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

The Death of Ivan Ilyich by Leo Tolstoy. 5 stars.

The Golden Bowl by Henry James - 4* - My Review

The Life and Death of Harriett Frean by May Sinclair - 5 enthusiastic stars!

Therese Raquin by Émile Zola 5 stars

Women in Love by D.H. Lawrence. Of his three List books, this was my least favorite, but I'm still a big Lawrence fan.

JenniferAustin wrote: "The Life and Death of Harriett Frean by May Sinclair - 5 enthusiastic stars!"

That looks really interesting, and I’ve never heard of it until now. Got the kindle and will read it soon.

Smiley's People by John le Carré - 4* - My Review

Casino Royale by Ian Fleming

City Primeval by Elmore Leonard.

The Cement Garden by Ian McEwan - 2* - My Review

Frankenstein by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley - 5 stars

The Ambassadors by Henry James

Jacob's Room by Virginia Woolf

Mason & Dixon by Thomas Pynchon. I don't think Pynchon is for me.

The Immoralist by André Gide

White Teeth by Zadie Smith

In Search of Lost Time: Volume 1: The Way by Swann's by Marcel Proust. Second read but different translation.

Murphy by Samuel Beckett. I`m not feeling inclined to try his Ulysses if it's a lot weirder than this one, as people say.

Nervous Conditions by Tsitsi Dangarembga

We by Yevgeny Zamyatin.

Wise Blood by Flannery O'Connor - 2* - My Review - others liked this much more than I did

The Diary of a Nobody by George Grossmith

Breakfast at Tiffany's and Three Stories by Truman Capote

I liked the other short stories contained in this book better than Breakfast.

Eliza Haywood Love in Excess. Found it a bit of a drag.

#109 - I finished "that book by Nabokov"


Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov
Rating: 4 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

#110 - I finished Edith Wharton's beloved short novel


Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton
Rating: 5 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Storm of Steel by Ernst Junger

The Awakening: A Solitary Story by Kate Chopin - 3* - My Review

Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons - 3* - My Review

The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman

Joy D wrote: "Wise Blood by Flannery O'Connor - 2* - My Review - others liked this much more than I did"

I couldn't stand that book! It might be one of the worst books I've ever read!

Arrow of God by Chinua Achebe of Nigeria. Has similarities to his Things Fall Apart, but a different story and well worth reading.

I really liked Things Fall Apart, and plan to read Arrow of God soon. Glad you feel it was well worth reading.

Re Flannery O’Connor’s Wise Blood, one Amazon reviewer wrote, “Like Being Inside a Fun House That Wasn't Fun.” I’m going to give it a try as I normally like her work.

I just finished reading The Little Prince! I've tried to read it in French before in school so it was nice to finally finish it

Jennifer W wrote: "Joy D wrote: "Wise Blood by Flannery O'Connor - 2* - My Review - others liked this much more than I did"

I couldn't stand that book! It might be one of the worst books ..."
Glad it's not just me.

George P. wrote: "Arrow of God by Chinua Achebe of Nigeria. Has similarities to his Things Fall Apart, but a different story and well worth reading."
I think "No Longer at Ease," part of the African Trilogy, is also worth reading. It's not a part of the 1001 if you get a copy of the full Trilogy it's an easy read and maybe my favorite of the three.
I need some help. "No Longer at Ease" reminded me of a book I read. I thought it was "Bend in the River" by V S Naipaul; but it's not. Two men from a third world country (Africa?) become friends at college in US (Britain?). At home one of them becomes President of the post revolution government. The other comes to work with him. The novel tells of the failure of their relationship do to their differences in addressing the difficulties of forming a post revolutionary government and staying true to their pre-revolution ideals.
Any ideas or did I dream it?

Glamorama by Bret Easton Ellis

An oldie: La Celestina by Fernando de Rojas (1499). It's a fairly short play. Some say it's a hybrid of play and novel but having read it I think it's just a play

The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Brontë.

Burmese Days by George Orwell. Well done, but not pleasant to read.

Her Lover (Belle du Seigneur) by Albert Cohen

The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison

Jazz by Toni Morrison.

Gentlemen Prefer Blondes by Anita Loos - 2* - My Review - not my taste in humor/satire

The Summer Book by Tove Jansson - such a nice surprise read about the love between a child and her grandmother.

Flaubert’s Parrot by Julian Barnes. Now I will have to tackle Madame Bovary.

The Magic Mountain by Thomas Mann - 5* - My Review - it's a tome but well worth it

A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess

Play It as It Lays by Joan Didion - 2* - My Review - too much misery for my taste

Jazz by Toni Morrison