Boxall's 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die discussion
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Which LIST book did you just finish?
I finished A Room With a View on Friday, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe on Saturday, and On Chesil Beach today. I was surprised by how much I liked A Room With a View, my first by Forster. I read The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe as a child, but I want to re-read the whole Chronicles of Narnia. On Chesil Beach was my third by McEwan. I liked it, although it upset me. I just love his writing.
A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens. First Dickens (besides A Christmas Carol) I actually finished. Probably because it's half the size of his others.
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn is a real book-lover's book and one of my all-time favorites. I don't understand why it's not on the list, either. The list is also missing The Good Earth by Pearl Buck, Slouching towards Bethlehem by Joan Didion and Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand. Surely, these are more enjoyable than than the psychotic ravings of The Wasp Factory or the spoiled brat drug addicts of Dead Babies. Of course, lists like these are always controversial, and that's probably why we like them so much!
Finished "Madame Bovary" by Flaubert, I really liked the book.
I read three over the holidays: "In a Free State," "Enduring Love," and "In the Heart of the Country." http://tragicrighthip.blogspot.com/se...
I also set up my challenge for next year, fingers crossed I get to all 66 (as if!)
http://tragicrighthip.blogspot.com/20...
Tej wrote: "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn is a real book-lover's book and one of my all-time favorites. I don't understand why it's not on the list, either. The list is also missing The Good Earth by Pearl Buck, ..."I just read The Good Earth a few months ago, and I thought it was amazing. Definitely a candidate for the list! Can anyone recommend another by Pearl Buck?
Melissa wrote: "A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens. First Dickens (besides A Christmas Carol) I actually finished. Probably because it's half the size of his others."pretty bleak, isn't it? I am still glad I read it.
When I first saw Elizabeth's post about Flowers For Algernon, I got confused. I had just read the short story (first) version of that, in a SF collection I'm reading. But since we mostly post about book-length material here, I thought to myself "Maybe the title for that story was based on some important novel." When Linda and Sarah posted about it too, I had to find out what was going on. So now I understand it was a short story, and Keyes later expanded it. The SS was good, so I'll definitely try out the novel sometime. Thanks for illuminating me, ladies!
In the last few weeks I've read the following:White Noise: Very intriguing and thoroughly enjoyable.
Slaughterhouse-Five: A little disappointing but a good read nonetheless.
Mrs. Dalloway: A struggle to get through. Not a big Virginia Woolfe fan.
Lord of the Flies: Pretty good but doesn't even compare to The Catcher in the Rye.
Portnoy's Complaint: Extremely funny. Second book I've read written by Philip Roth and both have been fantastic.
I just finished Catch-22. Had very high expectations, and I did enjoy it, but it was still a mild disappointment.It did have some genuinely funny parts though, which is quite rare in my opinion.
I just finished The Wind Up Bird Chronicle by Murakami. I love his writing, its off the wall and jumps all over the place. Def. keeps you interested!
White Noise by Don Delillo. Fantastic in every sense of the word. Beautifully written, engaging, expansive in nature though sufficiently narrow in plot.
White Noise by Don Delillo. Fantastic in every sense of the word. Beautifully written, engaging, expansive in nature though sufficiently narrow in plot.
I've just finished "The Golden Notebook". Very interesting and very much of its time (late 50's/early 60's). Now I'm reading something lighter; Rider Haggard's "King Solomon's Mines".
I just finished Solaris. I am still wrapping my head around what it will mean for me, long term. Somebody here described it as having "lasting images" which I think is true.
Finished 'Rebecca' last night - really a good story!
Christina Stind wrote: "Finished 'Rebecca' last night - really a good story!"I read 'Rebecca' last year, but had already seen the movie. Still, it is a great book. I love how insecure the new Mrs. DeWinter is; it's almost painful!
I read Rebecca last year as well. I loved the novel... it seemed to kind of hook me, which I really enjoy in books. I agree with how it was almost painful to see the new Mrs. DeWinter be so insecure. I kept wanting to yell at the book.... "come on.... be confident!" It was good all the same.
The Midwich Cuckoos by John WyndhamFabulous book!
What is the What by Dave Eggers... absolutely amazing author and such a moving book
Sim wrote: "What is the What by Dave Eggers... absolutely amazing author and such a moving book"Agreed! It's a gruesome book so it would be tough for a lot of people to get through, but I think it's a book that everyone should read.
Finished Cloud Atlas over the holiday. It was a memorable read, 6 different stories backward then forward that were intertwined. I'd highly recommend, though the styles jump enough that it's probably not for everyone. Interesting and different.
Stephanie wrote: "Sim wrote: "What is the What by Dave Eggers... absolutely amazing author and such a moving book"Agreed! It's a gruesome book so it would be tough for a lot of people to get through, but I think..."
Can you elaborate Stephanie on why it's a "must read"? Please ...
Finished Cheese by Willem Elsschot yesterday. You don't have to like cheese to like this one and it's a quick read.
Book Lover wrote: "i just finished Magyk and Flyte"Book Lover wrote: "the boy in the striped pajamas"
Book Lover, have you had a chance to look at the list (http://www.amazon.com/1001-Books-Must..., http://www.listsofbests.com/list/57568) yet? The books you've commented about are not on this list.
There are other forums about off-list books but this forum and the one about the books you have just started are about the books listed in Peter Boxall's 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die.
I'm here to discuss books on this list. I can go elsewhere to hear about all the millions of other great books. (And perhaps I should as more and more, this type of OCD post is the only type I make.)
Pippi Longstocking by Astrid Lindgren, great to read a book from the new list that didn't need indepth thinking or lots of navel gazing. Also fimished the Marble Faun by Hawthorne, another well written book with a good plot.
Finally finished Doctor Zhivago. I really liked the story, but this was a tough read for me. It might not be a bad idea for people to study up on the Russian revolution before taking on this one.
Liz wrote: "Can you elaborate Stephanie on why it's a "must read"? Please ..."For me, What is the What was an absolutely eye-opening book. You hear of the horrors going on in Sudan (and elsewhere as well) but at least for me, there's a disconnect. This book is the story of one of the Lost Boys who lived through it. After all that he's seen, he comes to the US for refuge and I have to say I was also horrified of his experiences in this country. The story is incredibly haunting. It's certainly not an easy read - in parts it is unbearably gruesome - but I think it's an eye-opening book that everyone should read.
It's not on the list, but I think it should be.
Just finished Never Let Me Go and Blood and Guts in High School: A Novel. Never Let Me Go was beatifully written and I truly enjoyed it. Blook and Guts was horrific. I can say without a doubt it's the worst book I have ever read and I quite honestly see no literary merit in it. I would be interested in seeing the reasons for the inclusion on the list. Anyone have the book?
Stephanie, here's a quote from the Blood and Guts in High School entry on the 2006 list:"This unruly and challenging text is an affront to the assumption that literary texts should be neat, complete, and somehow true." (720)
The entry opens by stating that the book is a reinterpretation of the familiar rite-of-passage novel. The introduction to the 2006 version of this group's eponymous list says, "[1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die:] offers itself as a snapshot of the novel, one story among others that one can tell about its history (9)."
I haven't read the Acker book, mostly because I hadn't been able to find it yet, but I've been attracted to its title.
On the night Sheherezade told Acker's tale, perhaps the king would have killed her. The Thousand and One Nights is apparently the inspiration behind the whole concept of '1001 before you die,' (this also from the introduction).
Emma wrote: "Stephanie, here's a quote from the Blood and Guts in High School entry on the 2006 list:"This unruly and challenging text is an affront to the assumption that literary texts should be neat, comple..."
Thanks Emma! I suppose I can see their point there, but I just still don't see the literary value in it. To each their own, I guess - I know some people have loved it. I was initially attracted to the title as well, which just goes to show you that's often a poor indicator. :) Thanks for taking the time to post the reasoning behind it! Much appreciated.
The adventures of Caleb Williams by Godwin the story of a young man in 18th century England who discovers his master's secret. The result of which is his persecution by the master, interesting description of what life is like for the poor and destitute of the time.Also reading Moon Tiger a booker prize winner.
I just finished The Double by Jose Saramago. It wasn't a bad book, but I'm not sure that it was all too great, either. I'll need time to ponder.
Just finished The Plot Against America by Philip Roth. I liked it. An interesting read. A haunting "what if" scenario which juxtaposes political unrest in the nation during World War II with the personal effect on a Jewish family in Newark. Terrifying possibilities yet the author mixes in some humor with the 9 year old narrator. Sad to say I learned more about some of these historical figures by this fiction novel (and subsequent postscript) than I knew before. Lindbergh, yuck!
Yelena wrote: "Has anyone/is anyone reading The Red Queen? If so, does anyone have any motivating incentive for me to continue reading it? I'm in 100 pages and, well, I'm not sure I find many redeeming qualities."I made the mistake of picking this for a book club read. A major failure. I actually liked the first half better which doesn't say much. Without giving away the end, we all had a laugh by the little surprise twist (new character). Ugh!
a thousand splendid suns by khaled hussenini
Rene: Me, too! Did you like it more than "Kite Runner?"
i never read kite runner yet!! one of my friends bought me tss and i finally read it and now i really want to read kite runner to . what did you think of it? is kite runner good too?
Rene wrote: "i never read kite runner yet!! one of my friends bought me tss and i finally read it and now i really want to read kite runner to . what did you think of it? is kite runner good too?" Oh yes, you will enjoy it. It's more of a male story, of course. And the movie was fabulous.
good im excited, also im new to this site so how would i take the book im reading and put it with the books ive read i dont know how lol
Rene wrote: "good im excited, also im new to this site so how would i take the book im reading and put it with the books ive read i dont know how lol"Rene - click on the book link. When you get to the book's page, click on the link that say's edit my review - it will allow you to change the shelf from "currently reading" to "read."
Just finished The Reluctant Fundamentalist. I thought it was fascinating. I'm still chewing on the questions it raised for me.
"Of Beauty" by Zadie Smith. I am new!
I've finished Trainspotting - brilliant book! I've actually read some of the books on this list already before I joined this group. The one I tried to read 2 times and couldn't was Samual Richardson's Camilla - urrgghhh! It was so annoying and I just couldn't get into the main character! Overpowering women and forcing them to submit may have been early forms of soft pornography ... Pamela has the same themes, but was a very enjoyable read.
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Boxall's 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die
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I just finished The Big Sleep---was anyone else bothered that one of the murders was not solved? .....Or is so much happening in the book that most people don't even notice.
In any case, I would recommend the book because the writing is awesome!