Boxall's 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die discussion
note: This topic has been closed to new comments.
Archives
>
Which LIST book did you just finish?
Paula wrote: "Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier -Fantastic book! Hard to put down, so easy to drown in. "
One of my all time favourites, such an enchanting book. Glad your enjoying it.
Just finished the Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and Savage Detectives...
Nina wrote: "shadow of the wind is amazing! can't wait for zafon's new book this autumn "Nina, the new book is already out: The Angel's Game
JF The Chosen by Chaim Potok; really enjoyed it. It reminded me a little of A Separate Peace, but deeper.
I just finished The Sound of Waves by Yukio Mishima. It was excellent and had a good romance of the main characters, I thought.
Ann from S.C. wrote: "Just finished ANNA KARENINE."WOW! that's a big one
May I ask how long it took you to read the whole book?
Eliza wrote: "just finished Middlemarch. I loved it."That's an excellent accomplishment! I loved that book - it made me go out and get several more by Eliot. Glad you enjoyed it!
Finished Dead Babies last night. Now I will check out the discussion from when it was the monthly read...
Jerry wrote: "Jessica wrote: "Just finished Alias Grace/Margaret Atwood, Girl With Green Eyes/Edna O'Brien, and Poisonwood Bible/Barbara Kingsolver"How was the poisonwood Bible?Is it worth my putting it high on..." I'd put it at the top of the list--one of my all time favorites. Our Literary Society here in San Miguel, Mexico, will host Barbara Kingsolver for two days in February to talk about her newest novel which is about the Mexican Revolution and Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera. Can't wait!!!
Carly wrote: "Just finished the Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and Savage Detectives..."How did you like Savage Detectives. I found it hard to follow.
Gerald wrote: "Carly wrote: "Just finished the Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and Savage Detectives..."How did you like Savage Detectives. I found it hard to follow.
"
To be honest, I didn't really like it at all. A friend told me how great it was, and so I thought I'd read it, but the only reason I got through it was because I was flying, and had nothing else to read...
Finished Nineteen Eighty-Four a few days ago.
I just finished Pnin. It is descriptive and subtle but the plot seemed weak. It is also mildly amusing.
Just finished Tarka the Otter His Joyful Water-Life and Death in the Country of the Two Rivers. It's an un-sentimental description of an otter's life from birth to death. Very interesting.
I just finished The Road Home by (oops can't remember her first name at the moment)Tremain.Great!stayed up all night with it.It won The Orange Prize.
Finished Hawksmoor by Peter Ackroyd and the 2006 edition of 1001 Books.
The bridge on the Drina by Ivo Andric, great book.
Just finished The Namesake by Lahiri Jhumpa. It was okay, but the end was anti-climactical for me, considering there really was no climax to speak of. I found the writing style to be somewhat tedious at times. Don't know whether I feel it is worthy of being on The List.
Just finished the group read To the Lighthouse and was surprised by how much I liked it. I will definitely try some other Virginia Woolf
Just finished "Lord of the flies" and I enjoyed, despite the beggining which I found boring.It's a very good book.
Just finished 3 off the list - The Spy Who Came in From the Cold (just ok and definitely a bit dated with the Cold War and Berlin Wall), Faceless Killers (another mystery tht was just ok) and The Blind Assassin (absolutely fantastic). It's books like The Blind Assassin that make me so glad that I'm reading books off this list.
I've just finished To the Lighthouse and although I think I feel that it was more of an intellectual joy, I really enjoyed it and was very impressed with Woolf's way of crafting her story. Definitely not my last Woolf.
Paula wrote: "Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier -Fantastic book! Hard to put down, so easy to drown in. "
I loved this book, too. It grips you right from the beginning.
Just finished Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell. That was epic and complex and I don't think I've ever read something like that before.
Vathek, by William BeckfordI think I should stick to one electronic medium for books. I read "Vathek" via DailyLit, and found it disjointed and tedious.
I just completed The Three Musketeers. It was good, but not as good as The Count of Monte Cristo.
Justine by the Marquis de Sade. Not the ending I expected for this book.
"On Beauty"_ - Zadie SmithI liked this book though it was slow going for me in places. I loved the mix of cultures and perspectives and the humor. And the love, one cannot overlook the love in this novel. I have not read anything else by Smith, so I can't speak to any repetition in her work.
I'm just glad I read this one. Not a page-turner, but worth the effort.
Just finished The Virgin in the Garden A Novel. I usually fly through books in a couple of days, but for whatever reason it took me weeks to get through this one. A.S. Byatt's dialog is some of the best I've ever read, and I think I unintentionally spread it out to savor some of it.Excited to read the sequel Still Life
Morvern Callar by Warner, one of the strangest books I've read from the list so far, quite disturbing.
Dan wrote: "Finished Hawksmoor by Peter Ackroyd and the 2006 edition of 1001 Books."I just started this one yesterday, Dan. I think I am going to like it!
Deanne wrote: "Morvern Callar by Warner, one of the strangest books I've read from the list so far, quite disturbing."So, would you recommend it or not? I've had it on my wish list for a long time but have never run across a used copy to purchase...
I just finished A Clockwork Orange, the original as the author intended with the last chapter included. It ultimately has a positive outlook on overall human nature. I thought it was a great book and the author's "nadsat" language using Balkan idioms was inspired. Excellent read. It reminds me somewhat of The Lord of the Flies with its analysis of human nature.
A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini. I don't know if it's on the list but it was thought provoking.
Stacie wrote: "I just completed The Three Musketeers. It was good, but not as good as The Count of Monte Cristo."Monte Cristo was a much more intense tale than the 3 M's which is as much a comedy/farce as anything else. Both good reads in their own way.
Chel wrote: "I just finished A Clockwork Orange, the original as the author intended with the last chapter included. It ultimately has a positive outlook on overall human nature. I thought it was a great book..."Burgess & Golding were great writers as was Ballard. Difficult to find their match today. Any suggestions?
Julie at All Ears wrote: "Just finished 3 off the list - The Spy Who Came in From the Cold (just ok and definitely a bit dated with the Cold War and Berlin Wall), Faceless Killers (another mystery tht was just ok) and The B..."Margaret wrote: "dracula. i liked it a lot even though halfway through i just wanted it to end. "
SPY...Dated, yes as to time & place but what about the treachery & deceit? Still relevant, no?
FACELESS KILLERS Not a bad debut in the genre.
BLIND ASSASSINS On my to-read shelf. Thanks for the good words.
This topic has been frozen by the moderator. No new comments can be posted.
Boxall's 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die
Books mentioned in this topic
Troubles (other topics)This Way for the Gas, Ladies and Gentlemen (other topics)
Sister Carrie (other topics)
Life of a Good-for-nothing (other topics)
The Singapore Grip (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Jorge Luis Borges (other topics)Juan Carlos Onetti (other topics)
Flann O'Brien (other topics)
Clarice Lispector (other topics)
Vladimir Nabokov (other topics)
More...
Fantastic book! Hard to put down, so easy to drown in.