first time I realized books could create such an emotional response.

I was pretty much the only kid in my 4th grade class that would read for pleasure when I finished assignments early. I had to leave the class and go get my mom (taught class next door) because I couldn't stop crying and didn't want the kids to see. That was probably the defining moment in my life when I realized how much I loved dogs.

I read that book to and remember crying alone in my bed. I still have a copy, but just feel evil giving it to my kids to read.

The Martian Chronicles

aggieactor01 said:

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Aggie_buster said:

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I've always wanted to read The Count of Monte Cristo. Those of you who have, is there a particular unabridged translation y'all recommend?

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Penguin Classics printing of Robin Buss's translation is what I have read and supposedly is the most complete and truly unabridged edition out there.

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This book is 1,300 pages. Holy hell.

I've probably read Where the Red Fer Grows a half dozen times, maybe only once since I got my first dog when I was in college. The first time I read it I cried the last 20 pages of the book. The next 5 times I read it I started crying 40 pages from the end K owing what was coming.

I'm a grown ass man and don't handle dogs dying very well.

I'll read it with my kids when they get older but I'm somewhat not looking forward to it.