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The Alternative 278 Books You Should Have Read by Now

This is what Everything2's web contributor "18thCandidate" posted in response to Harold Bloom's list of 278 potentially canonical works of 20th century American literature (click on the link below to challenge yourself with Bloom's list).
"The list by Harold Bloom ... is perhaps the most pretentious and self-absorbed list of its kind that I've ever seen. While most of the books in it are good, to call it a list of books you should have read by now and include six titles by John Ashbery smacks of a world of self-absorbed cultural irrelevance. These aren't 278 books you should have read by now, these are 278 books that a pretentious literary twat should have read by now."
Do you prefer 18thCandidate's alternative version of "278 Books You Should Have Read By Now"? The source article, with justifications, is available at "https://everything2.com/title/278+Books+You+Should+Have+Read+By+Now".
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from listchallenges.com · made by Markd9528
avg. score: 48 of 278 (17%)
required scores: 1, 21, 36, 50, 72 

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1984 (George Orwell)
1984
1
George Orwell
41 Stories by O. Henry (O. Henry)
41 Stories by O. Henry
2
O. Henry
Accidental Death of an Anarchist (Dario Fo)
Accidental Death of an Anarchist
3
Dario Fo
The Acts of the Apostles (.)
The Acts of the Apostles
4
.
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (Mark Twain)
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
5
Mark Twain
The Aeneid (Virgil)
The Aeneid
6
Virgil
Aesop's Fables (Aesop)
Aesop's Fables
7
Aesop
The Age of Innocence (Edith Wharton)
The Age of Innocence
8
Edith Wharton
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (Lewis Carroll)
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
9
Lewis Carroll
All the King's Men (Robert Penn Warren)
All the King's Men
10
Robert Penn Warren
All Quiet on the Western Front (Erich Maria Remarque)
All Quiet on the Western Front
11
Erich Maria Remarque
The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay (Michael Chabon)
The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay
12
Michael Chabon
American Gods (Neil Gaiman)
American Gods
13
Neil Gaiman
American Psycho (Bret Easton Ellis)
American Psycho
14
Bret Easton Ellis
An American Tragedy (Theodore Dreiser)
An American Tragedy
15
Theodore Dreiser
The Analects (Confucius)
The Analects
16
Confucius
Angela's Ashes (Frank McCourt)
Angela's Ashes
17
Frank McCourt
Anna Karenina (Leo Tolstoy)
Anna Karenina
18
Leo Tolstoy
The Awakening (Kate Chopin)
The Awakening
19
Kate Chopin
Bang the Drum Slowly (Mark Harris)
Bang the Drum Slowly
20
Mark Harris
The Basketball Diaries (Jim Carroll)
The Basketball Diaries
21
Jim Carroll
Battle Royale (Koushun Tatami)
Battle Royale
22
Koushun Tatami
The Bell Jar (Sylvia Plath)
The Bell Jar
23
Sylvia Plath
Beloved (Toni Morrison)
Beloved
24
Toni Morrison
The Bible (Anonymous)
The Bible
25
Anonymous
Blankets (Craig Thompson)
Blankets
26
Craig Thompson
The Blind Watchmaker (Richard Dawkins/KENYA/UK)
The Blind Watchmaker
27
Richard Dawkins/KENYA/UK
The Border Trilogy (Cormac McCarthy)
The Border Trilogy
28
Cormac McCarthy
Brave New World (Aldous Huxley)
Brave New World
29
Aldous Huxley
Brideshead Revisited (Evelyn Waugh)
Brideshead Revisited
30
Evelyn Waugh
The Bridge of San Luis Rey (Thornton Wilder)
The Bridge of San Luis Rey
31
Thornton Wilder
A Brief History of Time (Stephen Hawking)
A Brief History of Time
32
Stephen Hawking
The Brothers Karamazov (Fyodor Dostoevsky)
The Brothers Karamazov
33
Fyodor Dostoevsky
Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee (Dee Brown)
Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee
34
Dee Brown
The Call of the Wild (Jack London)
The Call of the Wild
35
Jack London
Candide (Voltaire)
Candide
36
Voltaire
A Canticle for Leibowitz (Walter M. Miller, Jr.)
A Canticle for Leibowitz
37
Walter M. Miller, Jr.
Catch-22 (Joseph Heller)
Catch-22
38
Joseph Heller
The Catcher in the Rye (J.D. Salinger)
The Catcher in the Rye
39
J.D. Salinger
Charlotte's Web (E.B. White)
Charlotte's Web
40
E.B. White
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