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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Laura
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Nov 18, 2016 04:42PM
Finished The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins, really enjoyed it, although it wasn't as good as The Woman in White
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In the last little while I've finished reading The Buddha of Suburbia (3 1/2 stars) which I found amusing and entertaining, although less so as the book progressed as it got a little darker and bleaker; The Third Man (3 stars) which was very short and much easier to follow than the movie! and The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, my third Murakami and a book which was a real grind for me. I listened to it on audio and for at least the first half I disliked it but towards the end it became less disjointed and 'weird for no discernible reason' and started to make some sense. I'm still not sold on his writing style but I did end up giving it a very grudging 3 stars before thinking about it a bit and deciding that the ending had redemmed it a lot in my eyes and that, yes, it really did deserve the 3 stars.
I finished Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston today. I enjoyed it, though not as much as I thought I would.
Bob wrote: "White Noise by Don DeLillo"I just bought this one. Any good? Is it more on the difficult side?
Tasha wrote: "Bob wrote: "White Noise by Don DeLillo"I just bought this one. Any good? Is it more on the difficult side?"
I did not find it difficult, more funny in an odd way. It is a wry, satirical, and perhaps sardonic look at life in suburbia.
Bob wrote: "Tasha wrote: "Bob wrote: "White Noise by Don DeLillo"I just bought this one. Any good? Is it more on the difficult side?"
I did not find it difficult, more funny in a..."
Thank you for answering! I have heard people describe DeLillo as "difficult." I like to sandwich difficult books between easy reads. I just bought a second book of his today too. I better get crackin'.
I've just finished The Castle of Otranto by Horace Walpole. I enjoyed it, but found the lack of speech marks made the dialogue hard to follow at times. A short, fun read.
The Sun Also Rises - This left me totally unimpressed. I often read books on the list that I don't particularly like but this is the first time that I've read a book where I have doubted the authors actual ability as a writer. If Ernest Hemingway had literary talent then he's hiding it well in this novel - I'd expect better prose from a reasonably gifted high school student.1 star
Keep the Aspidistra Flying, my 30th complete list entry of the year (not including one re-read). By the later part of the book I was getting somewhat fatigued with Gordon Comstock's stubborn "principles", but I think that was intended. The story has just enough to it to sustain some interest, it's the paragraph-by-paragraph writing, which is excellent, that really kept me involved. A very different kind of book than Orwell's 1984 and Animal Farm, which were later works.
I'm still waiting for the discussion thread- it was the poll winner for this month's group read.
I'm still waiting for the discussion thread- it was the poll winner for this month's group read.
Cat's Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut - quick, witty, as Vonnegut isI read Choke by Chuck Palahniuk a few months ago and thought I would choke... or throttle him lol. Satire in an off-putting, almost hostile form. Much less likable, in my opinion. Then again, he warns you at the start that you will hate the book...
Tasha wrote: "Bob wrote: "Tasha wrote: "Bob wrote: "White Noise by Don DeLillo"I just bought this one. Any good? Is it more on the difficult side?"
I did not find it difficult, mor..."
I do not find him difficult. I've read 3 of his books (Falling Man, Libra, and this) and enjoyed them all. Enjoy!
I just finished Gormenghast by Mervyn Peake, the second book in the Gormenghast series. I gave it 5 stars, it was just as good as and possibly better than Titus Groan. The last ~100 pages certainly packed an emotional punch.
Just finished The Postman Always Rings Twice by James M. Cain and The Golden Days, the first book of the The Dream of the Red Chamber (AKA Story of the Stone) by Cao Xueqin.
The Nose by Nikolai Gogol - I must have just taken it too literally, but despite the majority of reviews to the contrary, I didn't find it funny at all. I just found it weird.
The Yellow Wallpaper and Other StoriesI found it sad in the sense that it's hard to "watch" someone spiral into madness, but I did enjoy it.
The Golden Notebook really stroke me. I appreciated Lessing's intentions, but it was hard to read, crossing the plots, trying to rebuild Anna in all her colours.I preferred Orlando by Virginia Woolf.
I finished The Optimist's Daughter. It perfectly captures grief for a parent's death and what it means to remember them.
I've now reached 200th listed book with Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day, a very charming & amusing 1938 British novel. I feel like I'm moving into "the elite" now, a little :) Onward to 300!
The Death of Ivan Ilyich was a good reminder than life is short and we need to appreciate it while we can
A Hero of Our Time - I found this a little lacklustre. The main character isn't pleasant or particularly interesting.2 1/2 stars
A Suitable Boy - my third attempt! Finally successful :-) This is such a colourful book.
5 stars
The French Lieutenant's Woman by John Fowles. I actually enjoyed it more than I initially expected to do so.
In the First Circle - Amazing! 5 stars
Girl With Green Eyes - the second book after The Country Girls and, like the first, an enjoyable and non mentally taxing read.
3 1/2 stars
Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky - it was only ok for me. It took me over a month to complete, as I couldn't consistently get into it.
Nicola wrote: "Amber wrote: "Catch-22, finally!"One of my all-time favourites "
Absolutely! Masterpiece
Giovanni's Room by James Baldwin. Such a heartbreaking and haunting story. I absolutely enjoyed every minute of reading this.
I finished Rabbit Is Rich - the third and last of the Rabbit Angstrom books on the list. I liked it better than the second book and will probably go ahead and finish the series with Rabbit at Rest for sake of completion.
Bob wrote: "The Secret Agent by Joseph Conrad, slow starter but picks up late."I enjoyed that one. Am sorry I missed the dramatization with Toby Jones.
Books mentioned in this topic
Infinite Jest (other topics)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)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
David Foster Wallace (other topics)Jean Rhys (other topics)
Sylvia Townsend Warner (other topics)
Anthony Powell (other topics)
Henry Green (other topics)
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