This is a very specific question but... Stoner by John Williams is one of my favorite books. It was also more difficult for me to read than other books I typically pick up which are primarily sci-fi and NYT bestseller fiction books.
When I read the Wiki for Stoner years ago I saw this line, "Bryan Appleyard's review quotes critic D.G. Myers saying that the novel was a good book for beginners in the world of "serious literature"". I looked up D.G. Myers and to see if he had a list of serious literature or a twitter where I could ask about such a list only to find he passed away in 2014.
Does anyone know of such a list? Googling provides results but nothing... conclusive.
I was recommended Stoner by someone I respect.
"Lists" of serious literature are usually crap; either apple polishing bullshit, or political oriented nonsense. I've tried this sort of thing; even Adler related "Great Books" groups are hot garbage at this point. You need to find well read people worthy of respect.
I take well known lists (e.g. Gates') with a grain of salt, but cross referencing with personal recommendations has worked well. I ended up getting a copy of Stoner after it came up a few times in as many weeks, so it was handy last time I went on vacation.
I also usually search HN for threads like these when I'm looking for things to read. I'm fairly certain that's how I came across Seveneves.
When I read the Wiki for Stoner years ago I saw this line, "Bryan Appleyard's review quotes critic D.G. Myers saying that the novel was a good book for beginners in the world of "serious literature"". I looked up D.G. Myers and to see if he had a list of serious literature or a twitter where I could ask about such a list only to find he passed away in 2014.
Does anyone know of such a list? Googling provides results but nothing... conclusive.