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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Maggie
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Jun 10, 2016 01:31PM
Finished Miss Lonelyhearts by Nathanael West. It's a Depression-era novella, brilliant writing but such a difficult read because of how horrible it made me feel.
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Finished Miss Lonelyhearts by Nathanael West. It's a Depression-era novella, brilliant writing but such a difficult read because of how horrible it made me feel.
Cold Comfort Farm - very funny but as with many comedy novels I think it would only appeal to certain people humour wise. Many just wouldn't 'get it' and wouldn't laugh all the way through it like I did; it's all just a matter of personal taste. Still, it's a light hearted and quick-ish read even if it doesn't directly appeal to your funny bone.I also read Martin Chuzzlewit Tie In again - it's one of my favourite Dickens.
Nicola wrote: "Cold Comfort Farm - very funny but as with many comedy novels I think it would only appeal to certain people humour wise. Many just wouldn't 'get it' and wouldn't laugh all the way th..."
I thought it was very funny. A little later I saw the film and was disappointed- same stuff but not so funny; just didn't come across the same.
I thought it was very funny. A little later I saw the film and was disappointed- same stuff but not so funny; just didn't come across the same.
The Autumn of the Patriarch. And I thought Trainspotting and Clockwork Orange were crazy reads- this has constantly shifting viewpoint, no paragraph endings, and rarely a period. Plus the magical realism of Marquez. Read one or two other Marquez novels before you try this one. It has rewards though, very creative writing.
I recently finished The House on the Borderland. It started out creepy with lots of promise. And then it got so.painfully.boring. It sounded like a boring acid trip, I mean really. 1 star.
Foundation by Isaac Asimov. I found this to be an interesting look at the ways a society can develop and avoid violence.
Wendy wrote: "Finished The Forsyte Saga -- a slow-burner at first but got its claws into me at about the point where Soames Forsyte commits a certain unforgivable act against his wife. The rest of ..."
That's a long Saga with a capital S. Galsworthy was a Nobel laureate. I have it in my list to read. I have a note that you can get it on the Kindle for 99 cents.
That's a long Saga with a capital S. Galsworthy was a Nobel laureate. I have it in my list to read. I have a note that you can get it on the Kindle for 99 cents.
"I have a note that you can get it on the Kindle for 99 cents. "Or you can download it for nothing from project Gutenberg:
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/4397
J_BlueFlower wrote: ""I have a note that you can get it on the Kindle for 99 cents. "Or you can download it for nothing from project Gutenberg:
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/4397"
If the Kindle format is not there you can convert it here: http://ebook.online-convert.com/
The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter by Anonymous. A very old Japanese fairy tale, elements of which have found there way into more modern tales for children.
I finished Breakfast of Champions. I really enjoyed it. I didn't expect to enjoy it as I read some comments that labeled it as a blabbering nonsense book.This is not the case at all. It's funny and deep at the same time. 4 stars for me
Kirin wrote: "Bob wrote: "The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter by Anonymous. A very old Japanese fairy tale, elements of which have found there way into more modern tales for children."..."
It's on the 2008 list, which I use. I don't know if it stayed on the more recent list versions.
Cloud Atlas - a patchwork of stories very different in style and very loosely connected but with similar themes. Wonderfully done.4 1/2 stars
The Electric Kool-Aid Acid TestParts were entertaining, but had to slog through most of it. Just not that interested in what it's like to be on acid.
The Gathering by Anne Enright. Definitely a difficult read for me to get into until about 3/4 of the way through, but felt authentic to the narrator's grief - jumping around in time, sometimes presenting entirely speculative family histories, this novel is not a neat and tidy story but an effort to work through loss.
I finished Labyrinths: Selected Stories and Other Writings by Jorge Luis Borges. It wasn't as good as Ficciones but still good. I need to read more Borges.
Finished The Tenant of Wildfell Hall. Good book but it took me forever because I kept losing interest
Breakfast of Champions - Well I started out enjoying it but it dropped in my opinion quite sharply during the final third, ending up with a 1 1/2 star rating. I just didn't click with it. It was odd and lacking in direction - or so it seemed to me.
Half of a Yellow Sun by the Nigerian woman writer Adichie. The 1st half is about her characters and their lives in Nigeria, in the 2nd half the Biafran civil war occurs with her characters caught up in it: lots of starving, wounds and dying. I preferred the 1st half; perhaps I've read too many books with war the last few years. Four stars.
George wrote: "Mia, it happens that I'm reading Ficciones now. Just 1/5th so far."How are you liking it so far? Labyrinths includes lot of novels from Ficciones, but I still think Ficciones is little better.
The Lover by Marguerite Duras. Stream of consciousness work about love and relationships. Difficult to read, at times, but interesting ideas.
Finished Possession. I'm not much of a poetry person, but I thought the author did a masterful job using poetry as a vehicle for theme, story, character, plot advancement...everything. I fell into this book and reemerged, unsure how much time had passed or where I was...
Mia wrote: "Kim by Rudyard Kipling. I really enjoyed this book!"I really liked it to, Kim was adorable
Carol wrote: "read Kim and Great Expectations two great reads, lots of adventure and feeling."I'm reading (listening to) Great Expectations right now. When I was in high school (in another century), I thought it was boring. I don't know why I thought that. Just read the scene where he sees the former curate playing Shakespeare. What larks!
Breakfast of Champions by Kurt Vonnegut. I enjoyed this wacky story. I found its tone remeniscent of Doug Adams.
Just finished never let me go. it is not giving me any good feeling . but i think our world is not so far away from this.
Nastaran wrote: "Just finished never let me go. it is not giving me any good feeling . but i think our world is not so far away from this."The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood gives me the same feeling
The Stone Diaries by Carol Shields - I went in with zero expectations and found myself enthralled by this book. I've had trouble with list books from the 1990s to present, but this one just reminded me to not give up on more recent literature.
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Anthony Powell (other topics)Henry Green (other topics)
Zadie Smith (other topics)
Anne Michaels (other topics)
Joseph Conrad (other topics)
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