Which LIST book did you just finish? Showing 3,801-3,850 of 7,922

[Tatiana]

The House of the Seven Gables by Nathaniel Hawthorne. I was EXTREMELY disappointed because I loved The Scarlet Letter. I just found this story to be boring.

[Mike]

I just finished "A Clockwork Orange" by Anthony Burgess. I had a difficult time reading it at the beginning but once I got into the language, it got easier. Now I know why I never bothered to watch the movie. It's too dark for me. I did enjoy the book mostly waiting to see what the end was like. I was a little disappointed. I was hoping for a happier ending.

[jb]

I just finished Animal Farm

[Lauli]

The Lost Language of Cranes in anticipation to our November read. I won't say much because I will be joining in the discussion, but I liked it and read it very quickly.

[Liz M]

Becky wrote: "Annie John by Jamaica Kincaid. Sweet - not sure why it made the list. Comments on the back cover suggested that the ambivalence AJ felt about her mother was unique."

According to the editors of 1001 (2008 ed.), "[Annie John] is a shining example of Caribbean women's writing, outlining with startling clarity themes that we find pursued, with varying levels of success, by other writers, namely the troubled mother-daughter relationship that mirrors the motherland-colony problem, the mental stress of the dominated woman, and the urge to escape the cage via migration."

[Drew]

The Enigma of Arrival by V.S. Naipaul. This one was definitely not for everyone--it had little (or no) plot, instead focusing on a set of ruminations regarding home, death and decay centered around the narrator's (Naipaul's) time living on the grounds of a Wiltshire manor house. Exquisite writing, beautiful landscapes. I really enjoyed it, but I am itching to read something full of incident next.

[Carol]

I just finished The Picture of Dorian Grey, very good. There is a lot of thought in a small book.

[VeganMedusa]

Mike wrote: "I just finished "A Clockwork Orange" by Anthony Burgess. I had a difficult time reading it at the beginning but once I got into the language, it got easier. Now I know why I never bothered to wat..."

Is it the version with 21 chapters? It was originally released without the 21st chapter in America so there are probably still copies floating around. That last chapter makes it all worthwhile, IMHO!

[M]

Mike wrote: "I just finished "A Clockwork Orange" by Anthony Burgess. I had a difficult time reading it at the beginning but once I got into the language, it got easier. Now I know why I never bothered to wat..."

I guess you read, as VeganMedusa said, the original American version. Try to get a copy with the last chapter, it is worth it.

[Cindy]

VeganMedusa wrote: "Is it the version with 21 chapters? It was originally released without the 21st chapter in America so there are probably still copies floating around. That last chapter makes it all worthwhile, IMHO! "

Such good information VeganMedusa and Masanobu! I'll keep my eye out for a 21st chapter when I'm prowling the used bookstores.

[Becky]

Liz M wrote: "Becky wrote: "Annie John by Jamaica Kincaid. Sweet - not sure why it made the list. Comments on the back cover suggested that the ambivalence AJ felt about her mother was unique."

According to the..."

Thanks Liz M!

[Jennifer W]

Last night I finished A Woman's Life. I was surprised how much I actually enjoyed this book.

[Charity]

I personally thought that the 21st chapter was complete tosh, but to each his/her own.

But, yes, the full version of A Clockwork Orange should be:

3 sections of 7 chapters for a total of 21 chapters.

U.S. editions printed after 1991 should have the 21st chapter.

[Charity]

Also, A Clockwork Orange was a group read many moons ago, but anyone can feel free to check out the thread and make comments there. :)

[Mike]

VeganMedusa wrote: "Mike wrote: "I just finished "A Clockwork Orange" by Anthony Burgess. I had a difficult time reading it at the beginning but once I got into the language, it got easier. Now I know why I never bo..."

The version I read had Part 1, 7 chapters; part 2 had 7 chapters, and part 3 had 6 chapters. That's only 20 chapters. Thanks for the info. I'll see if I can find a more recent copy.

[RedSycamore]

Just finished Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency and The Long, Dark Tea-Time of the Soul (my first from the list since joining the group!). I read the Hitchhiker's series years ago and loved it, but for some reason never read anything else by Douglas Adams.

Dirk Gently's was my favorite, but they were both fun reads in Adams' unmistakably quirky style.

[Michelle]

I finished Alice's Adventures in Wonderland & Through the Looking-Glass and don't think anything else I'm reading soon will be on this list. I wish there was an easier way to check...

[Lauli]

Santa Evita, a fascinating book that tries to construct together Eva Perón from different points of view, starting, originally enough, by her corpse and the ordeal it had to go through before finding its final rest. A proof that in Latin American history even the most unlikely stories can be true.

[Tanya (aka ListObsessedReader)]

Just finished At the Mountains of Madness by H.P. Lovecraft. Feeling a bit underwhelmed...

[Lauli]

Enduring Love. Couldn't put it down, so I read my way through very quickly. Great style and characters, as usual with McEwan.

[Judith]

The Siege of Krishnapur - J. G. Farrell *****

[Judith]

Rachel wrote: "Just finished Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency and The Long, Dark Tea-Time of the Soul (my first from the list since joining the group!). I read the Hitchhiker's series years ago and loved ..."

My husband and I read Dirk Gentry together on a vacation and laughed heartily throughout! One of my favorite comedies!

[Tanya (aka ListObsessedReader)]

Just flew through Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier. Loved it!

[Stephanie]

Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China by Jung Chang- 5 stars. What an eye opener to what people endured under Mao's rule in China. True story.

[Beckie]

Two by William Trevor...Felicia's Journey and The Story of Lucy Gault. Both good, but with unexpected/anti-climactic endings.

[Gemma]

Stephanie wrote: "Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China by Jung Chang- 5 stars. What an eye opener to what people endured under Mao's rule in China. True story."

Me too! I finished this yesterday and loved every second of it.

[Stephanie]

Gemma wrote: "Stephanie wrote: "Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China by Jung Chang- 5 stars. What an eye opener to what people endured under Mao's rule in China. True story."

Me too! I finished this yesterda..."

What are you reading now?

[Gemma]

Stephanie wrote: "Gemma wrote: "Stephanie wrote: "Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China by Jung Chang- 5 stars. What an eye opener to what people endured under Mao's rule in China. True story."

Me too! I finished t..."

I made a start on The Elegance of the Hedgehog yesterday. i'll be honest, not doing it for me so far... :)

[Jennifer W]

I finished The Name of the Rose: Including Postscript. While it was dry in some parts, overall it kept me entertained.

[Drew]

I just finished Your Face Tomorrow: Fever And Spear, book 1 of a 3 book set. Very interesting, and I will likely read the other two books. This one had minimal plot, and was almost entirely ruminations and discursions. Definitely in the Proust and Sebald rtradition. After reading this and The Enigma of Arrival in close proximity, I am ready for a plot-driven potboiler.

[Claire]

by Bram Stoker.

[Sissy]

Elegance of the Hedgehog. It isn't a bad read - but definitely not something that needs to be read before you die.

[Karen]

Just finished The Blind Assassin. Fascinated by it! Don't read my review until you have finished it yourself. Gives away too much of the mystery.

[Lauli]

Hallucinating Foucault. Very good book, quite gripping. Great writing too.

[Drew]

I really liked Hallucinating Foucault, too. My brother-in-law had the author as a professor, and gave me the book as a gift when it first came out. I was pleasantly surprised to find it on the 1,001 list--I remember it being a very intense read.

[Gemma]

So, I've finished The Elegance of the Hedgehog. At first, I really wasn't taken, and more than once, I just thought it was trying a bit too hard, but I did ultimately enjoy it, I think.

[Charity]

The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas

[Regine]

I just finished Shalimar the Clownby Salman
Rushdie two days ago. I'm still recovering from the shock of just loving a book so much.

[Regine]

Regine wrote: "I just finished Shalimar the Clownby Salman
Rushdie two days ago. I'm still recovering from the shock of just loving a book so much."

Oh never mind. It looks like this was taken off the list. I think it still deserves to be up there.

[Cindy]

Charity wrote: "The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas"

Well done - that's a huge accomplishment! :)

[Lauli]

The Water Babies by Kingsley. I really did not like this book. I actually had to force myself to finish it. It may be due to the fact that I'm reading it as a grown-up and it's meant for kids, but then again I have enjoyed the books by Roald Dahl and Lemony Snicket, so I guess that's not it. I just don't have a taste for allegory (except for The Little Prince, which I did love as a child) and Kingsley's moralizing, not to mention overt bigotry and racism in some passages, really put me off.

[Beckie]

Miss Lonelyhearts by Nathanael West. More of a short story, but pretty decent.

[Cindy]

We by Yevgeny Zamyatin. Absolutely fantastic - 5 stars from me. It blows me away how he was writing about a very sterile society, yet using some of the most vivid metaphorical imagery I've ever read.

[Laura]

Just finished The Book of Evidence by John Banville

[lisa]

i just finished William Gibson's Neuromancer. confusing, but really good.

[Anthony]

lil reader, I love Neuromancer.

I just finished "The Remains of the Day" by Kazuo Ishiguro. Good book with an excellent ending. I look forward to reading more by the author.

[mark]

Jack Maggs by peter carey. a good book: great central character and lots of fun victorian atmosphere. a nice counterpoint to Great Expectations.

[Lauli]

Billy Liar. Very funny and entertaining, but also food for thought. Really liked it.

[Flora]

Gemma wrote: "Just finished The Moonstone. There were a couple of points in the middle when I thought it was going on a bit, but I really enjoyed it in the end."

I just finished this one as well. I didn't like it as well as The Woman In White. It seemed like what was so obvious was being overlooked. Not too mention alot of other things didn't seem to plausible for me.

[Tanya (aka ListObsessedReader)]

Just finished The Day of the Triffids. Amazing!