Boxall's 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die discussion
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Which LIST book did you just finish?
Mod
Loved this book!"
What a coincidence- I just finished Zorba the Greek today also. Liked it a lot, and really enjoyed George Guidall's audio reading. It's in the 2012 edition, not the original.
Mod
Loved this book!"
What a coincidence- I just finished Zorba the Greek today also. Liked it a lot, and really enjo..."
Even more of a coincidence -- I listened to the George Guidall reading also. He was excellent. His Zorba was perfect.
I just finished "The Castle" by Franz Kafka. I can't think of anything positive to say about it at all and wonder why it was ever on the list!
Finally finished Jude the Obscure by Thomas Hardy.
I finished Hunger by Knut Hamsun. It wasn't as good as his other list book Growth of the Soil, but still liked it a lot.
Mercedes wrote: "The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin, which is NOT on the list, and it should be. What a beautiful little novel."
That's the only Le Guin novel I've read, but I thought it was extremely thought provoking in considering gender in ways that I would not have before.
Tess of the D'Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy. Very well written story, though I didn't entirely like the ending. I also did not like the hypocrisy with which Angel treated Tess's situation upon their marriage, but I suppose that was the prevailing thought in the time this was written.
Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift
The Bell by Iris Murdoch. God, I wanted to love this, but I just couldn't; I tried, I really did. Perhaps some day in the future I'll find more to admire. I found Murdoch's prose interesting for the most part. Her sentences, which were very well thought-out and occasionally long winded, I found to be, in many instances, nothing short of beautiful. Though it started excellently, I found myself a victim of excruciating boredom when nearing the middle of this book.
Far From the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy (1840-1928). I loved it. The story of love, obsession, betrayal, and murder set in rural 1860s England, is a masterpiece. 5 stars.
Jim wrote: "Far From the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy (1840-1928). I loved it. The story of love, obsession, betrayal, and murder set in rural 1860s England, is a masterpiece. 5 s..."Good to hear it! I've just discovered the joy of his language. I recently finishe THE RETURN OF THE NATIVE and I'm in the middle of TESS right now.
Mod
Finished listening to Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale. I've very mixed feelings about it.
The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco - fantastic reading 👌
Mod
This is one of my all time favorite books! And did you see the news that three poisonous books (arsenic on the covers) from the 16th and 17th centuries were found in the University of Southern Denmark's library.
Just finished In a Free State: A Novel with Two Supporting Narratives by V.S. Naipaul. Although it calls itself a novel, this is more three connected novellas, linked by a common theme of displacement and identity.
King Solomon's Mines and Kidnapped. Reviews up on http://1001everything.blogspot.com. They were certainly a nice break from some of the heavier (ahem Russian) novels on The List.
I just finished Ulysses by James Joyce.I opted to listen to this one as an audio book. So glad I did, I flew through it in no time as I loooooove me an Irish accent! lol.
Just finished Steppenwolf by Herman Hesse and maybe I should read a companion piece with it or take a class but I don’t understand the love or hype. It was fine. Better than Siddartha.
Karina wrote: "Just finished Steppenwolf by Herman Hesse and maybe I should read a companion piece with it or take a class but I don’t understand the love or hype. It was fine. Better than Siddartha."I agree with you, Karina. I found it hard to enjoy Steppenwolf too. I can’t see why it is held in high regard, maybe the edition I was reading was down to bad translation, I don’t know.
Read The Death of Ivan Ilyich by Tolstoy. A rather short read, but a potent and deeply valuable one.
Mod
So did I today."
What did you think? I liked it far better than I thought I would. I need to watch the movie now.
Finished Orlando by Virginia Woolf. I didn’t enjoy the storyline but as usual Woolf’s writing was superb.
Finished Age of Innocence by Wharton. I liked it quite a bit better than The House of Mirth.
Mod
Alberta and Jacob looks interesting, and I can get it from the university library near me (but not the other book).
Finished Thomas Of Reading by Thomas Deloney. Interesting but (to me) difficult read because of the old English.
Just finished Daniel Deronda by George Eliot, so long and detailed it took me about six weeks to complete. 4/5
Mod
Have finished all of the Flannery O'Connor books on the list -- now need some light comedy!!
Completed Sister Carrie by Dreiser.
Finished Strait is the Gate by André Gide. One of my favorite reads this year.
Mercedes wrote: "I have yet to read Orlando, but, Sarah, have you seen the film?..."No, I haven’t. It’s probable I’ll revisit the book in a year or two. I’ll check out the film in the meantime. Thanks for the suggestion!
Boxall's 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die
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Loved this book!"
One of my favorites!"
One of my favorites, too.