I had a conversation with a friend last night who's going through a top 100 science fiction books list. After checking online, I can only assume that it's the listener-chosen NPR top 100 science fiction books list. I haven't really taken a look at that list for nearly 2 years, so I went back through it. As I did so, I realized that I'd like to comment on the list and count how many of the books I've actually read. Here goes.
1 The Lord Of The Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien It's been decades since I read the books (gosh, saying that makes me feel old) and I remember skipping a few chapters of ent walking in the middle of The Two Towers, but I did read them.
2 The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy by Douglas Adams I'm not sure whether I still have my copy - I may have lent it to an old girlfriend and never gotten it back. Or it might be in a box in the attic.
3 Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card Pretty sure I listened to this one on audiobook.
4 The Dune Chronicles by Frank Herbert I only read the first book, but loved it.
5 A Song Of Ice And Fire Series by George R.R. Martin Quit reading in the middle of A Dance with Dragons.
6 1984 by George Orwell Yup.
7 Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury Yup.
8 The Foundation Trilogy by Isaac Asimov I only just read Foundation last year. I found it dry.
9 Brave New World by Aldous Huxley Here's one I never read. I'm thinking I might need to add it to my list.
10 American Gods by Neil Gaiman I really didn't like American Gods.
11 The Princess Bride by William Goldman - The best thing about the book was the amazing fictionalized foreword.
12 The Wheel Of Time Series by Robert Jordan - After decades, the series is complete. While not all the books were up to par, the series concluded very satisfactorily.
13 Animal Farm by George Orwell I probably haven't read the book since high school.
14 Neuromancer by William Gibson I remember quitting the book sometime in the last chapter or two when I was in college. Gibson isn't always an easy read.
15 Watchmen by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons Skipped it only because it's a comic. Liked the movie.
16 I, Robot by Isaac Asimov I'm not sure whether or not I've read the original book.
17 Stranger In A Strange Land by Robert A. Heinlein Did not read it.
18 The Kingkiller Chronicles by Patrick Rothfuss This one's on my to-read shelf and I plan to hit it soon.
19 Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut My wife read this recently. I may have to ask her whether it's worth it.
20 Frankenstein by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley I'm fairly sure that I listened to the audiobook years ago.
21 Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick I remember distinctly reading this one on a plane. I liked Blade Runner better.
22 The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood Although I've never heard of it, the premise sounds interesting. I may have to add it to my to-read shelf.
23 The Dark Tower Series by Stephen King I never got into The Dark Tower. Not sure why.
24 2001: A Space Odyssey by Arthur C. Clarke Considering how ambivalent I've always been about the movie, I'm not sure I'd love the book.
25 The Stand by Stephen King Read it. Loved it.
26 Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson It had been on my list of shame for some time. I finally read Snow Crash last year.
27 The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury I read the book before high school and did not love it.
28 Cat's Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut Nope.
29 The Sandman Series by Neil Gaiman Once again, a comic. I'm very interested, but I'd prefer a novelization.
30 A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess I saw the movie 5 or 6 years ago and I don't feel a burning need to read the book.
31 Starship Troopers by Robert A. Heinlein Although I read it, I didn't get as much out of the book as I feel I maybe should have.
32 Watership Down by Richard Adams I feel seriously remiss for not having read this. It's being added to my list.
33 Dragonflight by Anne McCaffrey I might actually own this book, although I've not read it.
34 The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress by Robert A. Heinlein After repeated recommendations from my cousin, I'm now seriously interested in this book. Why is it not already on my to-read shelf?
35 A Canticle For Leibowitz by Walter M. Miller Jr. Nope.
36 The Time Machine by H.G. Wells The Morlocks always terrified me as a child. And yet, I've got the childrens novelization to read with my daughter.
37 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea by Jules Verne Read the childrens novelization with my daughter just a couple months ago.
38 Flowers For Algernon by Daniel Keyes I really love this story.
39 The War Of The Worlds by H.G. Wells I think I listened to the audiobook years ago.
40 The Amber Chronicles by Roger Zelazny I feel like not having read this leaves a gap in my science fiction geek cred.
41 The Belgariad I read the first book about ten years ago and did not like it.
42 The Mists Of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley Nope.
43 Mistborn Trilogy by Brandon Sanderson Never read it, but given how much I enjoyed Sanderson's work on The Wheel of Time, maybe I should.
44 Ringworld by Larry Niven I enjoyed Larry Niven's writing in Footfall. Maybe I should check this out.
45 The Left Hand Of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin Nope. I read Earthsea though.
46 The Silmarillion by J.R.R. Tolkien I tried once and then slept for four days straight.
47 The Once And Future King by T.H. White Nope.
48 Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman Nope.
49 Childhood's End by Arthur C. Clarke Nope.
50 Contact by Carl Sagan Since I loved the movie so much, I tried reading Contact. The book was very dry, but the ending made it all worth it.
51 The Hyperion Cantos by Dan Simmons Nope.
52 Stardust by Neil Gaiman Nope.
53 Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson I read less than half of it before caving and putting the book aside.
54 World War Z by Max Brooks One of my all time favorite books. So good.
55 The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle I last saw the movie on December 2nd, 1993. Never read the book. I should re-read it with my daughter.
56 The Forever War by Joe Haldeman Nope.
57 Small Gods by Terry Pratchett I feel like I've read Pratchett before. Not my thing.
58 The Chronicles Of Thomas Covenant The Unbeliever by Stephen R. Donaldson I read the first book many years ago. I'm not a fan of the rapist protagonist.
59 The Vorkosigan Saga by Lois McMaster Bujold I read Cordelia's Honor last year and did not love it.
60 Going Postal by Terry Pratchett Nope.
61 The Mote In God's Eye by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle Niven and Pournelle again. I might like this.
62 The Sword Of Truth Series by Terry Goodkind I read a lot of these books. The first one was excellent. The later ones less so.
63 The Road by Cormac McCarthy This book sounds so bleak and depressing that I've just never had the desire to pick it up.
64 Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke Nope.
65 I Am Legend by Richard Matheson I actually liked The Wil Smith movie better than the book.
66 The Riftwar Saga by Raymond E. Feist Nope.
67 The Sword of Shannara Trilogy by Terry Brooks Of course I've read these. Nearly all ten thousand books in the series.
68 The Conan The Barbarian Series by Robert E. Howard and Mark Schultz Nope.
69 The Farseer Trilogy by Robin Hobb Nope.
70 The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger Although it's a love story, I really enjoyed The Time Traveler's Wife.
71 The Way Of Kings by Brandon Sanderson Nope.
72 Journey To The Center Of The Earth by Jules Verne Read the childrens novelization to my daughter a few months ago.
73 The Legend Of Drizzt Series by R. A. Salvatore I never got into Drizzt.
74 Old Man's War by John Scalzi Enjoyed Old Man's War.
75 The Diamond Age by Neal Stephenson Stephenson. I'm immediately wary.
76 Rendezvous With Rama by Arthur C. Clarke I played the video game on my Commodore 64, but never read the book.
77 The Kushiel's Legacy Series by Jacqueline Carey Nope.
78 The Dispossessed by Ursula K. Le Guin Nope.
79 Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury Nope.
80 Wicked by Gregory Maguire Maybe I should read this.
81 The Malazan Book Of The Fallen series by Steven Erikson Nope
82 The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde I've got a friend who's way into Jasper Fforde. I should check this book out.
83 The Culture Series by Iain Banks Nope.
84 The Crystal Cave by Mary Stewart Nope.
85 Anathem by Neal Stephenson Stephenson again. Nope.
86 The Codex Alera Series by Jim Butcher I've read the first book, and the second is on my shelf.
87 The Book Of The New Sun by Gene Wolfe Nope.
88 The Thrawn Trilogy by Timothy Zahn Haven't read it, but I'm intrigued.
89 The Outlander Series by Diana Gabaldon Nope.
90 The Elric Saga by Michael Moorcock Nope.
91 The Illustrated Man by Ray Bradbury Nope.
92 Sunshine by Robin McKinley Nope.
93 A Fire Upon The Deep by Vernor Vinge I started reading this book once and couldn't get into it.
94 The Caves Of Steel by Isaac Asimov Nope.
95 The Mars Trilogy by Kim Stanley Robinson Nope.
96 Lucifer's Hammer by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle I listened to the audiobook years ago.
97 Doomsday Book by Connie Willis Sounds interesting.
98 Perdido Street Station by China Mieville Nope.
99 The Xanth Series by Piers Anthony I read so many of these when I was young, and wrote the author twice. (Got two responses!)
100 The Space Trilogy by C.S. Lewis Nope.
So wow, I've only read 39 of these. But I've read all of the top ten. And now I've added another ten books to my list:
The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood Watership Down by Richard Adams Dragonflight by Anne McCaffrey The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress by Robert A. Heinlein The Amber Chronicles by Roger Zelazny Mistborn Trilogy by Brandon Sanderson Ringworld by Larry Niven The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde The Thrawn Trilogy by Timothy Zahn Doomsday Book by Connie Willis
maybe i should do one of these on my blog, it would be too long to comment on all of this, haha.