Boxall's 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die discussion

Just started Hideous Kinky by Esther Freud

Started Dead Souls, I can't believe I've actually found a Russian book that is funny! I was beginning to think they didn't exist.

It's an easy read, after an evening I'm about halfway through so I should be finished shortly. I still have no clue what the protagonist wants the 'dead souls' for.

Nicola wrote: "Started Dead Souls, I can't believe I've actually found a Russian book that is funny! I was beginning to think they didn't exist.

It's an easy read, after an evening I'm about half..."

Read this a few years ago, and really enjoyed it. You're right, it is so funny. I hope to reread it soon to refresh my memory for the discussion.
I did find, however, that part 2 dragged a bit, but don't let that put you off.

Nicola wrote: "Started Dead Souls, I can't believe I've actually found a Russian book that is funny! I was beginning to think they didn't exist.

It's an easy read, after an evening I'm about half..."

The Master and Margarita is also hilarious. For non-list hilarious Russian authors, see also Tatyana Tolstaya.

Russians have a sense of humor?

Kirsten wrote: "Russians have a sense of humor?"

I KNOW!!! I could hardly believe it, but, yes, Dead Souls is pretty funny.

Starting On the Road

Aubrey wrote: "Nicola wrote: "Started Dead Souls, I can't believe I've actually found a Russian book that is funny! I was beginning to think they didn't exist.

It's an easy read, after an evening..."

Cheers, I'll mark that one for a nice change once I chew through a few of the more weighty Russian Tomes.

Started yesterday Le Côté de Guermantes I by Marcel Proust and Gabriela, Clavo y Canela by Jorge Amado :)

Nicola wrote: "Aubrey wrote: "Nicola wrote: "Started Dead Souls, I can't believe I've actually found a Russian book that is funny! I was beginning to think they didn't exist.

It's an easy read, a..."

This inspired me to read Dead Souls, too. I have it in the Pevear/Volokhonsky translation, and I'm excited to get further in it - I read their translations of War and Peace, The Brothers Karamazov, and The Adolescent, and they completely changed my experience with these books.

I had a friend who majored in Russian studies, and he said that in the original Russian, the names of the characters in Dead Souls make this a hilarious book - characters are named for satiric qualities they possess, and this makes the story biting and wicked the same time it is funny and compassionate. Wish I could speak fluent Russian.

Just started The Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce. I am not looking forward to it.

The Street of Crocodiles - Wow, seriously beautiful book!

Jasper wrote: "Nicola wrote: "Aubrey wrote: "Nicola wrote: "Started Dead Souls, I can't believe I've actually found a Russian book that is funny! I was beginning to think they didn't exist.

It's ..."

That's interesting to know Jasper, I might try and get hold of a decent translated version then. Mine was an ebook and was pretty rubbish tbh.

Nicola wrote: "That's interesting to know Jasper, I might try and get hold of a decent translated version then. Mine was an ebook and was pretty rubbish tbh"

I tried it on an e-reader, as well, many times; I could never get into it. This translation, though - it's dense, but loaded with pertinent social / physical detail and great endnotes. I'm a slow, ruminative reader on the best of days, but I find myself reading slower and slower, the more my questions pile up. (I read your comments on the "Finished" thread - makes me wonder what I'll find in Volume 2.)

Nicola wrote: "That's interesting to know Jasper, I might try and get hold of a decent translated version then. Mine was an ebook and was pretty rubbish tbh."

I echo Jasper's suggestion of the Pevear and Volokhonsky translation - that's the one I read and I really enjoy it. Like Jasper I've read several of their translations.

Jasper wrote: "Nicola wrote: "That's interesting to know Jasper, I might try and get hold of a decent translated version then. Mine was an ebook and was pretty rubbish tbh"

I tried it on an e-reader, as well, ma..."

Oh Part 2 is fine, it's when the actual book ends abruptly (did you know Gogol destroyed part of the book?) and there was (in my ebook at least) a chunk written by someone else 'finishing the book'. The translater (or somebody) put in a bit before it started about why it was there and warning us that it might not be of the best quality. Bit of an understatement...

Your translation might be too classy to lower themselves to even print that rubbish!

1001 nights

I started The Woman in White which I picked up a while ago. I read a few pages but then stopped as I had a whole stack of others to get through.

Started it again yesterday and this morning. Fantastic - I'll be reading this till it's finished which will be in a few hours I should think!

Time to visit the library again...

Nicola wrote: "I started The Woman in White which I picked up a while ago.... Started it again yesterday and this morning. Fantastic - I'll be reading this till it's finished which will be in a few hours I should think!"

This is one of the books that we read aloud together at our house. It was a great group ride! Jealous of you reading it for first time. Count Fosco - what a slimy, fascinating critter! Made me think a bit of Humbert Humbert from Lolita. Cheers.

Jasper wrote: "Nicola wrote: "I started The Woman in White which I picked up a while ago.... Started it again yesterday and this morning. Fantastic - I'll be reading this till it's finished which will..."

If you like Count Fosco he actually makes an appearance in the first book of the Diogenes trilogy by Preston and child. I think the book was named brimstone, but they all ran together for me. It was a fun literary treat after reading woman in white!

Karina wrote: "Just started The Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce. I am not looking forward to it."
I got about a quart to halfway through it & abandoned it. I'll pick it up again eventually, but I just couldn't get through it... good luck!

I had to pick up The Scarlet Letter for my 16 year old son for school, & well, while we were at the 2nd hand bookstore, I came home with:

The Alchemist
Mrs. Dalloway
The Mystery of Edwin Drood

and this fascinating one I'd never heard of that is a non list book, but I couldn't help myself:
A Long Fatal Love Chase

After finishing The Woman in White I have now started Out of Africa which I can only read online which is a bit awkward. I'm debating seriously getting stuck into Sons and Lovers again as well as I read it at school and can barely remember anything about it.

Jasper wrote: "Nicola wrote: "I started The Woman in White which I picked up a while ago.... Started it again yesterday and this morning. Fantastic - I'll be reading this till it's finished which will..."

Kaycie wrote: "Jasper wrote: "Nicola wrote: "I started The Woman in White which I picked up a while ago.... Started it again yesterday and this morning. Fantastic - I'll be reading this till it's fini..."


It was great, totally improbable of course but such fun :-)

Kaycie wrote: "If you like Count Fosco he actually makes an appearance in the first book of the Diogenes trilogy by Preston and child. I think the book was named brimstone, but they all ran together for me. It was a fun literary treat after reading woman in white!"

I will definitely be checking that one out! Thanks, Kayce.

Nicola wrote: "I started The Woman in White which I picked up a while ago. I read a few pages but then stopped as I had a whole stack of others to get through.

Started it again yesterday and this mo..."

I downloaded the audiobook The Woman in White last month hoping this will help me finally finish the book. I started reading it last year, stopped because I got busy reading other books, and am now listening to Chapter 1...for the past three weeks.

After failing miserably to locate The Home and the World at any of my libraries I went looking to buy it and saw it was a kindle free book. So I've downloaded that and just had a 'quick' look at it now.

Nicola wrote: "I started The Woman in White which I picked up a while ago. I read a few pages but then stopped as I had a whole stack of others to get through.

Started it again yesterday and this mo..."

The Woman in White is one of my favorite books ever written. (I like the idea of reading aloud with the family, as another poster wrote.) The book takes a relatively unknown approach at the time, by narrating through a the first-person perspective of a handful of the characters. I think it adds to the mystery. Also, I love books that use narration well. Another favorite it Crime and Punishment, and Dostoevsky ultimately chose to write it in third person, but during Rasklonikov's most intense senses, it is written in first person, which toes the reader into Rasklonikov's head-- we're thinking his thoughts, just as he thought them. It's very unsettling, as was intended.

For a great article on this, see: "First- verses Third-Person Narration in Crime and Punishment," by Gary Rosenshield. http://www.jstor.org/discover/10.2307...

Another family read we've started together is the first book of the Kristin Lavransdatter trilogy, The Wreath. I read about half the entire trilogy, about ten years ago, and I've always kicked myself for not finishing it. The writing of Sigrid Undset is as sparkling - and deceptive - as mountain rivers (sorry for the metaphor, but that's where I live - it seems apt). Looking forward to finally finishing it, this time! (So is the family, probably - they're withholding judgment at the moment, but I'm hoping I can win them over.)

@Anna, all the times I've read Crime and Punishment, I've never considered the variation in narrator. Very intrigued ... might have to give it another look-see, from the technical angle, and not just the philosophic!

Jasper-- Yes, the narration in Crime and Punishment is brilliant, I recommend reading it again and playing special attention to it.

Dostoevsky had initially written Crime and Punishment as a first-person confessional, and he had written it in full. He suddenly burned the entire manuscript, much to the panic and fury of his publisher. He said only, "I liked a new form." He wanted it in third-person, as he felt first-person was too limiting. But as first-person ties the reader into the character's own mind, he used first-person in small intervals throughout, during intense moments, to place the reader in the mind of a killer. It's unnerving. But brilliant.

Jasper wrote: "Another family read we've started together is the first book of the Kristin Lavransdatter trilogy, The Wreath. I read about half the entire trilogy, about ten years ago, and..."

After years of being intimidated, I'm reading the three-in-one edition of the newest translation, and I'm enjoying myself a lot more than expected.

The Home and the World about halfway through (it's very short) and, oh dog, shoot me now...

I have taken a break from 1001 to read graphic novels, and now, I started this month reading: Dead souls.
Hum... Not easy to get into.

I just started The Cement Garden by Ian McEwan. I've only read one other book by him, Atonement, which I really enjoyed. Since he has a bunch on the list, I hope I like this one too. As a coincidence, I just finished reading Lord of the Flies and I see in the description for The Cement Garden is this: "Possesses the suspense and chilling impact of Lord of the Flies." Washington Post Book World.

Luís wrote: "Anna wrote: "Jasper-- Yes, the narration in Crime and Punishment is brilliant, I recommend reading it again and playing special attention to it.

Dostoevsky had initially written Crime and Punishm..."

Agreed! And he really gets the reader to feel what his character feels.

I just started The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman. I've been meaning to pick it up for years, and decided to finally take the plunge.

Started The Black Prince by Murdoch yesterday.

What a wild ride!

The Black Prince

Nina wrote: "I just started The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman. I've been meaning to pick it up for years, and decided to finally take the plunge."

I read that last year, or the year before. It wasn't as hard as I was afraid it was going to be. I could only read about 20 or so pages at a time before my comprehension dropped off, but it was better that way I think. It's a strange and funny book.

Around The World In 80 Days - taking a bit of a break from the more serious works on the list to read a classic adventure tale.

I'm continuing the theme with The Book of Laughter and Forgetting by Milan Kundera

Anna wrote: "Dostoevsky had initially written Crime and Punishment as a first-person confessional, and he had written it in full. He suddenly burned the entire manuscript, much to the panic and fury of his publisher."

Dostoevsky knew what he was about! I remember when I first read Crime & Pumishment (can't remember exact age - I was still watering hogs, so mustn't have been too old), the novel didn't grab me until I read Raskalnikov's nightmare of the dray horse. Then, it was like the symbolism ignited and clicked in my brain. I was nabbed; have been ever since.

I have started The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins - Loving it so far. Really enjoy the way he writes and how he sets up his stories.
I have also started The Accidental by Ali Smith - not too sure how I feel about this one. It's a quick read and am curious how it will end.

Since Pemberley Digital is doing an adaptation of Frankenstein, I will read that next.
http://www.pemberleydigital.com/frank...

Can't believe I haven't read it yet anyway.

The Heretic - Delibes


The Heretic: A Novel of the Inquisition

The Tale of Genji

Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Vol. 1
Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Vol. 2

Maureen wrote: "I have started The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins - Loving it so far. Really enjoy the way he writes and how he sets up his stories.
I have also started [book:The Accidental|..."

That's good to know about Moonstone. I love Wilke Collins and have read The Woman in White several times. I bought Moonstone awhile ago, but haven't had the chance to read it yet. Now I'm looking forward to it even more :)

Just started Père Goriot by Honoré de Balzac. I've heard good things...

I recently started The Shining (that's on the list, right?)

Started A Gate at the Stairs by Lorrie Moore. Not sure what I think of it so far.