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

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message 651: by Annemaria (new)

Annemaria | 12 comments halfway through "the corrections"


message 652: by Anna (new)

Anna (lilfox) | 290 comments Semiology of everyday life by Umberto Eco

Jim Morrison. Life, death, legend by Stephen Davis


message 653: by Jim (new)

Jim | 1 comments Just started "Catch 22", and I wish I hadn't. I'm really disappointed in this nonsensical endless litany of lunacy.


message 654: by Erica (new)

Erica Apropos for the season, I just started Dracula. My first thought was, this is kind of cliche, and then I realized that this probably STARTED the cliche. But I have a feeling there will be a lot more to this story than vampires.


message 655: by Linda (new)

Linda The House of Mirth by Wharton. So far I am really enjoying it, but I am upset with myself because, as I've done in the past, I read some of the Introduction and ruined the ending for myself! Ugh!


message 656: by Laura (new)

Laura (laurita) | 42 comments Linda, I just finished House of Mirth, my first Edith Wharton. I was impressed. It reminded me quite a bit of Driesser's Sister Carrie but it had a lot more of hopeful sentiment to it and a tad more complexity, I thought. I'm curious to see how it treats you.


message 657: by Denise (new)

Denise | 231 comments The Great Gatsby. I think someone here talked me into it a few months ago and I'm finally getting around to it.


message 658: by Vicky (new)

Vicky | 43 comments I'm sort of "off the List" right now, so I'd have to say there are more than 1,001 books I've GOTTA read in my lifetime!
I just finished "The Other Bolyn Girl", and I'm now reading "Wallace Stegner and The American West" which is both a biography of Stegner (who is not, I think on the List, and I don't know why?) and also an investigation of Stegner as novelist, professor of Creative Writing, and conservationist. What an interesting fellow!


message 659: by Vicky (new)

Vicky | 43 comments JOSH -- Stay with Paul Auster's Book of Illusions.
It's quirky and somewhat disturbing, but worth the effort.


message 661: by Chris (new)

Chris
I just began The Red and the Black. So far not much is happening but hand holding and sighing.


message 662: by Klara (new)

Klara (klarikah) Don Dellilo's White Noise. I thought it'd be dull, but I actually quite like his style and the content of the dialogue.


message 663: by Ravenskya (new)

Ravenskya  (ravenskya) Started Ulysses... and so far I hate it... I hope it gets a lot better quickly


message 664: by Stacie (new)

Stacie | 140 comments Kristen,
I tried reading Ulysses on my own a long time ago and also hated it. If you can find someone to read it with - or even take a class - it will change your opinion. Also, what I found really helpful is having Ulysses Annotated by my side.

Good luck. Don't give up. It really is, IMO, a masterpiece.


message 665: by Lisa (new)

Lisa (glinda) | 30 comments I just started Never Let Me Go. Couldn't sleep last night so I started it about 5 minutes after finishing Water for Elephants, which I enjoyed. Any opinions on Never Let Me Go?


message 666: by Kristi (new)

Kristi (kristilarson) | 263 comments I read Never Let Me Go a few months ago. I didn't love it, I didn't hate it. I find the topic or theme very interesting, but I just wasn't that impressed with the story or writing.


message 667: by Kristi (new)

Kristi (kristilarson) | 263 comments I'm starting The Thin Man today. My face-to-face book club is reading it, and it is also the 2008 pick for One Book, One Denver.


message 668: by Laura (new)

Laura (laurita) | 42 comments I just picked up Never Let Me Go at Goodwill for a couple bucks. For some reason, I feel like I just won't be able to get into it. I'm sure that it's just that I've heard so many good things about it that I've psyched myself out.


message 669: by tenzin tsomo (new)

tenzin tsomo | 1 comments my cousin handed me 'ethics of new millennium by Dalai Lama' two days before.he said this is a book which almost got him out of bed.ya,he just an another jobless guy..
so i thought about giving it a try.


message 670: by Allison (new)

Allison (inconceivably) I just started Les Miz...and I am VERY excited about it, only about 20 pages in so far...already marked a couple quotes I want to remember.

I am also reading "The Eight" by Katherine Neville, which is off list...but very interesting so far.

My mind is going in about a million directions with what I want to do next....possibly Portrait of a Lady followed by "The Master", which as I understand is about Henry James. Anybody read that?


message 671: by Linda (new)

Linda (mslinda8393) Allison, I got almost finished with The Eight and put it down due to being too busy. I hope to finish it someday. It was very good up to quitting point. I think you'll like it. Has Katherine Neville written a new one?


message 672: by Maria (new)

Maria | 5 comments I just started "Things Fall Apart" by Chinua Achebe.

What do you think about that book?


message 673: by Lisa (new)

Lisa (glinda) | 30 comments I was also wary but now I'm about 30 pages in and find myself very intrigued. We'll see how it goes.


message 674: by Allison (new)

Allison (inconceivably) Katherine Neville has written a sequel to "The Eight"...called "The Fire" I think, not nearly as well received as the first, but that is to be expected...I'll probably read it at some point, when my TBR pile isn't starting to actually fight back. :-)


Stephanie "Jedigal" (jedigal) | 270 comments Maria,
I read Things Fall Apart around 15 years ago in connection with a college African history class. I remember I enjoyed it, but not much else.

Lisa,
I read Never Let Me Go with my bookclub. It was "my" pick, which meant I had to lead the discussion, so I actually read it twice. I found a lot of interesting symbolism in it, and it touches on so many different themes. But, as I say in my review:
"This novel is an easy read, but not so easy in the digestion."
It can be uncomfortable reading, as some of the circumstances, and the relationships are uncomfortable themselves. But I certainly was glad to have read it, and am considering trying another Ishiguro whenever my reading schedule permits.


message 676: by Carin (new)

Carin Linda, the sequel to "The Eight", "The Fire", just came out last week.


message 677: by Kristi (new)

Kristi (kristilarson) | 263 comments I think I will start Dracula tonight.


message 678: by Deanne (new)

Deanne | 681 comments The go-between by L.P.Hartley, about 100 pages in.


message 679: by Nawar (new)

Nawar (nawaralq) I just started Prozac Nation. Love it so far.


message 680: by Lisa (new)

Lisa (glinda) | 30 comments Re: Never Let Me Go, thanks very much for your review. I seem to be enjoying it more and more as I get further into it. The tension definitely builds as you go along.


message 681: by Julia (new)

Julia i started Dracula couple days ago on www.dailylit.com. it is very convenient. you are "forced" to read at least couple of pages every day.


message 682: by Kristi (new)

Kristi (kristilarson) | 263 comments Julia, I checked out an ancient copy of Dracula from the libary. It is great to find books online, I read a lot of Frankenstein that way. But it is usually so easy to find a cheap copy of these classics, that I prefer to have a 'hard' copy. It's a great time of year to read Dracula, with Halloween right around the corner. I didn't think it could actually scare me, but I guess I was wrong!


message 683: by David S. T. (new)

David S. T. I don't like reading stuff online, I almost always will read a hard copy if possible.


I started Infinite Jest: A Novel, its length intimidates me so I'll probably take a few breaks to read other books.


message 684: by Jennifer (new)

Jennifer | 27 comments Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro


message 685: by Deanne (new)

Deanne | 681 comments The heart of the matter, haven't found a Graham Greene book yet which wasn't good.


message 686: by Chloe (new)

Chloe (countessofblooms) | 129 comments Deanne, that's been my experience with Graham Greene. I'm not sure there exists a poor novel by him.

Carmelo, Infinite Jest is a dense read but it's definitely worth reading in its entirety. I finally tackled it this summer and ended up really enjoying it.


message 687: by Lauren (new)

Lauren (inklings) | 2 comments I just started "The Pilgrim's Progress."



message 688: by Vicky (new)

Vicky | 43 comments I just started A Clockwork Orange. I remember seeing the movie years ago when it first came out (in the 60's) and I really hated it, but so far I am enjoying the read. A bit of a slow start as you get used to the language, sex and violence, but I'm getting into it now, so... will see how it goes,


message 689: by Christina Stind (new)

Christina Stind | 180 comments I'm halfway through Kafka on the Shore - loving it! Excellent book - will definitely read more by this author!


message 690: by David S. T. (new)

David S. T. I read that not too long ago, good stuff.


message 691: by Sophie (new)

Sophie (piroska) | 7 comments Just started Drop City, which seems pretty good so far, much more interesting than I thought it would be.


message 693: by P (new)

P (pascalm) | 12 comments Just started The Way We Live Now - not my first Trollope, but apparently it's his most atypical book. My only comment so far is that for a non-British reader, the social system can be a bit overwhelming (Esquires vs. Baronets, Marquises, etc). I had the same problem when I started reading David Copperfield, having no idea what the difference between a barrister and a solicitor was - in fact, at first I thought "being trained for the bar" was a euphemism for being a drunkard... thank god for Wiki.


message 694: by Stacie (new)

Stacie | 140 comments Around the World in Eighty Days

I am really enjoying it so far.


message 695: by April (new)

April Emma - I love Franny & Zooey! Have read it several times. Is this your first read? It's great if you like Salinger's style and are interested in spirituality.


message 696: by Deanna (new)

Deanna McFadden (ragdoll) | 9 comments I've just started Knut Hamsun's "Hunger" and I'm totally riveted. I love finding books that I'd never really heard of before and then completely adoring them to the extent of not wanting to go to work or even watch TV. :)


message 697: by Emma (last edited Oct 30, 2008 09:31AM) (new)

Emma (mnium) | 135 comments April - It is my first read. I am interested in spirituality and I like Salinger's style, but only from Salinger! I keep thinking of this guy in my college writing program. Oh, Louis!


message 698: by JSou (new)

JSou Just finished Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? I am now starting On Beauty by Zadie Smith...really liking it so far.


message 699: by Denise (new)

Denise | 231 comments Zoe,
I read Pan years ago and really liked it. A friend of mine handed it to me and said "This guy (the protagonist) really wore his heart on his sleeve."


message 700: by Carl (new)

Carl Re Hunger - yes, this is a great book. Auster has a nice appreciation of it in his Art of Hunger book of essays. And Auster's City of Glass is so similiar, just applying noir conventions, among other more recent pscyh and phil concerns. I've always thought of Henry Miller's Tropic of Cancer as "In Conversation" with Hamsun's Hunger.


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