Boxall's 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die discussion
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Which LIST book did you just finish?
Just finished The Kreutzer Sonata by Leo Tolstoy. A very enjoyable read. It would pair well with Thérèse Raquin!
Just finished White Teeth by Zadie Smith.
I finished this morning 1Q84 - all three books on audio cd. A good if strange fantasy, romance, and mystery, though not the traditional mystery. The end was predictable.
Sarah wrote: "Finished The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro. I really enjoyed the book although it started slowly."Loved that book too, it totally made me tear up!
Carol wrote: "I like to read horror in October so I read The Monk and plan to start Hawksmoor."what did you think of The Monk? Someone gave me their copy
Sarah wrote: "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 J..."Wow, you read so quickly!
Finished John Banville's The Untouchable yesterday, it was pretty easy to read but it was a bit blah really, a let down after The Sea
Laura wrote: Loved that book too, it totally made me tear up! ...Wow, you read so quickly!"Yes, he got me at the end! I confess I've been on a tear but this is a quiet season. I expect to slow down a bit in the new year.
Sarah wrote: "Finished Eugénie Grandet by Honoré de Balzac. It's classic Balzac and I enjoyed it."Horrible story. I found it very uncomfortable. I'm not saying I might not enjoy his writing. I listened to the dramatization on BBC Radio and I just found the entire situation in the book very horrid.
Kirsten *Dogs Welcome - People Tolerated" wrote: "Horrible story. I found it very uncomfortable. I'm not saying I might not enjoy h..."It's unfortunate when that occurs. I would like to read the series and have a great appreciation for that period. I didn't find the story bothersome and acknowledge the same occurs today. It is said the love of money is the root of all evil and that truth rings loudly in the tale.
Yes it does. I will definitely read it. I am a little hesitant to read French literature, though.
Mod
Mon Dieu! says the French girl. There are a lot of spectacular treasures to be read in French literature. I hope you won't avoid it because of past experience. Next to Russian literature, I think French is my next favorite.
Kirsten *Dogs Welcome - People Tolerated" wrote: "Yes it does. I will definitely read it. I am a little hesitant to read French literature, though."Why are you hesitant?
Finished The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien in one sitting and The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle.
Sarah, do you know your reading speed? Words/minute?
J_BlueFlower wrote: "Sarah, do you know your reading speed? Words/minute?"No, I don't. I read fairly fast and I don't have distractions or interruptions. I think the latter two factors have a greater impact than the first. There's also the matter of reading specific periods and several works by the same author. The vernacular is familiar and not cumbersome.
I read more nonfiction and restrict my fiction pieces to classics. I don't know the effect this has but I've noticed it takes me far less time overall.
I don't know. Probably because I don't like French movies, so I figure I'm not going to enjoy their literature.
Laura wrote: "Carol wrote: "I like to read horror in October so I read The Monk and plan to start Hawksmoor."what did you think of The Monk? Someone gave me their copy"
I liked it, perfect for a Halloween read. Ghosts, crazies and innocents whats not to like.
finished Hawksmoor more than a little confusing but it kept me reading.
Carol wrote: "finished Hawksmoor more than a little confusing but it kept me reading."So many of my friends recommended this, I think I expected too much. I was a little disappointed.
Mod
Laura wrote: "I liked it, perfect for a Halloween read. Ghosts, crazies and innocents whats not to like."I'm glad to hear it was a good read. I wish that I'd followed my first instinct and selected the Monk instead. Lovecraft was very blah.
Finished “Things Fall Apart” a nice little read for people who loves ticking off books on lists. It is on the 1001-list, The World Library List, The Guardian's 1000 Novels Everyone Must Read and Amazon 100 Books to Read in a Lifetime....It is written in a straight forward way but seen from the African perspective, the first part of the book before the arrival of the white man. I don't think I have ever read a book like that before. It makes it interesting that everything is described unjudging and everyday-like, while it is foreign to... well, me at least.
Furthermore Okonkwo is a well build character. The book is a bit weak on the plot side. If fells a bit like a series of connected short stories.
Just finished Kitchen by Banana Yoshimoto and gave it 3*. It didn't do a lot for me.
I finished The Recognitions by William Gaddis a couple of days ago. That's a huge CHECK! off the list. I gave it 4 stars. Parts of it were absolutely hilarious while other parts were completely difficult to decipher. The audio book was fabulous, though. I listened for the most part, but went back to reread many of the scenes.
Just finished Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov. He's a brilliant writer but I couldn't wrap this up fast enough. It's morbid.
Finished The Hobbit & The Lord of the Rings. I wrapped these up three days ago but posted in the wrong thread.
I keep checking books posted here against my 1001 list and I don't find half of them.
The last few are on my list:The Recognitions: core list
Lolita: core list
The Hobbit & The Lord of the Rings: core list
Nights at the Circus: core list
Love Medicine: Added 2008
Mod
Here's a nice list of the 2012 edition I refer to- I have a print copy of the 06 edition.
https://thebewildered20somethingwrite...
There's also an app, but I havent used it.
Ed wrote: "I keep checking books posted here against my 1001 list and I don't find half of them."If you don't have access to the app here's a complete list you can refrence instead.
I just finished Kafka on the Shore this afternoon. I can't recommend it highly enough; I was engrossed from the first chapter.
Sarah wrote: "Ed wrote: "I keep checking books posted here against my 1001 list and I don't find half of them."If you don't have access to the app here's a complete list you can refrence instead."
Thanks....but isn't there a copy of the list that one can do a word search with?
Mod
Fugitive Pieces by Anne Michaels. This is a beautifully written work of prose. Her language is lyrical, sensual, dripping with emotion, and at times erotic without needing to be explicit. In the midst of poetic expression you find some of life's deepest truths.
Finished Veronika Decides to Die by Paulo Coelho. I wasn't sure about it in the beginning but enjoyed the book by the end.
Boxall's 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die
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Authors mentioned in this topic
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I'm saving my hangover moments for Tolkien and Harry Potter! Much of my sprint was to allow me a period of time to immerse myself in each without disturbance.
On the other hand, I did find a strong necessity to swiftly move to another title after reading Notes from Underground. I likened it to being locked in a closet with an unrepentant misanthrope.
However, 1984 was such a pleasant read that I revisited Animal Farm and went on to Clockwork Orange.
But only Tolkien and Rowling dance in my dreams. :-)