Sean’s Comments (group member since Jan 30, 2019)

Sean’s comments from the Boxall's 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die group.

The Garden Party and Other Stories
Labyrinths: Selected Stories & Other Writings
Everything That Rises Must Converge: Stories
Ficciones
El llano en llamas
The Things They Carried
The Book of Disquiet: The Complete Edition
Amok and Other Stories

The Handmaid's Tale put me at the 200 mark. Chip chip chipping away.

Update

R - Republic of Gilead - The Handmaid's Tale - 7/2/21

Started Everything That Rises Must Converge: Stories by Flannery O'Connor

This one has been at the top of my TBR list for a very long time. I finished it today and it did not disappoint.

The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood

Choke by Chuck Palahniuk. Disturbing. But somehow I liked it. But.... Disturbing.

I'm in two local book clubs, (btw I call this my online bookclub when I talk about what I'm reading for the group read... that's close enough right?) and this go-round both of my picks came up almost back to back. I just made everybody read The Blind Assassin Now I am making every body read The Handmaid's Tale. Two different book clubs so they won't be getting Margaret Atwood overload or anything...

In the order of how I started keeping track:

1. Listchallenges - I'm on my 2nd Listchallenges list. I started before the 2018 edition. So I abandoned the first list I began and had to start over when the list was updated. I'll have to do that again in February.
2. A spreadsheet I made from the Listchallenges list (to do this, go to the print tab and copy the list. Paste into Excel).
3. Goodreads 1001 books listopia list - Had to abandon after reaching 100 books due to the 100 vote limit.
4. Goodreads Bookshelf

Update

U - USA - Choke - 6/28/21

The only other DeLillo I have read was Mao II and I really didn't get it. I've labeled it for a reread.

I did like this one. It wasn't amazing. But it was intriguing. I thought it did a great job attempting to describe how somebody who might have been in Keith's situation may have felt. Totally disorientated at first. Kinda the way the structure of the story was very disorienting.

I do agree that the middle of the book was a little on the side of "why is this important?" But I really think there were some great nuggets in there. The part about God's name being on the tongue of the attackers and the victims. Made me close my eyes and think, "wow."

I also remember thinking that the first plane was an accident. Well no, I didn't think the first plane was an accident. But I do remember thinking after the second plane, "this is no accident". That actual thought of mine was reflected almost word for word in the book. That amazed me.

One thing i thought about the poker game: He chose to quit his job (did he even have a job to go back to?) and become a professional poker player. Poker is so much a game of chance. Does he feel that he's got a good chance at beating chance? Did chance help him survive? Chance not only got him out of the building, it led him to Florence. Is poker just a continuation of his survival using chance as his vehicle? Just thought it was interesting.

Overall I liked the style. I did struggle at times to figure out who was being referred to especially between Lianne and Florence. The apparently disassociated thoughts were intentional I am fairly certain. I liked it.

Falling Man. More on the group read thread.

Z- Zürich - Falling Man - 6/25/21

Thanks to Dina for using this one. That little part of the book might have just flew right past me had I not known.

Love it when somebody else picks a LIST book for bookclub. Today I started Choke by Chuck Palahniuk.

Update

X - Xanadu - The Blind Assassin - 6/22/21

Thanks to those of you who found this X setting so I didn't have to read one of the Chinese Classics.

I finished The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood. Took me a little while to get into it. But when things got flowing, I enjoyed it.

Ya, I'm a little late. But today I started Falling Man.

Just picked up Time Regained, the final volume of In Search of Lost Time.

In June, we will be discussing the beginning of Vol 3.


Book First - Paris Studied in its Atom
Book Second - The Great Bourgeois
Book Third - The Grandfather and the Grandson
Book Fourth - The Friends of the A B C

Just started The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood. I'm making my book club read it. :P

Welcome Ben. Well, you've done it now. You can't help but join in the discussions now that we all know your intentions.

I'm really looking forward to that one. I will look for your input. Hopefully I can get caught up by then as I have yet to even start Falling Man and have two book club readings to do also.... too many books, not enough time off....