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

Was supposed to start Rosemary's Baby (on a different list I'm reading) but since it's still on hold at the library I'm starting Moby-Dick. I read it in high school, I remember hating it, I'm expecting I still will, but have decided that I'm reading anything on the list including ones I have previously read if they were from quite a while ago.

I started Red Harvest by Dashiell Hammett last week. I really love it so far... still working on Glamorama... can't quite get into it

Kirin wrote: "Dree wrote: "I am trying out the Serial Reader app, and have started both The Castle of Otranto and Treasure Island. So far I am loving it--I can squeeze in some 1001 books without much thought!"

..."

Sound nice. Too bad it's iOS.

What I Loved by Siri Hustvedt. I keep interrupting my reading of books on this list because I feel I need to read some Canadian books as well (although there are a few of those on the list but I've read them all - how about more in the next edition). Onto What I Loved

Currently reading 'War with the Newts' by Karel Čapek. I would never have found this book without the list, and am loving it so far!

Started Agnes Grey on Serial Reader, so it will take me about a month to finish.

Katie wrote: "I started A Suitable Boy by Vikram Seth last week. It's huge, but a quicker read than I was expecting. He breaks it up into little chunks and there's lots of dialogue."

I loved this book! When you get to the intense politics chapters, just power through.

Dree wrote: "Katie wrote: "I started A Suitable Boy by Vikram Seth last week. It's huge, but a quicker read than I was expecting. He breaks it up into little chunks and there's lots of dialogue."

I loved this ..."

I've gotten halfway through it twice. I'm not sure why I stopped - I was enjoying it. Maybe I just ran out of steam for reading? I'm sure I'd finish it if I started it again now as I'm reading a lot at the moment.

I have picked up Silk which is really short and I'm listening to In a Glass Darkly. I loved Uncle Silas which was my first Le Fanu. Yet another great author I've found because of this list.

I just started reading The Shining by Stephen King.

Cain - My only other experience of Jose Saramago was not that inspiring so I'm pleasantly surprised to be finding this very funny.

Cold Comfort Farm

I'm taking a summer jaunt to China (metaphorically/bookishly speaking), and have started Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Vol. 1 and Monkey: The Journey to the West.

Nicola wrote: "Cain - My only other experience of Jose Saramago was not that inspiring so I'm pleasantly surprised to be finding this very funny."

What was your other experience? I've only read Blindness (not a list book) and was not a fan. I take it Cain is a more enjoyable read--good to hear!

Dree wrote: "I am trying out the Serial Reader app, and have started both The Castle of Otranto and Treasure Island. So far I am loving it--I can squeeze in some 1001 books without much thought!"

I kept seeing people mention this app, so I finally got it and it's great! (not that I needed MORE books to read, haha, but still). I'm keeping to the shorter ones, and so just re-read A Modest Proposal. Way funnier to me now than when I originally read it in high school :)

Wendy wrote: "Nicola wrote: "Cain - My only other experience of Jose Saramago was not that inspiring so I'm pleasantly surprised to be finding this very funny."

What was your other experience? I've only read Blindness (not a list book) and was not a fan. I take it Cain is a more enjoyable read--good to hear!

My other attempt at Jose was The Year of the Death of Ricardo Reis. It started out quite enjoyably but at about the halfway point I realised that absolutely nothing had happened and I just lost interest. I didn't give it a fair shake after that so I intend to re-read it a few years down the track and see if I like any more the second time around.

Cain was much better, a lot more happens (all of which I actually followed because I know my bible and know the stories that are being discussed). It's also very funny in parts although if you are Christian you might have problems with the subject matter.

I actually think what really made a big difference as well was the fact that I listened to Cain as an audiobook so one of the things I disliked with the previous read was removed - the way everything runs together on the page which makes the text difficult to read. The audio was clear and the reader had a good sense of dramatic irony which came through and added to the ridiculousness of what was going on.

I started After the Quake by Haruki Murakami.

I just started Miss Lonelyhearts / The Day of the Locust by Nathanael West.

Just started Nada (aka Andrea) by Carmen Laforet. Really enjoying this one so far. Only about half done, but I'm already disappointed that Laforet did not write more books! Also, she wrote this when she was 22. When I was 22 I mostly just drank cheap beer and watched Netflix.

I'll be reading The Age of Innocence and The House of Mirth within the week. I really enjoyed Ethan Frome and the short story Xingu, so I am really looking forward to these two novels

A Prayer For Owen Meany - I've read several of Irving's books but not this one. I've heard it mentioned constantly though and as I've enjoyed everything of his I've read previously I'm expecting to like this one as well.

Amy "the book-bat" wrote: "I'll be reading The Age of Innocence and The House of Mirth within the week. I really enjoyed Ethan Frome and the short story Xingu, so I am rea..."

I find Wharton too heavy to read too much of her work at once. The House of Mirth especially broke me into little pieces.

I hope you enjoy your Wharton-a-thon.

Both started and finished on the same day: The Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes.

Wonderful book. Had me thinking about it for hours after I finished.

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time - A very well known book that I haven't read yet.

Just started La-Bas by Joris-Karl Huysmans and In Watermelon Sugar by Richard Brautigan.

Im about 7 hours into Anna Karenina. Im struggling with it. Should I keep going?

Cori wrote: "Im about 7 hours into Anna Karenina. Im struggling with it. Should I keep going?"

Anna Karenina is my favorite of Tolstoy's novels, but it is a slow burn. Personally I think it is worth the effort, but there are some long slow bits involving the business of landowning and such. I believe some skimming is acceptable :) Things do pick up in the second half as I recall. Of course, if you are really not feeling it, there's no need to suffer!

Wendy wrote: "Cori wrote: "Im about 7 hours into Anna Karenina. Im struggling with it. Should I keep going?"

Anna Karenina is my favorite of Tolstoy's novels, but it is a slow burn. Personally I think it is wor..."

Thanks so much. Ill keep going.

Just started Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Wendy wrote: "Cori wrote: "Im about 7 hours into Anna Karenina. Im struggling with it. Should I keep going?"

there are some long slow bits involving the business of landowning and such. I believe some skimming is acceptable :)

I'm with you on this! When my eyes start to glaze over it's time to skim. I employed this technique a few times during the interminable sections about rope in Moby-Dick; or, The Whale

I have started The Iron Heel on Serial Reader. I am just a few days in, and think this might be the only way I will get this book read. I love dystopias, but boy is this stiff and odd!

I was meant to be reading Brideshead Revisited as my bath book but I can't find it so I've picked up Howards End instead. It's a re-read but as I only remember bits of the text I've been promising myself a relook for a while.

about to start The Murder of Roger Ackroyd
I am doing research on Agatha Christie for a class I will be leading in January at lovelylivinguniversity.com I'm glad that I can use this book for both the list and my research :-)

Amy "the book-bat" wrote: "about to start The Murder of Roger Ackroyd
I am doing research on Agatha Christie for a class I will be leading in January at lovelylivinguniversity.com I'm glad that I can use this bo..."

Good luck! (I originally read that as livelylovinguniversity! LOL!)

Crime & Punishment.

I've started reading Santa Evita. It was a suggestion for a book group and I thought it looked interesting. Something a little bit different anyway :-)

I just started A Dry White Season by Andre Brink. I hope it's as good as Cry The Beloved Country by Alan Paton.

I started Fathers and Sons by Ivan Turgenev and Around the World in Eighty Days by Jules Verne.

I just started a re-read of Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë.

One of the challenges I'm doing this year is for a book and its prequel, so I plan on reading JANE EYRE and Jean Rhys's prequel Wide Sargasso Sea. Both are on the list, so that works!

Tarzan of the Apes - I'm having a bit of trouble taking it seriously :-)

I started The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter, which should not take long.

Dree wrote: "I started The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter, which should not take long."

:-) No. About 5 minutes if it was as long as the one I read!

It's probably the same edition, I could only find one in English! I'm on mobile so I can't link (or "reply").

Dree wrote: "It's probably the same edition, I could only find one in English! I'm on mobile so I can't link (or "reply")."

I read mine online. Googled it I think.

It was nice but it was really just a childs fairy tale. Like reading Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.

The Rings of Saturn by W.G.Sebald.

The Thin Man - I wanted to read something non serious but a little mentally engaging so I thought a noir murder mystery might work.

Nicola wrote: "The Thin Man - I wanted to read something non serious but a little mentally engaging so I thought a noir murder mystery might work."

One of my favorites. The movies are well worth a watch, too!!

The Butcher Boy - I thought this was going to be funny based on the cover....

Just started The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time by Mark Hadden. Really enjoying it so far. Still working on Glamorama... I refuse to give up but it is the worst.

Testament of Youth - Currently about 2/3 through this and absolutely loving it, I can't really put into words the effect this book has had on me, one that will stay with me.