Boxall's 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die discussion
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Which LIST book did you just finish?
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Bea
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Nov 04, 2011 07:49PM

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I loved Middlemarch too. Made me an instant Eliot fan (if anything 912 or so pages long can do anything "instantly").


I felt the same way. She does a great job with the characters and fleshing the out, but the storyline I found lacking.

My ability to predict is severely hampered then. Since I prefer characterization over plot, I tend to just let the plot move along. And I was dumb-founded at the ending.

And now that I'm back into it, I remember why I abandoned Les Misérables. OMG. Will this description of Waterloo never end? (Answer: Not in the next two hundred pages.)





I couldn't finish that one - even after reading 200 pages. It was a story within a story within a story.


Although I wished for a better ending and liked it less than "The Road", I was still greatly drawn into McCarthy's dark, dramatic tale of war and murder. His writing style is so uniquely appropriate to his topics...he is almost Biblical at times. Amazing writer!

I'm 2 or 3 books away from starting that one, I'm glad to know it's a quick read!

Love your description! Sounds a lot like Wind-up Bird Chronicles, which I loved.

And when you get past that, you have the description of the church stones to look forward to. It's worth it, don't worry!


And whe..."
I have yet to read Les Misérables, but your comment have me laughing my head off!! :D

Walden, or Life in the Woods-this one was rough. I will not lie. I found it rambling, kind of even ranting in spots, very "wordy", & had a HARD time slogging through it. I will admit I skimmed in several places. I also found it too dry & boring for my taste, although I know there are plenty who LOVE this book.
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time-Once you get into the head of Christopher, & understand the mental quirks of an autistic child, you "get" this book, & why he did the things he did. I have a neighbor who has some OCD issues & has 2 daughters, one with Asperger's, so I got this book probably easier than people will who have never been around an autistic person. I felt SO sorry for him at times, & at times I was amazed at his tenacity & bravery in going where he was clearly terrified to go but felt he had to go in order to solve the mystery of Wellington & his mother.


Next up, My House in Umbria. Love books written by William Trevor.

What's funny is that I finished it, and despite not caring a whit about battle strategy, in the end I was quite taken by the description. Now, was it germane to the main plot of the book? Probably not.
Can't wait for the church stones description! That sounds absolutely riveting!
I should clarify that it's slow, in that nice 19th century way that you can get used to, rather than actually boring, if that makes sense. Like old movies, old books just have a different rhythm.
BUT ... I have read like four other books during "breaks" from Les Mis. So. Yeah.

That was my first Atwood. Definitely made me want to read more.



It's been awhile since I read Madame Bovary, but this is sort of like a German version with a little bit of Turn of the Screw thrown in.




Sounds great!! I'm really hoping to pick this one up before the end of the year!"
Charity, let me know if you do and I'll read it with you!

Whoo hoo! Sounds like a plan! I might start it sometime at the end of this month.

I wasn't sure what I was going to think of that book, while I was reading it. Then when I finished I was really surprised at how good it was!
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