Boxall's 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die discussion

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message 3801: by Ellinor (new)


message 3802: by Karen (new)

Karen Hoehne | 1717 comments Mod
Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys
A feminist response to Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre -- The story of Antoinette Cosway, Mr. Rochester's mad first wife, is enthralling and beautifully descriptive. Should be read after Jane Eyre.


message 3803: by George P. (last edited Aug 12, 2017 02:06PM) (new)

George P. | 1402 comments Mod
Diane wrote: I meant to click on Heinlein but hit Camus by mistake. I only put "Stranger" in my search so Camus' book came up first and Heinlein's came up second.

They're both worth reading, though rather different!


message 3804: by George P. (new)

George P. | 1402 comments Mod
Sarah wrote: "Just finished Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy. It was a good book but I was ready for Anna to die at the end!"

You made me LOL Sarah!


message 3805: by Sarah (new)

Sarah (sarahbethie) | 438 comments George wrote: "You made me LOL Sarah!"

It was a combination of the neediness and whining that had me at my wits end. ;-)


message 3806: by Sarah (new)

Sarah (sarahbethie) | 438 comments Finished The Golden Ass or Metamorphoses by Apuleius.

His escapades were reminiscent of Candide. Though Voltaire was funnier.


message 3807: by Aileen (new)

Aileen | 154 comments Ellinor wrote: "Blood and Guts in High School. Horrible!"

So agree with you. I read it a few years ago and still shudder when I think of it!


message 3808: by George P. (last edited Aug 14, 2017 05:24PM) (new)

George P. | 1402 comments Mod
Blood Meridian, or the Evening Redness in the West by Cormac McCarthy. OMG. Indisputable skill in writing tethered to a story of near non-stop murder, mayhem, treachery and genocide. I don't know if I can handle reading another McCarthy for a long time. Maybe never.


message 3809: by Diane (last edited Aug 14, 2017 07:21PM) (new)

Diane  | 2336 comments Mod
George wrote: "Blood Meridian, or the Evening Redness in the West by Cormac McCarthy. OMG. Indisputable skill in writing tethered to a story of near non-stop murder, mayhem, treachery and genocide. ..."

I just finished it, too. I totally agree with your comment. Great writing and storytelling, but I can't say as I enjoyed the subject matter.


message 3810: by Dree (new)

Dree | 160 comments I finally finished Wise Children by Angela Carter. I maxed out renewals, had to re-request it, had to wait, and finally got it again. I am so glad to finally be done with this, it was not to my taste at all. On to the next one!!


message 3811: by Karen (new)

Karen Hoehne | 1717 comments Mod
For Whom the Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway For Whom the Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway


message 3812: by George P. (new)

George P. | 1402 comments Mod
Dree wrote: "I finally finished Wise Children by Angela Carter. I maxed out renewals, had to re-request it, had to wait, and finally got it again. I am so glad to finally be done wi..."

I gave a 4 star rating to Carter's Nights at the Circus a few months ago, the only book of hers I've read- have you read it? It's the only one of her 3 books in the 2006 edition that was retained in the 2012 edition and is also in the Feminista list of 100 best books by women writers of the 20th century.


message 3813: by Dree (new)

Dree | 160 comments This was my first Angela Carter (and likely my last for awhile!). I need to look up the Feminista list, I am not familiar with it! Her Saints and Strangers is in the 500 Best Books by Women, but I haven't read it, obviously.


message 3814: by Karen (new)

Karen Hoehne | 1717 comments Mod
Rameau's Nephew by Denis Diderot Rameau's Nephew by Denis Diderot

A delightful philosophical conversation mocking many ideas and well-known personages of Diderot's time.


message 3815: by Sarah (new)

Sarah (sarahbethie) | 438 comments Luís wrote: "Eugene Onegin... So in debt with Pushkin.. Oh, how I missed him.."

Loved this one as well!


message 3816: by Bob (new)

Bob Kaufman (bobkaufman) | 689 comments The Monk by Matthew Lewis. Full of adventurous tales, dark happenings and clearly delineated characters.


message 3817: by J_BlueFlower (new)

J_BlueFlower (j_from_denmark) | 387 comments Finished The Brothers Karamazov. Took 1½ month. It was OK, but not great. Too noisy a story line. I liked Crime and Punishment better.


message 3818: by Danyellemastro (new)

Danyellemastro | 170 comments George wrote: "Blood Meridian, or the Evening Redness in the West by Cormac McCarthy. OMG. Indisputable skill in writing tethered to a story of near non-stop murder, mayhem, treachery and genocide. ..."

Try All the Pretty Horses...amazing read and much, much lighter and easier than BM.


message 3819: by Nicola (last edited Aug 19, 2017 03:00AM) (new)

Nicola | 770 comments Danyellemastro wrote: "George wrote: "Blood Meridian, or the Evening Redness in the West by Cormac McCarthy. OMG. Indisputable skill in writing tethered to a story of near non-stop murder, mayhem, treachery...

Try All the Pretty Horses...amazing read and much, much lighter and easier than BM. "


I haven't read Blood Meridian, or the Evening Redness in the West due to the thoughts I've seen others express on its unpleasantness. I have read All the Pretty Horses and found that to be violent and grimly depressing. I also wasn't a fan of the writing style but I don't like Hemmingway.


message 3820: by Dree (new)

Dree | 160 comments Finished The Gathering by Anne Enright. I liked this one a lot, I have never read Enright before.


message 3821: by Sarah (new)

Sarah (sarahbethie) | 438 comments Luís wrote: "Luís wrote: "Eugene Onegin

Have you watched the Tchaikovsky's opera?"


Yes! It was a brilliant production. Our local opera house gives discount tickets to college students. Needless to say I had many late nights! ;-)

Are you an opera fan?


message 3822: by Kirsten (new)

Kirsten  (kmcripn) I love opera! Unfortunately, I can only listen to it or watch it on PBS.

I go to one production a year at Seattle Opera. Last one I saw was Janacek's Katya Kabanova.


message 3823: by George P. (new)

George P. | 1402 comments Mod
Sarah wrote: "Luís wrote: "Eugene Onegin... So in debt with Pushkin.. Oh, how I missed him.."

Loved this one as well!"


I hope to have Eugene Onegin chosen for the "Old School" group book sometime soon in the "Catching Up with Classics" group.


message 3824: by Karina (new)

Karina | 401 comments Just finished The Dispossessed by Ursula K. Le Guin and it was okay. I'm not huge into science fiction genres.


Bryan--The Bee’s Knees (theindefatigablebertmcguinn) | 629 comments Beloved by Toni Morrison.


message 3826: by Sarah (new)

Sarah (sarahbethie) | 438 comments George wrote: "I hope to have Eugene Onegin chosen for the "Old School" group ..."

I've been spending time with the Russians and I'm working on War and Peace now. I'll read two more this year (The Brothers Karamazov and Dead Souls). And then it's back to England. I'd like a few shorter reads next. I've been working on the chunksters for several months and I need a break.


message 3827: by Bob (new)

Bob Kaufman (bobkaufman) | 689 comments Suite Française by Irène Némirovsky. I only wish she had been allowed to live to finish her work.


message 3828: by George P. (new)

George P. | 1402 comments Mod
Sarah wrote: "George wrote: "I hope to have Eugene Onegin chosen for the "Old School" group ..."

I've been spending time with the Russians and I'm working on War and Peace now. I'll read two more this year (The Brothers Karamazov and Dead Souls). And then it's back to England...."


I haven't been as ambitious as you to take on War and Peace. I have read Bros Karamavoz and just read Dead Souls in May. I seem to be pulled to the old Russians.


message 3829: by Peter (new)

Peter | 443 comments The Colour by Rose Tremain. OK but not sure it deserves to be on this list.


message 3830: by Bob (new)

Bob Kaufman (bobkaufman) | 689 comments Dictionary of the Khazars by Milorad Pavić. This was a truly odd novel. The author did a good job of showing how historical accounts can vary widely based on the perspective of who is doing the telling. But this story was full of phrases, metaphors and non sequiturs that were really bizarre. It was like reading a Woody Allen movie. Based on the content and form of this book, this author is either a moron or a genius.


message 3831: by Sarah (new)

Sarah (sarahbethie) | 438 comments George wrote: "I haven't been as ambitious as you to take on War and Peace. I have read Bros Karamavoz and just read Dead Souls in May. I seem to be pulled to the old Russians."

You can do it! Once you've started checking off chunksters you're inspired to get them done. After Les Miserables, War and Peace isn't difficult. I'd love to knock out Proust too but I won't be done until next year.


message 3832: by George P. (new)

George P. | 1402 comments Mod
Bob wrote: "Dictionary of the Khazars by Milorad Pavić. This was a truly odd novel. The author did a good job of showing how historical accounts can vary widely based on the perspe..."

Did you read the male or female edition :) ? A very unusual concept.


message 3833: by Dree (new)

Dree | 160 comments Finished The Underdogs by Mariano Azuela--an interesting and quick read.


message 3834: by Bob (new)

Bob Kaufman (bobkaufman) | 689 comments George wrote: "Bob wrote: "Dictionary of the Khazars by Milorad Pavić. This was a truly odd novel. The author did a good job of showing how historical accounts can vary widely based o..."
I read the male version.


message 3835: by Sarah (new)

Sarah (sarahbethie) | 438 comments Finished War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy. Excellent read and the best treatment on Napoleon. A different mood from Les Miserables. But I enjoyed them both.


message 3836: by Karina (new)

Karina | 401 comments Just finished Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides. I enjoyed this much more than The Marriage Plot.


message 3837: by Tyler (new)

Tyler | 207 comments Finished The Art of Fielding today. A great read!


message 3839: by Sarah (new)

Sarah (sarahbethie) | 438 comments Finished The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie Muriel Spark. It was a short but insightful exploration of unwholesome pedagogy and its impact on impressionable minds.


message 3840: by Bob (new)

Bob Kaufman (bobkaufman) | 689 comments Aaron's Rod by D.H. Lawrence examines the struggle between the love urge and the power urge within the individual.


Bryan--The Bee’s Knees (theindefatigablebertmcguinn) | 629 comments The Rebel: An Essay on Man in Revolt by Camus. Wow, what a challenge for me. Camus style is difficult to penetrate, even if his conclusions aren't so hard to grasp. It's just trying to decipher the arguments he uses to arrive at those conclusions.


message 3842: by Karen (new)

Karen Hoehne | 1717 comments Mod
My Hurricane Harvey Reading Log (long weekend with some rain and lots of very high wind)

To Each His Own by Leonardo Sciascia
Great literary detective story set in Sicily.
Garden, Ashes by Danilo Kis
Very different coming of age story during the Holocaust.
The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides
Beautiful writing but so sad and depressing.
The Beggar Maid: Stories of Flo and Rose by Alice Munro
Short stories covering 40 years in the lives of Rose and Flo, her step mother.


message 3843: by George P. (last edited Aug 30, 2017 10:13PM) (new)

George P. | 1402 comments Mod
Treasure Island by R L Stevenson, that other Scottish writer that didn't get rich off adventure stories for young people. It's the group-read this month for the 1001 group. I really liked it, why did it take me so long to get to it?
Oh I also readCharlotte Perkins Gilman 's great short The Yellow Wallpaper along with the other stories in the audiobook collection Great American Women's Fiction which also had stories by Wharton, Chopin and Cather. I read a couple nonlist books this month as well.


message 3844: by Sarah (new)

Sarah (sarahbethie) | 438 comments Finished Bel-Ami by Guy de Maupassant.


message 3845: by Hannah (new)

Hannah | 0 comments Le Petit Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. A short one but I read it in the original French so took me a fair while. Simple yet full of powerful messages, thoroughly enjoyed it :)


message 3846: by Karen (new)


message 3847: by Diane (new)

Diane  | 2336 comments Mod
Finished Cannery Row by John Steinbeck


Bryan--The Bee’s Knees (theindefatigablebertmcguinn) | 629 comments Diane wrote: "Finished Cannery Row by John Steinbeck"

That's kind of a fun one. Definitely more upbeat than a lot of his other stuff


message 3849: by Aileen (new)

Aileen | 154 comments Finished a re-read of The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, Agatha Christie which I first read way back in my teens. I gave it 4/5 this time around.


message 3850: by Gemma (new)

Gemma | 55 comments Just finished 1Q84, I read all three parts and loved it, a real page turner.


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