Great, or overrated?

I was reading this rather intriguing article last night, prompted by a tweet from John McCullough (you could be forgiven for thinking that John's tweets are becoming the sole source for posts on here). I tend to agree with Elif Batuman says there - that the right book has to reach you at the right time. Sometimes, you'll go back to a book that had previously left you cold and wonder what on earth it was you hadn't liked about it, rather in the same way that I have no idea at all why I disliked tomatoes as a child, when these days I find it nearly impossible to get through a meal that doesn't contain them.

It's set me thinking which books I'd choose for this sort of article. I've got a couple in mind (one novel, and one poetry collection), but I want to have another look at them over the next few days and see if my opinion has changed at all since the last time I tried to read them.

In the meantime, I'd love to hear your suggestions - 'classics' or canonical books that made you wonder what all the fuss was about...

Of the moment

A post on John McCullough's Facebook page led me back to this Auden poem - Mark McGuinness also has some interesting things to say about it here. Well, it was either that or The Wasteland, and you need to keep something in reserve in times like these.