Which LIST book did you just finish? Showing 3,251-3,300 of 7,922

[Candace]

Zee wrote: "just finished chinua achebe, things fall apart. Riveting."

One of my most favorite books of all time.

[Suzanne]

Mike wrote: "Tanya: One more try. This laptop is driving me nuts. My first read of "Catch 22" was great. I was fresh out of the Air Force. This time I found the book tedious to read. The dark humor was t..."

Hi Mike,
That is interesting, and I can totally see that.
Is it age or perspective? :)

Tanya,
I remember loving Anna Karenina, but I was 12 at the time and very into the melodrama of life...and love...

Suzanne

[Elise]

Thanks to Christine, Adriana and Sissy for your thoughtful comments. I totally understand why GWTW is on the list—it's definitely had a huge impact on our culture, for better or for worse. And I'm sure I didn't fully understand everything in it when I read it. It just really turns me off that the book is basically a love letter to a lifestyle that was predicated on systematic and brutal oppression. If I were to read a book from a serial killer's point of view, to take Adriana's example (say, American Psycho), and if I actually thought that Bret Easton Ellis uncritically shared the thoughts of Patrick Bateman (I don't), and if several people told me they loved the book... well, yes, I would wonder why.

Also, I think it's fair to note that Margaret Mitchell wrote the book in 1937, over 60 years after the Civil War. Can you imagine someone writing a much-lauded novel today about how wonderful Jim Crow laws were?

(And this is not to say that a book or an author has to share all my politics in order for me to think it's worthwhile. I love Dickens, even though I cringe at characters like Fagin.)

[Elise]

Oh, and in other news, I just finished Silk. If you're looking to pump up your stats, this is an über-fast read! But lovely.

[Adriana]

Elise wrote: "Thanks to Christine, Adriana and Sissy for your thoughtful comments. I totally understand why GWTW is on the list—it's definitely had a huge impact on our culture, for better or for worse. And I'm ..."

I had never really looked at Gone with the Wind as a... apology for slavery, perhaps? I limited myself to think about it as the story of a woman that defies sterotypes and southern society standars, but in the way it did end up glorifying slavery and treating black people as dumb and careless children. I wonder if Margaret Mitchell actually thought like that, or merely felt that the South felt in such a way about their slaves. Either way, your comment is making me consider other aspects of this book as I continue to read it, so thank you very much :D

[Jessica]

Blonde, Joyce Carol Oates

[Kristen]

Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte

[Dan]

Christine wrote: "Celeste wrote: "All quiet on the western front
Just started The Book Thief"

I'm working from all three lists. I don't have The Book Thief on it. Am I missing it? Is it on one of the lists?"

The Book Thief is not on my 3 lists either.

[Jessica]

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Robert Louis Stevenson

[Elise]

Just finished The Talk of the Town (renamed Knick Knack Paddy Whack for America — why do they do things like that?), and I must say, I wouldn't be surprised if this fell off the list in the next iteration. The writing is... fine. Not horrible, not great. The main character is not very likable, and I have a low tolerance for disaffected anti-hero types. My favorite parts were those from Francesca's diary, but you almost feel like the author is making fun of her, and in the end, they turn out to be more of a plot device than anything else. Hey, Boxall: feel free to replace this book with Misfortune, which is truly original and stunningly well written.

[southpaw285]

I just finished Little Women by Louisa May Alcott.

[Joseph]

Becky wrote: "The Maltese Falcon by Dasheille Hammett (audio) - really enjoyed it, double cross upon double cross upon double cross. The audio was great fun, especially the voice of Gutman. Surprised that Hump..."


It's a great movie, mostly faithful to the book. However, Mary Astor is miscast as Brigitte.

[Tinkwelborn]

Amanda wrote: "I just finished Everything That Rises Must Converge by Flannery O'Connor. It was..unpleasant? But great. But really, really unpleasant. I can't think of another word for it. Creepy? H..."

Amanda, it's supposed to be ''unpleasant'' -- that's Flannery O'Connor: all of her stories are religiously (Catholically) symbolistic and downright rough. She was living/writing in her faith. This is Flannery O'Connor. It's supposed to be cathartic.

[Tinkwelborn]

I just finished Moby Dick (for my first time) -- talk about a Fish epic! It's a whale of a tale. The story can be read in the first 4 or 5 chapters, and the last few chapters; everything else in-between is cetology. Wow! I was tired after that.

Now, I picked up Joyce's Ulysses....Man! Do I punish myself? This is got to be the toughest, if not one of the toughest reads I've ever picked up. Having to use two exegetical text-helpers. This guy was DEEP.

[Kristi]

Just finished American Rust, a new addition to the list for 2010. Maybe not the most poetic or well written, but I was totally into the story.

[Elise]

How Late It Was, How Late—kind of hated it. But finishing it did get me up to 300, so there's a silver lining to this terrible book.

[Pragya Tiwari]

The kite runner- by Khaled Housseni
Very touchy-Made me cry all night

[Becky]

American Psycho
by Bret Easton Ellis - ick, ick, icky, icky, ick. Not sure why my life would not be complete if I died before reading this book. I've wanted to read this book for many years, and very disappointed.

Can someone more literary explain what the purpose of the music review chapters? IMO, schlocky music from the '80s - maybe that was the point to write about the albums as if they were symphonies, giving more evidence of Bateman's complete lack of personhood.

[Karina]

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. Took me a while to get into but it really drew me in.

[Charity]

The kite runner- by Khaled Housseni

Not on the list. Sorry.

[Charity]

Ulysses I picked up in high school because I thought it would be impressive if I could get through it. I read very little of it and gave up!

You are my hero! I read the whole thing and felt like someone had played a very cruel joke on me. Oh, the horror...the horror! :)

[Janet]

I just finished Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys. I loved this book...a very powerful look at another culture.

[Leslie]

southpaw285 wrote: "I just finished Little Women by Louisa May Alcott."

I came across a great quote by Alcott the other day, when I was looking for quotes on reading for my blog: "She is too fond of reading, and it has turned her brain" (from Work: A Story of Experience).

Ex Lit Prof
www.the-reading-list.com

[Leslie]

Joseph wrote: "Becky wrote: "The Maltese Falcon by Dasheille Hammett (audio) - really enjoyed it, double cross upon double cross upon double cross. The audio was great fun, especially the voice of Gutman. Surpr..."

I agree that Mary Astor is miscast in the role (she's too innocent, in my view). Barbara Stanwyck would have been better. She is the femme fatale par excellence - particularly in Double Indemnity.

My review of the film (plus a family anecdote) can be read at:
http://shimosreadinglist.blogspot.com...

[Judith]

Life of Pi - Martel ****

More graphic than I was prepared for, but the ending - perfect!

[Arie]

I just finished The Bell Jar. AWESOME.

[Katherine]

I just finished The Master and Margarita by Bulgakov. I am not even sure how to describe it, other than overwhelmingly inventive. It's pretty clear, within the first couple of pages, why it was banned in 1920's Russia, but that almost makes the story more rich for the reader. I highly recommend it!

[Becky]

Choke - laugh out loud funny. I couldn't put it down! Warning: lots of graphic sex scenes that some may find offensive. However, what else would you expect when the protagonist is a sex addict?

[Joselito Honestly]

I know of one, Christine, with only 7 and 1/2 pages. But I'm not telling, ha, ha. At least, not until I've read it.

I gave Silk 5 stars!

[Helen]

Murder Must Advertise by Dorothy L Sayers.

I did not even know it was on the list to after I finished it .... was reading it as it was recommended on a detective fiction list (feels like a bous point..!)

Good British mystery ... I loved the dialogue and the wordplay in the advertising agency ...

[K.D.]

Margaret Mitchell's GONE WITH THE WIND. Absolutely unforgettable!

[Yassemin]

Enduring love. Good book!

[Asa]

This week I've finished W.G. Sebald's Vertigo and a reread of Brontë's Jane Eyre.

[K.D.]

Anthony Burgess' A CLOCKWORK ORANGE. What a very different reading experience!

[Helen]

Just finished The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro ... Very subtle and moving ... I loved the movie but the book was a far greater experience as it nearly always is!

Thanks Christine .... I'm going to try and read Nine Tailors next.

[Becky]

Christine wrote: "The Reader by Bernhard Schlink

This book really had an affect on me. I know I'll find myself thinking about it in days to come. When I was first reading it, I thought "..."

Christine: I, too, was disturbed by "the sex" - (if he had been a teenage girl, we'd call it rape) and I couldn't get beyond it to appreciate the story. I read this book several years ago, so I'll try it again and see if my opinion changes.

[Tinkwelborn]

Asa wrote: "This week I've finished W.G. Sebald's Vertigo and a reread of Brontë's Jane Eyre."

...and how did hou like W.G. Sebald? I finished his ''Emigrants" a couple of months ago, and I am curious what you thought about him and his story, ''Vertigo'' ???

[Linton]

Mike wrote: "Tanya: One more try. This laptop is driving me nuts. My first read of "Catch 22" was great. I was fresh out of the Air Force. This time I found the book tedious to read. The dark humor was t..."

Like you, Mike, I loved Catch22 when I first read it and when I returned to enjoy it again I couldn't finish it.

[Tinkwelborn]

Tinkwelborn wrote: "Asa wrote: "This week I've finished W.G. Sebald's Vertigo and a reread of Brontë's Jane Eyre."

...and how did hou like W.G. Sebald? I finished his ''Emigrants" a couple of months ag..."

BTW -- perhaps I should have said something about ''Emigrants'', one word: Haunting.
More? Okay: Four stories, told in an unusual genre would would call, I guess, Docu-fiction. a very, very different medium. Some may like it, some may not; but it is different -- a different style of story-telling.
Anyway, I'm still interested to hear from Asa, 'how did you like Vertigo?'

[KHoopMan]

Finished A Prayer for Owen Meany and loved every second of it. What an amazing character Owen is- he will stay with me for a long time.

[Elise]

Finished The Beautiful Mrs. Seidenman: A Novel and To Each His Own over the weekend... there were some interesting parallels. They both dealt with the sometimes unsavory ways people in a community act under pressure, but I thought that Sciascia was a little darker, while simultaneously more humorous. I would recommend them both.

[Regine]

I just finished Jane Eyre. It was just so passionate, and so beautifully written, I love it.

[mark]

Becky wrote: "American Psycho
by Bret Easton Ellis - ick, ick, icky, icky, ick. Not sure why my life would not be complete if I died before reading this book. I've wanted to read this book for many years, and v..."

i agree. interesting in its own way, but in my opinion, incredibly overrated. but then i think that of bret easton ellis in general. to me, he is more of a symptom of the late 80s-early 90s and that time period's issues...rather than one of that period's great authors.

although i suppose i sort of liked Rules of Attraction. in a guilty kind of way.

[Debbie]

Christine,

Thank you for understanding that the sex was just a vehicle to connect the two German generations. His connection to this woman made him feel her actions on a personal basis and also gave him information to discover that she couldn't read.

Plus the author made him unable to have a good relationship during his life, thus showing the sex as damaging.

The reviewers say the book is about the younger generation living with the actions of their parents during WWII.

Debbie


>Christine wrote: "The Reader by Bernhard Schlink

This book really had an affect on me. I know I'll find myself thinking about it in days to come. When I was first reading it, I thought "..."

[Judith]

"At the Mountains of Madness" - H.P. Lovecraft

Lovecraft is supposedly the king of fantasy horror, and this is his best known novella. It's shocking, to say the least; but that is exactly the point, isn't it! Good read! Lots of science, real and imagined.

[Sissy]

Elise wrote: "Also, I think it's fair to note that Margaret Mitchell wrote the book in 1937, over 60 years after the Civil War. Can you imagine someone writing a much-lauded novel today about how wonderful Jim Crow laws were?"

I think the fact that it was written in 1937 is what also makes it so interesting - that this book came out - where the North is pretty much blamed for "ruining" the South - and yet it, and the movie, were insanely popular. And really, isn't the sort of idea of the ruined South - and almost a yearning for the old South - still popularized through the continued use of the Confederate flag? I lived in Georgia for a semester and you see the Confederate flag everywhere. How much of an influence does a book like GWTW have on that continued conception/desire - by bringing that kind of desire to return to the past to the forefront in Southern culture.

[Becky]

Oliver Twist by Dickens.

[Mike]

I just finished "Wuthering Heights" and it was awesome. An example of the text:
"I repented having tried this second entrance, and was almost inclined to slip away before he finished cursing, but ere I could execute that intention, he ordered me in, and shut and re-fastened the door."
Doesn't that sound cool? I very much enjoyed this book. I believe the book is basicaly a love story, if you can believe that Heathcliff could ever love. He is one unsavory person. From the beginning to the end, his actions most certainly will get him into "perdition". I really could hardly put this book down. I continuosly wanted to read on to see what was coming in the next chapter. Aside from the story, I enjoyed reading this book slowly in order to enjoy the english prose.

[Asa]

Tinkwelborn wrote: "Tinkwelborn wrote: "Asa wrote: "This week I've finished W.G. Sebald's Vertigo and a reread of Brontë's Jane Eyre."

...and how did hou like W.G. Sebald? I finished his ''Emigrants" a..."

I didn't enjoy Vertigo as much as I did The rings of Saturn that I read two years ago. I found it to be too meandering and pointless, and everyone's stories were so hopeless, without the interesting facts and the walking tour of The rings of Saturn.

[KHoopMan]

Just finished A Prayer for Owen Meany. What an amazing book. I loved every page. Owen's VOICE will stay with me for awhile.