Which LIST book did you just finish? Showing 3,101-3,150 of 7,922

[Gini]

Leslie wrote: "Shanghai Girls by Lisa See is rivetting, sad, evocative.... It makes me curious about what my great-grandmother went through being coerced into an arranged marriage in Japan. Check..."

But it's not in the list, is it? Not to be rude, but this group is supposed to be limited to books in the list. It's really confusing when people post books here that aren't on the list, Leslie.

[Mike]

I couldn't finish "Pride and Prejudice". Read about half and had to put down this "chick book". Maybe I will try some other time.

[Shovelmonkey1]

Mike wrote: "I couldn't finish "Pride and Prejudice". Read about half and had to put down this "chick book". Maybe I will try some other time."

P&P makes me die inside a little but I've read it cover to cover. People like to discuss Janes Austens "witty use of irony" in her writing. To me the most ironic thing is that all of her books fail to mention the hugely significant event which was going on around her - the industrial revolution and massive political upheaval. Or maybe women really were just that cosseted in those days?

[Kristi]

Becky wrote: "Go Tell it on the Mountain by James Baldwin - I appreciate the story for the time in which it was written and its heart-breaking events. However, I really struggled with the religiousity of the no..."

Becky, I read this book last year, and I totally agree with your comment. I couldn't relate to it at all.

[[deleted user]]

this is quite hilarious...

[Kristi]

I just finished Farewell, My Lovely. It was only OK. I'll have to look in my copy of 1001 Books to see why this was on the list.

[Hubert]

Book group in Boston is doing The Leopard. Looking forward to it. Never heard of the author before.

[Hubert]

Robert wrote: "Don DeLillo's "Libra" ."

How does it compare to White Noise?

[Hubert]

Yas wrote: "Just finished Invisible Man, I didnt really overly like it, it was just okay for me, some bits better than others. Wouldn't reread."

Invisible Man gets to be somewhat over-the-top at times, but it's a worthy go even if only for its representation of history during some of the most rich and contentious periods of American history.

[Judith]

Finished "The Untouchable" by John Banville yesterday.

Intense character study of a completely non-admirable character.

[Yassemin]

Hubert wrote: "Yas wrote: "Just finished Invisible Man, I didnt really overly like it, it was just okay for me, some bits better than others. Wouldn't reread."

Invisible Man gets to be somewhat over..."

Yeah it was okay, not utterly rubbish but not reread material!

[Becky]

A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole (audio version) - this book was hilarious! The narrator did a fabulous job with the various voices - the character Jones is a classic. The story is similar in style to Carl Hiaissen (sp?) - lots of kooky, larger than life (literally) characters.

[Erik]

The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins

I never realized how big of jerks the English were...

[Trisha]

Under the Net (our next book) and I couldn't close the book soon enough. I wasn't a fan. I hope everyone else enjoys it more than I did. Not funny and the language was odd at times and I wasn't a fan of any of the characters.

[Shovelmonkey1]

Erik wrote: "The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins

I never realized how big of jerks the English were..."

I'm not English so I'm not offended by this but that's a fairly sweeping statement based on a book that was written in 1868

[Rachel]

The End of the Affair by Graham Greene. I read it last summer. I liked it and will read it again sometime. Belief, faith in miracles. Belief and religion are recurrent themes in Green's novels. The End of the Affair is a fine work of literature though. Characters are sharply drawn. Sarah's (the central character), single-minded adherence to a vow that she believed was responsible for saving her lover's life was sometimes exasperating but I could not help but admire her belief and deep faith that miracles do happen. However, even though the novel is a fine piece, I thought the ending rather improbable: after Sarah's death the husband of Sara and Sara's lover decide to live together. The lover decides that he had to be the strong one for Sara's husband. Sara was the bond, the glue that kept their lives intertwined but the ending was rather unexpected for me.
I highly recommend this book.

[P.]

Just finished Sputnik Sweetheart from the '08 list.

[Judith]

The Castle of Otranto - Horace Walpole

Started and finished it yesterday. It's really short and quite fun if you like the Gothic genre!

[Arie]

Linda wrote: "JF The Hound of the Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle. It was pretty good, but I felt like I didn't get to know Holmes because much of the story was related by Watson to Holmes"

All of the Holmes stories are narrated by Watson. Each story is what Watson wrote for the newspapers and his own diary. He was so impressed by Holmes' deductive detective work, that he wrote them all down so the world (i.e. readers) would also be duly impressed.

[Arie]

Shovelmonkey1 wrote: "Mike wrote: "I couldn't finish "Pride and Prejudice". Read about half and had to put down this "chick book". Maybe I will try some other time."

P&P makes me die inside a little but I've read it ..."

Pride & Prejudice just shows a different part of the England at that time. Instead of the political upheaval, it reveals the social structure of Austen's England. The opening statement shows the hilarity of how everyone thought at that time. Women's lives were based upon their marriages. Poverty, luxury, hobbies, social stature were all derived by their matches. That's why her books were riveting and a bit boring. It's like a day in the life of Austen's England. Maybe more like a year in the life . . . :) Plus, Austen was one of the first authors to write a relationship that began with hatred and ended in love. She made that genre what it is.

[Arie]

candace wrote: "I just finished The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. I was shocked by how much I loved it."

I was too! I loved them. It really gave you a wonderful view of all things forensic and the seedy underbelly of London!

[Arie]

Becky wrote: "The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood (audio version) - ow ow ow my heart hurts . . ."

Yup, that sounds about right. :)

[Arie]

Erik wrote: "Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte.

I hated everyone."

Meme wrote: "Erik wrote: "Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte.

I hated everyone."

awww, Erik. i absolutely love that book. =("

ME TOO!!! I thought it was interesting enough that so many people LOVED the story but I hated it. The description was awesome but the characters frustrated me to know end. I finished it simply on the principal of finishing another book.

[Yassemin]

Erik wrote: "The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins

I never realized how big of jerks the English were..."

I AM English and that comment is just rude and disrespectful and also very sweeping. I'll have you know I am NOT a jerk thank you very much....

[Deanne]

I'm also English, but the fact that people can make judgements on over 66 million people based on one book just reflects badly on them. How exactly does the Moonstone show that we are all jerks Erik.

[Joselito Honestly]

I write in English, so I want to be offended too.

[Becky]

Wow...and the Americans are the ones renowned for a lack of irony. I'm English, and Erik's comment made me giggle. I'm pretty sure he doesn't think we're all jerks in the slightest.

[Leslie]

I just finished Too Much Happiness: Stories by Alice Munro. I have to be honest that I did not like it as much as some of her earlier works. It felt as though she was looking for exotic locales and macabre plots just to try something new. But the voice of her characters - women searching for love - still resonated with me....

[Sissy]

Cider House Rules. I felt it dragged, but I can understand why its on the list.

[Stuart]

Twilight - review to follow....

[Stuart]

Amanda wrote: "Stuart wrote: "Twilight - review to follow...."

DEFINITELY not on the list."

My review will not be arguing for its inclusion...

[Erik]

A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce.

I finished it five or six minutes ago and I can't remember hardly anything about it.

[Stuart]

Amanda wrote: "Stuart wrote: "Amanda wrote: "Stuart wrote: "Twilight - review to follow...."

DEFINITELY not on the list."

My review will not be arguing for its inclusion..."

This thread is for posting which li..."

I had a feeling I was not really supposed to refer to this book here. Sorry about that.

[Regine]

if you look at the group's bookshelf, you'll find the 1001 books before you die.

[Liz M]

Leslie wrote: "I just finished Too Much Happiness: Stories by Alice Munro. I have to be honest that I did not like it as much as some of her earlier works. It felt as though she was looking for e..."

Perhaps that is why this book isn't included on the list? I believe just The Beggar Maid and Lives of Girls and Women were deemed worthy.

[Becky]

Cat's Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut. I liked it, although I have to remind myself about the era in which he wrote to fully appreciate his storytelling.

[Tanya (aka ListObsessedReader)]

Veronika Decides to Die by Paulo Coelho. Wow... still processing.

[Amy]

I made it through 2/3 of The Sea by John Banville, and while I found that it had some beautifully written prose, it was just a bunch of flowery fluff and big words. An incredibly dull story, with less than 100 pages to go, I couldn't even bear to finish it. Why do these sort of books always get such high acclaim. I do not recommend this one!

[Asa]

I have finished James Fenimore Cooper's The Last of the Mohicans - readable, but I prefer the film version.

[Joselito Honestly]

My first P.G. Wodehouse, Thank You, Jeeves. That is what's nice about this list. You make new discoveries.

[Trice]

Asa wrote: "I have finished James Fenimore Cooper's The Last of the Mohicans - readable, but I prefer the film version."

I thought The Deerslayer, which is the first of the Leatherstocking tales, was a lot better, even though it's not on the list. :) There's still a bunch of back and forth in the story but the characters and set up is much better. I have issues with some of his portrayals of the Native Americans, but he gets NY state down to a tee.

[Elise]

Amy wrote: "I made it through 2/3 of The Sea by John Banville, and while I found that it had some beautifully written prose, it was just a bunch of flowery fluff and big words. An incredibly dull story, with l..."

I totally agree, don't bother finishing it. However, I *really* liked
The Sea, The Sea. I would say it is twice as good as The Sea.

[Arie]

Joselito wrote: "I write in English, so I want to be offended too."

Nice.

[Arie]

Joselito wrote: "My first P.G. Wodehouse, Thank You, Jeeves. That is what's nice about this list. You make new discoveries."

I can't wait to get my hands on Wodehouse.

[Helen]

Just finished The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes ... was thinking about reading "Thank you Jeeves" next so I definately will now after reading recent posts ...

Moonstone is such a good mystery novel .... I'd love to be enlightened how it reflects so poorly on the English!

[K.D.]

Elise wrote: "Amy wrote: "I made it through 2/3 of The Sea by John Banville, and while I found that it had some beautifully written prose, it was just a bunch of flowery fluff and big words. An incredibly dull s..."

You're funny! But yes, I agree. John Banville's THE SEA is boring while Iris Murdoch's THE SEA, THE SEA is very good!

[Yassemin]

Helen wrote: "Just finished The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes ... was thinking about reading "Thank you Jeeves" next so I definately will now after reading recent posts ...

Moonstone is such a good mystery n..."

Another complete and utter moron! GOD...we are not flipping all bad geez. Some of you are so narrow minded AND insulting! There is ZERO need to be insulting. Take your insults elsewhere because you are causing some SERIOUS offence!

[Alexandra]

I just finished The Romantics by Pankaj Mishra. Decently good.

[Regine]

I just finished The Satanic Versesby Salman Rushdie. I didn't enjoy it as much as Midnight's Children, but it's still a great read. Definitley not worth the death sentence though.

[Lauli]

Just finished The Burning Plain: and other Stories by Juan Rulfo. It's a book of short stories, which makes a nice change, since most of the books on the list are novels. It's not a very cheerful book since it deals with the landless peasants of Mexico, but the prose is very powerful and compelling. I've been reading it alongside The Grapes of Wrath, and it has proved to be a very good companion piece for it.