John's attempt at 1001

I've told myself so many times to start a log of my meagre 1001 attempt. I hope being part of this group also motivates me into reading a few more than I otherwise would - and I'd like to add short reviews as I go along to aid my memory of what I read. I'm basing this primarily on the 2006 version but (if my lifespan allows) would like to traverse the three versions going forward.

When I first discovered the list, I was a bit disappointed in how many I'd already read, which before the start of the year numbered just:

1. The Wasp Factory
2. The Moonstone
3. Great Expectations

With most books I read a long time ago, I've decided to re-read them, but not being a particular fan of Dickens, I'm cheating a little and including this from high school reading of it.

4. The Hound of the Baskervilles
5. Under the Skin
6. Casino Royale
7. A Room with a View
8. Memoirs of a Geisha
9. Lord of the Flies
10. The Left-Handed Woman
11. Catch-22
12. Brave New World
13. Black Dogs
14. The Cement Garden
15. Nineteen-Eighty Four
16. Animal Farm
17. Dracula
18. The Wonderful O
19. The Thirteen Clocks
20. The Lord of the Rings
21. The Hobbit
22. The Day of the Triffids
23. We

I'm aiming to complete a further 25 in 2011. So far this year I've managed:

24. Silk

While this was quite short (I'm not going to admit that's why I started it) I quite enjoyed its lyrical quality.

25. Queer

I've never read any Burroughs before, and not sure this was the best place to start. However, I still enjoyed it - particularly the first person perspective - and will try to find a better introduction to read later in the year.

26. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

I think this is one of those that, beyond the fact we're working through a list of 1001 books, a lot of people think you "should" have read. A few of my friends have chastised me in the past for not having read it. So I was probably just a little prejudiced against the book before reading it, but glad to say I really loved it. I finished it in one sitting, which is really unusual for me.

Whatever you think about the resemblance to Aspergers characteristics, the author (who apparently reiterates his claim not to be any expert on the subject) did a superb job of creating a memorable character and, through the first-person narrative, helping us to understand the motivations behind his often outwardly strange actions.

27. Interview with the Vampire

I was a little surprised to find this on the list, but liked it a lot. The fact I found some of the scenes towards the end quite shocking or sad must mean I engaged with the characters. I did think about reading a few more from the series, especially after noticing a copy of The Vampire Lestat in a local secondhand bookshop, but find I have enough other books to distract me from the 1001 already.

28. The Girls of Slender Means

I find one of the best things about the 1001 list is its ability to introduce you to writers you might never have picked up before but are so glad you did. After discovering Iain Banks in this way last year, I was so glad to come across Muriel Spark. I love the subtle humour and the way she draws out each of her characters with little idiosyncrasies. Even though this book is short, I found myself really drawn in and wanting to read more. Perhaps my only criticism was the sheer number of characters, which I occasionally found difficult to remember each of - though that's probably just me being slow.

29. The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie

It was probably inevitable I'd pick this up next. I loved the film and Maggie Smith's portrayal of the title character. I wasn't disappointed by the book and I really enjoyed the way in which the plot unfolds - not in a totally linear way, so that you learn certain things that happen before seeing them in detail. I'm not sure how believable everyone would find certain of the characters and their motivations but I was certainly carried along by the story.

30. Memento Mori

The next in my Muriel Marathon this year - and my favourite. Perhaps it's the dark humour, but I really loved it and both laughed and thought a lot throughout. It's my best "find" out of the 1001 so far.

31. The Driver's Seat

I wasn't so keen on this - I think I may have missed the point entirely. While the direction of the novel was signposted, I didn't really enjoy or understand the purpose of it. I didn't even feel it had much of the interesting characterisation of Spark's other works. Disappointing.

32. Never Let Me Go

I decided to read this in anticipation of the film (I always prefer to "read the book first"). I found the book really textured and moving and there's something of a classical tragic thread that runs through it. But I wanted the characters to do a bit more to escape their fate - there was a bit too much resignation or 'too little, too late' once they do look at what they could do for my liking. It does raise some interesting ethical questions and these are gracefully exposed rather than forced on the reader.

Incidentally, I hated the film. In some ways I think it stayed *too* close to the book as it covered a lot of interesting elements so superficially that I don't think someone watching it without having read the book would really understand their significance. I didn't care as much about the characters as I did from reading the novel either.

33. The Island of Doctor Moreau

The second book this year that I've read in a day (yesterday). I didn't know what to expect from H.G. Wells and found this a lot more interesting and thought provoking than perhaps I'd feared. Again, there's a lot of ethical questions - I almost wish that Dr. Moreau had the opportunity of more than a short chapter to explain his views and how he'd come to them. I'm not saying I agree with any of them, but it might have made the novel a bit more rounded. I think it could also have done with a bit more drama at the end - the conclusion felt just a bit anticlimactic to me.

Thanks for posting all your interesting comments, JohnnyPies! I look forward to following your 1001 adventures.

34. The Postman Always Rings Twice

Oops, forgot I'd read this earlier in the year. I found it okay and enjoyable in itself, but if was trying to imply fate would always win out I wasn't really convinced. Not helped by the fact that I didn't believe in the characters.

35. The Summer Book

I wish I'd read this at a leisurely pace rather than just looking to finish it - I think that would be the way to get the most value from the interesting (if little) insights. (I think I missed why it's apparently such a modern classic, despite enjoying the various episodes and feeling like I could have happily read more of it.) Perhaps also one to save for a summer vacation rather than gloomy winter workday evenings.

36. They Shoot Horses, Don't They

Another one read in a day, which must mean I enjoyed it (and that it was short) - even if it did also leave me feeling slightly uncomfortable. It almost has the feeling that it could have been written as a play, which is perhaps why it lent itself to screen adaptation. I felt the tense claustrophobic atmosphere is really well and uniquely conveyed and I think I'll seek out the film version. The fact that you know from the start where the story is leading didn't (for me) make it any less effective.

I really should read a few classics and longer tomes over the coming months or I'll end up with just Dickens in 30 years time (at which point I'd probably give up).

37. The Nose

I quite like absurd things but I was undecided about this. I finished this with so many questions - which it clearly wasn't the point of the novella to have answered, but the fact I wanted them answered perhaps meant I missed the point.

38. The War of the Worlds

Having read The Island of Doctor Moreau a few weeks ago and rather enjoying it, I thought I'd try this. Despite it being quite short, it took me several hours to read and I repeatedly put it down after just a few pages. I found the story interesting enough and a lot of the ideas are visionary, but wasn't really gripped at all. I think it's a combination of the fact you know from the way its written that the main character survives (thereby dispelling any danger) and the fact I found the other characters so forgettable that I didn't care what happened to them - even his wife. Actually, I was quite hoping she'd been hit with the Heat Ray or, better still, found to be a Martian herself. Therefore the ending didn't really do anything for me. Perhaps I expected too much.

39. The White Tiger

This was the saviour of my reading week and I'd very much recommend it. I've tended to avoid India-inspired/centric work after an abortive Rohinton Mistry experience many years ago, but this was really accessible, engaging and surprised me a number of times. The themes, which I won't say too much about, are really well played and not as I'd expected. While the primary focus is on Indian society, I think there's something far more universal here too. I could have read much more of it.

40. The Reluctant Fundamentalist

I hadn't realised when, as part of starting to use the 2008 list alongside the 2006, I selected this that it has already been removed in the 2010 list. I'm quite surprised it was removed so quickly - while I wouldn't say it was the book I've most enjoyed this year, it was really well written and interestingly plotted. I rather liked that it was entirely told from the narrator's perspective and you're left to fill in the gaps left by his perspective, particularly in the taut ending. (I especially enjoyed his description of the exchanges on the evening itself and would have liked more focus on this.)

41. The Murder of Roger Ackroyd

I know it's not very fashionable to say so, but I do like Agatha Christie a lot and read a number of her mysteries alongside the 1001. Given that this is the one instance in which the two, I shamelessly pushed it up my reading list. I wouldn't necessary say it is ahead of all her other works (although I realise that's opinion) - personally I prefer the Miss Marple stories and just want to strangle the arrogant Poirot with his own moustache. (Apparently, Christie herself wasn't enormously enamoured of the personality of her creation either.) However, this Poirot is certainly original and inventive - in a way similar to Murder on the Orient Express (which I didn't like) and And Then There Were None (which I loved). I'd definitely recommend anyone gives it a try.

42. A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian

I forgot that I'd read this last year but it came to mind in thinking of books on the 2008 list removed in the 2010. While I wouldn't say that it's a seminal work of literature, I enjoyed it a great deal (which is far more important as far as I'm concerned!) and laughed out loud a lot.

I also like Christie a lot and also the character of Poirot...her low opinion of the character might come from similar tedium as Dorothy Sayers' similar low opinion of her character Peter Wimsey, or Arthur Conan Doyle's decision to kill Sherlock Holmes...
Roger Ackroyd was her first major hit, one that basically made her career, and the challenging of the preconceived notions of detective fiction did get quite a lot of discussion (couple of later times when she again "broke the rules" the response was more positively unanimous). I don't consider it her best, but it is definitely a classic of its genre.

yeah but wimsey is a talentless fop and has none of the incisive skill which gave Poirot his own television series.

as you point out hd, the list is about important books, not necessarily the most enjoyable or even the 'best' ones... unfortunately!

What we really need is 1001 Books that are Really Enjoyable Reads Before You Die

#10: that's a list I'd love to follow!

43. The Successor

This was an interesting read although I felt a little exposed as I have very little understanding of Albanian political culture. I found some parts quite difficult to follow as the time period being described jumped around, although these were mainly in the sections narrated by the successor's daughter - and I suppose that confusion may be symbolic of her mental state at the time. I'm glad I read it, although I wouldn't rush to read more of Kadare's works.

44. Morvern Callar

This had been sitting in my "Books To Be Read" pile for a while, and had the dual ignomony of having spent some time in the "Books I've Started Before But Not Got More than 30 Pages In Before I Gave Up" pile. (Unfortunately, the latter pile is increasing in size quite rapidly.) When I'd first picked it up, I found the way it was written in Morvern's dialect very hard to get on with - although second time around perseverance paid off. Overall, though, I found my lack of understanding of Morvern's motivations and decisions put an obstacle in the way of my enjoying the book.

45. The Yellow Wallpaper

I seem to make a habit of prioritising short reads and this was quite an absorbing 20 minutes. I found it moving and convincing as far as the character's changing mental state was concerned - but as far as literary accomplishment goes, it's not as difficult to maintain and pace a convincing sense of that encroaching anguish in such a short work as over a whole novel. Still, I can see why it's an important piece of its time and the primary metaphors are deeply memorable in expressing the position that so many women found themselves in.

46. A Clockwork Orange

As discussed on the monthly group read thread. It's not one I'll consider re-reading any time soon, droogs.

47. Aesop's Fables

There are few other works that have found their way so far into our social consciousness than these simple fables. I hadn't realised quite how many of our oft-used expressions originate directly or indirectly from this source, although with some the moral in the fable works ever so slightly differently. In the case of the wolf in sheep's clothing, for instance, it's the wolf himself who should really beware.

It's hard to say how these stories fit with other works in the 1001 list given that, other than the moral content, there's no ongoing narrative. I was quite happy to accept the license taken with talking animals in the interest of presentation of a moral message, although I would draw the line at talking brambles. I'll never look at the contents of my garden in the same way, especially if they start attracting wolves in for a chat.

Overall, an enjoyable little read.

Okay, this makes me want to add Aesop to my ever-expanding TBR shelf (I've long outgrown the "pile" phase).

I'm ashamed to admit I currently have a whole room whose only purpose it to store my TBR armada. Even if I put shelves in there, it's going to take up more than half the room. The saddest thng is the tiny little pile in the corner that includes "already read" items.

Okay, you win! ; -)

Have a wander over to the Books Off the Shelf Challenge and you will find that you have a lot of company! We've got piles, shelves, rooms and houses filled with unknown treasures and we are very good at enabling.. er, I mean encouraging each other. But really, is having large selection of reading material at ones finger tips really a bad thing?

Bucketyell, I'm with you. Although my wife does not complain, she does not understand why anyone would want to keep piles and piles of unread books. I have tried to explain that one needs a choice in good reading materila at hand at all times.

I'm going to be moving house soon, and I'm not looking forward to trying to relocate my books. I've had a lot of luck in charity shops recently which has only made my situation worse! I do wholeheartedly agree though, having a nice big TBR collection is great for turning the "what to read next?" decision into a gloriously luxurious half hour, like deciding which chocolate to eat next from a big box.

Great to hear other people's stories about their own Mount TBR. I'm glad to hear I'm not the only one with an obscene pile of reading material - if anyone has any tips on structural reinforcement for my house based on weight of books on the 1st floor, all suggestions gratefully received!

48. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

I read this following differing opinions on another thread - when people disagree on a book, it always encourages me to read it to see what side of the fence I come down on. Painfully, I think I'm sitting on the fence itself - I did enjoy this and found it very inventive, but not sure I'd race to read the rest of the series (especially as even the devotees seem to suggest the quality isn't constant). I must admit that the characterisation is nicely done although, personally, I would have appreciated somewhat more of a narrative. (I'm afraid it also reminded me of the lack of Terry Pratchett from the 1001 - while I can admit the writing isn't necessary of great "quality" and there's no one seminal work that stands head and shoulders above others, as a collected work his books have a huge amount of influence and have inspired a whole generation of readers. Okay, gin fuelled rant over.)

49. The Little Prince

I know this is a small piece but I was touched by its simplicity and the sincerity of its message. I wish I'd read it as a child, but happy that I can now recommend it to my friends who are parents.

It's strange - the day after finishing it, I happened to spy a copy of one of A de S-E's other works in the charity book shop I work in on Saturdays - I had thought of buying that, but was also happy that someone bought it that same day and we enjoyed a lovely conversation about the author's life. Reading can really inspire some interesting conversations and odd coincidences.

I'm still not sure what a baobab is, but I bet there are some in my overgrown garden.

50. Wuthering Heights

Although it took me a while to complete WH, I did really appreciate and enjoy it - it might even prompt me to attempt a few more "classics" in the near future. I thought the structure was great and the story really flowed - despite the strange situation, I also found a lot of the characters and their motivations really believable. I wasn't hugely keen on the ending, which to me felt just a little rushed where I felt I was perhaps owed a bit more as a reader. My only other small bugbear was having to wade through Joseph's speech - a paragraph of his dialect was my usual prompt to put the book down for the night and go to sleep!

This completes a very small landmark in my 1001 attempt, but also means I've already exceeded my original target of 25 1001 books read in 2011. Being part of this group and reading about other people's progress has had a great effect in motivating me to pick things up and persevere.

51. The Story of the Eye

I forgot I'd read this a while ago. It was probably my subconscious burying the awful memory. What a ghastly book.

52. The Beautiful Room is Empty

An eye-opening and often moving account of a movement and moment in time, although many of the themes are far more universal. I felt carried along by the main protagonist's highs and lows and was impressed by how the surrounding characters were drawn. Although I tired somewhat of the sexual content, I can see why it was important to the narrative.

This one was quite a pleasant surprise: I'm glad I read it.

53. The Picture of Dorian Gray - Oscar Wilde

As per review on the monthly group read thread. Despite a few jarring elements, pleased at how much I enjoyed it.

54. The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde - Robert Louis Stevenson

Very short, and for a fair while I found the narrative quite pedestrian - I hadn't realised so little actually happens! I would guess that for contemporary readers today we would need more than vague allusions to most of Hyde's crimes in order to be convinced of his complete evil (and nowadays to kill off a figure of respectability the author might be wise to choose someone other than an MP!). Perhaps given the reaction that befell Wilde, however, Stevenson was wise so to take into account the sensibilities of his contemporaries. Even if there was ever supposed to be mystery attached to the unfolding of the tale, this is long since lost given the book's place in popular culture.

However, I was really impressed and moved by Jekyll's own account of events towards the end - although the background has been laid down by the preceding narrative, it was this section that made the book for me. I hadn't realised how well expressed the moral considerations would be - and I felt far more affected by these here than anything similar in The Picture of Dorian Gray (good to have read them one after the other, even if it was by accident).

55. Chess Story - Stefan Zweig

When I should be picking off tomes on my TBR pile, I instead bought this in London on Wednesday and found it a really interesting little read. I couldn't claim to be fully sure of its meaning, but the background story told by Dr B in particular of his time in the custody of the Gestapo was really affecting. I could absolutely believe every step he took to remain standing in his psychological battle against the Gestapo and his own mind.

The only thing I did want was more detail of how the chess match upon the vessel affected the lives of the participants. Did it have a long-term impact on Dr B? Was the experience enough to prevent him from indulging again or would fate inexorably draw him back to the chessboard? What about Czentovic - even though he found a way to counter his opponent, did the loss affect him or change his outlook at all?

56. Exercises in Style - Raymond Queneau

Another find picked up in London last week.

A really interesting premise, to tell the same short story a number of times in different styles, thereby highlighting the strengths of weaknesses of those different devices. It already becomes a strange 1001 entry, since there is no proper story behind a couple of anecdotal episodes and no characters, unless you count the narrowly sketched participants in these events.

To tell the same not very interesting story 99 times you've got to use some interesting techniques to keep the reader's interest and some of the "exercises" were successful in this regard. I found those that told it in medical or botanical terms a highlight, showing how versatile language can be. Some are a useful lesson as to how the same technique can be overused in writing (e.g. the use of too many exclamations or questions). However, many of the exercises didn't really interest me - putting an extra letter at the beginning, end or in the middle of each word just seemed pointless, for example.

By the end, I was quite fed up of the story and of the exercises generally. I'm sad to admit that by that point I hated all the characters and even developed a particular loathing for an inanimate button. I was glad there weren't more exercises, although the preface claimed that Queneau had identified over 100 more that could be written! I don't think even my residual sanity would have lasted through that many more - perhaps including the tale told from the perspective of the button. (I have the horrible feeling there might have been one like that already that someone will remind me of - thankfully I've forgotten it.)

57. The Pit and the Pendulum - Edgar Allan Poe

I intended to read a few of Poe's short stories for Hallowe'en but only bothered with this one in the end. For the length of it, I thought it was quite skilfully done and I got a keen sense of the imagery. I could see the pendulum in my mind, feel the edges of the cell and be affected by the pervading mix of panic, despair and resignation. I'd like to learn more about Poe - it does make you question what type of mind could have come up with this type of thing.

My only real complaint was the ending, which (even for a short story) felt rushed and a little anticlimactic.

58. The Call of the Wild - Jack London

No idea why I picked this up, and the first time in a long while I've really not felt comfortable with a book's place on the 1001 list. Usually, even if I don't like something or am personally not impressed, I have more of a feeling of what it added to literature.

Dogs. More dogs. Dogs dognapped. Sold dogs. Dog sled teams. Dog pride. Dogs among dogs. Dog eat dog. Dogs fighting. Men, but even if they're okay they're not dogs. It's a dog's life. Lazy dogs. Useless dogs. Dog tired. Wolves. Historical ancestry. Inner dog. Wild dogs.

Apart from being told from the perspective of a dog, I couldn't really identify much to be impressed by.

Woof.

So, in retrospect, would you say that The Call of the Wild is a good book for someone who is interested in dogs? ;-)

That was the best review I've read so far this week. Thanks for the laugh.

Pit and the Pendulum - I liked that when I read it years ago. I have mixed feelings on Poe--I like a lot of his ideas, but he loses me in the execution sometimes. Even for a 19th century writer, I often find his sentences overly confusing. My favourite story of his is The Cask of Amontillado, which I've read many times.

I'm not sure if your comments on Exercises in Style make me want to read the book more, or less.

Well, I'm not sure if Exercises in Style is actually meant to be read as a book...to be honest about halfway I started just to read the first sentence to get the idea how that story was manipulated and if it seemed like an interesting style I read the whole thing, but otherwise skipped to the next one...definitely worth a look but I wonder if anyone actually enjoys reading the whole thing or wishes there would be more versions...

Call of the Wild sounds a bit scary, as a reader who is not particularly interested in dogs...

I've been thinking I should read Knot of Vipers too so I am curious to hear your comments :)

#24 - I would definitely recommend giving Exercises in Style a try - just to see what you think of it, and it's quite a short read. As has already been said, it's probably best not to read it as a book, at least not in the normal way. I suspect a lot of people indeed go through skipping bits after reading the first few lines of each exercise - unfortunately, I'm so pedantic with myself about reading that I forced myself to read (and try to understand, even when they were anagrams) each word. That's never going to lead to too much fulfilment with a book like this!!

One of the sad things is that I was coming up with a few ideas for other exercises as I was reading it. Not sure that's healthy!

#25 - One of the few things I can say in favour of Call of the Wild is that it's short! It's probably best to read it as a (very) simple adventure story - I really don't think there's much else to be got out of it. I was always a bit firghtened of dogs as a child so evidently still not comfortable being among them from my reaction to this. I wonder if there are any 1001 books told from the perspective of a cat - I could enjoy that more.

Knot of Vipers is good so far - will hopefully finish it before the weekend.

59. Treasure Island - Robert Louis Stevenson

I read and enjoyed The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde last week, and had always meant to read this. It's something I envisage I should have read when I was quite young - and although I'm "quite" a lot of things, young isn't probably now one of them by most people's reckoning. I'm also reminded of an episode of The Simpsons where Bart is supposed to have done a book report for Treasure Island: of course he hasn't, and when he's asked the name of the pirate in the book he's completely lost. But instead of being able to enjoy the joke I always felt guilty too, since I also had no idea who the pirate was either.

I think it's often described as one of the first proper adventure stories and in that I think it succeeds really well. The action is well paced and there are plenty of twists and turns in the narrative, even if the last few chapters don't really add an awful lot. Although some of the characters are fairly bland, they are real enough to feel for their situation and stay quite consistent to their characters in an unfamiliar situation. Jim gets some nice character development but, of course, the standout creation is Long John Silver.

Arrrrr, I'm definitely glad I finally read it.

60. The Knot of Vipers - Francois Mauriac

I very much doubt I would ever had read this is it wasn't for the 1001 list and it's this type of find that makes all the morbid calculations of how long I need to live in order to read each book worthwhile.

Written from the perspective of Louis, an aging lawyer and businessman, these are the words he sees as important to record as he faces the reality of his own mortality. Outwardly embittered and having an at best uneasy relationship with his Catholic wife and family, he records his perspective on the events of his life, his marriage, the youth of his children and the tragedies and other events that befall them. We are invited to question the reliability of our narrator - to what extent does his lifetime of building hatred cloud his judgement, does prejudice play upon even his ability to remember events accurately. Of course, to the extent we believe and sympathise with him there is another side to Louis - an insecurity, a vulnerability, not only in his aged state but also that has shaped the events of his life. It is this which has perhaps meant he has hidden behind the stern image created by or for him and which has therefore cut him off from those who he should be closest to.

There is significant room for interpretation and I'm interested in what other people have thought of it. Throughout the novel, the issue of religion hangs large over the story - Louis's view of the Catholic faith as practised by those around him, the arguments with his wife, his refusal to see himself as a good man and the possibility of a deathbed conversion. Which of the characters really exhibit a faith in the most meaningful way? Having said all that, it isn't too "heavy" with faith meaning it can still be read by a more casual reader.

I'm sure I'll continue to digest this over the next few days and Mauriac is economical enough with words that it's an easy re-read. I'd definitely recommend giving it a try to anyone who has it on their TBR pile.

61. No One Writes To The Colonel - Gabriel Garcia Marquez

This puts me more than halfway through the seven books I bought a couple of weeks ago, making me feel slightly less bad about buying more books when there are hundreds on the TBR volcano.

This novella gives a snapshot of the lives of the unnamed colonel and his wife as they battle against poverty. Their existence is day to day, selling (where they can) their few remaining possessions to survive a little longer. Their son is dead, his only legacy a fighting rooster which, only if they put its interests ahead of satisfying their own immediate needs, may fetch a sufficient price to alleviate their hardship - for a while. But the odds seem permanently stacked against the colonel as he works, more than anything, to retain any hope.

I hadn't read any GGM before and this was an interesting introduction. I liked the rooster as a symbol of defiance in the face of abject need, not only on the part of the colonel and his wife, but also the whole community that surrounds them. I'm not sure I would have managed a whole novel in the company of the colonel, though - I was a bit frustrated that he hadn't tried to take more action. I wanted his wife to take the lead, as she seemed much more able to at least try to get things done, and wondered why she hadn't done so long before. Perhaps it would have done no good, but might work better than the colonel's tactics.

Not sure whether I feel like picking up One Hundred Years Of Solitude or not.

Give it a go, Colonel was for me too almost the first GGM (I had read a short story or two somewhere before, and they were pretty similar as this) and I had a bit similar feelings about it, but enjoyed One Hundred Years more. Lack of action is no characteristic of that book :)

Thanks for the thought - will move One Hundred Years from the overall pile to the much smaller piles of things I intend to pick up pretty soon.

62. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll

Oops, forgot I'd read this a year or two ago. I remember being impressed by the originality.

63. Through The Looking Glass - Lewis Carroll

I'm usually charmed by the "children's" books on the list (see my comments on The Little Prince, which I know a lot of people dislike), but not so much this time. This felt, like Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, like a mess of encounters but not, for me, in such a fun way.

Still, there's a number of popular ideas and phrases that have their origins here, so you can't really argue too much about its influence.

64. Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day - Winifred Watson

I started this on my Saturday morning charity shop stint (there wasn't much to do) and I put it down after only a couple of pages. A friend who'd read it said she thought it more of a "woman's book", whatever that means. I anticipated a struggle to finish it.

Having said that, it naturally works out that when I reluctantly picked it up again in the afternoon I literally couldn't put it down until I'd finished it. (I did get a few looks from staff in the cafe I'd perched in for nearly two hours.)

What an absolutely enchanting, uplifting book - full of the joys of optimism, the human spirit and things working out whether by accident or design. (What does it really matter which?) In those senses, it's a universal tale. The main characters are all endearing in their own ways and you genuinely want things to work out for them - and the confidence that they would work out didn't for me harm the reading experience in the slightest.

Thank you, 1001 Books, for introducing me to something lovely that I wouldn't otherwise have discovered. Definitely in my top five list books of the few I've read so far.

I had a similar reaction to Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day.... (though I do tend to like those "women's books"). I couldn't put it down and spent half a night reading it. As you said, it's definitely something I never would have read if not for the 1,001 lists.

Oh good, glad to hear someone else was so impressed with Miss Pettigrew. I wish I'd taken longer over it now so I could savour each chapter.

65. The Purloined Letter - Edgar Allan Poe

I'll own up: once again, I chose this as a quick read, since it's only 20 pages long. I perhaps got what I deserved, since it was the slowest and most hard going 20 pages I can remember.

I understand that this is on the list for what it added to detective fiction, but I wasn't very impressed either by the style (it could have been much shorter but for armchair detective Dupin's long-winded self-aggrandizing) or the detection itself. I didn't expect to be affected by characters in 20 pages, but neither would I have expected to have found them so thoroughly unappealing.

Not really to my taste.

66. The Talented Mr. Ripley - Patricia Highsmith

I saw the 1999 film (I wouldn't have guessed it was go long ago) when it first came out. Until now, I hadn't realised quite how many changes had been made to the book - one of the strengths of the book is the view into Ripley's thoughts and motivations, which would be hard to translate effectively for a film (at least a revenue seeking Hollywood one). Although some might think her writing a little trashy in places, Highsmith achieves the goal of creating a really interesting ambiguous character who both attracts and repels us in equal measure. Perhaps the main achievement is in making his actions and decisions believable and motivated - which, if you just put them on paper, I don't think they would be. (I think she does well to avoid making too much of the difficult childhood and homosexuality as prime motivations in this book, which could have been both awkward or cliched if handled poorly.)

I do prefer the ending to the film from a dramatic point of view, whereas the last 50 or so pages of the book drifted somewhat. Overall, though, I was left thinking much less of the film as an adaptation after reading the book. If it wasn't for 1001 other books to read, I'd be tempted to pick up another from the series to see how things develop.

67. Old Masters - Thomas Bernhard

I think I've mentioned above that I'm slowly building up a collection of 1001 books. Even though I've recently put a brake on my collecting habit, I have about 900 now (from all lists). This one, however, always seems to be absurdly expensive so has eluded me. As part of restricting my purchase of books, I'm making the (rather obvious) step of borrowing some from the local library. As well as providing some variety, the fact they're due back within a few weeks gives me some time incentive to finish them. On finding this on the shelves, I picked it up with some anticipation given the number of occasions I've looked for it in bookshops and the excellent reviews it has received online.

Reger is an elderly music critic, writing regular pieces for The Times. Every other day, he visits the Austrian Kunsthistorisches Museum in the morning for around four hours and sits on the settee in the Bordone Room in front of Tintoretto's White-Bearded Man. Having made the unprecedented step of arranging to meet his friend Atzbacher in the museum the day after his last visit, the novel describes the background to that meeting and Reger's request of his friend.

Unfortunately, despite some high points and all those excellent reviews, the book suffered from a number of problems as far as I was concerned.

Firstly, nothing happens. Really, nothing. Nil. A man watching another man sit on a settee, a few people drifting through the museum. The two meeting, one making a small request of the other. (I won't spoil what the request is, but don't expect it to set the novel on fire.) I know a lot of the point of the book is in the background, and some books do really well without any real narrative, but I did just want something, anything, to happen.

Secondly, there are endless diatribes about Austrian composers, artists and writers - and basically anything related to Austria. (Apparently this is also evident in some of Bernhard's other works - boy, am I looking forward to those!) The "dull-witted" state of schoolteaching, the "dull-witted" state, "dull-witted" provincial government, even the cleanliness of lavatories in Austria comes in for attack. And these are not concise tirades - each one takes about ten pages (the condemnation of Austrian lavatories only took eight, thankfully), and each is deliberately repetitive, saying all but exactly the same thing over and over with slightly different phrasing. Just when you think he's moved on to lambast another object, oh no, there's another few pages of vitriol for this artist or that composer. Some might find this "devilishly funny", I just found it boring and pointless. By the end, I was rather fond of Austria, based on the old principle that the enemy of my enemy is my friend. Hurrah for everything Austrian - and, if it's indeed true that Bernhard's will forbade his works to be performed in Austria after his death, I like the country all the better.

Although Reger alludes to most subjects with equal repetitive vitriol, his memories of his deceased wife are poignant and moving. The end of the book focuses more on the circumstances of her death (more targets for him, here) and the effect on him. These were quite affecting, but probably more because I was so glad to find a part of the book that was readable. I can't forgive the rest of the book just based on this.

Has anyone else read this? Am I so "dull-witted" to have missed the point entirely? Are Austrian lavatories really that disgraceful?

I am following the 2008 list and Old Masters has been removed from it, but now I really want to read it. Like the Germans, many Austrians are having a bit of a love-hate relationship with their country and criticize it on every possible occasion. I see it daily in the forums of German online newspapers. There is an article about some other country and the reactions are usually "hey, we first should have a look at our own politics/ social system/ financial situation, we aren't in a better situation" (oh yes, you usually are, you just don't see it!).
It's a reaction often completely uncomprehensible for foreigners.
I'll see if I find a copy of the book in my library.

Edit: Now this is funny - I was looking up the English word for "Selbstzerfleischung" in my online dictionary, because it is just the expression for this characteristic. I found a user discussion where it is labelled "typically Austrian/ German", so there you are! :-)
The translation seems to be "self-flagellation".

thanks for giving me a chuckle over my morning coffee... I will be steering clear of Old Masters I think and will put it in my "last 100" list if I ever get that close to finishing the list (very unlikely).

#33 - Ha! Sorry you didn't enjoy Old Masters. I have Extinction sitting on my shelf, but your review is not convincing me that I should read it.

I got the book from my library, though only the Italian translation. I am 19 pages in, and I am a little surprised by the layout, 200 pages in one single paragraph. That's a little tiresome to read. There are sentences of almost page length (something we Germans love with all our heart!), and I have to admit that so far the humour (Burgenland vs Vienna) basically appeals to me. The style however doesn't, I feel those endless repetitions of the same phrases or expressions are a bit of a cheap trick and over the length of 200 pages this will certainly become quite annoying.

I also got Wittgenstein's Nephew in the original German from the library, so I will be able to compare.

#37 - I had been tempted to say that you'd know if it was something you'd like by the end of the first paragraph - since there is only paragraph across (my copy's) 250 pages! Paragraphs were obviously an Austrian invention, and therefore of dull-witted design. The Austrian dull-witted paragraph is the creation of dull-witted Austrian literary dunces. It was dull-wittedness that gave birth to this most repugnant of dull-witted literary devices, the paragraph. ... 10 pages later ... Paragraphs are the most dull-witted of literary constructions, that is the truth.

It was around page 40-50 that I realised I didn't like it. I hope you enjoy it more than me - or at least enjoy hating it as much as I did. Perhaps it is just one of those love it or loathe it books. I do love the fact that some things that people thought worthy of the greatest 1001 books of all time can give others a completely different reaction - if I just read each one on the list and my only reaction was "well, yes, I can definitely see that one belongs too", it'd probably be pretty boring. Arguing with the choices does make it more fun.

#35 - Oooh, a "last 100", good idea. Do you have many books already on this list? As well as Thomas Bernhard's other efforts, I think Georges Bataille's other "works" would be on mine.

#36 - A friend told me that Extinction has the same level of attacks on everything Austrian. Isn't is also much longer? Old Masters is only 250 pages but isn't Extinction something like 600? If you do read it, I'd be interested in what you think.

#38 - My copy of Extinction only has 326 pages. It will probably be a while before I read it.

#39 - Oh, if it's 300 rather than 600 pages of Thomas Bernhard, that makes it twice as good a book, in my humblest opinion.

hmmm last 100... so far I can guarantee Ulysses and Finnegans Wake will be the last 10 of the last 100 lol.

Other possibilities...
In Search of Lost Time
The 120 Days of Sodom

I'm sure there are more - I will have a good look at the list when I get home :)

#41 - I think it will be a long while before I get around to Ulysses and Finnegans Wake too. I've pledged to myself to pick a few of the more challenging books off the list for 2012, but something tells me it won't be those! After building up a bit of confidence this year the last thing I want to do is destroy it by getting impaled on something that puts me off picking up anything.

68. Miss Lonelyhearts - Nathanael West

I saw this recommended on a bookish television show last week and liked the sound of its dark humour.

Miss Lonelyhearts is a male newspaper columnist who writes an agony aunt column under the eponymous pseudonym. To the rest of the staff of the newspaper, and in particular his boss, the column is a joke. Miss Lonelyhearts himself appears genuinely to want to help his readers, but can't draw on the divine or other inspiration to do so effectively. While he quickly drowns in the despair of vainly trying to formulate meaningful replies, we see that his own life is as mixed up as that of some of his readers.

This is one of those books that I feel I'd probably need to read again to appreciate properly and really discern what it meant for me. There are some interesting themes going on - innocence and experience, faith, suffering. The dark humour is well placed and executed.

I would perhaps have liked to have seen some episodes before the time covered by the novella. We see Miss Lonelyhearts as already quite desperate, almost looking for a single answer that would cover all the letters he receives - one cure for suffering, hence the focus on Christ. Perhaps he did so because, no matter how many individual letters he could respond to, there would always be more. But I would have appreciated seeing him in a phase when he was trying to respond to those individual letters in his column, and the process of becoming disillusioned with trying to alleviate suffering on an individual level. I'm sure it would all just become too much, but it would have been good for the book to have demonstrated that.

Oh dear, confused thoughts today, I fear.

69. A Modest Proposal - Jonathan Swift

Yes, of course I read it because I'd heard it was short. I'd also expected, perhaps because of the period in which it was written, for it to be really dry and dusty. I certainly hadn't expected the clever and (for me) very funny satire contained in these eight pages. It could perhaps have been fattened up (no pun intended) with a few recipes at the end.

Does it belong on a list of the 1001 books you must read before you die? I don't really care, this time; I just know I really enjoyed it.

70. The Fall of the House of Usher - Edgar Allan Poe

Well, I think that's the end of the short stories for me. I found this one really atmospheric once I'd got into it, just what you expect from Poe's reputation. The suspense builds effectively as the author unveils a number of what we would look at now as gothic horror staples. I wasn't hugely satisfied by the ending, perhaps because it is was quite obvious, and I think it's only the fact that it's a short story that meant I didn't feel a bit short-changed by it. Still, it's an effective little piece.

#43 - I'm currently reading Miss Lonelyhearts and am not sure what to make of it yet. I find myself quite disturbed after each reading session (I'm about half-way through).

I love Miss Lonelyhearts, one of my favorite books of all time, but yeah, it is disturbing book.

Hard to say if the book would have benefited from more views to the past. It was mentioned that at first Miss L treated the whole thing as a joke, so that should probably have been incldued too but having everything from a joke to really caring to the frustration and clinical depression actually covered in the book might have been a bit too sentimental for West...that could be an interesting book but it would have been a different book.

#45 - Yes, it would be a very different book. Perhaps I was a bit uncomfortable, having waded quite deep into the black humour and looking for the comfort of an emotional narrative. It's amazing that West crammed so much into such a short book: in that sense it's "dense" but still very readable.

Just wanted to say that I'm half through Wittgenstein's Nephew and - "surprise":
- it is written all in one paragraph (luckily just 160 small pages)
- uses the same pagefilling repetitive style with endless sentences as Old Masters.

So far it has not yet been expressively anti-Austrian though, and it has some really nice bits about friendship and age and sickness, but really - I have no idea why it is a 1001 book. It's not exactly a novel either, it's clearly autobiographical. I could well imagine that at least one more of Bernhard's books gets removed with the next version of the 1001 list.

#47 - Glad to hear that Bernhard hasn't disappointed by actually writing in paragraphs. I didn't mind the endless sentences but, as you say, the repetitive style is a bit much. Is Wittgenstein's Nephew angry at non-Austrian targets or quite a different tone to Old Masters? By the way, did you finish Old Masters in the end?

Part of me was tempted to try and find copies of some of his other list books and spend a concentrated time just working through the horror. But the library didn't have copies of anything other than Old Masters, so I was spared it.

I've got a bit behind on reviews.

71. I'm Not Scared - Niccolo Ammaniti

Found this in what's usually quite an expensive bookshop but for a really good price (unfortunately, also bought several other books at less bargain prices). It looked more interesting than the other things I'd planned to read - little point me having any kind of plan, really.

The story is told by ten-year-old Michele, who lives with his parents and sister in Southern Italy. Along with his sister, he spends most of the summer with a group of friends in the countryside. They explore, they race and after various contests the loser must undertake a forfeit. On one such occasion, Michele has to explore an abandoned farmhouse alone and in doing so spots the apparently dead body of a boy at the bottom of a deep hole. Is he dead or alive? How did he get down there and why?

I really mustn't say any more for risk of spoiling what I found to be a real page-turner of a thriller. I'm not often impressed by books written from a child's perspective but, like The Wasp Factory, I think it's done really well here. The decisions that Michele makes are not always what a sensible adult would do, but definitely fit the pattern of an inquisitive 10 year old. The characters are nicely fleshed out - Michele's friends have differing personalities and most of the main adult characters are well drawn too. Although it can be read as a simple thriller, there's also some interesting thematic touches on innocence and experience and what we give up as we become adults.

I've noticed that several people didn't like the ending, but I didn't personally feel let down by it. That's another "author to watch" to add to the list.

72. So Long a Letter - Mariama Ba

Told in the form of letters from Senegalese widow Ramatoulaye to her friend Aissatou, this short book describes through a few examples the social difficulties that Senegalese women have faced and the individual approaches they take when faced with challenging situations. Although only recently widowed, Ramatoulaye has already had to adjust significantly after her husband effectively abandoned her and their twelve children in taking another wife.

I struggled with this at first, particularly as it begins amongst the Islamic funereal customs in Senegal, not an area I have any knowledge of. The rest of the book introduced elements of custom and culture at an easier pace and I only wished it had been longer so that I might have learnt more. I liked the fact that, even when faced with similar situations, it shows that women can make different decisions. Amongst the difficulties, there is also hope and some possibility of political and social progress, if also new challenges faced by younger generations of women.

There is some absolutely beautiful and sincere prose in So Long A Letter, which made it really quite rewarding to read.

#48: 4 pages after my last post the Austrian bashing started. :-)

I put Old Masters on short hold, I can't cope with more than one Italian book or with more than one Bernhard at a time.

I like your review for I'm not scared. I also found it one of the very few believable "through the eyes of a child" books. And looking at the background adult story I can imagine that it has been a much discussed book in Italy.

#50 - Thanks for the comment.

Why am I not surprised Bernhard couldn't resist some anti-Austrianism for more than half a book!

Your comment about the possibility of another Bernhard being removed in the next edition (from, I think, the current 3) made me go back and look at the 2006 book where 6 were included. It's interesting that all of the little reviews of Bernhard's books are described by the same contributor: while I've no insight on how the list was put together, I wonder how much we owe this Anthony Leaker (or Peter Boxall himself?) for the preponderance of Thomas Bernhard books on the list. In comparison, for other authors with several entries (Dickens, Coetzee, even the divisive Ian McEwan) there are a number of separate contributors who've covered the novels between them.

That observation seems so much less interesting now I've set it down. Sorry.

Oh dear, I've got horribly behind both in my 1001 reading and in making updates here. While life has been busy, I guess more than anything I've just got out of the habit of always having a 1001 book on the go. And there's so many other interesting things to read.

I'm hoping that if I start being active here it will motivate me again. To get re-started, I'm just going to post the few things I've read in the interim rather than writing reviews (which would probably mean I'd put it off even longer):

73. Invisible
74. In Watermelon Sugar
75. Agnes Grey
76. The Castle of Crossed Destinies
77. War with the Newts
78. Breakfast at Tiffany's
79. Robinson Crusoe
80. Cheese
81. Mrs 'Arris Goes to Paris
82. The Old Man and the Sea
83. To Have and Have Not
84. Carry Me Down
85. The Last of Mr. Norris
86. The Midnight Examiner
87. To Kill a Mockingbird
88. The Comfort of Strangers
89. Excellent Women
90. The Life and Death of Harriett Frean
91. Of Mice and Men
92. The Pigeon
93. The Secret History
94. The Color Purple
95. Ethan Frome
96. Mrs. Dalloway