Boxall's 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die discussion
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Which LIST book did you just finish?
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I'm reading Murdoch's The Sea, the Sea and like it so far- long way to finish though.
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Not one of the widely read books, but a very interesting one- about the decadent times in Berlin in the 1930s when the economy was terrible, the Nazis were rising, and crime and prostitution flourished. The film Cabaret was based on it.
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I loved it, so much I sent a copy to my cousin who does upholstery on pleasure boats in Florida, like a character in the book.
On the Road Fun book. Should have read it years ago. Liked being able to go on-line and trace who the characters represented in real life.
Breakfast at Tiffany's: A Short Novel and Three Stories. I have never seen the movie, so came into this story with no thoughts. In the end, I preferred the 3 short stories in my edition.
Read The Remains of the Day in little more than a day. This is a really well-written and evocatively drawn portrait of a lost era. I think I enjoyed this even more than An Artist of the Floating World. Can't wait to read more by Ishiguro.
Sandi wrote: "Yrinsyde wrote: "I enjoyed reading The Tale of Genji and even though I have marked this as read, the edition I read is only part 1 of 6, I am interested enough to read the other parts which are fre..."Hi Sandi
The link to the rest of the Waley translation is here: http://www.unz.org/Pub/WaleyArthur-1926 I've downloaded part two to my Kindle!
Here is my review - more of a commentary really - of 1984 I was also reminded of 18th and 19th xtian schools where breaking the will so that you could build it up again was the main aim of schooling.
The Death of Ivan Ilyich by Leo Tolstoy. Only a novella really but one with quite a deep meaning.
A Confederacy of DuncesBrilliantly bizarre. I wish I had the vocabulary of Ignatius! Excellent audiobook. I'll add it to the "good audiobooks" thread.
Just finished War of the Worlds, it was ok, but I didn't love it, maybe because it was sci fi?! It's the first sci fi book I've ever read and I'm not really drawn to the genre.
I finished The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy a little while ago. It was interesting but kind of all over the place
Peter wrote: "The Death of Ivan Ilyich by Leo Tolstoy. Only a novella really but one with quite a deep meaning."Tolstoy wrote great deaths.
Pale Fire - rather a hodge-podge. It's very clever and would suit many readers but I found it to be a bit of a chore to read.2 stars
Journey to the Center of the Earth - Entertaining but rather dull in places and the science which it is built on gets so ridiculous at times that it detracted from my 'willing suspension of disbelief' which I found jarring.2 1/2 stars
The Master and Margarita - Very crazy. Mostly good, occasionally the madness got a little too much for me but usually I found it consistently clever and well done.
3 1/2 stars
Laura wrote: "Just finished War of the Worlds, it was ok, but I didn't love it, maybe because it was sci fi?! It's the first sci fi book I've ever read and I'm not really drawn to the genre."I wouldn't write off sci-fi for one book. The genre is pretty wide and varied.
Daniel Deronda. It was...odd. Certainly not what I expected from a George Eliot novel.
Finished Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami (I read the Danish translation Kafka på Stranden)I am puzzled. I liked the book. It was interesting to try to figure out what was going on and the story had a good level of unpredictability. The language was above average. But the end?! I had really hoped and expected that there would be some sort of wrap up tying everything together. What was the strange light flash in the beginning of the book? Why did the children faint? No, never mentioned again.... and so on.
Reading other peoples comments about the book I get the impression that Kafka on the Shore is not the best book to start reading Murakami. That to really understand it you need to have read some of his other books. What is a good book (preferably one with an ending)?
I rate it 2½-3 stars. It was overall unsatisfying, but there were so many great moments in the book. Like the talk Oshima gives to the ladies in the library. Wow! (If I had been the person standing next to him, I would have taken his hand and shaken it firmly and told him how proud I was to know him and what a grand speech that was).
J_BlueFlower wrote: "What is a good book (preferably one with an ending)?"I read Norwegian Wood and really loved it - it was my first Murakami. I've heard that it's his most widely read, and I certainly found it very accessible & moving. It's a traditional novel though, rather than magical realism. I'd definitely recommend it J_BlueFlower. :)
As for my last 1001 book, I finished Midnight's Children by Salman Rushdie yesterday. I found it equal parts compelling & infuriating, but it was a solid four stars for me. My first by him, and it won't be the last.
Thanks for the suggestion. Murakami has five books on the list: The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle
Sputnik Sweetheart
Kafka on the Shore
After the Quake
1Q84
but not Norwegian Wood, right?
No, it's not a list book, but it's wonderful.
J_BlueFlower wrote: "Finished Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami (I read the Danish translation Kafka på Stranden)I am puzzled. I liked the book. It was interesting to try to figure out w..."
The first Murakami I read was Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage - not a list book, as its fairly recent, but I loved it, though now that I think about it, not a really definitive ending!
More recently I listened to an audiobook version of After the Quake - this is a collection of short stories that all have a central theme. I liked this too.
I'm not sure which Murakami off the list to read next - maybe not Kafka on the Shore after your review :)
Actually, this might help - there's a Murakami section in Start Here: Read Your Way Into 25 Amazing Authors from book riot. The order suggested is: 1. Norwegian Wood (not 1001)
2. Kafka on the Shore
3. The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle
4. 1Q84
Anna wrote: "Just finished Collective MindNot bad! I respect the author's idea that all the people can unite their intelligence in one PC device and this device can generate ideas how to overco..."
Anna I'm pretty sure that that won't be a 1001 book.
The purpose of this group is to read and discuss those books on the 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die list.
For those attempting the crazy feat of reading all 1001 books!
For discerning bibliophiles and readers who enjoy unforgettable classic literature, 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die is a trove of reviews covering a century of memorable writing. Each work of literature featured here is a seminal work key to understanding and appreciating the written word.The featured works have been handpicked by a team of international critics and literary luminaries, including Derek Attridge (world expert on James Joyce), Cedric Watts (renowned authority on Joseph Conrad and Graham Greene), Laura Marcus (noted Virginia Woolf expert), and David Mariott (poet and expert on African-American literature), among some twenty others. (From Amazon.com)
Anna wrote: "but why? "The thing that puzzles me the most is why people post in this group about non-list books. There are so many other groups and places. (but) why here?
Oh, sorry for my inattentiveness.If my message (above) incongruously I can delete it
Here is my review of Candide - very funny! I enjoyed it and think it is has a well-deserved spot on the list.
Jody wrote: "J_BlueFlower wrote: "What is a good book (preferably one with an ending)?"I read Norwegian Wood and really loved it - it was my first Murakami. I've heard that it's his most widely ..."
Sadly, I did not like Norwegian Wood, I found it not interesting, and very self centered.
Anna wrote: "Oh, sorry for my inattentiveness.If my message (above) incongruously I can delete it"
Oh no don't bother. Plenty of us put down books which aren't 1001 by accident (and sometimes just because they are so good) so you're in good company :-)
I just finished American Pastorsl by Philip Roth. I listened to the book on Audible. Narration was great!
Harriet Hume - Rather odd. The eponymous protagonist of the book develops a mystical connection to her suitor and gains the power to read his mind. You can tell that that's not going to end well. The language is amazingly beautiful, even for this list, but not all that much happens so I occasionally found it a little dull.
3 stars
Finally finished A Suitable Boy after over 3 months of averaging 15 pages per day. It was an easier read than I expected--rather breezy in places, and overall like watching a long family saga melodrama TV series. (The political stuff was slow-going, though). I think I would have liked it better if I hadn't so recently read Family Matters by Rohinton Mistry, which I found tighter and more emotionally stiffing. Oh yeah, and if it had been about 1/3 the length.
Falling Man by Don DeLillo. This is the first book I've read by Don DeLillo. I really enjoyed it and look forward to reading other works by him.
Contact - A little too dry. I liked most of it but felt it could have been improved with an injection of some human emotion in more places. I think the movie (which I watched when it was released) did a good job in keeping faithful to the book while adding much more of a personal touch.
3 stars
Dracula - listened to the Audible version, featuring Alan Cumming and Tim Curry, highly recommended, both the performance and the story itself. Scary, exciting and surprisingly hilarious at times.
Elin wrote: "Dracula - listened to the Audible version, featuring Alan Cumming and Tim Curry, highly recommended, both the performance and the story itself. Scary, exciting and surprisingly hilario..."I love that edition! Have you tried Tim Curry's narration of A Christmas Carol? That's excellent, too!
Just finished Growth of the Soil by Knut Hamsun. Very different from his other book on the list (Hunger). 4 stars.
I just finished Lord Jim by Joseph Conrad. It's a sad story but so interesting. Took me quite awhile as my copy had very small print and I tend to avoid those editions when I can.
This week I finished The Power and the Glory. I enjoyed the writing, but I couldn't quite get behind the whiskey priest.
I just finished Cocaine Nights. While I enjoyed it, Charles was a frustrating character for me. He starts off with so much promise and then his decisions irritate me.
Finished "Sons and Lovers" today. Didn't think it was nearly as good as Rainbow. Still his writing is always worthwhile.
Gravity's Rainbow.....3rd attempt, 10.5 months to wade through it though I confess that much of this was making a concerted effort to scan each page as I turned it. A bloated, turgid nonsensical piece of obtuse prose. I feel I should praise it for all it's critical accolades but really, is it too much to ask that critics award the good prizes to books that are at least readable? Well, I suppose I'm ready for Ulysses now! LOL
Boxall's 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die
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I also read the incomplete Dover Thrift edition last year and would like to read the rest. I think I briefly looked for the other parts online but couldn't find them. I even looked up the individual titles of the individual parts. If you have links to where we can read them for free and legally, it'd be muchly appreciated!