The Modern Library 100 Best Novels Challenge discussion
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Stephanie's Crazed Attempt at the ML List Continues
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DuneI am currently reading this one, and since my fellow members are encouraging me to keep going, I am plugging along a little each night. I have to admit, I am mostly skimming, but once I started looking past all of the hard-core sci-fi stuff I found a potentially interesting story. I think I will finish it.
8/20: No, I will not finish it. It feels like homework. I keep picking up every other library book I have at home instead of this one. I gave it 100 pages and I just can't do it. I am going to get an early start on the September books.
FAILED
Shane I started reading this one yesterday, and I am very happy to have an illustrated copy on hand. It has been a long time since I have read a book with illustrations...why do authors think that adult lit doesn't need imagery? I have been wanting to see the movie for some time, so once I finish the book this week, I plan on getting it through Netflix. I think this is going to be a good western with an interesting family and a strong hero. I am excited to see where the story leads, because right now I have no idea. (Shane has just stayed with the family, so I am only about 20 pages in.)
I am really liking the story - this is just a FUN book to read. I am still not too far into the plot, but the part I am at is really good...Bob and his father just had the conversation about Shane. It sparked my interest in figuring out what Shane is up to/all about.
Done! The story of Shane is a simple tale set in the great American west, with a very badass protagonist. He was badass. No other way to put it. The story is simple, the character of Shane is unforgettable, and the scene where the Mr. Starrett and Shane remove the stump together is great.
Three stars.
ACCOMPLISHED
Winesburg, Ohio September 14: I just started this book and I yawn myself into a state of semi-conciousness each time I pick it up. So far, I am not interested in any of the characters, but will keep reading to see how the parts affect the whole (if at all). Literary Nyquil thus far.
I can't do it. This book is like Dune, but not sci-fi. I don't even want to see it sitting on my shelf anymore.
FAILED Even though I still have time to read it, it's not going to happen!
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Something Wicked This Way ComesI just read this one in the past year so I am not going to reread it. The book is incredibly disturbing, and I vividly remember watching the movie in 7th grade Honors English. It terrified me! My sister and I watched the movie again this summer (thank you Netflix) and while it didn't have the SAME kind of terror as it did the first time, it was still incredible bizarre and eerie. There is nothing more horrifying than a creepy carnival and music which turns out to be the death march backwards. I get chills just thinking of it. Light and dark, good and evil...there is symbolism all over the place, even in the names of the two main characters.
Make sure you look for religious symbolism as you read...and the title is from a famous Shakespearean play. :)
Three and a half stars.
ACCOMPLISHED
The Haunting of Hill HouseI read this book several years ago, but I enjoyed it much more on its second reading. I particularly enjoyed this edition with its fantastic introduction. The story is what I would describe as "literary creepy" - this is not King, or Saul, or Koontz. Jackson writes beautifully with enough psychology in her stories to allow me to compare to her Henry James (The Turn of the Screw), even though I found this MUCH easier to read and MUCH more interesting. Eleanor, the main character in this story (or maybe the HOUSE is the main character), is pathetic in her own way - she has no one, feels like no one, and belongs nowhere. You feel sorry for her throughout the entire book while becoming increasingly embarrassed for her. I like that Jackson leaves most of the book to the imagination of the reader. I will be going back to view the b&w film version of this book, but will be skipping the 90s version, which was fun at the time (I was a teen) but now see steered FAR from the actual novel. This book is a fantastic fall read and a great start into Jackson's lit. Disturbing and creepy, Hill House will stay with you for quite some time.
Journeys end in lovers meeting.
4 stars initial reading several years ago
4.5 stars now
ACCOMPLISHED
1984 4 stars
ACCOMPLISHED
The Handmaid's Tale4.5 stars
ACCOMPLISHED
Fahrenheit 451I read this one for the second time and liked it just as much. Bradbury is an interesting writer, that's for sure.
4 stars
ACCOMPLISHED
Ender's GameI liked the character of Ender, but I think my male freshmen students would like this book more than me. Still not a sci-fi fan, but it was better than Dune.
3 stars
ACCOMPLISHED
To Kill a MockingbirdThis is one of my all-time favorites and one of the few books I have read repeatedly. The movie is equally as fantastic. A MUST for everyone, and it is too bad that most high schools make this required reading for ninth graders...I think older students would appreciate it more.
5 stars
ACCOMPLISHED
To the Lighthouse I loathe this book. I don't think I will be reading it again.
2 stars for style and symbolism
ACCOMPLISHED
Slaughterhouse-FiveKurt Vonnegut...you either love him or hate him. I do not love him.
1 star
ACCOMPLISHED
The House of Mirth4 stars
ACCOMPLISHED (back in college, but want to come back and read this one again!)
The Sun Also RisesNEEDS TO BE READ AGAIN
Animal FarmThis book terrifies me. Watching The Manor Farm turn into Animal Farm with its warped politics mirroring Stalin's Soviet Union is so, so disturbing. Using animals to tell the story is brilliant, and the final scene just stays with you.
5 stars
ACCOMPLISHED
The Modern Library 100 Best Novels Challenge
Books mentioned in this topic
Angle of Repose (other topics)Animal Farm (other topics)
Gone with the Wind (other topics)
The Maltese Falcon (other topics)
Deliverance (other topics)
More...
I read this one right away, and it took a very short period of time to read the interwoven stories. I should NOT have read this before bed because I feel like I missed certain aspects of the story. I think this book warrants a reread, but my initial thoughts are that I didn't find it that enjoyable. Enjoying a book is REALLY what I am looking for right now.
Two stars.
ACCOMPLISHED