Which LIST book did you just finish? Showing 4,351-4,400 of 7,922

[Karina]

Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte. While I liked this one better than Jane Eyre, I was not entirely fond of it. It took me a long time to read and I found Heathcliff a most insufferable character

[Cait]

I finished The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie by Muriel Spark. Not good, not bad, just... ok. I think that the possible group read The Driver's Seat sounds really good though, so I'm going to give her another go.

[Chaz]

I found Wuthering Heights difficult to get through because it was boring, and Heathcliff annoyed the heck out of me!

[Genia]

Most likely it isn't a love story, or at least wasn't intended as such. There's good reason to suspect that what Emily Bronte actually wrote was rather an anti-love story. She doesn't extol Heathcliff and Catherine, but condemns them. Really, while reading it as a romance is the most common thing, it's probably a mistake.

[Leonard]

Amanda wrote: "I also found Wuthering Heights to be difficult. And by difficult I mean insufferably awful. Why is this considered a love story? No one loves each other and everyone is annoying!"

It would be a mistake to classify Wuthering Heights as romance. However, it is good book because of the Characterization especially of Heathcliff and Catherine. Heathcliff is one of the most emotionally twisted characters in literature. This shows how great a writer Emily Bronte was.

[Craig]

120 days of Sodom by Marquis de Sade. A catalog of debauchery and hellish experiences for those inflicted and maybe for those inflicting. But then, according to Sade (or one of the characters), once one begins to enjoy such behaviors known as evil, one perceives said behaviors and the fruits therof as desirable and "good". Definitely not for the faint of heart (and Sade includes this caveat to all readers early on).

[Regine]

I disliked Wuthering Heights too! I just wanted all of the characters to off themselves by the end of the book.

I just finished Dangerous Liaisons, and again, wish they all had offed themselves there too.

[Mikela]

Just finished The Devil and Miss Prym. Another easy read about the struggle between good and evil.

[Gini]

Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day. This is one of those delightful, cozy reads that border on fluff and can be enjoyed like a sorbet between courses. Not great literature, just fun.

[Rosemary]

Leonard wrote: "Amanda wrote: "I also found Wuthering Heights to be difficult. And by difficult I mean insufferably awful. Why is this considered a love story? No one loves each other and everyone is annoying!"

..."

I think it's anti-marriage ... at least anti-marriage at it was for women in the 19th century.

But for some reason it has been annexed by the 'romance' contingent. You can't blame Emily Bronte for that.

Neither Heathcliff nor Catherine Earnshaw is 'nice'.

[Darkiknowwell]

The last book I finished from the list was "Wide Sargasso Sea" - Jean Rhys

[Sophie]

Finished Life of Pi by Yann Martel at work today and still tackling Franz Kafka's The Trial; reminds me of The Third Policeman. Flann O'Brien/Brian O'Nolan has borrowed quite a lot of his technique from Kafka, or so it seems except The Third Policeman is a lot more coherent..

[VeganMedusa]

I just finishedPnin by Vladimir Nabokov and I think it's the funniest of his books I've read so far.

[Genia]

Just finished Eco's Foucault's Pendulum. I genuinely enjoyed this book. Colour me a little disappointed with the ending, but it didn't ruin too much of my fun.

[Trice]

Joseph Heller's Catch-22 - really really good!! I tried reading this when I was 13 and thought it incredibly boring, but this time through it was at times hilarious, at times painful, and overall very full. Still puzzling out what happens with the women in the book / the reasons for and what this says about his attitude toward women or how he's trying to present them, and some of the larger implications of the story.

[Trice]

Drew wrote: "Finished Cranford by Elizabeth Gaskell. I knew nothing about this when I started it, and likely would not have read it if I had. It is a series of sketches about a community of spinsters in a small..."

Gaskell is really excellent - I first discovered her through BBC versions of 2 of her books (Cranford, Wives & Daughters) all really good, and have since read North & South (the BBC version of this is excellent too). Hoping to find copies of some of her other books. She seems to show a broader perspective than Austen.

[Trice]

Genia wrote: "Just finished Eco's Foucault's Pendulum. I genuinely enjoyed this book. Colour me a little disappointed with the ending, but it didn't ruin too much of my fun."

ah! I loved The Name of the Rose and have been wanting to pick up Foucault's Pendulum. Many of his essays are really interesting as well.

[Cindy]

I finished Kitchen by Banana Yoshimoto. Short, sparse writing that meditates on how the living cope with death. It also made me very hungry. ;)

[Leonard]

I just finished Aldous Huxley's Brave New World. Interesting the predictions from his dystopia that came true.

[Mikela]

Just finished The Picture of Dorian Gray. Made me wonder how I would react if given the choice he had. Yup made me wonder for a full second before I asked where to sign up.

[Anthony]

Just finished Barabbas by Par Lagerkvist. A fine read.

[Cait]

I finished War and Peace, my first big Russian novel. I really enjoyed it.

[Inna]

The Nice and the Good by Iris Murdoch

[Mikela]

Before the idea of "the list" was born, many of us had read a number of the books featured. Question. I know that I read several but fail to remember details of the story, such as The Jungle and Portnoy's Complaint. Are other people counting these books as having been read or only those they remember?

[VeganMedusa]

I count books I know I've definitely read. Some I'm not sure of so I don't count them. Even if I manage to read all the books, I won't remember all of them. Some of the books just don't make an impact on me.

[Shay]

Mikela wrote: "Before the idea of "the list" was born, many of us had read a number of the books featured. Question. I know that I read several but fail to remember details of the story, such as The Jungle and Po..."

I'm going to re-read every book I read before the year I "discovered" the list. I look at it as a good reason/excuse to revisit books from a different perspective. It's been over 20 years since I've read some of the books, so I won't be reading them as the "same" person, really.

[Sophia]

Mikela wrote: "Before the idea of "the list" was born, many of us had read a number of the books featured. Question. I know that I read several but fail to remember details of the story, such as The Jungle and Po..."

I count books that I remember finishing, omitting the ones I think I've started but can't be sure I have completed. Still gives me a dismal number, though.

[Judith]

VeganMedusa wrote: "I count books I know I've definitely read. Some I'm not sure of so I don't count them. Even if I manage to read all the books, I won't remember all of them. Some of the books just don't make an imp..."

I do the same, but I am systematically reviewing each of the ones that I don't remember that well. I found the total count encouraging, so I couldn't resist counting them all!

[Genia]

I only count books I remember. Luckily for me, that's pretty much the vast majority of the books I've read. Some of them I will happily reread again; some I disliked rather a lot, and I doubt I will be returning to them anytime soon, if ever.

[Mikela]

While I don't really remember details of some of the books, I do remember my reaction to them. Unfortunately Genia, I don't have your terrific memory. Goodness, don't ask me what I had for breakfast - couldn't tell you. So, I've decided to only count those that I do remember. I admire those of you who are going to re-read the books they don't remember, but think I'll concentrate on interesting sounding books that I know I haven't read.

[Deanne]

Finished The confessions by Rousseau, haven't decided yet if he was persecuted or paranoid. Though just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they're not out to get you.

[Susanna]

Finished The Shining . I felt that Kubrick's movie kind of spoiled the build-up of the novel for me. But overall, once I got over comparing book and movie (and I do realize the movie is quite different), I liked the novel. It definitely gave me the creeps at certain points. Uncle Stephen rocks!

[LindaD]

Just finished The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao. It's a glimpse into a sad world. Depressing, but an important look at the isolation so many people feel at different stages of their lives.

[Genia]

Finished The Scarlet Letter. It was a bit overwrought, very much in line with other Romantic works, but quite enjoyable.

[M]

I've finished The Elegance of the Hedgehog. I started disliking it, then it got much better and the end makes me feel angry. However, even if I don't know whether I've loved or hated it or possibly just liked it, I think it doesn't really belong to the 1001 list.

Question for those among you who have the latest edition of Boxall's book: why has The Elegance of the Hedgehog been included?

[Genia]

Finished Martin Amis's Time's Arrow. A quick and interesting read which coincided, appropriately, with Israeli Holocaust Remembrance Day.

[Jeff]

The Recognitions by William Gaddis. Tough read!

[Tanya (aka ListObsessedReader)]

The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver. So glad I finally got around to reading this one! I thoroughly enjoyed it!!

[Mikela]

Just finished The Once and Future King. Am not sure just how to react to it. Really liked parts of it, disliked some of it, was bored, was interested, all at different times and stages of the book. Overall glad that I read it but know that it is not one that I would ever want to re-read.

[Asa]

Over the past two weeks I've reread Byatt's Possession and Eco's The Name of the Rose. I still liked Possession, but The name of the rose wasn't as good as I remembered.

[Lisa]

Tanya wrote: "The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver. So glad I finally got around to reading this one! I thoroughly enjoyed it!!"

Loved the Poisonwood Bible too, Provided historical background and wonderful story.

[Genia]

Finished Hawthorne's The House of the Seven Gables. Sadly, much unlike The Scarlet Letter, I must say this book bored me, which is a horrible thing to say about a book.

[Inna]

Under the Net by Iris Murdoch

[Charity]

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë

[Aileen]

Ovid's Metamorphoses - a huge and challenging read, but one I really enjoyed.

[Maggie]

Is the Alienist on the list?
Anyway I finished Faceless Killers. I liked. But I couldn't live without it?
I wish the list was alphabetical!

[Jennifer W]

Maggie, you can create an alphabetical list by title or author with this group's bookshelf. Go to the bookshelf, click on "all" on the left hand side to see all books, and then at the top you can sort them by title, author, and a few other categories. Hope this helps!

[Gini]

The Scarlet Letter. I thought it would be an excellent short story, but was way too long.

[Deanne]

The second book in The Your Face Tomorrow by Marias, really enjoyed the use of language in the novel. The story is an interesting one too.

[Jennifer W]

This morning I finished Crome Yellow. Very witty, an enjoyable spring read.