Boxall's 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die discussion
Popular Topics
>
Which LIST book did you just finish?
message 3051:
by
Sarah
(new)
Oct 17, 2016 01:38PM
Just finished The Shadow-Line by Joseph Conrad along with The Communist Manifesto (side-read) by Karl Marx.
reply
|
flag
Finished The Picture of Dorian Gray yesterday. What a marvelous story! I tried reading it when I was younger, but I'm glad I waited until I matured. I was able to pick up subtleties that I'm sure I would have missed when I was younger.
Tyler wrote: "Finished The Picture of Dorian Gray yesterday. What a marvelous story! I tried reading it when I was younger, but I'm glad I waited until I matured. I was able to pick up subtleties that I'm sure I..."I loved it as well. I wonder if he'd changed his acquaintances if his fate would have been better.
Finished The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman and Vathek by William Beckford. I really enjoyed The Yellow Wallpaper. There was something about her essence which made me think of Virginia Woolf.
I didn't actually read this book. I just finished listening to a Classic Serial on BBC Radio based on Honoré de Balzac's Eugénie Grandet, as adapted by Rose Tremain, and starring Sir Ian McKellen.I don't know if I'll read the book. It was one of the most painful, uncomfortable, and disturbing stories I've heard in some time.
It was a wonderful adaptation, and I felt myself wanting to hurt Mr. Grandet.
Has anyone read this? Thoughts?
Kirsten *Dogs Welcome - People Tolerated" wrote: "It was a wonderful adaptation, and I felt myself wanting to hurt Mr. Grandet. Has anyone read this? Thoughts? "I read Père Goriot many years ago and found it good but sad and somewhat unsettling. The familial dysfunction was the sort you'd see on the news but rarely experienced. I suspect this is a running theme in Balzac's stories.
What did you find bothersome about Eugénie Grandet?
Oh, just the horrible behavior of the father. He was a millionaire but begrudged spending any money at all. Ruined his wife's health, destroyed his daughter. Just painful to hear the story.
Kirsten *Dogs Welcome - People Tolerated" wrote: "Oh, just the horrible behavior of the father. He was a millionaire but begrudged spending any money at all. Ruined his wife's health, destroyed his daughter. Just painful to hear the story."Oy, that's unpleasant. I can't say that Père Goriot was much better. But in the latter case it was the aged father who was exploited by his daughters.
Just finished The Castle by Franz Kafka. Although there are some parallels to The Trial, the tone is much lighter and the protagonist is significantly calmer yet equally as naive as Josef K.
Mod
Lasse wrote: "I finished Schindler's List"How depressing did you find it? I've got it sitting on my tbr pile and I'm a little reluctant to read it because I'm worried about getting depressed enough to, well, not do anything too extreme but reading depressing books needs to be balanced with lots of positive energy in my experience.
Diane wrote: "Finished another big one that I have been working on a while: Anna Karenina. Absolutely magnificent."It's always a great feeling to finish off a big door stopper of a classic!
Doctor Zhivago - Not nearly as engaging as I'd hoped. Too many characters that I didn't care about, often making very stupid decisions. And if it was meant to be a love story it failed miserably. It was also fairly much unremittingly miserable, because Russia probably isn't the most cheerful of places at the best of times but is a black morass of doom and gloom during the civil wars and the socialist revolution.
2 stars
The Nine Tailors - Not quite a punchy little mystery as it's too complex and is drawn out too long but I still enjoyed it a lot more than the other Sayers book on the list as Peter Wimsey is much less irritating. He's still a bit of a special snowflake though.3 stars
Recently finished A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens and The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie. It was my first Christie novel and I really enjoyed it!
Finished The Sorrows of Young Werther by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe and The Mayor of Casterbridge by Thomas Hardy.
Sarah wrote: "Finished The Sorrows of Young Werther by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe and The Mayor of Casterbridge by Thomas Hardy."Sarah, do you do anything besides read??? You're putting me to shame here!!!
In other news, in the last month I've read
Worstward Ho which I honestly thought was completely pretentious.
The Inferno I found it a bit hit and miss.
Black Dogs was fine. Didn't grab me or leave a lasting impression though
The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie I quite enjoyed this one. Though she was a bit of a psychopath if you choose to read it that way.
The Country Girls this I enjoyed greatly.
Amok by Stefan Zweig. A brilliant little story. Two very intense people and their battle of wills. Like a 300-page story in 100 pages. 4 stars.
The Arabian Nights Entertainments by Anonymous and edited by Richard Francis Burton. Not at all like the disney versions!
Laura wrote: Sarah, do you do anything besides read?..."Laura, surely you jest! I just began the challenge this year and I have a long way to go. Admittedly, I had an ambitious goal that wound up early. Its completion may explain my fervor. ;-)
How are you doing with your challenge?
Sarah wrote: "Just finished The Glimpses of the Moon by Edith Wharton."I didn't even know that one was a 1001 book! No matter how many times I browse the list for books I still miss quite obvious works.
Nicola wrote: I didn't even know that one was a 1001 book! No matter how many times I browse the list for books I still miss..."Same here. Thank goodness for the app! The book is a little slow moving but it ended well.
Finished At the Mountains of Madness by H.P. Lovecraft. It was a little dull but may be less so for science fiction fans.
Finished Vathek by William Beckford. Turns out this was a perfect read for October. Disturbing, meant to be creepy, a little silly (it's 18th century). I read it on serial reader, but it would be really quick in book form.
Dree wrote: "Finished Vathek by William Beckford. Turns out this was a perfect read for October. Disturbing, meant to be creepy, a little silly (it's 18th century). I read it on ser..."I just finished this a few days ago myself.
And whilst I agree it could be seen as silly nowadays, you really do have to give it credit for how ahead of its time it was with its tongue in cheek tone, while still managing to follow the formulaic "every story has a moral lesson" structure of the time.
Sarah wrote: "Laura wrote: Sarah, do you do anything besides read?..."Laura, surely you jest! I just began the challenge this year and I have a long way to go. Admittedly, I had an ambitious goal that wound up..."
No jest! I could have sworn that every time I logged in for the last little while you've read about 3 books in an amount of time that seems impossible. Haha. Must admit, it's been a good motivator.
I only really began properly mid-last year and I've reached 168 - 67 of which are this year. I've really slacked off the last few months though - been reading lots of frivolous,' no thinking required' books.
But you have kicked my butt back into gear! Haha.
PS. I adored 'The Glimpses of the Moon'. It was the last Wharton book I had left from the list and I was glad to leave her with such a lovely read.
Laura wrote: "No jest! I could have sworn that every time I logged in for the last little while you've read about 3 books in an amount of time that seems impossible.."I have the luxury of free time right now that was intentionally devoted to certain areas. I also challenged myself to read 250 books (60 for 1001) this year. But I didn't complete a title from Boxall's list until February. I've managed eight-six thus far and hope to end the year with 100.
My reading challenge is done so I'm enjoying more freedom in my selections. I'd like to do Tolkien (I've already read The Silmarillion and The Children of Hurin earlier this year) and two more titles by Dickens.
You've done quite well yourself for a year's time! It's encouraging to watch the numbers mount and don't chide yourself for the slower moments. You weave your reading into the seasons of life. There are times of plenty and others where stolen moments prove sweet to the taste. Each has its place.
I've read a lot of earlier titles. Not quite in order but I select them according to themes and time periods. I have a noted bias towards British literature. I'm also working through Harold Bloom's list and there is some crossover.
Like you I enjoy Edith's work. I read To Marry an English Lord not too long ago to get an accurate framework for the period and the mindset of the set she often describes.
What's your reading strategy?
I just finished Animal Farm by George Orwell.
Sarah wrote: "...I also challenged myself to read 250 books (60 for 1001) this year.." That is almost a book per day! That is.... crazy … awesome.....
Even if I had so much free time, I would not be able to read so much. When I finish a book, I sometimes need a few days to digest it. Of my more resent reads I had to digest Beloved by Toni Morrison and Crime and Punishment by Dostoyevsky before starting on something new. Do you never fell that way?
J_BlueFlower wrote: "That is almost a book per day! That is.... crazy … awesome....."It was much lower initially but after a couple of weeks I decided to go for broke. I'll probably end the year with 300 under my belt. I can't say that will always be the case. ;-)
I make adjustments on my pace depending on the book and my response. There are some I devour and others I read much slower. If I want to develop a deeper understanding I'll work through the cannon and read biographical materials which shed insight that I may not perceive in their works.
I would withhold the chewing/deeper introspection until I've had many works under my belt. Themes and other nuances often come to the forefront when you have more material to take into account.
For instance, you mentioned Morrison. She has written extensively on certain subjects and I would seek to understand why it appeals. What is she conveying through her characters and what is the deeper point she wants the reader to grasp? I could not accurately surmise this with one book or even two. To be truly conversant would require more. But I could offer a modest opinion about what I've read. :-)
Sarah wrote: "...Themes and other nuances often come to the forefront when you have more material to take into account. ..."That is my experience too.
My point with reading many books was a more emotional one: When I finish some books I am left with an emotion or involvement that take a few days to over come. I cannot just dive into another universe. I am sorry for being so imprecise. English is not my first language.
Boxall's 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die
Books mentioned in this topic
Good Morning, Midnight (other topics)After the Death of Don Juan (other topics)
Infinite Jest (other topics)
A Dance to the Music of Time: 1st Movement (other topics)
Party Going (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Jean Rhys (other topics)Sylvia Townsend Warner (other topics)
Anthony Powell (other topics)
Henry Green (other topics)
Zadie Smith (other topics)
More...
