Book Lists

Occasionally, when I cannot decide what work of fiction to read next, I will look at a ranked list of books and let the list decide for me. I find this technique more successful in cases where the list is compiled by a jury rather than by popular vote. For this reason, I tend to ignore best seller lists -- at least most of the time.

Works that stand the test of time tend to be solidly written and revolve around themes that do not ever go out of style. Some of these books will be recognizable classics; others will be highly regarded books you may never have heard of. Some of them will be great; others you will hate.

Here are some good places to start:

The Modern Library's list of the 100 greatest novels of all time. Defining greatness and narrowing the winners down to a field of a mere 100 are equally arbitrary exercises, but this list is worth a look.

The Modern Library also has a non-fiction list. The reader's choice section of this list strikes me as a bit suspect and appears to have been spammed, but there are some interesting titles on the board's list.

Man Booker Prize. An award given to British works of fiction. Frankly, I find that they give preference to "literary" works and think their picks can be boring, but many people would disagree strongly with my opinion.

ALA's Best Books for Young Adults. This is a set of links for various lists of quality young adult titles chosen by the American Library Association.

Also, be sure to see this ALA list for reluctant young readers.

-Paul