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

As there is not enough time to read all 1001 books and as there are so many other book lists to read, I have yo be somewhat selective about which books to read. Thus, there are books on 1001 I have no desire to read: some of these are because I've seen the movie - cold Comfort Farm or 2001 Space ODessy. Others don't interest me - Middlemarch, V, The Man who came in from the cold, or I've already read enough by that author for a long time - Bello, Austen.

The books I have no interest in reading are the ones where I've tried one by that author and hated it. As such, I doubt I'll be reading any more of Coetzee's, Banville's or Mcewan's books that are on the list.

Echoing the earlier sentiments expressed here, I have heaps of books in my apartment (covering a wide variety of genres in fiction and non-fiction) that I have yet to read. So, I won't be reading the books on the 1001 List from the likes of DeLillo, Henry Fielding, and Sinclair Lewis --- just to cite a few.

I am unlikely to read anything by David Peace, given how greatly I loathed Tokyo Year Zero.

The books by Peace on the list are quite violent, and centre around the hunt for the Yorkshire ripper, it's amazing how long it took to catch him. I enjoyed though at times I feared for a favourite character.
Haven't ruled out reading any book on the list, though there have been some I detested, Henry Miller is the writer who sticks out.

I started Zadie Smith's On Beauty, but just couldn't get into it. The way I look at it, the likelihood of me reading all 1000+ books is very slim, especially since the list is updated every few years and now contains over 1200 books. So if I don't like it, I'm not going to waste my time.

There should be won't read option in addition to 'to be read' and 'read' - that would significantly change the number of tbr on my list. Which then makes me wonder why I even bother to tick the books I've read/not read on the list.

I'm going to have a hard time with the one James Baldwin I haven't read and Gabriel Garcias Marquez

I love James Baldwin! Why will you have a hard time with him, Jennifer?

Its really simple for me..if I start reading something, and it does not grip me within 20 pages, I 'park' the book on my bookshelf. I may return sometime, but I move along to the next book quickly. My beautiful wife finds this most annoying, and we have fights about this all the time, but that's my way. A book in point - Memoirs of a Geisha - lost interest halfway through. But I will finish it, one day :-)

El wrote: "I love James Baldwin! Why will you have a hard time with him, Jennifer?"

Well I say that, but I'm not sure. I had to read Go Tell It on the Mountain for 9th or 10th grade summer reading and had a really hard time getting it. I'm not sure if it was the story, my youth, or the writing. I'm willing to give him another shot, but I'm leery.

KOMET wrote: "Echoing the earlier sentiments expressed here, I have heaps of books in my apartment (covering a wide variety of genres in fiction and non-fiction) that I have yet to read. So, I won't be reading..."

I like Henry Fielding. What don't you like about him?

Amanda wrote: "KOMET wrote: "Echoing the earlier sentiments expressed here, I have heaps of books in my apartment (covering a wide variety of genres in fiction and non-fiction) that I have yet to read. So, I wo..."

I like Fielding too. Hilarious! Joseph Andrews is one of my top ten favorite books of all time. I also love Marquez who someone else said they're dreading. Interesting how vastly opinions vary.

Mukhtar wrote: "Its really simple for me..if I start reading something, and it does not grip me within 20 pages, I 'park' the book on my bookshelf. I may return sometime, but I move along to the next book quickly...."

More like stopping in the middle of the book ... :)

I've seen more than one of you seemingly disparaging Coetzee. My first is yet ahead of me - what is it you don't like about him?

Not sure if I can bring myself to read Clockwork Orange. I walked out of the movie in college.

Oh, wow!

I adore John Banville and his novel, The Sea is one of my favourite novels. Banville has a quiet presence with his prose and I would really encourage people to give themselves over to Banville's writing.

I just couldn't get into Ovid's Metamorphoses. I think I'll try some other time with a different translation or with a mythological encyclopedia in hand.

I'm not sure if there's anything I won't read, but I've read 2 of Rushdie's books so far, & either I just don't "get" him, or something, but I am NOT looking forward to reading anything else that's on the list by him, that's for sure. I adore Hemingway, but 2 of his classics are on the list, & I detested both of them: Farewell to Arms, & For Whom the Bell Tolls. I've never read Vonnegut before I ended up reading Slaughterhouse Five for the list, I hated it too, & am very reluctant to read anything else by him, but I'm going to keep an open mind.

Lisa wrote: "I'm not sure if there's anything I won't read, but I've read 2 of Rushdie's books so far, & either I just don't "get" him, or something, but I am NOT looking forward to reading anything else that's..."

Those are the types of authors I dread reading for the first time- those with 5+ books. You know if you hate one, you have to slog through a bunch more. I would think the worst would be if you decided you hated Dickens- not only a ton of his books, but most are really long. (Luckily, I love Dickens. Dreading reading my first Don DeLillo. But at least his are shorter, right?)

Lisa wrote: "I'm not sure if there's anything I won't read, but I've read 2 of Rushdie's books so far, & either I just don't "get" him, or something, but I am NOT looking forward to reading anything else that's..."

I saw you've read Satanic Verses but which other one have you read? I highly highly recommend Midnight's Children. It's not even close to the density of Satanic Verses and it can be enjoyed for its story alone - you don't have to know a lot about Islam to enjoy it the way you do with Satanic Verses.

As I intimated earlier, I have so many books in my place that I'm set on reading that I have no interest nor inclination to read Fielding. That is not a disparagement of him as a writer. Like many other bibliophiles, I've had to make my hard choices. Not an easy process.

Two of the literary mountains I've resolved to climb are the following ---

1) Swann's Way by Marcel Proust

I'm a Francophile, having twice visited France.




2) War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy

I'm utterly fascinated with the Napoleonic Era.




Vive la difference! :)

My ambition to complete the entire list was not exactly thwarted, but certainly made more difficult by the discovery of multiple lists totaling well over 1000+ novels...eeek!
While I still aim to complete.. them all (well before I die hopefully) there are a number that i find a real struggle to get into. The Red and the Black for example, i finished, but it felt like it was hard work. I feel similarly about Dickens - sacrilege I know to some people. Also Virginia Woolf.. i find her hard going.Dostoevsky, I've started a few novels and not got past the first chapter.
Finishing some of the works on the list is a joy, others more of a... um... challenge.

Kelly wrote: "Not sure if I can bring myself to read Clockwork Orange. I walked out of the movie in college."

I have the same trepidations... rape for the sake of entertainment is revolting, even if a minor side point of its depiction is to showcase that revulsion. I would read it only to see how the book prioritizes the reasons for the rape scene - is it for laughs? Is it just because the author could write it, so did write it? Is it to glorify such brutal acts? Is it misogyny? Is it to demonstrate the gross mentality of the characters, admonishing through absurdism?

Kristine wrote: "My ambition to complete the entire list was not exactly thwarted, but certainly made more difficult by the discovery of multiple lists totaling well over 1000+ novels...eeek!
While I still aim to c..."

I also had a difficult time with Virginia Woolf's To The Lighthouse. I think I managed through ten pages before I gave up. The prose seemed so thick and rambling that it was annoying to read. I'm interested in others' opinions on reading Woolf.

KOMET wrote: "As I intimated earlier, I have so many books in my place that I'm set on reading that I have no interest nor inclination to read Fielding. That is not a disparagement of him as a writer. Like ..."

We're just curious WHY you specifically won't read Fielding. It's all well and good for you to read what you choose, but for an author to fall on the list of "will not read" there must be a reason, right? After all, there are tons of authors that you haven't specifically determined you will or won't read and without any specific reason, it would be most likely that Fielding would fall into this category.

Danielle wrote: "Kelly wrote: "Not sure if I can bring myself to read Clockwork Orange. I walked out of the movie in college."

I have the same trepidations... rape for the sake of entertainment is revolting, even..."

I was nervous before reading A Clockwork Orange, but I ended up enjoying it for its style. Much of the in-the-present violence takes place at the very beginning of the book, before you have a good grasp of the language and what the words mean. By the time you understand the slang enough to realize what was actually going on in the beginning of the book, the book has moved on to punishing the violent offenders. So I recommend just diving into the book - don't study the glossary and look up each word. The meanings will become clear over time, and instead of reading directly about the violence (and getting bogged down in it as you look up word after word) you will end up with a sort of faded memory/understanding of it once it becomes clear what the words mean later. I hope that made sense?

Kelly wrote: "Not sure if I can bring myself to read Clockwork Orange. I walked out of the movie in college."

I hated the book. I read it though but could not wait to get done with it and threw it out afterward. It annoyed me beyond belief and would never read it again.

Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "I've seen more than one of you seemingly disparaging Coetzee. My first is yet ahead of me - what is it you don't like about him?"

I think for me it's simply a matter of taste. Not too crazy about his writing style. Actually very unpatriotic to say about a fellow South African. But if you enjoy it, it's great ... :) I love Ken Follett and other people think I'm crazy ... :)

Danielle wrote: "Kristine wrote: "My ambition to complete the entire list was not exactly thwarted, but certainly made more difficult by the discovery of multiple lists totaling well over 1000+ novels...eeek!
While..."

I was sorry to read that you couldn't get into Woolf's "To the Lighthouse", Danielle. It's a very autobiographical novel, and without knowing Woolf's background, childhood, etc., it might not have been a very interesting read for you. Also, this one is written in Woolf's "stream of consciousness" style, which many people have a difficult time following and don't care for very much. You might try one of her earlier novels, such as "The Voyage Out", or "Night and Day", which are written in a style more typical of novels of her period in time. I've really gotten into reading her nonfiction - book reviews and literary criticism, diaries, and letters - and there are moments during which I think I like her nonfiction almost better than her fiction. If you decide to take a crack at another novel, please let me know what you think, OK? Thanks so much!

Bucket wrote: "Danielle wrote: "Kelly wrote: "Not sure if I can bring myself to read Clockwork Orange. I walked out of the movie in college."

I have the same trepidations... rape for the sake of entertainment..."

I saw the movie in college and remembering it is like trying to recall an aimless nightmare. If there was a point to it, I would be hard-pressed to name it. Is the book much the same? It sounds quite disjointed.

I'm not sure what the merits would be to reading it. What, if anything, is the intended 'take away' from it?

Ellen wrote: "Danielle wrote: "Kristine wrote: "My ambition to complete the entire list was not exactly thwarted, but certainly made more difficult by the discovery of multiple lists totaling well over 1000+ nov..."

Thank you, I was wondering if "To The Lighthouse" was typical of her style and/or approach, and I have to admit to being relieved that it is not indicative of her entire body of work. Woolf is held in such high esteem that I was disappointed that I just didn't seem to 'get it.' I will give one of her earlier works a try. Is there any one in particular that you felt had an intriguing premise?

Danielle wrote: "Bucket wrote: "Danielle wrote: "Kelly wrote: "Not sure if I can bring myself to read Clockwork Orange. I walked out of the movie in college."

I have the same trepidations... rape for the sake of ..."

A disjointed nightmare would describe what I took from it. I did not at all find it engaging or easy to read first off. You have to really get a firm grasp of the continuous slang and different names that things are given. It was exhausting to try to figure out WHAT they were talking about. If you are talking about a hat, call it a hat, not some new strange made up name that it takes you 100 pages to figure out. Also, it just seemed to be nothing but an endless series of gratuitous violence, rape, assault and mayhem for no other reason than it amused the group to do it. For me, that is nothing I want to spend my brain cells re-reading over and over again. Just my own personal feelings but there it is. :)

Danielle wrote: "Bucket wrote: "Danielle wrote: "Kelly wrote: "Not sure if I can bring myself to read Clockwork Orange. I walked out of the movie in college."

I have the same trepidations... rape for the sake of ..."

This may or may not help those of you who hope to try and get through the book, but here's my three cents on what you grasp ahold of and think about as you try to see beyond the violence:

A Clockwork Orange is a dystopian novel, so the point is to create and ponder what might happen if some of our worst fears came to be. The novel focuses on violence, and the clashing between violence and free will. The novel also delves into the taking away of free will, by conditioning the violent to be unable to be violent. This leads to interesting questions like whether or not forcing people to be good takes away their free will and, if so, how extreme of measures we are okay with to do this.

I read one DeLillo and that was more than enough. I probably won't be reading the other 5(!) on the list. Also will be avoiding (for as long as possible) any more Gunter Grass and Edith Wharton (bad experiences).

I've never read any Chuck Palahniuk or Bret Easton Ellis and while I can't say I'll never get to them, they are both waaaaaaay down on the priority list.

And I know it's literary blasphemy but I've never had any interest in reading Lolita. Or Nabokov in general.

Mukhtar wrote: "Its really simple for me..if I start reading something, and it does not grip me within 20 pages, I 'park' the book on my bookshelf. I may return sometime, but I move along to the next book quickly...."
A friend of mine always says, there are still so many wonderful books out there, why should you waste time with a book you do not like. Life is too short.

Lisa (OhThatLisa) wrote: "I read one DeLillo and that was more than enough. I probably won't be reading the other 5(!) on the list. Also will be avoiding (for as long as possible) any more Gunter Grass and Edith Wharton (..."

I read Choke by Palahniuk and hated it. Are there others by him on the list? I hope not! I'm not looking forward to Easton Ellis either! :)

That's how I feel about Augusten Burroughs. But he's not a list author so it doesn't matter!

Bucket wrote: "Danielle wrote: "Bucket wrote: "Danielle wrote: "Kelly wrote: "Not sure if I can bring myself to read Clockwork Orange. I walked out of the movie in college."

I have the same trepidations... ra..."

In the context of exploring a victim's free will against an offender's free will, I can see how the book might prove to provoke complicated and worthy discussion and thought... regardless of this though, I found that the movie was very disjointed and it sounds like the book is much the same. It seems like overkill to me.

I might pick it up, though I think I'll be more likely to pursue other 20th century classics before this one.

Thanks everyone for your thoughts. :)

Bucket wrote: "That's how I feel about Augusten Burroughs. But he's not a list author so it doesn't matter!"

I've read A Wolf At The Table, and I'm curious about his other works. Do you find him repetitive? I'm wondering what irritates you about his writing.

Danielle wrote: "Ellen wrote: "Danielle wrote: "Kristine wrote: "My ambition to complete the entire list was not exactly thwarted, but certainly made more difficult by the discovery of multiple lists totaling well ..."

Hi, Danielle,

One thing to keep in mind is that most of Woolf's novels have an autobiographical component to them. Having said that, I would recommend that you try reading either "Night and Day" or "The Voyage Out", both written before her stream-of-consciousness style, which you found a bit rambling, had fully developed. The later works, such as "The Waves", are books you might not enjoy at all, because they were written later in her career when her style was in full bloom. Please let me know what you think of the two earlier novels. Thanks!

Danielle wrote: "Bucket wrote: "That's how I feel about Augusten Burroughs. But he's not a list author so it doesn't matter!"

I've read A Wolf At The Table, and I'm curious about his other works. Do you find him r..."

I haven't read A Wolf at the Table - just Running with Scissors and Possible Side Effects and I quit reading him after that second book. To me, Running with Scissors did what a memoir should - it was interesting, honest, funny, and had something to say. Possible Side Effects was the opposite of this. Reading it, I felt like Burroughs had clearly already used up his good material and, in order to ride his own coattails, had simply published a book of the less interesting memories that he hadn't included in Running with Scissors for good reason.

Is Wolf at the Table better? Like I said, I stopped following Burroughs so I know nothing beyond the two books I read.

I read about the first 100+ pages of Running with Scissors. Not only did I not find it funny, I couldn't imagine that what I considered a piece of trash actually made it to print. Whatever of this author's books might be on the list I won't be reading.

KOMET wrote: "As I intimated earlier, I have so many books in my place that I'm set on reading that I have no interest nor inclination to read Fielding. That is not a disparagement of him as a writer. Like ..."

I highly endorse War and Peace, Komet. I read it for the first time this past winter and was blown away! Tolstoy is in a sphere all his own. I hope you get to it soon!!

Bucket wrote: "Lisa (OhThatLisa) wrote: "I read one DeLillo and that was more than enough. I probably won't be reading the other 5(!) on the list. Also will be avoiding (for as long as possible) any more Gunter..."

Choke is his only title on the list, Bucket. I rather liked it, but couldn't figure how it made the list.
There's a film version that is rather good also.

Judith wrote: "Choke is his only title on the list, Bucket. I rather liked it, but couldn't figure how it made the list.
There's a film version that is rather good also."

Palahniuk is one of my favourites. I only liked Choke but I loved Survivor and Invisible Monsters.

Just to add a bit more info, "Choke" was removed from the 2008 version of the list.

One has to get in the right frame of mind to read Bret Easton Ellis, I believe. I liked "American Psycho"; but if I hadn't read about what he was trying to do with the story before hand (heavy, heavy satire on hubris the 90's), I might have wondered more "what the f....?"
Know what I mean?

Bucket wrote: "Danielle wrote: "Bucket wrote: "That's how I feel about Augusten Burroughs. But he's not a list author so it doesn't matter!"

I've read A Wolf At The Table, and I'm curious about his other works..."

It would be difficult for me to say whether Running... or Wolf... were comparable, as I have only read the latter, however from the descriptions of Running with Scissors I see that the story starts roughly around Augusten's 12th year.

I should note that this book was not written with the intention of humour. Although there is a bit of dry wit throughout, it is mainly a very serious account.

A Wolf At The Table discusses the years previous to that, his childhood leading up to the dismantlement of his rather dysfunctional and dangerous family.

He tries to include the day to day rhythms of his household along with the more bizarre and chilling incidents, and I thought that this was a good touch, as it established the general baseline tension and pattern of escalation. It also showed how, despite how sick a family situation may be, there are glimmers and moments of love, which can make the abuse all the harder to bear.

The first memories are related in a manner that tries to explain and duplicate a young child's confusion at what is happening around him. Things are not right - they don't feel right, they are scary, people are upset - but there is nothing for the child to really compare his situation to or any way for him to articulate, even to himself, what is going on. He shows how a child will learn how to survive in that kind of environment while lacking a sane perspective on what is happening to him, and can as a result form warped views on what is normal. I thought that this aspect was particularly well done.

I take an interest in family histories that have abuse and violence in them. They are all too common, and many people seem to consider it distasteful to mention them. I think that in order for an ill to be healed, it first has to be acknowledged. Domestic abuse, in all of its forms, is a societal ill that needs our pro-active attention, and its victims shouldn't be made to feel ashamed or somehow dirty.

I'm also fascinated with how the abuse affects people, how they cope with it and the reactions of others around them once they learn of it. Many people outside of these experiences, especially in literature criticism it seems, frown on anyone who doesn't take up a constant positive isn't-life-grand, wow-that-sucked-but-it-shouldn't-ruin-my-day kind of attitude. The reality of life is that it's hard. For people who have experienced abuse, it's harder. Yes, they should fight, but it's exhausting and often lonely.

Yes, I also get annoyed at people who wallow in their grief, and don't seem to do anything to help themselves out of their bad situation. What a lot of people fail to recognize is that a lot of victims of bad experiences and/or abuse sometimes don't know how. They haven't seen it done by example, they're compromised through PTSD or other abuse side-effect disorders, and a lot of the time they aren't in positions of any power or ability to drag themselves out using their influence.

I thought that the book was worth my time. Its epiphanies aren't Oprah-sized or Oprah-ultra-positive, but there is a considerable amount of reflection and he seems to try to strike a balance between acknowledging something dark and painful and trying to find a non-destructive way to survive it.

In the last part of the book he admits to agoraphobic-like tendencies and substance abuses when he first struck out on his own in New York City, and then details how he came to realize that he had to make healthy changes to how he was coping with his past in his present, and the steps he took to do so.

Overall, although it could lull a bit in places, his story was a good illustration of how disquiet and abuse in a family spreads and gains strength, and how a little boy grew up in it.

Danielle wrote: "Bucket wrote: "Danielle wrote: "Bucket wrote: "That's how I feel about Augusten Burroughs. But he's not a list author so it doesn't matter!"

I've read A Wolf At The Table, and I'm curious about hi..."

Danielle - thanks for your very detailed reply! It sounds like a different sort of books from Burrough's others and it also sounds like it covers new territory. If I were to give the author another chance, this would probably be the one to try.

I'm not one for Oprah-ultra-positive (to steal your word) epiphanies - they tend to smooth over deep and complex issues in the interest of making what is not alright seem like it is. This is why I won't ever be reading The Help - not worth my time to read something that is intended as a feel-good story and doesn't tackle in depth the issues it purports to take on.

Anyway, I really appreciate your balanced thoughts on this book and helping me see that authors can change and revitalize themselves and be worth another chance.

LOL, if you've seen a movie version of a book on the List, can you get away with saying you've read the book? Just thought I'd throw that discussion question out. I saw Clockwork Orange in college for a film class(it was a creative writing class, believe it or not, even though we did more film reviews & analysis than actual writing), & yes, I found it a bit disturbing, but no more so than some of Kubrick's other films. I guess that said, it should be interesting to read the book & see how it compares.

I'm actually looking forward to reading Lolita :) There's been so much controversy over it for so many years I want to know why :)

As for Rushdie, I can't remember the name of the first one of his I read. It had something to do with a princess....odd...