Which LIST book did you just finish? Showing 301-350 of 7,922

[Kellie]

Just finished East of Eden. Wonderful and lovely!

[Judith]

Unless by Carol Shields

I'm glad I read this book, but I had trouble with some of the metaphors and found the writing somewhat pretentious. I liked the story and the structure of the novel and many of the personal insights quite well though. Definitely a woman's book with a theme of feminism running throughout. Worthwhile read but could have been more enjoyable with fewer French phrases and obscure references.

[Stacie]

Pretentious! Yes! That is the word I was looking for! I am currently reading "Unless" and, while I am enjoying it, I was thinking last night that there was something about the writing, but couldn't put my finger on it. Thank you for the PERFECT word.

[Cathy]

I just finished Fingersmith. What a corking good read! If you like rollicking Victorian pastiche, pick this one up.

I might have enjoyed Tipping the Velvet just a smidge more (maybe just because I read it first), but I thought Fingersmith was tons better than Affinity.

[Bishop]

I just finished Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S. Thompson.

As I posted in another group, I thought it was quite a let down. It relies far too much on shock value and far too little on actually saying something useful. I understand that it is a counter-culture classic and am usually all for that, but here it just fell flat. I much preferred Hell's Angels over this one.

[Chloe]

Question (that is in no way meant to be an attack):

Would you have enjoyed Fight Club so much more if you hadn't seen the film? In my experience, all of Palahniuk's novels offer up the same basic critique of modern living, in variously different packaging. While Haunted may not be up your alley, I would think that the biting satire of Choke or Survivor would appeal to the same bit of you that enjoyed Fight Club.

[Bishop]

I also liked Fight Club more than the others. I think Invisible Monsters (just because it was fun to read) is second followed by Survivor (but it's close).

I think it has less to do with the novels themselves (movie or not) than, perhaps, the order in which I read them. For me, Fight Club was a book that dealt a lot not only with modern life, but very MALE perceptions of modern life. The book just happened to come to me at a good time.

Yes, once we've read some Palahniuk, we start to recognize the commonalities, but we could say that for almost any popular author.

As for shock value, I think I agree, but absurdity is part of the package with authors of his ilk. The distinction I would make here is that in Palahniuk's better stuff, the critique is there, often made apparent by the absurdity and grotesquerie. In Fear and Loathing , I felt that many sections offered very little of anything to chew on...besides mescaline.

Then again, maybe I just disliked it because I read a lot of it on a 4 hour flight and I was already pissed off and annoyed. Ha!

[Rebecca]

Just finished Thomas Mann's Doctor Faustus. DEFINITELY one that belongs on the list. Excellent choice.

Shorter review here: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34...

Full review here:
http://readingrantsandraves.blogspot....

[theduckthief]

Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell. His writing makes me feel inferior in a way because I was so impressed he could pull off various forms and voices.

I did think the first section was too full of archaic words and the ending was a little anticlimactic for me. It almost happened too quickly.

[Catamorandi]

I am almost through with Cat's Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut. I will then start Northanger Abbey by Jane Austin. I think that Cat's Cradle is great.

[Lucia]

I'd forgotten that I had pre-ordered "The Dangerous Alphabet" written by Neil Gaiman, and illustrations by Gris Grimsy, and just got it in the post about 30 minutes ago. I love the new book smell. The illustrations were unique, in the sense that you wouldn't expect in your garden variety childrens books. But nonetheless, I really like everything Neil Gaiman has written so far (that I've been able to purchase).

[Ana]

Just finished "Never Let Me Go" - I liked it :-)

[KHoopMan]

The Handmaiden's Tale by Margaret Atwood. I liked it, but it didn't make my "favorites" bookshelf.

[Nubia]

I just finished Better by Atul Gwande. It is very impressive how this doctor organized all the information making a continious flow between chapters. All that he says is based on observations and research. His experienceses during training are very familiar to me, it was very fun to read and kept my head moving saying: "yesss! that´s true!". I also learned a lot. This is the book to recomend if someone needs to understand why doctors work the way they do.

[Bishop]

I just finished Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro.

I feel like the grumpy old man, but I've been on a string of books that haven't really done all that much for me.

My primary cause for annoyance with this one is the structure. I already ranted and raved in another thread, so I won't bother again, but I found it to be amateurish (can I say that if I'm not a writer?) in it's construction, but interesting enough to try to ignore it (with limited success).

[Lucia]

I finally finished Gene Wolfe's collection of short stories, "Storeys From The Old Hotel." I found that I liked the collections in this one than the one in "Starwater Strains." I definately half twice as many favorites in SFTOH.

[Chris]

I just finished The Sea by John Banville. It was one that I was looking forward to reading, but it was a huge disappointment for me. Being a widower myself, I was hoping to identify with the main character but that never happened. I guess it was the stream of consciousness writing style that I really didn't enjoy. Oh well, on to Foucault's Pendulum.

[Lauren]

I just finished Breakfast at Tiffanys by Truman Capote. I really liked it, though it was definitely darker/different than the movie... I read it in two days... now I'm reading A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving. I like it so far.

[Bishop]

A Prayer for Owen Meany is pretty darn fantastic. Definitely worthy of this list...

[Teal]

Just finished Maltese Falcon but now i'm starting from the begining...or trying to read the ones that really seem interesting. So Metamorphoses it is :D

[Lisa]

The Old Man and the Sea and I am starting Saturday in a few days.

[Meghan]

I like the Abby Hayes series

[Amanda R]

I just recently finished Breakfast at Tiffany's by Truman Capote. Really enjoyable, fast read! Don't know what I'll pick up next...

[Stacey]

Just finished On Beauty by Zadie Smith in the early hours of this morning.

[Kara]

I just finished Bram Stoker's Dracula, which took me forever. Good book, fascinating, but be prepared to spend some time on it. Excellent for learning about Victorian sensibilities and mindset.

[Bishop]

The Sound and the Fury - William Faulkner

This is one of the most frustrating books I've ever read...

[Karen]

Steph, I loved The World According to Garp. Have you ever seen the movie? Robin Williams's was great as Garp, and John Lithgow played Roberta.

[Caroline]

i agree!!! i'm having a really hard time trying to get into it...it really isn't happening for me!

[Ladyfunk25]

Wise Blood - Flannery O'Connor

I...think I liked it? Reading this book is like looking at a surrealist painting, interesting yet incomprehensible. Everyone in the story is either despicable or pathetic or both. Pretty absorbing, and a very quick read. Left me feeling disturbed and disorientated - since that was likely the point, I would say it is indeed a good book.

[Inder]

Just finished W. Somerset Maugham's A Razor's Edge. What an odd book! The characters are great, but the plot is pretty unresolved, and I had a hard time with the spiritual journey to India aspect. I know this was pretty crazy at the time, but ... yawn! Still, a pleasure to read, and I kept turning the pages, even though the ends were never tied in a neat bow.

[Dordaneh]

witch of portobello [ paoulo cohelo] .I liked it very much.

[Chloe]

Ali, I'm glad you liked Brighton Rock. It's next on my to-read stack. I've never really come across a Graham Greene book that I disliked, but still it's good to hear that someone else liked it.

I'm reading Jose Saramago's Blindness right now, which isn't on the list. I'm definitely thinking it should be though, this book is fantastic! There are two other of Saramago's on the list that I think I will have to move to soon.

[Sarah (Ceekayy)]

I just finished The House of the Seven Gables - Hawthorne. For me it was all characterization and hardly any actual storyline. I would have been happier had the characters done a little more.

[Karen]

Logan, I agree that Blindness by Saramego should be on the list. It is a very thought provoking book.

[Megan]

Just finished The Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson.

It was dense, but good. Stephenson plods thoroughly through WWII and present day with hackers and soldiers alike.

More serious than some of his others, but still fun. I love his humor.

I recommend it, but just go into it knowing you're going to be reading it for awhile. It's 1130 pages long!

[Bishop]

I just finished The Devil and Miss Prym by Paulo Coelho.

I wouldn't recommend it. This is one of my least favorites--if not THE least favorite--from the list so far.

[Debbie]

I just finished Empire of the Sun by J.G. Ballard.

Well-written, but I am not really a fan of war novels.

[Rebecca]

Chinua Achebe's No Longer at Ease. A quick, but emotional and provocative read.

Full review here.

[Yelena]

Logan and Karen,
Of all the omissions from the list, Blindness seems to be, for me, the most egregious, especially since others of Saramago's works have been included. I've read a number of his books, and Blindness seems to me in a class by itself. Without denigrating his other books, I found my reaction to Blindess to be similar to my reaction to if on a winter's night a traveler; the authors' other books are wonderful, but those two are respectively otherworldly.

Sadly, the follow-up, Seeing, while good, is just good and not transcendent.

[Kara]

I just finished a real bore. The Big Sleep, by Raymond Chandler.

I need suggestions! After that, I'm ready for a real page turner, something "un-put-downable!" Any and all suggestions will be appreciated. Feel free to PM me if you don't want to post it here. Thanks! :)

[Ladyfunk25]

Just finished "The Cider House Rules" by John Irving. I know some people are nuts about this book and Irving in general, but I just found it okay. I didn't dislike it, but I never found it to be what I would consider a "great" book either. The writing style was somewhat bland, and none of the characters really drew me in, except for Melony. I may read another Irving eventually (World According to Garp is on the list) but probably not anytime soon.

[Judith]

I recently finished "The Blithedale Romance" by Nathaniel Hawthorne.

I like Hawthorne, and I liked this book. It is great historical fiction, especially if you consider it as a follow-up on the status of women in the New England society since "The Scarlet Letter", set a century before "Blithedale".

[Judith]

Kara, I'll look at your shelves again and see what you tend to like; but have you tried a mystery lately? I love Dorothy L. Sayers and P. D. James.

Sayers has two books on "the 1001 list". I'm reading "The Nine Tailors" now, but it has lots of detail so it may not be the best choice. You could try the other one though -- "Murder Must Advertise", I think it's called. I enjoyed that one.

[Inder]

I just finished Cranford, desperately trying to beat the Masterpiece finale. I really enjoyed it, but I am such a sucker for Victorian novels that center around women's experience. Fun, fun, fun!

[Kara]

Hi Judith,

Thanks! I do love mysteries, although I have never read James or Sayers. I think I gravitate toward more detective/thriller fluff like James Patterson and John Sandford. :)

The best book I have read recently is The Poisonwood Bible. I LOVED it. I also really enjoyed Dracula, which I finished a couple of weeks ago...I think. Dracula had TONS of detail, so that doesn't necessarily bother me, if I am interested in the plot. Actually, The Poisonwood Bible was pretty detailed too.

So I love all different genres, and would appreciate suggestions!

[Judith]

How about "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy" or "The Spy Who Came In From the Cold" or other Le Carre titles,
Kara? A post I read this morning here at goodreads reminded me what page-turners they are!

[Bishop]

Sula - Toni Morrison

Not her best, but a good read, nonetheless!

[Yelena]

Youth - J.M. Coetzee. It was better than the other two books of his I read, though not a favorite by a long shot. I dug the premise of the novel, but found the choice of character to be one that didn't invite interest.

[Debbie]

I just finished Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides. It has been sitting on my desk for months and I did not expect to like it. It grabbed me from the first sentence and I could not put it down. I love to be surprised that way!

[Anna]

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