I was in Barnes and Noble tonight and I was reminded of *The Book List.* While in university, me and my room-mates, namely Brent and Jack Collier, began a “book challenge.” The goal …. race to see who could read the top 100 novels first.
Here is the list which we were following. Several years later, I’ve made some progress, but I’ve got years of reading left … my count is about 34 … all the books in italics.

Favorite reads were A Prayer for Owen Meany, The picture of Dorian Gray, Anne of Green Gables (yes, I’ll admit it), and Fugitive Pieces.

Books that were as painful as chewing tin foil were Atlas Shrugged and Outlander. I wish I could have those hours back …

A Prayer for Owen Meany – John Irving
Fall on Your Knees – Anne Marie MacDonald
The Handmaid’s Tale – Margaret Atwood
Lord of the Rings – J.R.R Tolkien
Fifth Business Robertson Davies
The Catcher in the Rye – J.D Salinger
To Kill a Mockingbird Harper Lee
Anne of Green Gables L.M Montgomery
The English Patient Kichael Ondaatje
The Stone Angel Margaret Laurence
The Diviners Margaret Laurence
A Fine Balance Rohinton Mistry
The Grapes of Wrath John Steinbeck
Catch-22 Joseph Heller
One Hundred Years of Solitude Gabriel Carcia
Gone With the Wind Margaret Mitchell
The Great Gatsby F. Scott Fitzgerald
Ulysses James Joyce
Not Wanted on the Voyage Timothy Findley
Outlander Diana Gabaldon
The Foutainhead Ayn Fand
Alias Grace Margaret Atwood
Shogun James Clavell
Fugitive Pieces Carol Shields
The Stone Diaries Carol Shields
Jane Eyre Charlotte Bronte
Possession A.S Byatt
The Stand Stephen King
1984 George Orwell
Atlas Shrugged Ayn Rand
Midnight’s Children Salman Rushdie
The Edible Woman Margaret Atwood
Pride and Prejudice Jane Austin
The Pillars of the Earth Ken Follet
The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz Mordecal Richier
Wuthering Heights Emily Bronte
The Piano man’s Daughter Timothy Findley
Les Miserables Victor Hugo
Brave New World Aldous Huxley
Angela’s Ashes Frank McCourt
Beloved Toni Morrison
In the Skin of a Lion Michael Ondaatje
The Hobbit J.R.R Tokien
Cat’s Eye Margaret Atwood
The Robber Bride Margaret Atwood
Emma Jane Austin
Beach Music Pat Conroy
The Wars Timothy Findley
Snow Falling on Cedars David Guterson
The World According to Garp John Irving
She’s Come Undone Wally Lamb
A year in Provence Peter Mayle
Who Has Seen the Wind W.O Mitchell
Slaughterhouse 5 Kurt Vonegut
The Temptations of Big Bear Rudy Wiebe
Generation X Douglas Coupland
Great Expectations Charles Dickens
The Count of Monte Cristo Alexandre Dumas
Lord of the Flies William Golding
A Room with a View E.M Forster
Tess of D’Ubervilles Thomas Hardy
Tropic of Cancer Henry Miller
Roots Alex Haley
Hannibal Thomas Harris
The Old Man and the Sea Ernest Hemmingway
Dune Frank Herbert
Stephenwolf Herman Hesse
Of Human Bondage W. S. Maugham
The Razor’s Edge W. S. Maugham
Animal Farm George Orwell
Gravity’s Rainbow Thomas Pynchon
The Celestine Prophecy James Redfield
Barney’s Version Mordecal Richier
The Pilot’s Wife Anita Shreve
Trinity Leon Uris
The Under Painter Jane Urquhart
The Once and Future King T.H. White
Picture of Dorian Oscar Wilde
Flowers in the Attic V.C Andrews
Foundation and Earth Issac Asimov
Surfacing Margaret Atwood
Clan of the Cave Bear Jean Auel
Illusions Richard Bach
Tara Road Maeve Binchy
Summer Sisters Judy Bloom
A Woman of Substance Barbara Taylor Bradley
The Mountain and the Valley Ernest Buckler
The Master and Margarita Mikhail Bulgakov
A Time for Judas Morley Callaghan
The Artist’s Way Julia Cameron
Breakfast at Tiffany’s Turman Capote
Ender’s Game Orson Scott Card
The Hunt for Red October Tom Clancy
2001: A Space Odessey Arthur C. Clarke
Beautiful Losers Leonard Cohen
Microserfs Douglas Coupland
The Power of One Bryce Courtenay
The Deptlord Trilogy Robertson Davies
Captain Corelli’s Mandolin Louis de Bernieres
David Copperfield Charles Dickens