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

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message 1351: by Molly (new)

Molly (veggrrl) | 12 comments Eva wrote: "American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis"

How was it?


message 1352: by Judith (new)

Judith (jloucks) | 1202 comments Just started Gaskell's "Mary Barton" after enjoying "North and South" so much. They are very similar in theme, period and setting, so I don't really recommend the two in sequence if variety is what you seek!


message 1353: by Chel (new)

Chel | 380 comments I started Through the Looking Glass, and What Alice Found There and The Adventures of Peregrine Pickle.


message 1354: by James (new)

James Spencer (jspencer78) | 258 comments Molly wrote: "Eva wrote: "American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis"

How was it?"


She apparently has just started it so let me give my opinion: it has no business on a list of books one must read before one dies. I read it when it was published mostly because I had a problem with folks trying to get it banned (I object to even bad books getting banned) but in the end, I found it to be an interesting experiment but in the end pretty shallow and the story itself is so revolting that I was left with no reason to read it. Maybe it's because I deal with sociopaths in my work but I just don't see enough in them to make we want to read a novel about them.



message 1355: by Molly (new)

Molly (veggrrl) | 12 comments Jspencer78 wrote: "Molly wrote: "Eva wrote: "American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis"

How was it?"

She apparently has just started it so let me give my opinion: it has no business on a list of books one must read befo..."


Oh, now I have to read it--just to see how weird it is! Thanks for the warning though. :-)



message 1356: by Molly (new)

Molly (veggrrl) | 12 comments Molly wrote: "Jspencer78 wrote: "Molly wrote: "Eva wrote: "American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis"

How was it?"

She apparently has just started it so let me give my opinion: it has no business on a list of b..."


Ok, I just read a synopsis for it, and on second thought, maybe I won't read it!




message 1357: by Linda (last edited Jun 23, 2009 01:12PM) (new)

Linda I just started Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time last night and am more than half done already. I find it fascinating - it's not so much about the "mystery" the boy is trying to solve, but about the his view and response to life itself that keeps me reading. The reading is easy and simplistic, but it works since it's coming from a 15 y.o. autistic boy.


message 1358: by Stacie (last edited Jun 24, 2009 10:12AM) (new)

Stacie | 140 comments I am currently reading Name of the Rose.


message 1359: by Lyn (Readinghearts) (new)

Lyn (Readinghearts) (lsmeadows) Just started Robinson Crusoe.


message 1360: by Paula (new)

Paula | 57 comments Linda wrote: "I just started Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time last night and am more than half done already. I find it fascinating - it's not so much about the "mystery" the boy is trying to solve, ..."

I felt the same way - picked it up and finished it in a weekend because it is a simple read but yet very captivating. So moving in its perspective and makes you realize sometimes adults don't realize the impact they have on their children.


message 1361: by Megha (new)

Megha (hearthewindsing) Stacie wrote: "I am currently reading Name of the Rose."

Hey Stacie, I will be very much interested in hearing what you think of it. I am currently reading Borges and it is said that Umberto Eco is the only author who at all comes close to Borges' style.


message 1362: by Mike (new)

Mike Reading Typical.

I like most of Padgett's short stories/prose writing, but some of it just mystifies me. Like why Padgett uses sentences like: "Spavined clavicular, and cowhocked, with an air not of malice but simply of a leaden determination..." to describe a mid-western farmer. I get it, the guy's been through a lot, but there's less pretentious ways of getting his point across.

He seems to like these sort of sentences, so I'm becoming very familiar with Dictionary.com


message 1363: by Stacie (new)

Stacie | 140 comments Hi Megha,
I am liking it. It isn't a quick read by any means. It is very dense and I find myself going back and re-reading some of the passages. The monastic debates are interesting, but sometimes confusing.

I am not a HUGE fan of semiotics, and there is a lot of that in here. However, my theories class is all coming back to me, and I am finding the debates on the meanings of words very interesting...what does it mean to be a heretic versus being holy.

His descriptions of the towers and the library are great and it makes me want to search out a monastary to see if the libraries are really like that.

I haven't read Borges, so I can't compare. :)


message 1364: by Laura (new)

Laura (chrstjoy) | 12 comments I'm a little scared and intimidated. I just started Metamorphoses by Ovid.


message 1365: by Katie ATX (new)

Katie ATX (katieatx) | 74 comments Stacie wrote: "I am currently reading Name of the Rose."

Really enjoyed this one. It took a bit to get into, but it was really good. Hope you like it.


message 1366: by Megha (last edited Jun 26, 2009 04:08PM) (new)

Megha (hearthewindsing) Stacie wrote: "Hi Megha,
I am liking it. It isn't a quick read by any means. It is very dense and I find myself going back and re-reading some of the passages. The monastic debates are interesting, but sometimes..."


Thanks a lot, Stacie. This sounds like something worth checking out, as long as one has enough time on hands.



message 1367: by Kainda (new)

Kainda | 2 comments I just started Aesop's Fables. It doesn't look like a book you'd read in one day, but the stories are quite nice actually.


message 1368: by Richard (new)

Richard (rich7470) Stacie wrote: "Hi Megha,
I am liking it. It isn't a quick read by any means. It is very dense and I find myself going back and re-reading some of the passages. The monastic debates are interesting, but sometimes..."


what book are you talking about and who is the author?


message 1369: by Stacie (new)

Stacie | 140 comments Richard, We are talking about Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco.

Katie, I had the same issue. It took some time for me to get into, but once I did, I was hooked and the last 300 pages went by quite quicker than the first 200. Once it was over, I was kind of sad to see it end.

Now on to some brain candy off the list...reading book 2 of the Sookie Stackhouse series. :)


message 1370: by FromAna (new)

FromAna (fromanam) I don't think its on the list I haven't checked but started Netherland yesterday
its not going well so far, quite dry dare I say boring


message 1371: by Richard (new)

Richard (rich7470) Stacie wrote: "Richard, We are talking about Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco.

Katie, I had the same issue. It took some time for me to get into, but once I did, I was hooked and the last 300 pages went by quit..."


I watch Sookie on True Blood, do you?


message 1372: by Yrinsyde (new)

Yrinsyde | 295 comments I'm reading Miss Smilla's Feeling for Snow and I was enjoying it lots until a strange sex scene which put me off a bit. However, the story has got me into it again. Strange thing: I chose this book to take with me to Singapore - which I went to recently for business. On the plane home I read a mention of Index Medicus (which was talked about at the conference), x-raying Egyptian mummies (which was in the local Singaporean paper) and Singaporean medical/scientific studies (I was given a copy of the latest issue of the local medical/scientific society journal). Amazing!!! I was gobsmacked!!

Mentioned this novel to a friend of my husband - he and his wife lived in Denmark in the next street that the story is set in! They have both read the novel and thought it ended weakly. I'm 1/2 through it.


message 1373: by Rebecca (new)

Rebecca | 7 comments Just picked up The Satanic Verses by Salman Rushdie this weekend. The first chapter was a long and slow read, but after 100 pages it really starts picking up speed, and now I'm turning the pages as fast as I can!


message 1374: by Stacie (new)

Stacie | 140 comments I watch Sookie on True Blood, do you?

Sadly, no. We don't have HBO. However, I have heard great things about it and plan to put it on my Netflix list.


message 1375: by Stacie (new)

Stacie | 140 comments Rebecca wrote: "Just picked up The Satanic Verses by Salman Rushdie this weekend. The first chapter was a long and slow read, but after 100 pages it really starts picking up speed, and now I'm turning the pages as..."

Good to know. I just got this and plan on reading it some time this year. Thanks for the heads up.


message 1376: by Lyn (Readinghearts) (new)

Lyn (Readinghearts) (lsmeadows) Rebecca wrote: "Just picked up The Satanic Verses by Salman Rushdie this weekend. The first chapter was a long and slow read, but after 100 pages it really starts picking up speed, and now I'm turning the pages as..."

FYI - The first season is already on Netflix if your waiting.


message 1377: by Cynthia (new)

Cynthia (cantabele) Ana wrote: "I don't think its on the list I haven't checked but started Netherland yesterday
its not going well so far, quite dry dare I say boring"


Ana hang in there. It gets better.....and it's short. It's a worthwhile read but if you're like me all the cricket stuff gets tiresome.

Cynthia



message 1378: by Richard (new)

Richard (rich7470) Stacie wrote: "I watch Sookie on True Blood, do you?

Sadly, no. We don't have HBO. However, I have heard great things about it and plan to put it on my Netflix list."


The first season can be bought in any retail store.


message 1379: by Adriana (new)

Adriana I just stared Emma about a week ago and i am half way there. I expect to finish it by the end of this week.


message 1380: by Ryan (new)

Ryan (rpscott123) I just started Ulysses by Joyce. Unfortunately, I cannot get into to it. I will try it again some other time.


message 1382: by Stacie (new)

Stacie | 140 comments Ryan wrote: "I just started Ulysses by Joyce. Unfortunately, I cannot get into to it. I will try it again some other time."

I tried to read this once on my own and too found that I had a hard time getting into it. My advice would be to get the annotated notes (which is very helpful), but also read it with a group; whether you can take a class or just find people to read it with and discuss it. Once I did that, I fell in love with that book...just a thought. :)


message 1383: by Emma (new)

Emma (mnium) | 135 comments Stacie wrote: "Ryan wrote: "I just started Ulysses by Joyce. Unfortunately, I cannot get into to it. I will try it again some other time."

I tried to read this once on my own and too found that I had a hard ..."


I bought Ulysses together with a book of annotations for it, Ulysses Annotated.

I'm not sure when I'll finally pick Ulysses up but when I do I'll look for a discussion within this group or possibly create one. There does not seem to be one at this time.


message 1384: by Everyman (new)

Everyman And now yet another list. Newsweek's latest issue is on books, and includes a list of "What to Read Now. And Why."

Their Number 1 book is Trollope's The Way We Live Now, which isn't even on the 1001 list. Nor is their next novel, their no. 5 book (the majority of their books are not novels), Faulkner's The Bear. Nor is their third novel, number 12 on their list, Flannery O'connor's A Good Man is hard to Find.

I haven't gone through the two lists and compared them title by title, but it's interesting, at least to me, that there is no crossover with the top novels on the Newsweek list.


message 1385: by Rebecca (new)

Rebecca | 7 comments I'm planning to start "Interview with the Vampire" by Anne Rice. Loved the movie, so I'm looking forward to this.


message 1386: by Derwood (new)

Derwood Pamphilon | 2 comments Ulysses very challenging!!


message 1387: by FromAna (new)

FromAna (fromanam) Cynthia wrote: "Ana wrote: "I don't think its on the list I haven't checked but started Netherland yesterday
its not going well so far, quite dry dare I say boring"

Ana hang in there. It gets better.....and i..."


Thanks Cynthia I am but we are making slow progress - I have a no books left behind policy so i will finish it


message 1388: by Meera (new)

Meera I have to say that I hated Ulysses in college. It's one of the rare times I sold a lit book back.

I started War and Peace yesterday. I've been reading Lolita for couple of weeks. That's going slow for me.


message 1389: by Deanne (new)

Deanne | 681 comments Celestial harmonies by Esterhazy, I'm 70 pages in and not sure what I think of it.


message 1390: by Linda (new)

Linda Recently started Life of Pi. So far I like it, but got a bit bogged down with the parts about Hinduism, all the gods, etc. It's confusing if you don't know much about Hinduism, so I just skimmed through that section. I am more interested in the parts about the animals...


message 1391: by Carly (new)

Carly (csweder) Just started Savage Detectives by Robero Bolano. It's off to an excellent start!


message 1392: by Paula (new)

Paula | 57 comments Meera wrote: "I have to say that I hated Ulysses in college. It's one of the rare times I sold a lit book back.

I started War and Peace yesterday. I've been reading [book:Lolita|7604..."


My goodness you are an ambitious one! From Lolita to W&P! They should add in some fun/humorous reads in this list to act as a diversion from the tombs of Ulysses and W&P! I got W&P on my Kindle because I thought it would make me read it, but now I just have two versions of the same book on my to-read list :)




message 1393: by Richard (new)

Richard (rich7470) Lyn wrote: "I just started To the Lighthouse since I will be vacationing with family during the reading time for that book. So far so good. I have never read Virginia Woolf before so I find it very interesti..."

Please let me know if you continue to like the way she writes. I am interested in her books. Richard


message 1394: by Meera (last edited Jul 03, 2009 11:02AM) (new)

Meera Paula wrote: "They should add in some fun/humorous reads in this list to act as a diversion from the tombs of Ulysses and W&P"

Oh, I agree completely! Happy books are hard to find. Last month, I finished

Giovanni's Room, Lord of the Flies and The War of the Worlds out of the list. Definitely not happy books. But I have to say War and Peace is a happy book right now but I'm only at page 100 so I probably haven't gotten to the war part yet :-)

To further prove your point, I started
In Cold Blood yesterday.


message 1395: by Lyn (Readinghearts) (new)

Lyn (Readinghearts) (lsmeadows) I just started To The Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf since I will be on a family vacation during the reading time for that book. So far so good, I have never read Virginia Woolf before, but so far I like the way she writes.


message 1396: by Stacie (new)

Stacie | 140 comments Lyn wrote: "I just started To The Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf since I will be on a family vacation during the reading time for that book. So far so good, I have never read Virginia Woolf before, but so far I..."

I hope you enjoy it, Lyn. This is one of my favorite books by her.


message 1397: by Kate Padilla (new)

Kate Padilla | 2 comments I had started reading What is the What by Dave Eggers a little while back, but with school books to read I had to put it down. I picked it back up a day or two ago and I could start where I left off because I had remembered so clearly what happened the last time I read it.


message 1398: by Stacie (new)

Stacie | 140 comments I am currently reading Henderson the Rain King, and am really enjoying it so far.


message 1399: by Stacy (new)

Stacy (stacy_k) | 4 comments Just about to start reading Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen


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