Boxall's 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die discussion
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Which LIST book did you just finish?
Silvia wrote: "Book #245 White Noise, Don Delillo" Have your read any other Delillo? How did this one compare?
Just finished Woman in White by Wilkie Collins
The Sea by John BanvilleI can honestly say that I gave this book everything I had and it was far from enough. I read to exactly halfway then allowed myself the freedom to shut it quickly. I did prevent myself from spitting on it, or burning it. Which wouldn't have been good since it is rented from the library. *smirks*
This is my first attempt at reading off the 1001 books you must read before you die list. I will try again at some point. But right now I feel I just must not be on the same level of literary genius as some of the people in that group that sing praises on this book.
It would seem to me that this guy writes in one long run on sentence. That he has ADHD and can't stay on a subject for more than one minute. He would start a thought then jump to multiple pages of side stories before he got back to the conclusion of his original thought.
I couldn't stand his in depth description of every single little thing. It was mind grueling. Often leaving my head aching. It took me four days to read 100 pages. I just couldn't wait to put it down each time I picked it up. Like it was somehow an opposing magnet to my mind.
I would not recommend this book to anyone!...less
The Sea
Amber wrote: "The Sea by John BanvilleI can honestly say that I gave this book everything I had and it was far from enough. I read to exactly halfway then allowed myself the freedom to shut it quickly. I did p..."
Amber - yikes! Haven't read The Sea but I had a similar experience with a book from the list recently (Blood and Guts in High School, in case you're wondering). However, don't let it turn you off of the list. It's unfortunate your first one was a bad experience, but I have to say that most of the ones I've read so far I've rated either 4 or 5 stars, so for the most part, the list has turned me on to some amazing reads. There will always be some that are baffling ... :)
Stephanie wrote: "Amber wrote: "The Sea by John BanvilleI can honestly say that I gave this book everything I had and it was far from enough. I read to exactly halfway then allowed myself the freedom to shut it qu..."
Thank you so much for the encouragement Stephanie. I have just naturally read a few of the books off the list in the course of life, college especially. I will read some pleasure reads on my list and then try again.
Just finished the January book club read - At the Mountains of Madness.
Ms.Noretta Pattinson wrote: "Breaking Dawn by Stephanie Meyer. The Twilight Saga is so appealing to me!!"Hey, I like the Twilight books too but I wouldn't discuss them here because there are only about 4 groups where one can discuss the books on Boxall's list and at least 208 groups on Stephenie Meyer's books.
Thanks!
Life of Pi... am I the only one that DIDN'T enjoy this book?!?!
I just finished Life of Pi as well. I was a bit disappointed in the end. They leave it open for the reader to decide which story is true, but its clear which is and its just a disappointment. I didn't hate the book, some of it was quite entertaining, but I didn't love it, either.
I just 'finished' A Confederacy of Dunces. I say 'finished' because I skimmed through it pretty quickly. I just didn't like any of the characters and therefore didn't find it entertaining. Very well-written and well-put-together, just not to my taste. Next off the list will be The Bell Jar I think, but several other books to read first...
Amber wrote: "The Sea by John BanvilleI can honestly say that I gave this book everything I had and it was far from enough. I read to exactly halfway then allowed myself the freedom to shut it quickly. I did p..." I think a big part of being literary genius" as you put it, is being in the right mood to read a particular book. I haven't read "The Sea" yet, but I do read some difficult books. However, I read for fun, so if I am not in the mood to read something literary, I take a break and switch to children's lit or other light reads. Right now I am reading a terrible fantasy series b/c I am not into reading anything too deep right now. :)
Willa wrote: "I just 'finished' A Confederacy of Dunces. I say 'finished' because I skimm..." I love "The Bell Jar." It is a good one. :)
Katie wrote: "I just finished Life of Pi as well. I was a bit disappointed in the end. They leave it open for the reader to decide which story is true, but its clear which is and its just a disappointment. I did..." Spoiler Alert*
Which one do you think is obviously the true story? I didn't particularly like this novel either. I loved the first 90 pages or so, but once Pi was on the raft, I was genuinely disappointed. This may be because I don't tend to like man against nature stories, but I did like the book more on a second read. I wrote a paper about the novel being a response to Robinson Crusoe, which probably isn't true, but it was sure fun to write. :)
Megan wrote: "Katie wrote: "I just finished Life of Pi as well. I was a bit disappointed in the end. They leave it open for the reader to decide which story is true, but its clear which is and its just a disappo..."I took the discussion to specific books so that any spoilers wouldn't ruin it for people who hadn't read the books yet.
Has anyone finished 2666 by Bolano? If so, what did you think? I am planning on starting it as soon as I finish Blind Assasin.
No 2666 for me yet, but I know some folks who have and I did read Savage Detectives not long ago. From what I've heard, it's far less dry than Detectives and positively stunning throughout. I really need to get my hands on a copy. Let us know how it works out.
Just finished reading The Recognitions by William Gaddis. WOW is all I have to say! Probably the hardest, most difficult book I've ever read but I definitely recommend this book to people who love good literature. It is quite lengthy, extremely random, and takes a secluded place to fully soak in Gaddis' mind. The idiosyncrasies and symbolism of such subjects as religion, books, music, and art and how they influence societies in the world was truly amazing.
I just finished Valley of the Dolls for a book club. I'm definitely ready to get back to the list...
Frankenstein -- loved it! I also just finished Dracula. All I can say is "now I understand!" Looking forward to reading some criticism of Dracula to get a better feel about the time period in which it was written.
Just finished Jacob the Liar, fantastic book which I couldn't put down. Becker the author was himself a survivor so he's writing from experience.Jacob's dilemma of whether to continue to lie and tell stories about Russian and German troop movements, or stop and pretend his imaginary illegal radio is broken was thought provoking. Especially in light of the impact his lies have on the ghetto.
I just finished 'Love in the Time of Cholera' - loved it!!!
Finally made it through Clockwork Orange! I have no idea why it took me so long... maybe the language or something.
Never Let Me Go - IshiguroI give it a full 4 stars. It was def. a great read!
I just finished La Pére Goriot by Balzac--I read the translation by Reed. I LOVED it--I actually stayed up late one night to finish it, which I don't think I have ever done for a classic (just for cheesy murder mysteries). I highly recommend it, at least that translation. Great characters, timeless themes, well-constructed story.
YEAY!!!! I'm FINALLY done with [Book: War and Peace] !!!!
I just finished The Double by Jose Saramago. This is the first book of his which I've read and I wasn't a fan of his style of writing (run-on sentences, no distinction of who's speaking in conversations, etc.). I just found it hard to concentrate while reading on my commute. I did like the ending though.
Just finished East of Eden by John Steinbeck. I thought it was an amazing book until the last five pages. Went from a 5 star to a 4 star, simply due to the weak ending. Oh well, still a damn good book. I have no idea how it wasn't on the list. I felt it was better than Grapes...
I just finished A Fine Balance, its a very good read. I think I am going to start A Confederacy of Dunces.
Just finished 100 years of solitude by Marquez, brilliant book. Also Coming up for air by Orwell very easy read and enjoyed reading about the characters childhood in rural oxfordshire before ww1.
The House on Fortune Street by Margot Livesey...looking forward to reading some of her other books.
Emma wrote: "Finished Life of Pi last night. Amazing! Now I'm going to check out the discussion on it."Oh wow, I really want to read that one.!
The Hound of the Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle. I thought it was completely boring and it couldn't hold my attention. I am starting to think I will die of boredom before I read 1001 books.
Just finished Demons by Fyodor Dosteovsky. I enjoyed the characters and was quite caught up in the action by the end of the book after the slow build of the beginning.
Just finished Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas A Savage Journey to the Heart of the American Dream. Fantastic. I saw the movie years ago, and kind of wish I hadn't seen it before I read the book. Although from what I can remember, the movie is very well done and stays pretty true to the book. Now I need to watch it again.
Tracey wrote: "The Hound of the Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle. I thought it was completely boring and it couldn't hold my attention. I am starting to think I will die of boredom before I read 1001 books."Oh no, Tracey! There are plenty of page-turners on the list. I found The Moonstone to be, for one. But by all means take a break from the list and come back!
Perfume by Patrick Suskind. Very original!
Just finished I'm Not Scared. I really liked it. A quick and creepy read.
Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neal Huraton
As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner. It wasn't on the list. However, it has to be a top 5 book of all time for me. Simply amazing.
"if not now, when" Primo Levirich and good, very uplifting about that horror (the Holocaust)
I can't remember if I posted it here but I recently finished Kazuo Ishiguro's The Remains of the Day; it was an interesting read. I enjoyed the narrative, it really added to the story :)
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Boxall's 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die
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I've read it for one of my class last year, and surprisingly I enjoyed it! I was quite scared of it at first, since it is not my usual kind of book and english isn't my first language (and the writing in this one is something else!) But it is a brilliant book, certainly better than the movie was!
Personally I just finished Bonjour Tristesse and I'm half through The Bell Jar. I've been wanting to read The Bell Jar for so long. I read only part of it in high school, and in french : I am glad I can now read it in its original version!