Boxall's 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die discussion
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    Which LIST book did you just finish?
    
  
  
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          Philip
      
        
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      Jan 30, 2011 02:03AM
    
     Pamela by Samuel Richardson - a bit long winded but first half quite exciting!!
      Pamela by Samuel Richardson - a bit long winded but first half quite exciting!!
    
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      Just finished Gone with the Wind, I can not tell you how much I loved that book! It was like eating a big chocolate sundae, you want to eat it slow so you can savour it. I didn't want it to be over. Now I will read The Godfather.
    
  
  
   The Turn of the Screw by Henry James - it started off so eerily and ended so disappointingly. I'm confused by the end and will have to do some research to discover what happened.
      The Turn of the Screw by Henry James - it started off so eerily and ended so disappointingly. I'm confused by the end and will have to do some research to discover what happened.
     Just finished Your Face Tomorrow, Volume Two: Dance and Dream. This is the second of three volumes in Your Face Tomorrow. I had taken a couple of months lay-off between volumes, but reading this one made me reconsider how much I had enjoyed the first one. Marias' style is non-stop digression--there is basically one incident in this entire 340 page novel--but the digressions very interestingly examine the nature of violence and memory. Marias also uses a lot of repetition, which I feel helps to underscore the points that he is trying to make, and also helps to reframe the main narrative of the work, which is easy to lose with all the asides and sub-stories. Very fascinating stuff, and I am looking forward to the third and final volume.
      Just finished Your Face Tomorrow, Volume Two: Dance and Dream. This is the second of three volumes in Your Face Tomorrow. I had taken a couple of months lay-off between volumes, but reading this one made me reconsider how much I had enjoyed the first one. Marias' style is non-stop digression--there is basically one incident in this entire 340 page novel--but the digressions very interestingly examine the nature of violence and memory. Marias also uses a lot of repetition, which I feel helps to underscore the points that he is trying to make, and also helps to reframe the main narrative of the work, which is easy to lose with all the asides and sub-stories. Very fascinating stuff, and I am looking forward to the third and final volume.
     Tirant Lo Blanc -Joanot Martorell
      Tirant Lo Blanc -Joanot Martorelland
Tristram Shandy -Laurence Sterne
Tirant was okay. Copious knights fighting with virginal princesses delaying and playing the coy parts.
Tristram Shandy was like nothing I have ever read before. Sterne implodes the concept of the novel and produces a magnificent work.
 Philip wrote: "Pamela by Samuel Richardson - a bit long winded but first half quite exciting!!"
      Philip wrote: "Pamela by Samuel Richardson - a bit long winded but first half quite exciting!!"This is my favorite book! I love Pamela. I am sure it was very difficult for her to be put into that situation. Yet she listened to herself and made her own decisions (which many women back then didn't do). The best part of Pamela is that it was written by a man.
 Michael wrote: "I just finished another Barbra Tuchman book, the greatest historian in the last hundred years!"
      Michael wrote: "I just finished another Barbra Tuchman book, the greatest historian in the last hundred years!"Don't believe any of those books are on the list. Sorry.
 Just finished The Monk as well. Not quite what I expected it to be - more sinister - but I liked it.
      Just finished The Monk as well. Not quite what I expected it to be - more sinister - but I liked it.
     Cebrina wrote: "Philip wrote: "Pamela by Samuel Richardson - a bit long winded but first half quite exciting!!"
      Cebrina wrote: "Philip wrote: "Pamela by Samuel Richardson - a bit long winded but first half quite exciting!!"This is my favorite book! I love Pamela. I am sure it was very difficult for her to be put into th..."
Oh, yes, I love
Pamela: Or Virtue Rewarded, too! I remember how during grad school one of my profs had written a book about how Pamela, published in 1740, was the first novel to demonstrate the salient characteristic defining the novel genre as we know it today. And if you want the flipside of "Virtue Rewarded," you can always try John Cleland's Fanny Hill, or Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure, published just eight years later in 1748 (the prototype for lit porn).....
Ex Lit Prof
www.the-reading-list.com
 I just finished Middlemarch. I definitely enjoyed it and more towards the end; once the background had been set and the story/characters took over. I gave it 4 *'s and it puts my count of list read books at 45. :)
      I just finished Middlemarch. I definitely enjoyed it and more towards the end; once the background had been set and the story/characters took over. I gave it 4 *'s and it puts my count of list read books at 45. :)
     I just finished The Shining by Stephen King. The book was really good. Now I would love to see the movie.
      I just finished The Shining by Stephen King. The book was really good. Now I would love to see the movie.
     Mike wrote: "I just finished The Shining by Stephen King. The book was really good. Now I would love to see the movie."
      Mike wrote: "I just finished The Shining by Stephen King. The book was really good. Now I would love to see the movie."You have to love "The King"! :)
 A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce
      A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man by James JoyceI am happy to report that I have marked this one off my list. I wish I could have enjoyed it more than I did. Truth be told, I only finished reading it so that I could I say I read it. It did receive many outstanding reviews, but it wasn't a good read for me.
 Leslie wrote: "Cebrina wrote: "Philip wrote: "Pamela by Samuel Richardson - a bit long winded but first half quite exciting!!"
      Leslie wrote: "Cebrina wrote: "Philip wrote: "Pamela by Samuel Richardson - a bit long winded but first half quite exciting!!"This is my favorite book! I love Pamela. I am sure it was very difficult for her t..."
Leslie, Thank you, I will place Fanny Hill on my eReader and let you know how I like it.
Pamela did set the ball in motion for other novels. I really enjoyed how the book was her diary. It made me feel like I was a part of this woman's secrets. Reading and writing proved to be Pamela's savior. Oh, I could go on and on about her. I have already reread the book twice. Have you read "Shamela" by chance?
 Just finished Stupeur et tremblements ('Fear and Trembling') by Amélie Nothomb. It's hilarious, as I discovered while trying not to burst out laughing while reading on a bus!
      Just finished Stupeur et tremblements ('Fear and Trembling') by Amélie Nothomb. It's hilarious, as I discovered while trying not to burst out laughing while reading on a bus!
     April wrote: "Mike wrote: "I just finished The Shining by Stephen King. The book was really good. Now I would love to see the movie."
      April wrote: "Mike wrote: "I just finished The Shining by Stephen King. The book was really good. Now I would love to see the movie."You have to love "The King"! :)"
I haven't read many of his, yet. My favorite so far is "The Stand".
 The Stand is great! I'm thinking about it as a reread. My absolute favorite King book is Lisey's Story. If you get the chance, read it.
      The Stand is great! I'm thinking about it as a reread. My absolute favorite King book is Lisey's Story. If you get the chance, read it.
     Cat's Eye by Margaret Atwood - the bullying sent shivers up my spine. The lack of communicatuion between children and adults made me very sad.
      Cat's Eye by Margaret Atwood - the bullying sent shivers up my spine. The lack of communicatuion between children and adults made me very sad.
     I finished reading The Accidental by Ali Smith a few days ago and its probably been my least favourite read on the combined 1001 books list so far. Why was it on the list? Dull, dull, dull!
      I finished reading The Accidental by Ali Smith a few days ago and its probably been my least favourite read on the combined 1001 books list so far. Why was it on the list? Dull, dull, dull!
     Deanne wrote: "Finished both Petals of Blood and Emile..."
      Deanne wrote: "Finished both Petals of Blood and Emile..."How was Petals of Blood? I've been eying that one even before I knew it was a list book.
 Shovelmonkey1 wrote: "I finished reading The Accidental by Ali Smith a few days ago and its probably been my least favourite read on the combined 1001 books list so far. Why was it on the list? Dull, dull, dull!"
      Shovelmonkey1 wrote: "I finished reading The Accidental by Ali Smith a few days ago and its probably been my least favourite read on the combined 1001 books list so far. Why was it on the list? Dull, dull, dull!"Ugh, I agree. The last book I finished was The Postman Always Rings Twice, which was definitely NOT dull.
 Cebrina wrote: "Leslie wrote: "Cebrina wrote: "Philip wrote: "Pamela by Samuel Richardson - a bit long winded but first half quite exciting!!"
      Cebrina wrote: "Leslie wrote: "Cebrina wrote: "Philip wrote: "Pamela by Samuel Richardson - a bit long winded but first half quite exciting!!"This is my favorite book! I love Pamela. I am sure it was very diff..."
Jumping in on this discussion of Pamela: Or Virtue Rewarded - I had to read it for a Brit. Lit course; it was okay for me - a bit long - but I got an A the paper I wrote about it! We also read Shamela, as well as Joseph Andrews - which I recommend if you liked Pamela. Joseph Andrews is a funny novel about Pamela's brother. Fielding really enjoyed mocking Richardson's book.
 Inna wrote: "Adam Bede by George Eliot"
      Inna wrote: "Adam Bede by George Eliot"Me too, mostly on audio, and I loved it. Reminded me of Thomas Hardy's works, who I think I recall was inspired by Eliot.
 Just finished The Monk. Fantastic! Who knows how long I would have gone without discovering this if it weren't for this group?
      Just finished The Monk. Fantastic! Who knows how long I would have gone without discovering this if it weren't for this group?
     I just finished Jack Maggs by Peter Carey. If you enjoyed Great Expectations (another list book), then this is a fun one to read. It is basically the same story but told through Magwitch's (aka Jack Maggs) POV. Very good! Onto The Monk...
      I just finished Jack Maggs by Peter Carey. If you enjoyed Great Expectations (another list book), then this is a fun one to read. It is basically the same story but told through Magwitch's (aka Jack Maggs) POV. Very good! Onto The Monk...
     Just finished Eugene Onegin by Alexander Pushkin. I was actually surprised to see it was on the list, as it is an epic poem, not a traditional novel. Having seen the Tchaikovsky opera based on this, I was expecting high melodrama. I was actually really impressed with the sense of humor and mockery of his form and subject that Pushkin exhibited throughout. I think I will give some of his short stories a try.
      Just finished Eugene Onegin by Alexander Pushkin. I was actually surprised to see it was on the list, as it is an epic poem, not a traditional novel. Having seen the Tchaikovsky opera based on this, I was expecting high melodrama. I was actually really impressed with the sense of humor and mockery of his form and subject that Pushkin exhibited throughout. I think I will give some of his short stories a try.
     The Grapes of Wrath and The Handmaidens Tale - both very good, The Grapes of Wrath especially. I'm currently on holiday so I'm chomping through a book every day or so :-)
      The Grapes of Wrath and The Handmaidens Tale - both very good, The Grapes of Wrath especially. I'm currently on holiday so I'm chomping through a book every day or so :-)
     "Burmese Days"
      "Burmese Days" The protagonist in the novel grew on me so that despite his flaws, I rooted for him more and more. (For me, caring about the characters is a prerequisite to feeling good about the read, even in a satiric work.) This book is well constructed with typically (for the author) strong social criticism at its heart.
 In Cold Blood: A True Account of a Multiple Murder and Its Consequences
      In Cold Blood: A True Account of a Multiple Murder and Its ConsequencesTook forever to finish. I screwed up and watched Capote about half way through the book. Caused me to loose all of my momentum. I'm really glad I finished it though. What a great read.
 Finished On Beauty by Zadie Smith last night and enjoyed it a lot more than i was expecting. Thumbs up Zadie!
      Finished On Beauty by Zadie Smith last night and enjoyed it a lot more than i was expecting. Thumbs up Zadie!
     Finished Clarissa, but only because I stayed up. It took a while but the book grew on me, and I especially liked the use of letters to tell a story. Usually novels focus on one or two peoples point of view, with Clarissa everything is examined minutely and by a variety of characters who all have their own version of events, motives, beliefs and prejudices.
      Finished Clarissa, but only because I stayed up. It took a while but the book grew on me, and I especially liked the use of letters to tell a story. Usually novels focus on one or two peoples point of view, with Clarissa everything is examined minutely and by a variety of characters who all have their own version of events, motives, beliefs and prejudices.
     I recently finished The Good Soldier by Ford Madox Ford. I didn't love it but didn't hate it. It just didn't grab me. The use of the unreliable narrator was interesting and the writing was good but the subject matter just wasn't all that interesting to me.
      I recently finished The Good Soldier by Ford Madox Ford. I didn't love it but didn't hate it. It just didn't grab me. The use of the unreliable narrator was interesting and the writing was good but the subject matter just wasn't all that interesting to me.Now onto Père Goriot by Balzac.
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