10 books to read before you die?

[CptColumbo]

I came across this list of "10 books to read before you die" at the AOL shop.

http://shopping.aol.com/books/best-sellers

1. Holy Bible
2. Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
3. The Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkien
4. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by JK Rowling
5. The Stand by Stephen King
6. The DaVinci Code by Dan Brown
7. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
8. Angels and Demons by Dan Brown
9. Atlas Shrugged by Ann Rand
10. The Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger

If this had been under the heading "Summer Reading List" I probably wouldn't be as appalled as I am with its actual title.

I read one Dan Brown book and find it hard to believe that I must read another before I die, especially considering how much I disliked the first one I read.

[Guybrush Threepwood]

I don't know, they are all indisputably books, and reading them before you die is pretty much the only way to get them read, with the possible exception of number 1 which may be available to a subset of us afterward.

If it had been 10 books you must read before you die I'd agree with you.

I do agree with you about Dan Brown anyway, he owes me the 4 hours or so reading 'The Da Vinci Code' took out of my life.

[NorfolkAtheist]

Wow.

Worst list of its kind that I've ever seen.

[Denver]

That is indeed a curious list. Besides the fact that I could never confine a bucket list of books to only ten, omitting authors such as Dickens, Henry James, O. Henry, Mark Twain, Thoreau, Cervantes, to not even mention poetry, seems to me it should carry some kind of crime against humanity consequences.

[paiute]

If I have to read these books before I die, then I am going to live forever!!11!!

[MG1962]

Da Vinci Code? - Despite opinions about the content. It is not a particuarly well written book by any standard

[HarryKeogh]

I'm guessing that whoever put this list together would probably have Transformers Part II top a list of "movies to see before you die".

[Monketey Ghost]

1. Holy Bible... like Fantasia. Multifaceted and unreal.
2. Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell... never read it!
3. The Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkien... amazingly good.
4. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by JK Rowling... never read it.
5. The Stand by Stephen King... among the most overrated authors. I like his columns though
6. The DaVinci Code by Dan Brown... collected resorted nonsense.
7. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee... despite overdoing its importance, quite good
8. Angels and Demons by Dan Brown... not read it
9. Atlas Shrugged by Ann Rand... ugh. John Galt speaks into a mirror.
10. The Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger... also overdone but quite good.

It Can't Happen Here, and Elmer Gantry by Sinclair Lewis ought to be on this list.

[Rasmus]

1. Holy Bible

Culturally important, yes. But since most people that give it its importance haven't read it fully I feel one could easily get away without doing that. Also, there are a few places where the bible is not culturally as important as it is where I happen to be.

2. Gone with the Wind by Margaret MitchellI haven't read it.

3. The Lord of the Rings by JRR TolkienI did enjoy reading it. Very much. One of the first books I read in English, too, so in that aspect it did actually shape and enrich my life. Other than that, though, my life would not be poorer or void of meaning if I had not read it.

4. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by JK RowlingHow incredibly dumb! What good would it do me if the one book I read was the last in a series of seven?

5. The Stand by Stephen KingI haven't read it.

6. The DaVinci Code by Dan Brown:faint:

7. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper LeeI haven't read it.

8. Angels and Demons by Dan Brown:faint:

Seriously - it's not even the good type of airport literature! Why, why, why on earth should I waste my valuable time on this to get it done and over with before I die?

Suppose I'd find myself locked up in an airtight library with my oxygen slowly running out. I have a few hours to live and all I can do is pick up a book and read. Why on earth should I pick any of Dan Brown's works? (Well, yes, I would fall asleep before the symptoms of suffocation set in and it might be the more merciful death, but other than that ...)

9. Atlas Shrugged by Ann Rand
10. The Catcher in the Rye by JD SalingerI haven't read either of these.

I read one Dan Brown book and find it hard to believe that I must read another before I die, especially considering how much I disliked the first one I read.Oh, I've read them. But then, I was incredibly bored at the time and had little choice of what to pick. I admit that I enjoyed reading them (but I enuoy reading. I will read the ingredients list of a bottle of water if the ingredients are "water", and I would enjoy reading that, too.) but I would never go so far as to suggest that this is in any way, shape or form a "must read" piece of literature.

uh.....

Shakespeare?
Anything that's not in English?
What about these people (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Nobel_laureates_in_Literature)?
Homer?
Please forgive me a bit of national bias, but Goethe? Schiller? Brecht, even?

Brave New World?
1984?
Fahrenheit 451?
Lord of the Flies?
... to name only a few works of political fiction that my professor at University thought I should rather read than each and everyone on that odd list?

And that's just my suggestions - and I am not very well versed in the literature of the world. I know I have named nothing that's Asian, Australian or African. Nothing indiginous, no mythology (besides Homer), be it greek or roman or nordic or american.

[CptColumbo]

IMO the Bible is probably number one because they figured they would get more complaints about that then from the fans of the Great Gatsby.

[Red3]

You must be kidding...That's the crappest list of books I've every seen.

Dan Brown? What kind of world do we live in?!

That's more of a "10 books to read before you're 21"

[Saintgasoline]

Why should all the most important books be fiction? Where are the damned science books!?

I do agree with including Atlas Shrugged, though. Not because I'm a crazy Objectivist, but because Rand was my "gateway drug" into REAL philosophy. If I hadn't read The Fountainhead, and then subsequently become interested in philosophy and science as a result, I'd probably be the kind of person who makes reading lists including Dan Brown.

[Red3]

Why should all the most important books be fiction? Where are the damned science books!?



The Blind Watchmaker would have to go near the top for me in that category.

[Wildy]

1. Holy Bible

Honestly, I've never managed to completely read the Bible. There are some books in it that I just cannot read, I start and then just stop because I can't be bothered.

2. Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell

Never read it, so I can't really comment.

3. The Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkien

I know that it was rather influential in the fantasy genre, but I don't know if it belongs on such a list. If I were to compile a list I would probably put it on here, but I wouldn't list it at number three.

4. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by JK Rowling

God no. Especially since it's the last book in a series. I will admit that it did help encourage people to read more books though.

5. The Stand by Stephen King

See #2.

6. The DaVinci Code by Dan Brown

If it was a list on "badly contrived pieces of fiction masquerading as factual" then I would agree. But no.

7. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

To be honest I think that this is the first book that I solidly agree with. It is a rather important book culturally and it's a good read. I'm guessing based on the other books the reason that this is here is for an older book that is still rather easy to read.

8. Angels and Demons by Dan Brown

If I was to recommend one book written by Dan Brown it would have to be this one. Chronologically it's set before Da Vinci Code (it's reversed in the movies) but I found it to be better.

9. Atlas Shrugged by Ann Rand
10. The Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger

I haven't read either of these. I've read synopses of Atlas Shrugged and I get the feeling that the book itself isn't a good read.


If I had to suggest other books to put onto this list I would say possibly:
Eigil's Saga
Odyssey over the Illiad (I'm about halfway through the latter, and I never knew that they could make a war story so boring...)
Possibly Snow Crash by Neil Stephenson and/or Magician by Raymond E. Feist
I've only read fully one play by Shakespeare, Macbeth, but I would be willing to put that on there because Shakespeare should be mentioned in such a list.

[Brainster]

That really reads more like a list of books you should read while in high school.

[Ian Osborne]

Atlas Shrugged? That's top of my list of books I must die before I can read.

[Wildy]

That really reads more like a list of books you should read while in high school.

Actually such a list would probably include Twilight.

[ZirconBlue]

I came across this list of "10 books to read before you die" at the AOL shop.

http://shopping.aol.com/books/best-sellers

1. Holy Bible
2. Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
3. The Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkien
4. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by JK Rowling
5. The Stand by Stephen King
6. The DaVinci Code by Dan Brown
7. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
8. Angels and Demons by Dan Brown
9. Atlas Shrugged by Ann Rand
10. The Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger

If this had been under the heading "Summer Reading List" I probably wouldn't be as appalled as I am with its actual title.

I read one Dan Brown book and find it hard to believe that I must read another before I die, especially considering how much I disliked the first one I read.


Maybe it's ten books they want an editor to read, since most of them seem to have skipped that step in the publishing cycle.

[Brainster]

Ah, mystery solved. I noticed that there were 11 pages on that list, so I clicked on the last:

This list is based on the results of a Harris Poll that asked 2,413 U.S. adults to name their favorite books. Let us know what you think, do you agree with the list? What's missing?

So it's really a list of the ten most commonly known books.

[ZirconBlue]

1. Holy Bible - I've read parts, but even the Cliff's Notes are boring nonsense

2. Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell - Not bad. Needed an editor to pare it down some.

3. The Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkien - While highly influential and a good World Building exercise, I found it pretty tedius. Maybe a good editor could've helped.

4. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by JK Rowling - Haven't read it, although I've seen the first 4 movies.

5. The Stand by Stephen King - I read the "expanded & revised" version, and liked it a great deal. I think it probably should've been pared down a bit, but from what I understand, the version that was originally published cut too deep.

6. The DaVinci Code by Dan Brown - Needed an editor to say things like "no", and "this is dumb", and "Enough with the anagrams. Seriously."

7. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee - I haven't read it since High School. I remember it being a little slow, but that's probably mostly to do with it being required reading, and in comparison to the movie, which ends a lot sooner than the book.

8. Angels and Demons by Dan Brown - Really? Two Dan Brown books in a list of 10?

9. Atlas Shrugged by Ann Rand - I actually liked it, but it was in serious need of an editor. It's probably twice the length it needs to be, and when it comes to 60+ page monologues, one is too many.

10. The Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger - Haven't read it. Other than being "a classic", I've not heard any compelling reasons I should read it.

[ZirconBlue]

So it's really a list of the ten most commonly known books.

Notice that most of them have been made into well-known movies. I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of the respondents have not even read the books they voted for.

[Rasmus]

So it's really a list of the ten most commonly known books.

Not even that.

I can understand why a lot of people would recommend part 7 of Harry Potter as their favourite. But I would assume that all of these people would also know of part one, whereas a lot more people might know only of Harry Potter, or its first part specifically and not have heard of part 7 at all.

My favourite books are written by Douglas Adams and Terry Pratchett. (I read about one Pratchett book per week on my daily commute to work. Then I pick up another, recycling them over and over again.) I would not include any of their work on either list for most important books, most well known books or must-read-books.

[Ashles]

That list is ridiculous, with some omissions that are unforgivable.

what about

Digital Fortress by Dan Brown
Deception Point by Dan Brown
or
The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown

How can those possibly not be on the list?

[Prometheus]

<snip>

How incredibly dumb! What good would it do me if the one book I read was the last in a series of seven?

<snip>

It would confirm that you were correct to skip the first six books, wouldn't it?

[Blackadder]

In no particular order:

Catch 22 by Jospeh Heller
Hot Money by Dick Francis
The Stand by Stephen King
The Hobbit by JRR Tolkien
Guards! Guards! by Terry Pratchett
Die Blechtrommel by Gunter Grass (the tin drum)
Der Prozess by Franz Kafka (The Trial)
De Avonden by Gerard Reve (the evenings)
I Claudius, by Robert Graves
The Wind in the Willows, By Kenneth Grahame

[ZirconBlue]

You know, we might be overthinking the list. It's "10 books to read before you die", not "the only 10 books to read before you die", or "The 10 best books to read before you die, or even "The 10 most important books to read before you die. Maybe it's meant to be a list of "10 books you might consider reading sometime before you die. If you get around to it. No pressure."

[Prometheus]

You know, we might be overthinking the list. It's "10 books to read before you die", not "the only 10 books to read before you die", or "The 10 best books to read before you die, or even "The 10 most important books to read before you die. Maybe it's meant to be a list of "10 books you might consider reading sometime before you die. If you get around to it. No pressure."

OTOH it could be a threat: "You're about to die, now read these 10 books."

[rsaavedra]

How about asking here on the forums for recommendations on the top 10 books everyone should read. That would be interesting.

[Ian Osborne]

OTOH it could be a threat: "You're about to die, now read these 10 books."

The Encyclopaedia Britannica, War and Peace, Mission Earth - keep this up and we'll outlive our tormentors.

[ugot2bekidding]

Ah, mystery solved. I noticed that there were 11 pages on that list, so I clicked on the last:
Quote:
This list is based on the results of a Harris Poll that asked 2,413 U.S. adults to name their favorite books. Let us know what you think, do you agree with the list? What's missing?

So it's really a list of the ten most commonly known books.

Well that explains it then.

Although, I am a big fan of a few that were listed.
-LOTR (and Tolkien in general) is my favorite all-time read.
- I have read 5-6 King books, and The Stand was, by far, the best.
- Catcher In The Rye was awesome.

[Red3]

OTOH it could be a threat: "You're about to die, now read these 10 books."

There's a NWO plot in there somewhere...It's clearly a list of "monitored literature" ;) :D

We all know about the Catcher in The Rye.

[fuelair]

I came across this list of "10 books to read before you die" at the AOL shop.

http://shopping.aol.com/books/best-sellers

1. Holy Bible
2. Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
3. The Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkien
4. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by JK Rowling
5. The Stand by Stephen King
6. The DaVinci Code by Dan Brown
7. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
8. Angels and Demons by Dan Brown
9. Atlas Shrugged by Ann Rand
10. The Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger

If this had been under the heading "Summer Reading List" I probably wouldn't be as appalled as I am with its actual title.

I read one Dan Brown book and find it hard to believe that I must read another before I die, especially considering how much I disliked the first one I read.

That list is truly pathetic- at most, Salinger and Lee. And I enjoyed 3-5, but they aren't must reads for pretty much anyone.

[fuelair]

Culturally important, yes. But since most people that give it its importance haven't read it fully I feel one could easily get away without doing that. Also, there are a few places where the bible is not culturally as important as it is where I happen to be.

I haven't read it.

I did enjoy reading it. Very much. One of the first books I read in English, too, so in that aspect it did actually shape and enrich my life. Other than that, though, my life would not be poorer or void of meaning if I had not read it.

How incredibly dumb! What good would it do me if the one book I read was the last in a series of seven?

I haven't read it.

:faint:

I haven't read it.

:faint:

Seriously - it's not even the good type of airport literature! Why, why, why on earth should I waste my valuable time on this to get it done and over with before I die?

Suppose I'd find myself locked up in an airtight library with my oxygen slowly running out. I have a few hours to live and all I can do is pick up a book and read. Why on earth should I pick any of Dan Brown's works? (Well, yes, I would fall asleep before the symptoms of suffocation set in and it might be the more merciful death, but other than that ...)

I haven't read either of these.

Oh, I've read them. But then, I was incredibly bored at the time and had little choice of what to pick. I admit that I enjoyed reading them (but I enuoy reading. I will read the ingredients list of a bottle of water if the ingredients are "water", and I would enjoy reading that, too.) but I would never go so far as to suggest that this is in any way, shape or form a "must read" piece of literature..
I understand that about reading anything when bored - cereal boxes, sugar packets.......... I need information coming in !!!

[DOC]

1) The Bible (especially the New Testament)

2) "I Don't Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist" by Norman Geisler and Frank Turek.

3) "The 100 - The 100 most influential people in History"

4) "Examine the Evidence" Ralph Muncaster

5) Systematic Theology (Volume 1) Norman Geisler

6) Fight Club (mostly for laughs) Didn't like the movie though.

7)"100 People who are Screwing up America"

8)"Defrauding America" by Rodney Stich

9)"Godless : The Church of Liberalism"

10)"Cultural Warrior"

[Marduk]

Ah, mystery solved. I noticed that there were 11 pages on that list, so I clicked on the last:



So it's really a list of the ten most commonly known books.

that sounds like a marketing ploy to me, I would suggest that these ten books are the ones taking up the most shelf space in the AOL warehouse and have been selected for that reason alone and not any other

watch the list change next week when they fail to sell all 100 million copies of Michael Jacksons autobiography within their marketing department directed time limit

[Red3]

Deleted: Too drunk. Monday is my friday!

[ParrotPirate]

Grapes of Wrath,John Steinbeck. East of Eden,John Steinbeck. Both great. For Whom the Bell Tolls,Ernest Hemingway.

[orpheus]

Interesting thought experiment. Here are mine, in no particular order:

1. "Ulysses" by James Joyce

2. "Finnegans Wake" by James Joyce

3. "Three Novels: Molloy, Malone Dies, The Unnamable" by Samuel Beckett

4. "Le Grand Meaulnes" by Alain- Fournier

5. "Kleinzeit" by Russell Hoban

6. "The Death of Virgil" by Hermann Broch

7. "War and Peace" by Leo Tolstoy

8. "À la Recherche du Temps Perdu" by Marcel Proust

9. "Invisible Cities" by Italo Calvino

10. "Collected Poems" by Dylan Thomas

[Lucian]

I seem to recall Lord of the Rings being three books, so, strictly speaking, that top ten list includes twelve books.

[orpheus]

I seem to recall Lord of the Rings being three books, so, strictly speaking, that top ten list includes twelve books.

Hmm. On the other hand, #3 on my list (Beckett's "Three Novels") is published as one volume. So I'm counting that as one book.

[ugot2bekidding]

I seem to recall Lord of the Rings being three books, so, strictly speaking, that top ten list includes twelve books.

Releasing them as three books was the decision of the publisher, however.

[alfaniner]

"Go Dog, Go".

Not much on plot, but lots of action.

[Fat Bottom Gurl]

See Dick Run (alternative title Run Spot Run).

[Retrograde]

My turn:

1. Holy Bible

Theist or not, important to the understanding of Western civilization and its development, so IMHO one should understand what it is, where it came from, and what's in it. It does have long dry stretches, and plenty of contradictions. And whose Bible anyway? The canonical Protestant one? The canonical Catholic one? All the apocrypha?

2. Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell

I think it's underregarded because of the subject matter, and having a strong (some would say bitchy) heroine leads many to dis it as chick lit, but it's a good story decently told. While strongly pro-Southern, the book doesn't whitewash slavery to the extent the movie does.

3. The Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkien

Without this book there would be no modern fantasy as we know it. A definite seminal work for the 2nd half of the 20th century

4. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by JK Rowling

When Rowling submitted the manuscript her editors should have told her no, you can't add a whole new set of plot coupons in the last book of the series, and no, this isn't supposed to be a guide to camping in Great Britain. Some good scenes, but on the whole is weakly plotted and rambling. I think Rowling's books are enjoyable children's fare, and that the later ones suffer from her sudden worldwide popularity (i.e., scaring the editors). I enjoy them, but they're not even in my top 100 or 500


5. The Stand by Stephen King

I gave up on King by this time due to runaway verbiage (see Rowling above), but his shorter fiction from this period is truly scary. And I used to read Lovecraft at bedtime.

6. The DaVinci Code by Dan Brown

You're kidding, right? I listened to the recorded books version, which made it only slightly harder to solve the anagrams.

7. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

It's going on 40 years since I read this. It would be interesting to see how it holds up, especially after seeing the two recent films about Capote.

8. Angels and Demons by Dan Brown

OK, this is a joke. Right? Right??

9. Atlas Shrugged by Ann Rand

I read it, but my excuse is I was 16 and everybody else was reading it (no, I didn't jump off any bridges).

10. The Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger

See "To Kill a Mockingbird"

[Brainster]

My faves, not in any particular order:

The Count of Monte Cristo
Crime and Punishment
Men Against the Sea (sequel to Mutiny on the Bounty, about the voyage of Captain Bligh and his crew after being cast adrift in the longboat).
Treasure Island (yeah, it's a kids book, but I always enjoy reading it again)
Les Miserables
Gone with the Wind
The Moon is a Harsh Mistress
Dune

Some of those are of course from my teenage "I'm going to read all the classics of Western literature" phase and so they may have meant more to the teenage Brainster than they would if I read them today.

Non-fiction:

The True Believer, by Eric Hoffer
The Good Life and Its Discontents by Robert Samuelson

[Red3]

Has anyone mentioned Catch 22?

[AgeGap]

Has anyone mentioned Catch 22?
Yup
In no particular order:

Catch 22 by Jospeh Heller
Hot Money by Dick Francis
The Stand by Stephen King
The Hobbit by JRR Tolkien
Guards! Guards! by Terry Pratchett
Die Blechtrommel by Gunter Grass (the tin drum)
Der Prozess by Franz Kafka (The Trial)
De Avonden by Gerard Reve (the evenings)
I Claudius, by Robert Graves
The Wind in the Willows, By Kenneth Grahame

Derren Brown's Tricks of the Mind

[ZirconBlue]

OTOH it could be a threat: "You're about to die, now read these 10 books."

Top 10 Books to Read Before You Die, Mr. Bond!

[CJW]

I came across this list of "10 books to read before you die" at the AOL shop.

http://shopping.aol.com/books/best-sellers

1. Holy Bible
2. Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
3. The Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkien
4. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by JK Rowling
5. The Stand by Stephen King
6. The DaVinci Code by Dan Brown
7. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
8. Angels and Demons by Dan Brown
9. Atlas Shrugged by Ann Rand
10. The Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger

If this had been under the heading "Summer Reading List" I probably wouldn't be as appalled as I am with its actual title.

I read one Dan Brown book and find it hard to believe that I must read another before I die, especially considering how much I disliked the first one I read.

At least the kept all titles within the Fiction category. But god, what an awful list. 2 Dan Brown books are two too many. Props for the Stand! Where's Steinbeck? John Irving? Freekin Hemmingway?

Chris

[NorfolkAtheist]

1) The Bible (especially the New Testament)

2) "I Don't Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist" by Norman Geisler and Frank Turek.

3) "The 100 - The 100 most influential people in History"

4) "Examine the Evidence" Ralph Muncaster

5) Systematic Theology (Volume 1) Norman Geisler

6) Fight Club (mostly for laughs) Didn't like the movie though.

7)"100 People who are Screwing up America"

8)"Defrauding America" by Rodney Stich

9)"Godless : The Church of Liberalism"

10)"Cultural Warrior"

Damn. You managed to come up with an even worse list than the one that inspired this thread! Excellent work.

Based on your other selections, I assume your number 10 is Bill O'Reilly's "Culture Warrior", right?

[Patsy]

Two Dan Brown books, but not a single Dickens? What kind of rubbish list is that?

[Magenta]

Two Dan Brown books, but not a single Dickens? What kind of rubbish list is that?


My WTF?! moment came with the Holy Babble at #1... :boggled:

[fuelair]

See Dick Run (alternative title Run Spot Run).A VD pamphlet. I assume.

[Fat Bottom Gurl]

A VD pamphlet. I assume.

You should know, I assume. ;-)

[fuelair]

No, just a guess - I grew up with the Tom and family readers rather than the Dick and Jane.:)

[fuelair]

http://everything2.com/title/More%2520Fun%2520with%2520Dick%2520and%2520Jane


Eventually, Dick married Tom's sister Susan (see middle of item above), and Jane is a divorcee (or was in '86). :)

[Greg_in_CO]

Ayn Rand. meh. Best contribution she had was the inspiration behind some of Steve Ditko's work (The Question, Mr. A) and BioShock.

[BobTheDonkey]

OTOH it could be a threat: "You're about to die, now read these 10 books."

Or it could be: "Read these 10 books if you wish to die"

[Prometheus]

When you really think about it, don't you have to read any book before you die, if you want to read it at all?

[Roma]

Peter Ustinov's book called "Dear Me",

I've taken it with me every time I have to go somewhere that know I will be waiting a long time. I've started it over several times because I just love the way it begins and have never found myself more than half way through before I have to put it away again.

Some day before I die I may have to wait such a long long time that I will finally finish it. Then I will read it again because it is so wonderful.