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

I didn't notice a place for new members to introduce themselves so I've created one.

Please let me know if this isn't allowed.

Hi all! I'm Amanda, 27, and I'm from a small town called Doniphan, Missouri. Growing up, since I wasn't one of those kids that ran around looking for trouble, reading was (and still is) my main pastime. (There's not much to do here, otherwise.)

Mostly I stuck with horror, thrillers, or mysteries but as I've gotten older, I've started branching out a bit. I really enjoy any sort of historical fiction (oh Ken Follett, where have you been all my life!), and I've started looking into all sorts of non-fiction as well.

Anyway, I joined this group because I've always heard mention of this list of 1001 books, but I've never looked it up or anything. I'm interested in seeing how many of them I've read and how many I haven't. And I'm looking forward to getting to know you guys. :)

I'm currently reading: Grapes of Wrath, The Wolfman, Through the Looking Glass, and The Zombie Survival Guide.

Nice move, Amanda, this is a good idea.

I'm Gitte, 30, and I live in Copenhagen, Denmark. I come from a family of great readers, and reading has therefore always been a great passion of mine.

I enjoy different genres and always feel the urge to read something different when I've finished a book - not because I get bored with the book but because I like the contrast between two very different authors/times/genres. I just love the variety in storytelling and characterizations and I've found Goodreads to be a great place to discover new authors and genres.

Asides from reading, I spend my time with my boyfriend and our two cats, and I also love to dance (oriental) and to play computergames (the Sims).

I agree, Amanda, good idea. I haven't read any of the books you are currently reading, so will be interested to hear what you think of them.

Gitte, I like to mix up genres, too, but I'm apt to go in streaks. Copenhagen is a fun word to say, and I would love to visit there someday.

I first joined this group a couple of years ago when I was working out of town all the time and I've been hooked ever since. First club read: Choke. I tried to find it in the one bookstore in Gadsden, AL. They didn't have it so the clerk suggested a different Pahlunik title that he liked better. When I explained why I needed that particular title, he said, "You're kidding--there's an online bookclub reading a book about a sex-addict con-artist?"

I'm currently living in Rapid City, SD. It's famous for being near Mt. Rushmore, but more notable is the great rock-climbing.

Hello, I'm Scott from Upstate NY, Plattsburgh to be exact. I have been a member of Goodreads for a while now but I'm new to the group. I joined in order to find some fresh ideas .

Hello, I'm Desiree and I am from New Hampshire. My husband got me a Kindle a month or so ago and decided to try readng books i would never have thought of reading before. I mainly stuck with nora roberts books and historial romances. I read pride and Prejudice and Children of Salem (being close to mass). I am now reading Great Expectations. I went looking for the list of 1001 books to read before you die and I am very excited to begn

I used to live in a very small town like Amanda. It was a town called Quezon, one of the three towns in an island called Alabat, in the Philippines (facing the Pacific Ocean). At that time, the entire island had no electricity, no running water (up to now it has none), no motor vehicles (except one truck), no hospitals, no moviehouses, no tvs (just radios ran by batteries, but no FM stations), no bookstores or even newspaper stands. To get anything produced by modern civilization, you have to take a long boat ride to the mainland.

Out of boredom, I started reading parts of old newspapers which had been used as fish wrappers. Then I upgraded into comics, then to books which my father (now deceased) managed to get from some sources in the city, and look at me now, I'm reading this thick A Suitable Boy by V. Seth!

Hello, I'm Leonora and I'm from Singapore. Singapore's a little Southeast Asian nation just south of Malaysia. Don't mistake it for China! :) I just bought myself a kindle 2 about a month ago, and the move has gotten me restarted on my reading. I used to read endlessly during my schooling years, but slowed down tremendously once I started working. I suppose that's a problem faced by many, but one I'm hoping to remedy. I'm usually busy surfing for books to add to my Kindle these days, and have managed to get through about five in the past month. I'm really excited about the book recommendations that I see on the different groups here, and have taken the liberty to join a few to begin. Thanks for having me here!

Just joined, I looked at the list and I've read 167. I thought it would be more- I've been an avid reader for decades. I haven't been a part of a book group since my mother/son group drifted apart, so I'm looking forward to reading things I'd normally pass by. I live in SantaRosa, CA, but still consider SF my home. Two kids, married, a jeweller and artist, not selling much these days but still reading reading reading. . .

My name is Lisa and I live in Sugar Land, TX. I am currently working on my Library Science degree so I am looking to widen my book knowledge through this site. I was a reading teacher for seven years and have been an Educational Diagnostician for 12 years. I am enjoying catching up on the newer chidren's books as well as reading more of the classics as an adult.

I have not had a chance to go through the list here, but am sure I have not read many of the books on the list as I tend to stick to popular thrillers and murder mysteries.

Again, I look forward to working through the list and discussing the many books with you guys!

Hello, everyone. I'm Susan from North Florida. I'm new to Goodreads and to the group, so I have a lot of books to add to my library. I've been an avid reader since childhood and I enjoy most genres. I've been working on the 1001 list a bit for the past couple of years. I haven't really gotten too far and want to concentrate a bit more on it and thought it would be fun to work on it with a group. The list book that I just started is 'Thank You, Jeeves' by PG Wodehouse.

I'm looking forward to reading the list with you all.

Hey everyone. I'm not that new to the group, I read the digest every day but I don't post very much, so I thought I'd say hi. I've been working on the list for about 18 months now, and my progress isn't too bad - about 80 books from the combined lists. I've just moved to New Haven, CT, from Edinburgh in the UK, and I'm finding it a surprising culture shock. New Haven has some great book shops though, so I'm hoping to speed up progress on the list! Is there anyone else in the area working on it?

is there a quick way to see how many off the list you've read or do you need to look through all 1001 titles??
sorry if this is a stupid q!

Hi everyone, I'm a new member from Charlotte, NC. I work in a library which I greatly enjoy and I love reading of course lol. I enjoy reading young adult fiction books and urban literature. I'm trying to read more classics and I joined this group because I see some great classic titles that I'm interested in reading. I'm not sure how many books I've read on this list but I hope to increase whatever that number is by the end of the year.

Hi everyone, I'm Trina from Maryland. Since I was three years old I have had a huge passion for books and reading. I actually found out about the 1001 list and this site looking up the BBC's 100 book list. So far, I have read 14 of the books on that list. I am excited to start reading many of these books and hopefully I will have some form of an e-reader soon so that I can get my hands on different books that much quicker!

Hello readers, I'm Ray from Maryland and I enjoy literature. I've probably read a little over 60 of the books on the list so I've a ways to go. I expect to make good use of the discussions and the list itself when it's time to decide what's next. Happy to be here :)

Hi, I'm Laura. I have always loved reading and I love having the goal of this list. I live in VA with my husband and I am finishing off my degree. I enjoy the discussions and I have kept up with them a long time but this is my first time really starting to participate.

Hi,
I'm Susan. Been reading and participating in bookring/rays at www.bookcrossing.com for the 1001 Books to Read Before You Die. Just updated my changed email on good reads and thought I would look to see if there was a 1001 group. Found it!

Anyway I hope to be able to participate in the upcoming read. Just purchased the book from goodreads.

I'm Ginny and I've been in this group for about a month. I'm 43, a single mom with two teen-age daughters. I'm really enjoying this group; my daughters call this my obsession and the local librarians are even commenting on how many books I'm borrowing and finishing. They are thinking about recommending this group to other patrons here in Northwest part of Michigan. My girls and I live in an old farmhouse famous up here anyways for being the birthplace of a semi famous author Rex Beach. He wrote westerns in the early 1900's that later were made into movies starring such actors as Gary Cooper and John Wayne. None of Beach's books are on the 1001 list (lol)and even one of the libraries I frequent has offered to give me their old copies of the books they have because no one checks them out. The librarian thinks the Rex Beach house should have his books here permanently. This house is also the house my father grew up in. He would get letters from Rex Beach. That is I think part of the reason my father became an avid reader and in turn made me one.

Hi, I'm Anne.

I live in Belgium, but as my first language is English (I'm half American) I prefer to read English literature.

I've always loved reading, although I find myself reading so much more now that I've stumbled upon ebooks. While I don't think I will ever meet the goal of reading these 1001 books (especially since they keep changing the books on the list) it's a great way to discover authors I never would have read before.

I've been a member of this group for awhile now and usually follow along with the monthly group read.

Hi, I'm Valeria, I've been a member of Goodreads for a while but never posted anything until a few days ago.
I come from Argentina, but I live in Spain now.
Reading is, along with music and cinema, one of my passions, although it always seems to me I read too little, since I don't have much time. I studied Law, so many of my readings were related to that subject. Apart from that, I almost entirely read English classics.
Now I'm reading Stieg Larsson's The girl who played with fire. I love it so far :P

Hi, I'm Joanne from Melbourne Australia. I've been a member of goodreads for ages - thanks to my sister - and member of this group for a little while but have only just started getting more involved. I've always been an avid reader and love discovering different genres, authors and eras, though mostly the books I love come from the literature section. I love Austen in particular.

I had my first child about a year ago and have found much more time to read than previously. My duaghter is such a light sleeper that any noise tends to wake her, so I took to reading while she was sleeping. i've also recently gone back to work two days a week and have an hour commute on the train each way - perfect reading opportunity!

I've just read the May book A Passage to India by Forster which I really enjoyed - more than I anticipated. And have just picked up Half of a Yellow Sun. I started the list (up to number 23) in 2010 so decided to stick with the 2010 list.

Oh and Valeria, I've finished all of the Steig Larsson books, aren't they wonderful. I was so sad to finish the last one.

Sarah wrote: "is there a quick way to see how many off the list you've read or do you need to look through all 1001 titles??
sorry if this is a stupid q!"

There is a spreadsheet available, you have to pay for the more functional versions of it. Message me with your email address if you haven't come across it yet and I will send you a copy.

Hi, I'm Carol from Bristol, CT. I've been reading books since I was in a four year old " Reading Round-up" program at our town library. (That was when cowboys and cowgirls were popular.) I love reading and the physical book. Worked for many years as a graphic designer, designing books and pre-press work. Now I paint oils and volunteer at an art museum. I've been a Goodreads member for a year now and enjoy meeting new people and discussing the books. I like a variety of books . . .

To Becky in New Haven -- Welcome to CT! If you like art, Yale's two art museums are great -- especially the British Museum. (I'm about 25 miles from there.) To NicoleMichele (Tolland is about 35 miles away) and if you like art, the Benton museum at UCONN is great.