Boxall's 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die discussion

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message 1801: by Kim (new)

Kim | 2 comments Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons.
Such a fun read. I gave it 4 stars.


message 1802: by Carol (new)

Carol | 104 comments Ellinor wrote: "I just finished Foundation. I was very disappointed especially because some people call this the best SF work ever written. It started ok, but then it just got worse and worse."

I totally agree, very disapointing


message 1803: by Katherine (new)

Katherine (katats) | 150 comments I just finished listening to Sabbath's Theater by Philip Roth. Recently I came across a list of significant characters from literature, and the lecherous Sabbath was included. I kind of agree, but also consider it appropriate that the book was only on the 2006 list. I'm happy to no longer be in his head.


message 1804: by Elizabeth (new)

Elizabeth | 29 comments The Birds Fall Down by Rebecca West. A bit hard to get through but definitely worthwhile. A history lesson on pre-Soviet Russia on the cusp of change. Tsars and counts, terrorists and double agents, class and privilege, women and men, Hegel and Marx, London and Paris and more. Loved it. The Birds Fall Down


message 1805: by Winter (new)

Winter (winter9) | 204 comments Persuasion and A Modest Proposal


message 1806: by Peter (new)

Peter | 443 comments Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? Sci-fi is not normally my thing but have to admit rather enjoying this one.


message 1807: by Kirsten (new)

Kirsten  (kmcripn) Peter wrote: "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? Sci-fi is not normally my thing but have to admit rather enjoying this one."

Philip K. Dick is not your average sci-fi author.


message 1809: by Diane (new)

Diane  | 2336 comments Mod
Just finished Chocky by John Wyndham. Enjoyable enough, but I don't feel that it should be a list book.


message 1810: by Winter (new)

Winter (winter9) | 204 comments If someone has not read A Modest Proposal, this is a list "book" you can finish in 15 minutes :)


message 1811: by Elizabeth (new)

Elizabeth | 29 comments Things Fall Apart I really enjoyed this book. I have read too many others about post colonial Africa. This one gave me some insight into life before the colonizers arrive.


message 1812: by Ellinor (new)

Ellinor (1001andmore) | 915 comments Mod
This weekend I finished Eclipse of the Crescent Moon. It was a quick read despite its length. I liked it even though I would have enjoyed it more if there weren't so many battle descriptions. They were well written but aren't really the kind of thing which will hold my interest for very long.


message 1813: by Nicola (last edited Apr 07, 2015 08:50AM) (new)

Nicola | 770 comments Drop City - A really enjoyable and interesting read about life in a Hippie Commune and the wilds of Alaska, two ways of living completely removed from anything I've ever experienced. Funny too if you have an appreciation of hypocrisy.

4 stars


message 1814: by Larissa (new)

Larissa Just reread Jane Eyre. I had forgotten just how much I completely adore it! Love Jane, love the weird Rochester, love the Gothic stuff, love how there are a dozen quotations that are totally tattoo-worthy:)


message 1815: by Elizabeth (Alaska) (new)

Elizabeth (Alaska) Finished The Portrait of a Lady yesterday, which I enjoyed. My review.


message 1816: by Nicola (new)

Nicola | 770 comments Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "Finished The Portrait of a Lady yesterday, which I enjoyed. My review."

I've read this and I know I liked it but I can't remember a single thing about it. Absolutely nothing.

So it's on the reread pile.


message 1817: by Elizabeth (Alaska) (new)

Elizabeth (Alaska) Nicola wrote: "Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "Finished The Portrait of a Lady yesterday, which I enjoyed. My review."

I've read this and I know I liked it but I can't remember a single thing about it. Ab..."


I toyed with giving it only 4 stars. I did like it, but it wouldn't make my fictitious top ten list. I think my ratings tend to the generous side.


message 1818: by Tyler (new)

Tyler | 207 comments Finished The Mayor of Casterbridge by Thomas Hardy just now. I liked it, but some parts were not really my thing.


message 1819: by Cynthia (new)

Cynthia (cynesthesia) | 8 comments Carol wrote: "Ellinor wrote: "I just finished Foundation. I was very disappointed especially because some people call this the best SF work ever written. It started ok, but then it just got worse an..."

Did you read only the first book or the whole Foundation Trilogy?

I agree Foundation is atrocious with interchangeable cardboard characters.

But I decided to give Asimov one more shot w/this trilogy. I was amazed that book 2 Foundation and Empire was very good and book 3 Second Foundation pretty good overall. Apparently he learned how to write better as he went along. I think it's one of those cases where the trilogy is best taken as a whole.


message 1820: by Diane (new)

Diane  | 2336 comments Mod
Finished one of the most under-read books today with A Day Off by Storm Jameson. It only had 16 ratings when I started it (now it is up to a whopping 17). Short and depressing account of a middle-aged woman struggling with aging, spinsterhood, and lack of money.


message 1821: by Tyler (new)

Tyler | 207 comments I just finished Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton. I like Wharton a lot and I enjoyed this novel. I've heard that some people don't like Ethan Frome and I can kind of see why because it is pretty depressing. Still a great story.


message 1822: by Linda (new)

Linda | 275 comments I finished reading House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski a week ago, but I haven't actually finished trying to figure it all out. And I haven't rated it yet because my feelings for it are all over the place. Some of it I loved, and some of it I hated and thought was totally unnecessary, so I'm probably leaning towards a middle of the road 3 star rating. I can say, though, that the book was completely different from what I was expecting.


message 1823: by Nicola (new)

Nicola | 770 comments Steppenwolf - This was so much better than I expected. A little off the wall but not too difficult to follow and interesting in spite of the fact that I'm really not that keen of philosophy.

3 stars


message 1824: by Karina (new)

Karina | 401 comments Just finished re-reading the Lord of the Rings about two weeks ago. Now I can read Tolkiens other stuff.


message 1825: by Alice (new)

Alice Rose (alicerose90) | 14 comments I finished The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. Been one of my favourite books so far this year!


message 1826: by Winter (new)

Winter (winter9) | 204 comments Isabel wrote: "Romance of the three kingdoms."

Did you like it? On kindle or normal book? Which version if you read on kindle?


message 1827: by Diane (new)

Diane  | 2336 comments Mod
Finished The Sense of an Ending. Great book.


message 1828: by Katherine (new)

Katherine (katats) | 150 comments I finished Possessing the Secret of Joy by Alice Walker. I'm still processing a lot of what I just read, but I do believe it has been one of my better reading experiences so far this year. It's a great deal on Amazon Kindle right now, if anyone is collecting list books on a budget.


message 1829: by Winter (new)

Winter (winter9) | 204 comments Hm I can't find it for kindle at all actually. Maybe just in the us? Didn't know it was a difference. I'm from Norway..


message 1830: by Katherine (new)

Katherine (katats) | 150 comments Winter wrote: "Hm I can't find it for kindle at all actually. Maybe just in the us? Didn't know it was a difference. I'm from Norway.."

I'm so sorry! I made sure to look it up again before posting anything, so it is on special in the U.S., but perhaps not elsewhere? What a silly system.


message 1831: by Winter (new)

Winter (winter9) | 204 comments It is on the complete list (the one I follow - the app), but I can't find it in the kindle store.


message 1832: by Mickey (new)

Mickey Ellinor wrote: "Finished Falling Man, my second Don DeLillo. He's a good writer but his books aren't really my kind of thing."

I didn't like Falling Man very much either the first time I read it. The characters were a bit too cold and distant for my taste. However, when I read it the second time for a class I realized that that was the point. They were so traumatized and alienated from the rest of world including the reader. It's still not my favorite but I feel like appreciate more what he was trying to accomplish.


message 1833: by Mickey (new)

Mickey I recently read Giovanni's Room by James Baldwin. I would highly recommend it. It's not a happy read though at all so be prepared.


message 1834: by Winter (new)

Winter (winter9) | 204 comments Finished A Clockwork Orange. Liked it well after I got used to it!

And with that I am exactly 1 % into the complete list ^^
Started this year though and don't count earlier reads since I am older now, so 13 books so far isn't too bad for me :) FInding myself wanting to read more and more listbooks!


message 1835: by Ann A (new)

Ann A (readerann) | 105 comments I enjoyed Foundation much more than I thought I would, not normally being a big science fiction fan. There are actually 7 books in the series (including 2 prequels).

I'm now really looking forward to reading I, Robot.


message 1836: by Winter (new)

Winter (winter9) | 204 comments The Yellow Wallpaper, Charlotte Perkins Gilman
Thought it was brilliant!


message 1837: by Dree (new)

Dree | 160 comments Finished Their Eyes Were Watching God. I struggled a lot with the dialect and had to read a fair amount out loud to hear what was being said. I gave it 3 stars, I enjoyed Janie's story of finding herself and being her own boss after a lifetime of having to follow along. But the actual telling of it was somewhat exhausting.


message 1838: by Becky (new)

Becky (munchkinland_farm) | 248 comments Re-listened to The Devil & Miss Prym by Coelho - although I don't think I had much of an opinion the first time, this listen was more meaningful in its presentation of ethical choices, valuing youth and productivity over elders, and missing opportunities and experiencing joy due to the resentment one has for not leading the life one anticipated.


message 1839: by Amanda (last edited Apr 19, 2015 06:35PM) (new)

Amanda | 191 comments The Cement Garden. Super disturbing and gross.


message 1840: by Linda (new)

Linda | 275 comments Amanda wrote: "The Cement Garden. Super disturbing and gross."

Yep. That it was.


message 1841: by Ellinor (new)

Ellinor (1001andmore) | 915 comments Mod
A few days ago I finished Troubles by J.G. Farrell. I really enjoyed it and think it's a pity that it has less than 2,000 ratings and was removed after the the first list update. I'm now continiung with The Siege of Krishnapur, the second part of the Empire Trilogy.


message 1842: by Nicola (new)

Nicola | 770 comments Linda wrote: "Amanda wrote: "The Cement Garden. Super disturbing and gross."

Yep. That it was."


:-) Seemed like a perfectly normal family...


message 1843: by Nicola (new)

Nicola | 770 comments 2001: A Space Odyssey - Too technical for me to enjoy and considering it was about first contact and space travel very little happened.

2 stars


message 1844: by Nicola (new)

Nicola | 770 comments Democracy - Joan Didion wrote this in a very unusual way, it rather resembled a montage, with so many flashbacks and time jumps it was difficult to process.

I liked it and I'll have to see if she has anything more on the list so I can compare it with her other works.

3 stars


message 1845: by Katherine (new)

Katherine (katats) | 150 comments The Book About Blanche and Marie - I think the most interesting thing about this book was the blend of historical fact and absolute fiction. There's something very contemporary about desire to investigate humanity through the lives of the famous and infamous (in this case Marie Curie and the turn-of-the-century hysteria patient Blanche Wittman).


message 1846: by Maureen (new)

Maureen | 48 comments I just finished A Visit from the Goon Squad. Overall I liked it...enjoyed how the chapters were laid out.


message 1847: by Cynthia (new)

Cynthia (cynesthesia) | 8 comments After a 4 month slow read I finally finished Anthony Trollope's The Last Chronicle of Barset. I read the free online edition from manybooks.net.

Trollope is terrific at writing characters, which more than makes up for sheer length. He can be funny, too.


message 1848: by Ellinor (new)

Ellinor (1001andmore) | 915 comments Mod
I just finished The Siege of Krishnapur, the second part of the Empire Trilogy by J.G. Farrell. I didn't enjoy it as much as Troubles but it was still a very good book.


message 1849: by Linda (new)

Linda | 275 comments I just finished The Remains of the Day for this month's group read and rated it 3 stars. It was a good novel overall, but I was expecting to like it more than I did. The last three pages did pack a punch, though.


message 1850: by Jean (new)

Jean Just finished A Day Off by Storm Jameson and I think that I am in the minority in liking this book. Although I found the protagonist to be very unlikeable, I enjoyed the author's writing. I rated it 4.


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