Boxall's 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die discussion
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Which LIST book did you just finish?
I'm also reading a simple mystery series (akin to the Cat Who mysteries) by Joanne Fluke..."The Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder", "The Strawberry Shortcake Murder", "The Blue Berry Mufin Murder", you get the idea...I'm in the 3rd book of the series...again, light reading...filler, really for more heady books to come...pleasing characters if you like whodunits...quick reads and enjoyable if you like this kind of thing...met the author at Barnes & Noble last week...she seems as sweet as her books...Oh, did I mention recipes...each book contains actual recipes...which might be kind of fun...I may actually try a few...GailI do realize these aren't on the 1001 list...I'll keep track of that in the future...thanks again for your patience :D
Bronwyn wrote: "The Picture of Dorian Gray. I liked it. Wilde's prose loses focus at times but overall a good read."I love Dorian Gray...I think it's a good starter book for pre-teens...turning them on to Wilde...simplistic yet appealing...good storyline....
Carol wrote: "Ijust finished The Shining by Stephen King. "how did you like it? how do you think it compared to the movie? I'm guessing, you did see the movie...did you see the more recent remake of it?
still...nothing like a book...
Yelena wrote: "The Red Queen by Margaret Drabble. Yeah, it didn't get better; it may have gotten worse.I'm not a steel-toed boot wearing agro-feminist by any stretch of the imagination, but the ladies in this b..."
you've actually piqued my interest here....I may add this one to my list...thanks...
okay, so I'm just figuring out how this site works...I'm going to pick up the Midwich Cuckoos and start that & see how it goes...thanks for your patience :D
Just finished The Life of Pi. I had been putting it off for quite some time because accolades about thing being maaaaahvellous generally make me cranky. It turned out to be awesome. I'm glad I finally read it.
The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood. Absolutely fascinating. I read the last 150 pages this morning and just couldn't put it down. She throws some nice curve balls at the end that made me want to re-read the whole of it to pick up the leads. But it's over 500 pages long, so maybe some time in the future.
The Bluest Eye by T Morrison. A heartbreaking story of young life abused. In the author afterword, Morrison states that she tries to write from within looking ever inwards and that the people that were abused were deemed insignificant and minor by the majority - the outward view. However, she does not fight against this view. In fact it is so ingrained, the view of the African Americans so socialised within and also without, she conspires with and enforces this socialisation. Can she get away from it? But it would be hard to admit that for an African American, they have been socialised to view themselves that way for generations. An aside - I found it extremely interesting that Mrs Breedlove's disability did not set her aside from her community. It was almost an extraneous detail and only mentioned because it informed the development of her personality. Why are disabled Europeans treated as untouchables?
The last I finished was Kurt Vonnegut's Cat's Cradle. I had no idea it was even on this list (it may not be anymore, because I'm going by the 2006 list.)
Things Fall Apart--I really enjoyed this book. Very interesting. It really made me think...I liked how the end of the book was not at all what I was expecting based on the beginning.
Deanne wrote: "Just finished The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler. Makes a change to read a book that's completely plot driven."I love Raymond Chandler--I find the character, Marlowe, to be very well developed. His narration and point of view add so much color to the cases he takes on. I gush over Chandler and want everyone to read his books. I think they have universal appeal.
I finished "Middlemarch" a few days ago.I'm embarrassed that it took me so long to read - almost two weeks! Too much spring weather I think is the blame rather than not liking the book though it did drag for me in the middle. I loved Cal's stories and how it ended though.
Judith wrote: "I finished "Middlemarch" a few days ago.I'm embarrassed that it took me so long to read - almost two weeks! Too much spring weather I think is the blame rather than not liking the book though i..."
I might have to revisit that one - I just remember finding it incredibly boring when we read it in high school, but I don't think I actually read more than the first couple chapters in the end.
George wrote: "Eliza wrote: "just finished The Swarm"Was it worth it? Tell me it is worth it, because I am considering putting it aside and not finishing it."
I was entertained throughout and really disappointed with the ending if your not enjoying it at all I'd say it's probably not worth finishing.
Finished Doctor Zhivago by Boris Pasternak yesterday and Fanny Hill, or Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure by John Cleland today.
I finished Castle Rackrent on St. Patrick's Day which is ironic considering the book takes place in Ireland. I would slightly recommend it if only for obscure Irish cultural references, if anything.
After a few months on a break from reading it, Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell.Absolutely amazing and worth the effort.
Never Let Me Go- Kazuo Ishiguro: I really loved this book.Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas- Hunter S. Thompson: Amazing for its time.
The Kreutzer Sonata by Tolstoy. It is a very quick read, for those of you hoping to knock out a few from the list during spring break.
I just finished Tess d'Urberville. I hated it up until the end. The ending is shocking and upped the book a little in my estimation. Still won't be rereading this one though.
Everything is Illuminated by Jonathan Safran Foer. Humorous at times. Devastating at others. Everything wasn't entirely Illuminated for this reader at the end. But I still think it was a good, if not great book, and I'm glad I read it.
JF A Clockwork Orange - weird book where the author actually created a new slang vocabulary used by the young people in the story. I actually found myself using "nadsat" one day when I pointed at something I wanted my husband to see and said to him, "Viddy".
Linda wrote: "JF A Clockwork Orange - weird book where the author actually created a new slang vocabulary used by the young people in the story. I actually found myself using "nadsat" one day when I pointed at something I wanted my husband to see and said to him, "Viddy". "lol that must be the literary corollary to the old, 'you know you've learned a foreign language if you dream in it'
I had a poli sci professor who used to 'grok' everything, although he was a bit more conscious/intentional in his use of the word
Just finished All the pretty horses by McCarthy 2008 list and Norwegian Wood by Murakami, not on either list but reccommend it.
Lord Jim by Joseph Conrad. It was tough to get into, but after the first 100 pages it was much more enjoyable.
Finished The House of Mirth this morning. I liked it, but probably not my favorite by Edith Wharton. Still trying to finish The Swarm: A Novel...
I've recently finished Frankenstein by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley and it was weaker than I expected, but still great. Not really that gothic; I think it could be easily placed within the Romantic movement.I felt really sad for Frankenstein's creature. The last two pages are my favourite ones.
Kuchnia żydów polskich by Eugeniusz Wirkowski and A Polish Son In The Motherland: An American's Journey Home by Leonard Kniffel
I just finished Rebecca and really liked it!
Caitie wrote: "I just finished Rebecca and really liked it!"Excellent! Rebecca was one of my most enjoyably surprising reads last year!
I finished Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro and have decided that is the most beautiful story of love and friendship that I have read in a while. I can't wait to read more by Ishiguro.
Caitie wrote: "I just finished Rebecca and really liked it!"I loved that book! If you haven't read My Cousin Rachel yet, you should read that one next. It was also really well done.
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Books mentioned in this topic
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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)
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tho I realize this isnt on the 1001 list...