It's Tom Jones for me. So long, and so funny!

I finished Bonfire of the Vanities and am now on to Saturday which I am enjoying so far.

Started Between the Acts. Here's hoping for a more productive 1001 month!

Continuing in Master and Margarita by Bulgakov. Love it!

Started Day of the triffids today.

This month I will be reading:
Animal's People by Indra Sinha
Vernon God Little by DBC Pierre
The Story of Lucy Gault by William Trevor

I will be perusing House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski

And I might possibly re-read:
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
I capture the Castle by Dodie Smith
Which I haven't read since I was 15.

Finished The Beast Within aka La Bete Humaine. Now for a flurry of short stories - first up will be Ethan Frome

Just finished The reader by Bernhard Schlink. Very moving.

I'm still going on The Woman in White, but I have been distracted by other books in the meantime, so at this rate, I'll probably still be reading it at the end of the month!

Looks like it will be another light on month for 1001 books for me. Orange July is here too soon! Wonder if I have a book on my tbrs that is on both lists?????

I started Casino Royale by Ian Fleming.

>10
I have books on my TBR that are both 1001 and Orange nominees. They are...
White Teeth
Small Island new 1001 list
The Accidental new 1001 list
The Inheritance of Loss new 1001 list

I'll definately be reading Small Island this month.

I've just started The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood. I really enjoyed her Handmaid's Tale, so I hope this one is as thought- provoking, although I've heard that the Handmaid's Tale is not like the rest of her writing. We'll see. Another attempt to like modern literature :)

Thanks for this post. It peaked my interest. I'll look for Tom Jones in my fave used bookstore. Bev

I didn't realize my reply wouldn't come out by the message I was replying to, duh. This was in response to jfetting.
Thanks for this post. It peaked my interest. I'll look for Tom Jones in my fave used bookstore. Bev

Good! I'm really enjoying it. Lots of tongue-in-cheek humor, and a little bit of snark. I hope you like it!

I finished Saturday last night. Incredible book.

I'm about halfway through Kafka on the Shore, and I just started Half of a Yellow Sun.

Remains of the Day. Sorry, no touchstone at the moment.

The Handmaid's Tale so far it's better than the The Blind Assassin

Thanks KimB for pointing out that I am currently reading an Orange 1001. Just like MKS1977 I am reading Half of a Yellow Sun.

I didn't get much reading finished in June because I moved into a new house. Hopefully July will be a better month for me. I've got a few going right now. I'm listening to and really enjoying Fingersmith by Sarah Waters, I'm on disk 14 of 20, so more than half finished with that one. I'm also listening to Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift, almost finished with that one, less than 2 hours to go. I've also got a few going via Daily Lit, Therese Raquin by Zola, Castle Rackrent by Maria Edgeworth and for a long term project, The Arabian Nights.

Just finished LaBrava by Elmore Leonard, bringing me up to #76. Have yet to decide what to read next.

I've just embarked on Kafka on the Shore. I shouldn't yet as i have a million other reading commitments this month.

Started this morning What I Loved by Siri Hustvedt.

Finished Ethan Frome, I'll put that alongside Jude the Obscure for bleakness value.
I lied to myself about sticking with short novels and have now started Middlesex

#26> Oh, I liked Ethan Frome. It was just so over-the-top that I'm afraid I was overcome with the giggles towards the end.

#27> Don't get me wrong I liked Ethan Frome bleakness can be such fun.

I had dastardly expections well before the actual final folly occurred.

Started in Flauberts parrot. Very funny. :)

Mmmm, decisions, decisions... I think it's going to be Turn of the screw next. Got it last month at a yard sale for 50 cents.

I just finished Anthony Trollope's The Way We Live Now, and am still surprised that it isn't one of the Trollope novels on the list (oh well, I'm glad I read it anyway, it will probably be on my phd exam list next year). Deciding what to read next, the top choices are 1001 books; Kim by Rudyard Kipling, The Sound and the Fury by Faulkner, Goethe's Wilhelm Meister, or Stevenson's The Master of Ballantrae. I'll read one more novel I think and then try to return to Wings of the Dove (I've set it aside about 200 pages in).

just started reading The Godfather its awesome and gives you a clear view of how the mafia used to work in the 40 50 and 60's. If you would like you can see the Godfather movies, the second which is less violent, which won best picture in 1974

I just finished Kafka on the Shore. I enjoyed it, although I wish it had been wrapped up a little bit more in the end. Very strange, but very good.

150 pages into Small Island from the 2008 list. A wonderful book about race relations during WW2 and just after. Some of the misunderstandings are giving me quiet giggles, many other attitudes are just on the aweful side.

In between other books, I'm reading Ethan Frome. It's so slender that I don't know why I just don't get on with it and finish it, but there are so many other books to read!

Message edited by its author, Jul 10, 2009, 7:28am.

Empire of the Sun by J.G. Ballard

i love that book 36 and im now reading Gravity's Rainbow

i love that book 36 and im now reading Gravity's Rainbow

i love that book 36 and im now reading Gravity's Rainbow

Just finished Siri Hustvedt's marvellous What I Loved. And I just picked up Small Island at the library this morning (a serendipitous find!) so shall start that one tonight.

I'm working on A Tale of Two Cities and will probably start Fingersmith soon.

Halfway through Auto-da-Fe by Elias Canetti; not liking it much. Uncharacteristically skimming over (or skipping entirely) swaths of internal dialog of confused, benighted one-dimensionals. Yikes.

I just started The Blind Assasin. It took me 6 weeks to read Orlando Just not the type of book to tackle with a 10 month old baby. I need something I can pick up and put down easily. Ah well...I love Woolf so now I can just look forward to her books later in life.

Glad to hear that you are enjoying {The Handmaid's Tale}. It's on my list of TBR.

I am currently reading {Wild Swans}. I am enjoying it very much.

Just finished Small Island one of my favourite reads this year. I've given it 5 stars and I dont do that with many books. It is on the 2008 edition of the list.

Up next: I'm thinking of reading The Colour, it only appears on the original list.

I am reading Adam Bede by George Eliot.

Finished Tom Jones, and loved it. Now I'm reading The Unconsoled by Kazuo Ishiguro, which is great so far but really confusing.

Just started The Secret Agent by Joseph Conrad. OOOO spies.

I will start Lord Jim today.

I'm with KimB (#46 above). Small Island is a fabulous read. I haven't written my review yet, but I'm finding it hard to think of reasons to take away stars (I do a sort of french dictation method for my ratings - start with 5, take away for what I don't like). It'll probably end up with five stars.

I'm starting Fear and Trembling by Amelie Nothomb.

Still working on Half of a Yellow Sun. I've also started 1984,which I know I read in high school. I don't remember much besides the main theme.

I'm currently traveling in Italy and have had almost no internet access, but I found an internet cafe tonight and am stopping in for my LT fix. Currently I'm reading _Death in Venice_, which I must say is not a cheerful vacation read. In fact, the back cover blurb describes it as covering the "voluptuousness of doom". Happy, happy! See you all when I'm back home next week. Ciao!

Finished an old 1001 list book The Colour last night. A good story, well told, not a great story tho'. Some of the small details grated a bit, I'm not sure a Kiwi would ever call a new farmer a "Cockatoo", not even back during the gold rush times, thats an Aus bird! A Farmer in Aus is called "A Cocky" but never "A Cockatoo". Could this English writer have got the two countries colloquialisms confused?!

I have just finished Passage to India. Throughout most of the book I was mostly ho hum about it. Then at the end, I thought, okay, now I get it. This was my first try with Forster and it seems you really have to be in the right mood. I will try again but it will probably be a while.

I am about to start Middlesex because everyone is raving about it and I have not yet tried Eugenides either. I've been trying out a bunch of new authors this summer and it has been nice to expand my wings a bit.

ETA to add that I have several installments of Crome Yellow waiting for me in my email inbox. I completely forgot about that because,well, I forgot they were there.

Message edited by its author, Jul 18, 2009, 10:19pm.

Almost halfway through Jacob's Room (removed in the 2006 edition). I bought a cheap Virginia Woolf omnibus but I'm not so sure I will be reading all her novels in one go. I was surprised at how experimental Jacob's Room is; I like the atmosphere that comes from the book, and the experiment, but I find it difficult to follow the story.

After having given up on Robinson Crusoe a few times, I finally finished it. Quite a good read and I'm glad I went back to it. I hope to read Foe next as a companion piece.

I'm also reading Pippi Longstocking to my five year old boy as his first chapter book, and he is getting some good giggles out of the silliness.

I just started Elizabeth Bowen's The Heat of the Day. It's the first I've read from Bowen and I am admiring every sentence so far. I want to save it for an airplane trip tomorrow but I probably won't be able to tear myself away from reading it today and finishing it by tonight. So for tomorrow's flight I'll probably take Sentimental Education by Flaubert.

I just started Elizabeth Bowen's Heat of the Day. It's the first I've read from Bowen and I am admiring every sentece so far. I want to save it for an airplane trip tomorrow but I probably won't be able to tear myself away from reading it today and finishing it be tonight. So for tomorrow's flight I'll probably take Sentimental Education by Flaubert.

I picked up The Blind Assasin and am really enjoying it. I wasn't a huge fan of The Handmaid's Tale so I've put off reading more Atwood, but this is a wonderful read.

Don't read The Blind Assassin, it starts out okay, but gets confusing quickly. The Robber Bride is much better

#63 - Well, I humbly disagree. I haven't read The Robber Bride yet, but I am a big Atwood fan, and The Blind Assassin is my favourite of hers. I would definitely encourage people to read it!

I would encourage you to read The Blind Assassin as well. I actually didn't really like it, but it's really IMPRESSIVE.

Did anyone else feel like the Blind Assassin was very similar to Atonement? The era, the role of fiction, the duplicitous characters, the relationship of sisters - I thought these two books were oddly synchronous. Possibly it is all in my head.

Hmmm, I've never made that comparison myself, but now that you mention it, jlelliott, they do have an awful lot in common, especially considering the revelations made at the ending of both books. I also happen to LOVE both as well!

Okay, I love Atonement, so this conversation just nudged Blind Assassin up my TBR pile.

Same!

66: That's so funny, I read Blind Assassin IMMEDIATELY after Atonement. I remember turing to my husband and saying "Margaret, Ian called. He wants his convoluted plot twists back." Of course, he had no clue what I was saying. And I think they were actually written in the reverse order. But it's funny we felt the same way!

i finished The Godfather and am now reading Out of Africa for a light read after reading about mafia and blood and goer

Just finished Between the Acts. Gonna be patient with Cryptonomicon and start it for now, but I'll probably be looking for something to switch off to here and there.

I just started Great Expectations by Charles Dickens yesterday. I, probably like most students, disliked the forced reading I had to do of him in high school but I figure it's been six years since that dreadful class. It's time to give to him another chance and I find myself quite enjoying his book!

TBR ?

To Be Read

#73 RebeccaAnn

Good luck with Great Expectations. This was the first Dickens I've enjoyed, having read it a few months ago :-)

>76: I'm only six or seven chapters into it, but already I'm having a hard time putting it down. It really is excellent!

Still reading Robinson Crusoe. Finding the main character completely annoying. Sigh.

Either going to start The Accidental or To kill a mocking bird. TKaMB seems to have been hovering over Mount TBR waiting to be read for months.
I must be one of the few people in an English speaking country to not have it set as school reading at some stage.

I've finished Half of a Yellow Sun, I had a little trouble getting into it at first, but I soon found it captivating.

I just started Animal Farm and it has started off well.

*66–68 I'd not made the connection between The Blind Assassin and Atonement, but I read the books years apart. Now that you mention it, I'm intrigued. I'll have to read Margaret Atwood's book again. I read the other one recently.

I'm halfway through Faulkner's The Sound and the Fury. Worthwhile reading, but its still not making me a big fan. The third of his novels I've read.

Starting to Read The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway

I finished 1984. Loved it. :)

I finished Middlesex. Fab read.

Now reading Snuff which is rightly not a 1001 book. I'm getting a bit bored with Chuck Palahniuk. The last I read his was Haunted which didn't rock my boat

I may read some short 1001 stories while waiting for my ordered Dangerous Liasions to wend its way to me.

I have read recently I Claudius and Tom Jones and enjoyed them immensely. I am now getting stuck into Dubliners and Thus spoke Zarathustra and Diary of Samuel Pepys plus I have several other books going which are probably not on the list.
Like Relativity by Albert Einstein and Mr Tompkins in paperback which Should be :)

We are starting the group read for Dangerous Liaisons tomorrow. http://www.librarything.com/topic/69742

The book is in 4 parts, and we are going to break it up to 1 part per week.

Should be a fun group. Please stop by!

Just started Dangerous Liasons! Pretty excited :)

Just read a short story Billy Budd Meh. Oh dear, now I'll never ever read Moby Dick

I found the writing style just about unbearable. I can see why Melville didn't sell much in his lifetime. Am I being too snarky, anyone here like Melville?

Now onto the group read Dangerous Liaisons

I've started a day early due to living in the southern hemisphere! Thats my story anyway.

Message edited by its author, Jul 28, 2009, 11:31pm.

I'm reading Suite Francaise which made version 2. It's an interesting slant on WW2 but it's not really grabbing me. I'm also reading She through DailyLit. I won't finish that this month though.

Hi, everyone! I'm new here; it's nice to read posts from others on "1001 Books."

I just finished Thank You, Jeeves by P.G. Wodehouse. A very light, fun read. The only Wodehouse on the list.

I'm finishing up Don Quixote with the Group Read group currently. Also have Rebecca on my stack, and Lord Jim on my antique e-book reader. I like to have a lot of books ready to go, so your comments have been very helpful. I have a list of books to get from the library!

Good reading to us all!

Karen

Hi Karen, and welcome to the group! I've been tempted by Don Quixote in the past, but I have to say the size of it just keeps on stumping me. I wish I'd known there was a group read going on! (Not that I keep up with the group reads I'm already signed up for. :)

Just finished Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck which was excellent. I really enjoy Steinbeck.

Next is Dangerous Liasons for the group read. I'm looking forward to that one too.

#93 -- I had started Don Quixote on my own, months ago. Recently finding the group read thread has really helped me focus on finishing. I'm really enjoying the read currently.

I'm also reading DQ on my e-book, which greatly eases the huge-book-tiny-print problem for me.

Thanks for the welcome!

Karen

Reading (and loving cant put it down ohhhhmanwhathappensnext) The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco.

I Capture the Castle I enjoyed it very much! It hadn't been checked out of the library in 10 years and now I'm recommending it to everyone!

#97> I agree, I read I Capture the Castle last year, and thought it was rather marvelous. However, I don't think it's on the "1001" list (either edition). An obvious oversight from the editors. :)

#83 I'd forgotten I'd studied The Sound and the Fury at university, and loved it. I can cross it off the list.
#96 I loved the Name of the Rose.
#91 Moi aussi with Suite Francaise. For me, it's a bit of a plodder. I keep picking it up and putting it down, which doesn't do it any justice. Maybe I need to start again.
I'm wanting to read I Capture the Castle, but I just haven't got a copy yet.

Message edited by its author, Jul 31, 2009, 6:34am.

which list is this thread going by is there a link you could post??

A book with some similarities to "Day of the Triffids" is the new novel by Bruce Golden. You don't have to be a scifi lover to like his novel "Evergreen." It's a great character tale, and an unusual off-world adventure/mystery.

#100 - SusieSharp -- this group was created exclusively for people to discuss books from 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die, edited by Peter Boxall.

Thanks I thought so also found a couple lists online that had I Capture the Castle..I thought it was in this too.