Loved it/Hated it/Afraid to read it/Conquered it

[MK]

lol ! Your Moby Dick review was one of the best I *ever* read :D

[Simona]

My list just for this year:

1. Loved it - Sophie's Choice The style! I enjoyed every sentence.
2. Hated it - The Book Thief I am probably a barbarian for saying this, but I can't help myself thinking this was a book more suitable for young children looking for something simpler to read, even though the subject was not that easy.
3. Afraid to read it - The Catcher in the Rye It's sitting on my shelf for more than a year, staring at me, haunting me at midnight.. Or not, but somehow I am not able to finally reach for it.
4. Conquered it - War and Peace I am so proud of myself for this one. The two previous months were hard, but I did it. And I can say I even liked it (minus the epilogue... jesuschrist that was critical).

[MK]

wtg on W&P, Simona!!

We have some book discussions open on that book right now. If you'd like to add your thoughts, I know folks would be interested.

[Heather]

1. loved it - The Country of the Pointed Firs
Incredible imagery. Never fails to draw me in completely to a beautiful portrait of another place and time in Mrs. Todd's and Captain Littlepage's quaint Maine seaside village of Dunnet Landing

2. hated it - Infinite Jest
This was required reading for a literature course. I never understood what my professor saw in it. I found it very depressing and disturbing in some ways.

3. afraid to read it - Moby Dick
I absolutely love the opening paragraphs but haven't gotten much past them yet. Someday....
Also - The Iliad
I've read and enjoyed The Odyssey but haven't quite gotten brave enough to tackle this one yet.

4. conquered it - One Hundred Years of Solitude
I enjoy G.G.M's work and the magical realism is fantastic but for some reason had trouble sticking with this one.

[MK]

Heather wrote: "1. loved it - The Country of the Pointed Firs
Incredible imagery. Never fails to draw me in completely to a beautiful portrait of another place and time in Mrs. Todd's and Captain Littlepage's quai..."

I'll have to look this one up when I'm not here on my kindle. I live in Maine, and like reading books set in the state :-).

Also - welcome! :)

[Katy, Quarterly Long Reads]

MK wrote: "lol ! Your Moby Dick review was one of the best I *ever* read :D"

Yes, Bob that is so true. I too loved your Moby Dick review, although I just couldn't make it through the book.

[MK]

Kathy wrote: "MK wrote: "lol ! Your Moby Dick review was one of the best I *ever* read :D"

Yes, Bob that is so true. I too loved your Moby Dick review, although I just couldn't make it through the book."

It was the best bad review I ever read. I almost wanted to pick up the book again, to wallow in the badness :p. But, I didn't.

Maybe someday not today :D

[Bob, Short Story Classics]

Matt it was worth reading when there was action going on, being at sea, or battling a whale. I just hated the slow moving parts of the book and unfortunately only about 20-25% of the book is action filled.

I was seriously disappointed.

[David]

Here are mine...

1. loved it
2. hated it
3. afraid to read it
4. conquered it

1. The Three Musketeers - This is a first love. I read it when I was a boy and though I've loved many books since I can't bring myself to say that I love any of them better than The Three Musketeers.

2. Catcher in the Rye - I just couldn't relate to Holden. I wanted to reach into the book and knock some sense into the twit.

3. Ulysses - Joyce is intimidating.

4. Middlemarch - Loved the story because I love the period. But it was a slog sometimes. I made it to the end and was happy that I did. When I read I try to predict what is coming next to characters. I've never been so wrong in my predictions as I was reading Middlemarch.

It's been quite a while since I read Moby Dick but I don't remember it being hard to read. I enjoyed it much.

I'm reading War and Peace now. I'm trying to catch up with the long read group here but I'm failing.

[Andrea]

Loved It: Lonesome Dove
Hated It: The Princess Bride
Afraid to Read It: Anything by Toni Morrison
Conquered It: Crime and Punishment (read it last year)

[Library Lady 📚]

Loved it: So many to choose from--Jane Eyre, To Kill a Mockingbird, Candide, Frankenstein, Catcher in the Rye, Crime and Punishment

Hated it: again, so many! lol...Going to go with Les Mis here.

Afraid of: War and Peace

Conquered it: Les Miserables, Moby Dick, Don Quixote

Edit: After reading my reviews, I had to change my hate it...seems I may have blocked out the trauma of Les Mis.

[MK]

Lena wrote: "Edit: After reading my reviews, I had to change my hate it...seems I may have blocked out the trauma of Les Mis. "


hahaha, this made me crack up! Sounds like Les Mis for you, was like Moby Dick was for Bob :D

[MK]

David wrote: "I'm reading War and Peace now. I'm trying to catch up with the long read group here but I'm failing. "


I am way way WAY behind, but I WILL read it. (might happen mostly in July tho :p. Don't give up, there's a few of us late-readers on that one *thumbs up*

[Alissa]

Here's mine!

Loved it: The Book Thief. Incredible

Hated it: Lolita. Ick. Gag. Blargh.

Afraid of: Don Quixote- I want to read it but I'm scared! Haha

Conquered it: The Goldfinch. It took me forever because my library copy kept having to go back

[MK]

(laffin @ Lolita review, too. There's just something awesome about reviews for books that people utterly despised.)

[Alissa]

Matt wrote: "Alissa wrote: "Hated it: Lolita. Ick. Gag. Blargh."

I loved Lolita, but that's probably the best description I can see for anyone who hates it. I would die laughing if that was your entire review."


i was laughing as I typed it haha

[Sandy]

Loved it: The Palliser novels - Anthony Trollope. Trollope has such a wicked sense of humor.

Hated it: All the Pretty Horses - Cormac McCarthy. Seriously, would they ever get out of Texas. Beyond boring.

Afraid of: Pretty much anything by James Joyce. He seems so daunting.

Conquered it: The Lymond Chronicles - Dorothy Dunnett. Interesting reading and who doesn't love Lyman but at times felt I was not smart enough to read the series.

[MK]

lol Sandy ....

There's something wrong with me. The "Hated Its" are my favorite category «^_^»

[Nancy]

ha ha Alissa thats how I felt about Fifty Shades! I can't find Bob's famous Moby Dick review. navigation skills must be lacking...how do I get to it? so true, the bad reviews are much more fun!

[MK]

Nancy wrote: "ha ha Alissa thats how I felt about Fifty Shades! I can't find Bob's famous Moby Dick review. navigation skills must be lacking...how do I get to it? so true, the bad reviews are much more fun!"

Hahaha ... hang on. I'm on kindle right now, nav is awkward. Brb from desktop ... It's FUNNY!

[MK]

Nancy wrote: "ha ha Alissa thats how I felt about Fifty Shades! I can't find Bob's famous Moby Dick review. navigation skills must be lacking...how do I get to it? so true, the bad reviews are much more fun!"

link - https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...


I don't know if he ever actually wrote a review, per se. It was this that made me laugh so damn much. Or maybe he's expounded on that theme elsewhere, I'm not sure. Maybe when he sees this he'll link you to his actual review, Nancy :)

[Melanti]

That is indeed a fantastic review, Bob!

[Library Lady 📚]

MK wrote: "Nancy wrote: "ha ha Alissa thats how I felt about Fifty Shades! I can't find Bob's famous Moby Dick review. navigation skills must be lacking...how do I get to it? so true, the bad reviews are much..."

Thanks for asking, because I spent about 15 mins looking for the review, lol. I did find a great one by a guy named Rob.

[Library Lady 📚]

Sandy wrote: "Hated it: All the Pretty Horse - Cormac McCarthy. Seriously, would they ever get out of Texas. Beyon...

Afraid of: Pretty much anything by James Joyce. He seems so daunting."

It takes a certain fortitude to read McCarthy. I love some of his.

James Joyce--took an entire class devoted to Ulysses in college and still don't 'get it'.

[Iulia]

time for a new set
1. loved it: Everything is illuminated
2. hated it: ok I'm not sure I hated it but since I abandoned it at 80% reading progress: The House of Mirth - was way too depressing at one point.
3. afraid to read it: afraid to read The Kite Runner cause I saw the movie and I know what's going on
4. conquered it: I've conquered the over 1000 pages of Gone with the Wind and Jonathan Safran Foer whose book I already mentioned

[MK]

Julia ... :)

[Alissa]

MK wrote: "lol Sandy ....

There's something wrong with me. The "Hated Its" are my favorite category «^_^»"

hahaha MK- hilarious!! Whats on YOUR hated list??? haha

[MK]

Alissa, I can't HELP it! They make me laugh so much !!!


I'll have to give it some thought. Which one did I hate? hmmmmmmm

[[deleted user]]

1. Loved It: The Neverending Story

2. Hated It: Heart of Darkness

3. Afraid to Read It: Anna Karenina

4. Conquered It: Les Miserables

[[deleted user]]

1. Loved it: Too many on this list. War and Peace stands out. Right now, surprised by how much I'm loving Dead Souls, especially when I read about how nobody else can relate to it. Not an urban tale, maybe that's why - doesn't seem so far away from real life and real people, once you leave suburbia.

2. Hated it: The Hundred Brothers - It was a gimmick, and could have been fun for me because I love odd stuff, but it just seemed like a gimmick stoked on meth. Yep - hated it.

3. Afraid to read it: Gravity's Rainbow - for me, reading Thomas Pynchon is like trying to drive with a shower curtain wrapped around my face.

4. Conquered it: Ulysses, and amazed at how much I liked it (mostly)

[Joseph]

Loved it: Well I've been saying The Lord of the Rings and To Kill a Mockingbird for years...so I'll go with something new...Gone with the Wind. (see what I did there? I cheated and mentioned three)
Hated it: Easy...Ulysses
Afraid to Read it: I would say anything else by James Joyce but fortunately nothing else on my list by him. Then I would have said War and Peace, or Crime and Punishment...but since I've read Dostoevsky and Tolstoy now (fairly recently), and thoroughly enjoyed them, I don't really fear these either. Nothing else I can think of that I fear, so I'll say Nostromo, just cuz I have no idea what the title means...sounds Greek to me.
Conquered it: Ulysses

[Tytti]

Maggie wrote:
"3. Afraid to Read It: Anna Karenina"

Don't be. It's long but very easy to read. I usually try to read it about 50 pages at a time because I find it quite "full"... Like there is no idle chit-chat you can easily skip and read fast.

[[deleted user]]

Joseph wrote: "Loved it: Well I've been saying The Lord of the Rings and To Kill a Mockingbird for years...so I'll go with something new...Gone with the Wind. (see what I did there? I cheated and mentioned three)..."

I kind of shy away from Conrad, too - especially after finishing Lord Jim.

[Claudia]

1. Loved it: So many... The Handmaid's Tale, Of Mice and Men, The Bookseller of Kabul (sad but excellent), The Pianist (equally sad in a whole different perspective), 1984, To Kill a Mockingbird(and I could keep going)

2. Hated it: I find it very difficult to hate books even if I struggle through them. Even so the winner is Bel-Ami

3. Afraid to read: Catch-22- I started it, put it down, tried again with not much success and now I'm afraid of picking it up.

4. Conquered it: Lolita- I didn't particularly enjoy it and I even pondered to put it in a book swap after reading it. However I still have it in my shelf just to remind me that I made it to the end despite wanting to give up so many times.

[Kirsten]

1. Loved it - Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë
2. Hated it - nothing yet, but I didn't care for The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Mohsin Hamid, and just couldn't give it any more of my time
3. Afraid to read - anything by James Joyce
4. Conquered it - well, I haven't conquered it yet, but I am working on my first piece of Russian literature, Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy

[Christine]

1. Loved it: I have loved many books. This year, probably my most-loved book was Gone with the Wind.

2. Hated it: I don't completely hate very many books, but Outlander is definitely one of them! Such complete crap that it actually makes me angry.

3. Afraid to read it: William Faulkner

4. Conquered it: I finally read Anna Karenina this year! And I am partway through Les Mis. Yay for the Quarterly Long Read! :-)

[Iulia]

So, I conquered another book (another series actually) and that's the Harry Potter novels. And I LOVED them. Am I too late? Yes, I am. I know.

[Joseph]

Mary wrote: "Iulia wrote: "So, I conquered another book (another series actually) and that's the Harry Potter novels. And I LOVED them. Am I too late? Yes, I am. I know."

Julia, it's NEVER too late! We're read..."

Indeed. It could make a good discussion sometime. What is the most ancient story you've read. In fact, I've talked myself into it. I'll create the thread momentarily.

[Iulia]

the most "antique" book I've read... well I suppose it doesn't go back further in time than the 18th century.

[Marleny]

Hi,
Well let's see, this looks like some fun.

1. Loved it: In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex Completely enthralled by this tale of desperation and survival.
2. Hated it: The Alchemist Oh wow, this was just so booorring and I tried so hard to get into it but I couldn't. It felt preachy and a waste of my time, sorry.
3. Afraid to read it: The Mists of Avalon It sits on my shelf, this big, hefty thing just daring me to pick it up and begin. I think I'm afraid of it because what if I start to read it and i don't like it?
4. Conquered it: I know most people like to conquer the hefty and complex tomes but I have to say The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn was a challenge for me to finish. Yes, this is a classic written by Twain and though I loved his Tom Sawyer story, I felt like I was slogging through this one. Most of the time I was just reading the words but not really "reading" them. I was so happy to finally read the final page and toss it aside. Is this really conquering it? Don't know.

[Arlene]

Marleny, that is totally conquering it, I have to say that I really dislike it when I start to read a "classic" and I just have to fight to get through it.

[Katy, Quarterly Long Reads]

I totally agree with your Loved it and Hated it!

[Alissa]

Here's mine!

1. Loved it: Rebecca. Finally read it this year and just couldn't put it down.

2. Hated it: The Picture of Dorian Gray. It just wasn't for me.

3. Afraid to read it: Les Misérables. it's so bigggggggggggggggggg

4. Conquered it: The Count of Monte Cristo. Read it this year!!!

[Arlene]

Alissa, I agree with your afraid I have opened Les Miserables but I have not decided to read it yet and I admire your Conqured, I am 79% into The Count of Monte Crisco but I did start that in 2014 and in 2015 I have not bother to go back to it, I'm so far into it I need to just finish it but again I hate reading books where I feel like I have to finish it.

[Christine]

Marleny wrote: "3. Afraid to read it: The Mists of Avalon It sits on my shelf, this big, hefty thing just daring me to pick it up and begin. I think I'm afraid of it because what if I start to read it and i don't like it?"

I understand your hesitation to start a massive book! I would encourage you to give it a try though - I LOVED this book when I read it years ago. I'd love to read it again, but it's hard to commit that much time to a reread when there are so many other books I haven't read yet!

[Katy, Quarterly Long Reads]

I loved The Count of Monte Cristo.

Les Misérables was a good read, but not a great one for me -- and it did take forever to read.

[Annina]

1. loved it: Persuasion. My last Jane Austen and I was pretty sure in that point that I just hate Jane Austen, but Persuasion was really good.

2. hated it: The Lord of the Rings it was just really boring.. I'm not fan of fantasy.

3. afraid to read it: War and Peace or anything big and russian. Or Swann's Way cause it's such a long book.

4. conquered it: Moby-Dick; or, The Whale and Les Misérables

[April]

Arlene wrote: "Alissa, I agree with your afraid I have opened Les Miserables but I have not decided to read it yet and I admire your Conqured, I am 79% into The Count of Monte Crisco but I did start that in 2014 ..."

I've started The Count of Monte Cristo three times and not managed to finish it, or even to get to the end of the first volume. I just lose track of the vast number of characters and can't remember their crimes later on. One day I will finish it.

[Loretta]

Okay, here are mine:

1. Loved: Wurthering Heights by Emily Bronte. When I first read it, some years ago, I hated it. I've read two times since then and now it's my absolute favorite of all time classic.

2. Hated: This was a tough one for me because there were a few that I disliked but if I had to pick one I'd go with Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen. I'm probably going to get a lot of flack from the Jane Austen fan club, but man, it was really hard to get into and I couldn't wait to be done with it! And go figure, I loved Pride and Prejudice.

3. Afraid: Hands down The Idiot by Fyodor Dostoyevsky. Every summer comes and I say I'm going to read it and every summer passes and the book doesn't get read. One of these days it's going to happen though, I hope :).

4. Conquered: Such a tiny little book but for me it was All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque. The book was way out of my comfort zone but oddly enough I did enjoy it.

[Laurie]

I never noticed this thread before, but I like it.

1. Loved: A Tale of Two Cities. I haven't read it in many years, so I should probably see if I still feel the same.
2. Hated: Wuthering Heights. I read it as a teenager and again in my late thirties and I hated it both times.
3. Afraid: Gravity's Rainbow. Don't know if I will ever try to tackle this unless it is with a group.
4. Conquered: Ulysses and Don Quixote. I'm not sure that I can say that I enjoyed either one, but I'm glad I got through them.