Ed’s Comments (group member since Dec 02, 2012)

Ed’s comments from the Classics Without All the Class group.

Great job Part...you really made it difficult.

Robin wrote: "I really liked it and didn't want to put it down when I started reading it :)"

Yes..I felt the same way. I'm always amazed that such a wonderful book escaped my attention for so long.

Congrats Robin! How did you like Their Eyes Were Watching God?

Congrats Valerie!!! and Go Robin!

George wrote: "good job Ed! I've read six of the books in your list I'm planning to start Gorky's mother in January for next years list- how did you like it? I see you read Middlemarch- that was a long one wasn't..."

Thanks George.
As for Mother.... I think I appreciate it more in retrospect than I did at the time. It seems a bit simplistic. Its really more of a polemic than a novel.
As for Middlemarch.... yes very long...but I enjoyed it very much.

I did it! Finished this morning.

A – Alexandre Dumas- "Queen Margot*
B – Benson, E.F.- "The Worshipful Lucia"
C – Costain, Thomas- "The Tontine"
D – Dos Passos, John- "1919"**
E – Edwidge Danticat - "Krik? Krak!"
F – F. Scott Fitzgerald - "The Great Gatsby"*
G – George Eliot- "Middlemarch"*
H – Henry James - "The Turn of the Screw"
I – Ibbotson, Eva- "Journey to the River Sea"
J – John Cleland- "Fanny Hill"*
K – Kazuo Ishiguro- "Remains of the Day "*
L – Laura Esquivel - "Like Water for Chocolate"*
M – Mahfouz, Naguib- The Thief and the Dogs
N – Nieh, Hualing - "Mulberry and Peach: Two Women of China"
O – O'Brien, Flann- "At Swim-Two-Birds"*
P – Phillips, Caryl- A State of Independence
Q – MarQuez, Gabriel Garcia - "Love in the Time of Cholera"*
R – Ron Arias- "The Road to Tamazunchale'
S – Samuel Delaney- "The Einstein Intersection"
T – Turgenev, Ivan- "One the Eve"*
U – Updike, John - "Rabbit, Run"*
V – V.S. Naipaul- "A Bend in the River"*
W – Wolf, Christa - "The Quest for Christa T."
X – MaXim Gorky- "Mother"*
Y – Yusuf Idris - Cheapest Nights
Z – Zora Neal Hurston - Their Eyes Are Watching God*

* on the 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die List
** the second part of the trilogy USA which is on the 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die List

George wrote: "I've read 2 Updike novels also. They say his style was innovative at the time. I probably won't read any more Updike either."

Hmmmm, I read Rabbit Run recently and reading Rabbit Redux now. I wouldn't say that he is one of my favorite writers...but I do find him easy and enjoyable to read.
I can see how he was probably innovative for the 60's and 70's.

Different strokes for different folks.

George wrote: "I'm not going to quite complete all 26 of the Classic author Challenge this year but plan to do so next year, so I have a question on the rules-
Can I start a book in December, and finish it next ..."

I don't think that question has ever come up before for this challenge...but my Reading with Style group lets you read one book less than 50% before the challenge begins.

Just one more to go...will be reading Yusuf Idris's "Cheapest Nights" for my "Y".

A – Alexandre Dumas- "Queen Margot*
B – Benson, E.F.- "The Worshipful Lucia"
C – Costain, Thomas- "The Tontine"
D – Dos Passos, John- "1919"**
E – Edwidge Danticat - "Krik? Krak!"
F – F. Scott Fitzgerald - "The Great Gatsby"*
G – George Eliot- "Middlemarch"*
H – Henry James - "The Turn of the Screw"
I – Ibbotson, Eva- "Journey to the River Sea"
J – John Cleland- "Fanny Hill"*
K – Kazuo Ishiguro- "Remains of the Day "*
L – Laura Esquivel - "Like Water for Chocolate"*
M – Mahfouz, Naguib- The Thief and the Dogs
N – Nieh, Hualing - "Mulberry and Peach: Two Women of China"
O – O'Brien, Flann- "At Swim-Two-Birds"*
P – Phillips, Caryl- A State of Independence
Q – MarQuez, Gabriel Garcia - "Love in the Time of Cholera"*
R – Ron Arias- "The Road to Tamazunchale'
S – Samuel Delaney- "The Einstein Intersection"
T – Turgenev, Ivan- "One the Eve"*
U – Updike, John - "Rabbit, Run"*
V – V.S. Naipaul- "A Bend in the River"*
W – Wolf, Christa - "The Quest for Christa T."
X – MaXim Gorky- "Mother"*
Y –
Z – Zora Neal Hurston - Their Eyes Are Watching God*

* on the 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die List
** the second part of the trilogy USA which is on the 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die List

wow...that's great James.... quite an accomplishment!

James wrote: "Here is the updated list. Please tell me if anyone spots any more mistakes.

A. Margaret Atwood The Blind Assissin
B. Barry López Lessons From the Wolverine
C. Joseph Conrad Heart of Darkness
D. Da..."

James... is this your plan or your completed books?

James wrote: "A. Margaret Atwood The Blind Assissin
B. Barry López Lessons From the Wolverine
C. Joseph Conrad Heart of Darkness
D. Charles Darwin The Origin of Species
E. Eoin Colfer Artemis Fowl
F. Frank Herbe..."

Good job James...except Fyodor Dotoyevsky doesn't qualify for the letter "y"

A little more progress-
24/26

A – Alexandre Dumas- "Queen Margot*
B – Benson, E.F.- "The Worshipful Lucia"
C – Costain, Thomas- "The Tontine"
D – Dos Passos, John- "1919"**
E – Edwidge Danticat - "Krik? Krak!"
F – F. Scott Fitzgerald - "The Great Gatsby"*
G – George Eliot- "Middlemarch"*
H – Henry James - "The Turn of the Screw"
I – Ibbotson, Eva- "Journey to the River Sea"
J – John Cleland- "Fanny Hill"*
K – Kazuo Ishiguro- "Remains of the Day "*
L – Laura Esquivel - "Like Water for Chocolate"*
M – Mahfouz, Naguib- The Thief and the Dogs
N – Nieh, Hualing - "Mulberry and Peach: Two Women of China"
O – O'Brien, Flann- "At Swim-Two-Birds"*
P – Phillips, Caryl- A State of Independence
Q – MarQuez, Gabriel Garcia - "Love in the Time of Cholera"*
R – Ron Arias- "The Road to Tamazunchale'
S – Samuel Delaney- "The Einstein Intersection"
T – Turgenev, Ivan- "One the Eve"*
U – Updike, John - "Rabbit, Run"*
V – V.S. Naipaul- "A Bend in the River"*
W – Wolf, Christa - "The Quest for Christa T."
X – MaXim Gorky- "Mother"*
Y –
Z –

* on the 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die List
** the second part of the trilogy USA which is on the 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die List

My progress so far
22/26


A – Alexandre Dumas- "Queen Margot*
B – Benson, E.F.- "The Worshipful Lucia"
C – Costain, Thomas- "The Tontine"
D – Dos Passos, John- "1919"**
E – Edwidge Danticat - "Krik? Krak!"
F – F. Scott Fitzgerald - "The Great Gatsby"*
G – George Eliot- "Middlemarch"*
H – Henry James - "The Turn of the Screw"
I – Ibbotson, Eva- "Journey to the River Sea"
J – John Cleland- "Fanny Hill"*
K – Kazuo Ishiguro- "Remains of the Day "*
L – Laura Esquivel - "Like Water for Chocolate"*
M – Mahfouz, Naguib- The Thief and the Dogs
N –
O – O'Brien, Flann- "At Swim-Two-Birds"*
P – Phillips, Caryl- A State of Independence
Q – MarQuez, Gabriel Garcia - "Love in the Time of Cholera"*
R –
S – Samuel Delaney- "The Einstein Intersection"
T – Turgenev, Ivan- "One the Eve"*
U – Updike, John - "Rabbit, Run"*
V – V.S. Naipaul- "A Bend in the River"*
W – Wolf, Christa - "The Quest for Christa T."
X – MaXim Gorky- "Mother"*
Y –
Z –
* on the 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die List
** the second part of the trilogy USA which is on the 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die List

I haven't read any of those others yet. The Joy Luck Club is one that I mentally classified in the same place that I had Like Water for Chocolate. So, good to lnow there is hope there.
One of the books I read recently that isn't on the list but I read for my Reading with Style Book Club challenge was The Book of Salt. I had no idea what I was about to read. (I needed a book set in Paris and found it on a list.) It was excellent and very poetic.... and since I had just started The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas for another category in that challenge, what a surprise to find that it almost acts as a sequel- telling the story of a Vietnamese cook who worked for Gertrude Stein and Alice after the years covered by the "Autobiography".

I was disappointed by White Teeth too.... but didn't find it awful...just average. But I've been reading so many clunkers lately that even average books are bound to be more appreciated.

Tanya.... I was very surprised by Water for Chocolate. I would never have read it but for the fact that it is on the 1001 Books You Must Read list. I expected a very sappy book with recipes. Instead, it was very clever and a pleasure to read. I'm currently reading another book on the list, The Quest for Christa T..... what a dud! Forcing myself to finish it.

My progress so far
18/26
Before 2005

A – Alexandre Dumas- "Queen Margot*
B – Benson, E.F.- "The Worshipful Lucia"
C – Costain, Thomas- "The Tontine"
D – Dos Passos, John- "1919"**
E – Edwidge Danticat - "Krik? Krak!"
F –
G – George Eliot- "Middlemarch"*
H –
I – Ibbotson, Eva- "Journey to the River Sea"
J – John Cleland- "Fanny Hill"*
K – Kazuo Ishiguro- "Remains of the Day "*
L – Laura Esquivel - "Like Water for Chocolate"*
M – Mahfouz, Naguib- The Thief and the Dogs
N –
O – O'Brien, Flann- "At Swim-Two-Birds"*
P – Phillips, Caryl- A State of Independence
Q – MarQuez, Gabriel Garcia - "Love in the Time of Cholera"*
R –
S – Samuel Delaney- "The Einstein Intersection"
T – Turgenev, Ivan- "One the Eve"*
U –
V – V.S. Naipaul- "A Bend in the River"*
W –
X – MaXim Gorky- "Mother"*
Y –
Z –


* on the 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die List
** the second part of the trilogy USA which is on the 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die List

great job Tanya!

My progress so far
15/26

A – Alexandre Dumas- "Queen Margot*
B – Benson, E.F.- "The Worshipful Lucia"
C – Costain, Thomas- "The Tontine"
D – Dos Passos, John- "1919"**
E –
F –
G – George Eliot- "Middlemarch"*
H –
I – Ibbotson, Eva- "Journey to the River Sea"
J – John Cleland- "Fanny Hill"*
K – Kazuo Ishiguro- "Remains of the Day "*
L –
M – Mahfouz, Naguib- The Thief and the Dogs
N –
O – O'Brien, Flann- "At Swim-Two-Birds"*
P – Phillips, Caryl- A State of Independence
Q – MarQuez, Gabriel Garcia - "Love in the Time of Cholera"*
R –
S –
T – Turgenev, Ivan- "One the Eve"*
U –
V – V.S. Naipaul- "A Bend in the River"*
W –
X – MaXim Gorky- "Mother"*
Y –
Z –


* on the 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die List
** the second part of the trilogy USA which is on the 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die List