Boxall's 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die discussion
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Which LIST book did you just finish?
Just finished 'The Crying of Lot 49' by Thomas Pynchon. I didn't get it. I hope I'm not alone in this.
Johnny wrote: "Just finished 'The Crying of Lot 49' by Thomas Pynchon. I didn't get it. I hope I'm not alone in this."I don't think anyone gets Pynchon. Of course that's just my opinion; I could be wrong.Gerry
Johnny wrote: "Just finished 'The Crying of Lot 49' by Thomas Pynchon. I didn't get it. I hope I'm not alone in this."I don't think it's possible for anyone to get the entire story of any of Pynchon's books. At best, you just let Pynchon flow over you as you read and one of the many themes of any given book will resonate with where your life is at the moment and you'll have an "Oh yeah!" moment or two. If you re-read the book at some later time, you'll likely have new "Oh yeah!" moments because your life has changed where it is.
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Journey to the Centre of the Earth by Jules Verne. This is my record read of all the year. I read it in 25 hours (I did sleep and work in between!) but I just kept going and going. It may not be the best literature ever written, but it is certainly entertaining, and either Verne knew a lot about geology and physics or he was just really good at making it up!
Just finished "Lolita". Fantastic book.
I just finished Saturday by Ian McEwan and completely loved it!
Finished the Arabian nights, loved it.
Finished "Jack Maggs" by Peter CareyVery enjoyable!
Just finished Frankenstein (it sucked) and Animal Farm (it was awesome).
I just read The Red Queen by Margaret Drabble and was very underwhelmed by it. What a blah book to have on a Must Read list. The first part was boring, although it picked up in the next part when things moved ahead a couple of centuries.
Just finished Invisible Life by E.Lynn Harris
Just read To the Lighthouse. Amazing. Unlike anything I've read so far.
I just finished Everything That Rises Must Converge. I'm still deciding whether I liked it or not.
Just finished 2001 this morning on my way to work. Well, I don't know why this novel is on the 1001 Books To Read Before You Die list. Maybe because it has had some impact on SciFi literature. There was a lot of detail and description throughout the novel. Then suddenly, it rushes down towards the end faster and faster with less description and ends inexplicably back at earth. I was going ????? in my mind. This is bad writing! I've never seen the film 2001 - I've just put it in my queue at Quickflix. I discovered through reading other reivews that it was written in tandem with the film production, so when I see the film, the novel may make more sense. Who knows? I was talking to my husband about this book and he said that it was boring as there isn't any human character development at all - they are all pretty much one-dimensional. So I couldn't identify with any of them. The character of the computer HAL was given more development in my view. So - computers are more human than humans?
The movie probably won't help you out any, Yrinsyde. I haven't read the book, but the movie doesn't offer any answers or sense, imho.
War of the End of the World by Vargas Llosa. I think it was included in the 2008 list. I really liked this book, although not as much as Vargas Llosa's earlier work, such as "The Time of the Hero". I think by taking on the task of writing a detailed historical novel, he focused a lot on historical research and simplified the narrative style by using omniscient or third person limited narration. However, he still uses a multiperspectivistic approach, which allows the reader to see the conflict he's writing about (the war of Canudos, in the Brazilian northeast) from the point of view of the different participants. All in all, I found it very interesting and well-written, and I really liked the story. My criticism is only based on the comparison with the rest of Vargas Llosa's work, of which I am a big fan.
Just finished Alcott's Little Women. The only copy available from the library was the two-parter so next up is Good Wives.
I just finished my first read on the Kindle, Dracula. Dracula was awesome of course and very, very influential in its ideas, imagery, and horror-type aspects. It had good pacing and only dragged a bit at the 2/3 and 3/4 points I thought. Great book. Try to erase all vampire imagery from your mind before reading and pretend to read it like you had never heard of vampires. That will help increase the wonder of the ideas the author presents.
I just finished Sense and Sensibility and I loved it!
Just finished 'The New York Trilogy' by Paul Auster. It really reminded me of Haruki Murakami's novels. Loved it.
Cloud Atlas and I loved it!!! I love a book that doesn't answer ALL my questions and leaves me wanting more.
Just finished Testament of youth by Brittain, the version I read also had photographs of Brittain working as a VAD during the first world war, very poignant to see the faces of the people in the story. A reminder that although it's been nearly 100 years since that war, people are still affected in the same ways.
i've just abandoned two books from the list in a row which makes me feel a little bit stupid, but well......first try (which i liked a little bit better, but still not enough...) was Jorge Amado's Tent of Miracles and then - as i was travelling to berlin - i bought Berlin Alexanderplatz by Döblin which i just couldn't get into at all.....the style and the characters - definitely not a holiday read, but i honestly don't feel like picking it up again very soon......anybody has read any of these two? how were your experiences? maybe someone can encourage me to get back to them.......
Brideshead RevisitedI liked the book, it was very well-written and had a nostalgic tone which was quite alluring. My problem, however, was that I couldn't really relate to any of the characters. All of them are "thwarted", as is said at one point in the book, and this makes them quite hateable at times. I've downloaded the film, so I'll be watching it tonight to see if it adds anything to the story.
The Blind Assassin* - Margaret AtwoodThis one was removed from the latest list, but I found it excellent. But better than some of the others that were retained or added. Highly recommended if only for the embittered voice of the main character. The plot isn't shabby either!
Just finished Absalom, Absalom! by William Faulkner. I am still not sure that I enjoy Faulkner, but I do admire him.
I just finished reading this and absolutely loved it. I gulped down the first half in one sitting then had to make myself slow down because I didn't want it to end. It's a real treat - hilarious (such a refreshing trait), zany, intelligent and a witty satire of the chicklit and detective genre. Don't let the title fool you into thinking it's only for girly girls - I'd recommend it to fans of all genres looking for a funny, intelligent read.
I just finished Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace. It took me a little over three months to finish (over a 1000 pages). It is the most amazing thing I have ever read. DFW created so many wonderful and weird characters. I don't think anything I ever read will compare to it. Which worries me about reading more books...
Just finished Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison. Its definitely one of those books that everyone should read at least once.
Just finished Love in the Time of Cholera. I thought 100 Years of Solitude was much much better...must say I was a little disappointed with this book. On to A Dangling Man...
Stacie wrote: "I just completed A Christmas Carol."Me too......i thought it'd bore me because of the many, many versions i've seen on TV, but i really enjoyed Dickens' prose and the descriptions of the ghosts were terrific. My edition also contained other Christmas Writings by Dickens and i loved The Haunted Man which is much less known than the Carol, and quite a good story as well. nice read for this time of year, even though i'm still struggling to get into a festive mood.
I just finished Cat and Mouse by Günter Grass. Very easy reading and a very compelling story. I loved Grass's writing style, his choice of narrator and the way he makes the story unfold. I haven't read his most famous work, "The Tin Drum", but I'm certainly looking forward to reading more of his books in the future.
I just finished "On the Road" by Jack Kerouac. Read like a great, long American folk song.
It's been a while since I've updated my list but the last book I finished from this list was John Buchan's The 39 Steps. I do have a bunch on the list that are on my TBR list =)
Kate wrote: " I just finished reading this and absolutely loved it. I gulped down the first half in one sitting then had to make myself slow down because I didn't want it to end. It's a real treat - hilariou..."Didn't catch the name of the book you just finished.
Julia, I agree. I thought it wouldn't be that interesting since I, too, have seen so many versions of it. However, I really did like it and enjoyed reading how Dickens envisioned everything. The ending was a little eye rolling for me (even though I knew how it ended).
I just finished Brooklyn by Colm Toibin. I really liked it. It's not on the list, but I think he has another work on there.
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Boxall's 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die
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I thought Animal's People was a fascinating book--very moving and thought provoking. Definitely deserves its place on 1001 Books . . .
Gerry