jillbone's attempt at 1001 books

Hello all. New to LT, but I thought I'd throw my hat into the ring and attempt the 1001 (or 1294) Books to Read Before You Die. I'll start with those books I've already read, which is appallingly small:

1. Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe
2. I, Robot by Isaac Asimov
3. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep by Philip K. Dick
4. A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
5. Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides
6. The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides
7. Catch-22 by Joseph Heller
8. Interview With the Vampire by Anne Rice
9. The Reader by Bernhard Schlink
10. Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
11. Sexing the Cherry by Jeanette Winterson
12. Written on the Body by Jeanette Winterson
13. Atonement by Ian Mcewan
14. The Passion by Jeanette Winterson

I don't have any reviews posted yet, but I will start within the next couple of days. Next book on my list is 15. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte. Wish me luck.

Good luck and welcome! You've read some good ones so far... I love Jeanette Winterson and would never have discovered her if it wasn't for the list. As for what you've read so far being an "appallingly small" list- no worries! That's why it's before you die, right?

Hello, welcome and best of luck - will also be interested to read some of your reviews. I am regularly tempted to pick up a Jeanette Winterson myself but really must try to finish the various things I've started first. Perhaps when I finish something else I'll allow myself the luxury of starting one alongside continuing to plough through the "unfinished" pile.

Hoping you enjoy Jane Eyre too.

Welcome to the group. Looks like your off to a good start. By the way we have a group read going on right now during the month of October. We're reading The Portrait of Dorian Gray. In Novermber we are going to do a group read of Schindler's Ark. I believe that it is titled as Schindler's List on the 1001 list. I hope you will join us.

Welcome! I loved Jane Eyre when I read it many, many years ago. I hope to re-read it one of these days.

1. Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe
Although it's a fairly short book written in a simplistic style, it's a good beginner's read into tribal life in Africa. The book gives a good, day-to-day accounting of a hard working man and the tragedy that eventually befalls him. Things Fall Apart went on to set the bar for the modern African novel.

"The only course open to Okonkwo was to flee from the clan. It was a crime against the earth goddess to kill a clansman, and a man who committed it must flee from the land. The crime was of two kinds, male and female. Okonkwo had committed the female, because it had been inadvertent. He could return to the clan after seven years…"

Welcome to the group. I enjoyed Things Fall Apart and have another Achebe, Arrow of God on my tbr pile which I'm looking forward to reading. I think Arrow of God is on the 1001 BYMRBYD list as well as Things Fall Apart and if I remember correctly, it continues the themes introduced in Things Fall Apart.

2. I, Robot by Isaac Asimov
The stories in this book are a thought provoking collection centered around the interactions between humans, robots and morality. Although "framed" by a larger story about the recollections of Dr. Susan Calvin, the stories can be read by themselves.

"One, a robot may not injure a human being, or through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm; Two, a robot must obey the orders given it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the First Law; Three, a robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Laws."

3. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick
Let me preface this by saying I love reading anything by Philip Dick. This is the first novel I read of his and it remains my favorite. The story revolves around bounty hunter Deckard who is trying to "retire" six escaped androids. As the story progresses, we explore what it means to be human through the eyes of the unsure. It keeps you thinking til the very end.

"You will be required to do wrong no matter where you go. It is the basic condition of life, to be required to violate your own identity."

Jill, thanks for the reviewette. I have Electric Sheep on my TBR pile and I have kept wondering if it was worth a read. I'll give it a try.

Finished 15. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte. Not bad for only reading an hour each night. Going to start on 16. If On a Winter's Night a Traveler by Italo Calvino next.

4. A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
This is one of the first books I read with my mother as a teenager. Every night we wold read three chapters aloud and underline any words we didn't understand (writing the definitions in before the next night). Though I find Dickens a little dry and boring, I still have fond memories associated with this book as a special time between my mom and I.

Sorry. Not really a review. More of a note to myself to remember the little things in life.

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way--in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only."

I'm glad you added your thoughts on A Tale of Two Cities. I always like reading posts like this.... it sometimes makes me think about books differently when I hear about what makes them special to others.

5. Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides
I got this book because I loved The Virgin Suicides so much and the subject of intersexuality fascinating. I found the first half of the book (with the history of the family) extremely interesting. However, the second half of the book seemed to drag for me. It seemed almost like I was reading two separate books brought together by a common theme.

"The mind self-edits. The mind airbrushes. It's a different thing to be inside a body than outside. From outside, you can look, inspect, compare. From inside there is no comparison."

6. The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides
When I read this book years ago when it first came out, I absolutely loved it. Unfortunately, that was so long ago that I can't remember why I loved it so much. :(

"On the morning the last Lisbon sister too her turn at suicide -- it was Mary this time, and sleeping pills, like Therese -- the two paramedics arrived at the house knowing where the knife draw was, and the gas stove, and the beam in the basement from which it is possible to tie a rope. They got out of the EMS truck, as usual moving too slowly in our opinion, and the fat one said under his breath, 'This ain't TV, folks, this is how fast we go.'"

www.johnandsheena.co.uk/books/?p=147

might jog your memory jillbone

7. Catch 22 by Joseph Heller
I started this book with high expectations from the things I had heard about it. And I was not disappointed. I loved the wordplay, doublespeak and engaging characters. It kept me interested throughout my reading. I can definitely see why this novel is considered a classic and "required reading."

"Major Major had been born too late and too mediocre. Some men are born mediocre, some men achieve mediocrity, and some men have mediocrity thrust upon them. With Major Major it had been all three. Even among men lacing all distinction he inevitably stood out as a man lacking more distinction than all the rest, and people who met him were always impressed by how unimpressive he was. Major Major had three strikes on him from the beginning -- his mother, his father and Henry Fonda, to whom he bore a sickly resemblance almost form the moment of his birth."

Just finished 16. If on a Winter's Night a Traveler. Will start 17. Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency by Douglas Adams next.

#17 Thanks for the encouragement on Catch 22. I've had it on my book shelf since the 1980s and just can't seem to gather any interest in actually reading it. Maybe one day.

8. Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice
While not my favorite Anne Rice book (The Queen of the Damned is), it's probably the best known example of humanistic vampires today. A fun and exciting read about vampires that is also well written (take note Stephanie Meyer. However, it's the relationships between the three main characters that drive this book and elevate it to a "must read."

"And what constitutes evil, real evil, is the taking of a single human life. Whether a man would die tomorrow or the day after or eventually... it doesn't matter. Because if God does not exist, then life... every second of it... Is all we have.”

9. The Reader by Bernhard Schlink
Told in 3 parts, The Reader is the story of a 15-year-old young man and his sexual relationship with a 36-year-old woman in Germany. In the first part, they begin their sexual relationship and he reads classic literature aloud to her. Several years later, in the second part, he discovers an astonishing secret about the woman and tries to reconcile this new image with the image he retains of her from the past. I won't describe the third part of the book as it would give away several key plot points.

“Now to escape involves not just running away, but arriving somewhere.”

better than the film jillbone?

I haven't actually seen the film so I can't make a comparison, but it is on my list to watch. I'll let you know once I see it.

10. Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
This is my all-time favorite book. I tend to re-read Gone with the Wind once a year and every year I find some new detail or a new favorite part. If you haven't read this book already, go read it now. You won't regret it.

"Scarlett O'Hara was not beautiful, but men seldom realized it when caught by her charm as the Tarleton twins were."

11. Sexing the Cherry by Jeanette Winterson
I've read almost all of Winterson's books and I'm about 50-50 on liking them. This, however, is not one I liked. While the narration and prose is good, it jumped around a bit too much for my tastes.

“Language always betrays us, tells the truth when we want to lie, and dissolves into formlessness when we would most like to be precise.”

12. Written on the Body by Jeanette Winterson
This is my favorite of Winterson's books. It's beautifully written and evokes a visceral response. As the reader, you can feel the love and obsession the narrator has on every page. It's like a heart in love ripped open and laid bare.

“What I wanted to do was to fasten my index finger and thumb at the bolts of your collar bone, push out, spread the web of my hand until it caught against your throat. You asked me if I wanted to strangle you. No, I wanted to fit you, not just in the obvious ways but in so many indentations.”

13. Atonement by Ian McEwan
Almost everyone I know who has read this book loved it. I wasn't that impressed, but I did think it was a good decent book. I found the first half of the novel better than the second and would give the book a solid 3 stars as a recommendation.

“The anticipation and dread he felt at seeing her was also a kind of sensual pleasure, and surrounding it, like an embrace, was a general elation--it might hurt, it was horribly inconvenient, no good might come of it, but he had found out for himself what it was to be in love, and it thrilled him.”

>26 Jacksonian: I love Winterson and Written on the Body was WONDERFUL... I never would have found her if I hadn't been reading the list. Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit was lovely as well. I haven't gotten to Sexing the Cherry yet...

14. The Passion by Jeanette Winterson
Another Winterson book that I would say is a good solid book but nothing I would write home about. The tale, set against the Napoleonic Wars, is fairly predictable and kind of drags. I wouldn't recommend it if someone asked which Winterson they should read.

"Lovers are not at their best when it matters. Mouths dry up, palms sweat, conversation flags and all the time the heart is threatening to fly from the body once and for all. Lovers have been known to have heart attacks. Lovers drink too much from nervousness and cannot perform. They eat too little and faint during their fervently wished consummation. They do not stroke the favoured cat and their face-paint comes loose. This is not all. Whatever you have set store by, your dress, your dinner, your poetry, will go wrong."

I also found Atonement mediocre. The only book I've read by McEwan that deserves to be read right through to the end is Chesil Beach which is fantastic. For Amsterdam, Enduring Love and Atonement, save yourself some time and quit halfway through. Great endings fizzle out.

>30 arukiyomi: Glad to know I was not the only one unimpressed by Atonement. Although the movie was good (I love Natalie Portman).

15. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
Although I was an English major in college, I somehow made it out with a degree after having read only two books. With 20/20 hindsight, I see how I cheated myself of some great classics -- this being one of them. I loved Jane Eyre. The language and flow kept me interested til the end. Probably my favorite part had to be the fact that neither Jane nor Mr. Rochester is described as being good looking, but their love is true and solid. Loved it.

"Gentle reader, may you never feel what I then felt? May your eyes never shed such stormy, scalding, heart-wrung tears as poured from mine. May you never appeal to Heaven in prayers so hopeless and so agonized as in that hour left my lips; for never may you, like me, dread to be the instrument of evil to what you wholly love"

16. If on a Winter's Night a Traveler by Italo Calvino
I was extremely wary of reading this book. I had heard words bandied about like "magical realism" and "existentialism" and frankly that scared me. Once I started the book, however, I was pleasantly suprised. The first chapter alone made the book worth reading for any bibliophile. Written as 10 first chapters of 10 different books in 10 different styles, the novel is interwoven with chapters from the point of view of You, the Reader. A must-read for those who love books.

“In the shop window you have promptly identified the cover with the title you were looking for. Following this visual trail, you have forced your way through the shop past the thick barricade of Books You Haven't Read, which are frowning at you from the tables and shelves, trying to cow you...And thus you pass the outer girdle of ramparts, but then you are attacked by the infantry of Books That If You Had More Than One Life You Would Certainly Also Read But Unfortunately Your Days Are Numbered. With a rapid maneuver you bypass them and move into the phalanxes of the Books You Mean To Read But There Are Others You Must Read First, the Books Too Expensive Now And You'll Wait Till They're Remaindered, the Books ditto When They Come Out in Paperback, Books You Can Borrow From Somebody, Books That Everybody's Read So It's As If You Had Read Them, Too. ”

>31 Jacksonian: Was Natalie Portman in it? I don't remember her.

I loved Atonement, but I have known a few people who disliked it. The only other McEwan I've read is Chesil Beach, which although the ending was fantastic, I found a bit blegh.

Also, I'm baffled (but very impressed) as to how you got through a degree in English with reading only two books!

>33 nadyaduck: My bad, I don't know what movie I was thinking of, but it wasn't Atonement 'cause I hate Keira Knightley

As for the degree, with a memory like mine I just had to listen to the discussions in class to know or some books are just universal knowledge it seems (as I have no idea where I learned them)

Just wanted to pimp my holiday giving Off-Topic thread here. If anyone's interested leave me a note there.

17. Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency by Douglas Adams
I actually enjoyed this book more that The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. It seemed easier for me to understand and follow and I actually enjoyed all of the beginning exposition (a good third of the book) before the plot really got underway.

"'I live in what are known as hopes. I hope for fascinating and remunerative cases, my secretary hopes that I will pay her, her landlord hopes that she will provide some rent, the Electricity Board hopes that he will settle their bill, and so on. I find it a wonderfully optimistic way of life.'"

18. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
Imagine my surprise upon starting this book only to realize that I've actually already read it before. Since I couldn't remember reading it right away, I have to say I was probably not impressed with the book during the first go round. Thus, as mentioned in the previous post, I found Adams' Dirk Gently a much better fit.

“For instance, on the planet Earth, man had always assumed that he was more intelligent than dolphins because he had achieved so much—the wheel, New York, wars and so on—whilst all the dolphins had ever done was muck about in the water having a good time. But conversely, the dolphins had always believed that they were far more intelligent than man—for precisely the same reasons.”

Going to get started on book 19 tomorrow -- The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon.

Really enjoying your reviews. You've recently reviewed two that I've started and put down for different reasons. Hearing more about the structure of If On a Winter's Night a Traveller, I'm keen to give it yet another go (I've never got beyond the first chapter). The only reason I put down Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency was lack of time so that may also get another airing soon.

Looking forward to what you make of The Shadow of the Wind.

So I forgot to include another book which I had already read:

19. Time's Arrow by Martin Amis
I don't know how I could've forgotten that I read this book. I loved it when I read it several years ago. I was fascinated by the progression of time throughout the novel (I won't say how it progresses in case someone still wants to read it) and how it influenced the characters who are unaware of how this progression differs from normal.

“They're always looking forward to going places they're just coming back from, or regretting doing things they haven't yet done. They say hello when they mean goodbye.”

20. Schindler's Ark by Thomas Keneally
Like most people, I had seen the movie before reading this book. I found the book more moving than the movie, mostly because the detail in the book provided a much deeper sense of character to me. I particularly liked that the book didn't hide the negatives of Schindler's personality, but protrayed him as a well-rounded figure.

"Licht's ring was presented. Oskar spent some time admiring it; he showed the inscription to Emilie and asked Stern for a translation. When he asked where they had got the gold and discovered it was Jareth's bridgework, they expected him to laugh; Jareth was among the presentation committee, ready to be teased and already flashing the little points of his stripped teeth. But Oskar became very solemn and slowly placed the ring on his finger. Though nobody quite understood it, it was the instant in which they became themselves again, in which Oskar Schindler became dependent on gifts of theirs."

Now onto 21. The Shadow of the Wind.

Actually as The Shadow of the Wind is not on the list...

21. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
I honestly don't know why I've never read this book before. I enjoyed every page from start to finish. It was insightful and touching. I laughed and cried and hated that the book was so short.

"I thought that my brother and his friends had created Pig Latin. Hearing my father speak it didn't startle me so much as it angered. It was simply another case of the trickiness of adults where children were concerned. Another case in point of the Grownups' Betrayal."

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (grrrr, touchstones) is only the first volume of her memoirs. You can look forward to many more hours of enjoyment!

22. Native Son by Richard Wright
Although I found this book a compelling read, I just didn't like it. The plot and the characters are well thought out, but it's just one of those books that rubs me the wrong way. I felt no great empathy or sympathy for any of the main characters...except possibly Mr. Max.

"Had he raped her? Yes, he had raped her. Every time he felt as he had felt that night, he raped. But rape was not what one did to women. Rape was what one felt when one's back was against a wall and one had to strike out, whether one wanted to or not, to keep the pack from killing one. He committed rape every time he looked into a white face. He was a long, taut piece of rubber which a thousand white hands had stretched to the snapping point, and when he snapped it was rape. But it was rape when he cried out in hate deep in his heart as he felt the strain of living day by day. That, too, was rape."

Off to start 23. The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul.

#22 Hmmm. Well, THAT's rather troubling. That one isn't on my to-read list, and I think for now it will stay that way!

23. The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul by Douglas Adams
The second installment in the Dirk Gently series. I found this book better than the first in the series and that's saying a lot. Adams' books are thoroughly entertaining and the twisted logic keeps me laughing out loud throughout. Loved it.

"'You could buy cigarettes in the blitz,' protested Dirk. 'People took a pride in it. Even with the bombs falling and the whole city ablaze you could still get served. Some poor fellow, just lost two daughters and a leg, would still say 'Plain or filter-tipped?' if you asked him.'
'I expect you would, too,' muttered a white-faced young policeman.
'It was the spirit of the age,' said Dirk.
'Bug off,' said the policeman.
And that, thought Dirk to himself, was the spirit of this."

Going to start 24. The Time Machine tonight.

24. The Time Machine by H.G. Wells
An exciting re-read. H.G. Wells is probably my favorite author of all time. I love all of his novels and The Time Machine is no exception. The combination of imagination and science kept me enthralled and will continue to do so...no matter how many reads.

"'No. I cannot expect you to believe it. Take it as a lie -- or a prophecy. Say I dreamed it in the workshop. Consider I have been speculating upon the destinies of our race until I have hatched this fiction. Treat my assertion of its truth as a mere stroke of art to enhance its interest.'"

I will try to start December's group read 25. Empire of the Sun tomorrow.

25. Empire of the Sun by J.G. Ballard
Just finished December's group read. I'd seen the movie several years ago and remember loving it, but for some reason I'd never picked up the book before. I loved it--especially Jim's mixed feelings towards the Japanese and American soldiers and the juxtaposition between his maturity (how he handles camp life) and naivety (his views of the world as a whole). I would highly recommend this book.

"He had learned that having someone to care for was the same as being cared for by someone else."

Looks like I'll start 26. Half of a Yellow Sun next.

26. Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
I went into this book thinking I would not enjoy it very much as I've never read a novel set in Africa (not really one of my interests) and the names we hard for me to figure out how to pronounce. But I was very pleasantly suprised. Once I got into the meat of the book, I really enjoyed the differing viewpoints on the Biafran War in Nigeria in the 1960s. I learned all sorts of new stuff and actually can't wait to read my next book 27. White Tiger.

Still, she worried that she had not done enough and that the dream portended some negligence of hers that would harm Baby. When, toward the end of the rainy season, Baby began to cough in drawn-out whistles, Olanna felt relief. Something had happened to Baby. If the heavens were fair, wartime misfortunes would be mutually exclusive; since Baby was sick, she could not be harmed in an air raid. A cough was something Olanna could exercise control over, an air raid was not.

I absolutely loved White Tiger - enjoy!

Half of a Yellow Sun is sitting on a shelf and just might see the light of day in 2012.

27. The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga
A quirky, funny book that's also a quick-read. I really needed something like this to break up the emotional heaviness of my last few books. The narrator of this book kept me intrigued in his life's story with his unabashed and humurous anecdotes. Well done.

"Fully formed fellows, after twelve years of school and three years of university, wear nice suits, join companies, and take orders from other men for the rest of their lives.
Entrepeneurs are made from half-baked clay."

Looks like I'll start 28. The Island of Dr. Moreau tomorrow.

28. The Island of Dr. Moreau by H. G. Wells
I found this Wells novel harder to get into than others. The storyline didn't engage me like The Time Machine, but I still found the idea behind the novel intriguing enough to make it a quick read. All in all, not one of my favorites.

"For it is just this question of pain that parts us. So long as visible or audible pain turns you sick; so long as your own pains drive you; so long as pain underlies your propositions about sin,—so long, I tell you, you are an animal, thinking a little less obscurely what an animal feels.”

Hopefully I can finish 29. The Invisible Man by the end of the year.

29. The Invisible Man by H. G. Wells
Another good novella from a master of early science fiction. A savage tale of lost humanity I thoroughly liked. Although reading Wells' novels has made me realize that every movie version of his tales are completely off book. I think I'll stick to the written word.

"He laughed and put his hand to the locked door. 'Barred out of my own bedroom, by a flagrant absurdity!' he said."

It looks like I have time for one more short book before the end of 2011, so on to 30. The War of the Worlds.

30. The War of the Worlds by H. G. Wells
This will be the last of my reading of Wells' novels for a while until I can find a copy of Tono-Bungay. As with the majority of his novels, I enjoyed this book. The tension throughout the tale was enthralling and the speculation of Mars at that time was quite far-seeing. I do have to say that the ending of the story was made much for enjoyable by my previous reading of Guns, Germs and Steel. Weird thought, right?

"'What good is religion if it collapses under calamity? Think of what earthquakes and floods, wars and volcanoes, have done before to men! Did you think God had exempted Weybridge? He is not as an insurance agent.'"

I'll be starting my 2012 reads a little early with the group reading of The Inheritance of Loss.

31. The Inheritance of Loss by Kiran Desai
My second novel set in India (the first being The White Tiger set in southern India). This book was set in Northern India and highlighted the poverty of the region as well as the effects of colonialism. I also enjoyed the dichotomy of Biju and Sai's paths in life -- from fortune to misfortune. Not a book I would read again, but I did enjoy it.

"At Cho Oyu, the judge and Sai sat out on the lawn. Mutt, catching sight of the shadow of her own tail, leapt and caught it, began to whizz around and around, confused as to whose tail it was. She would not let go, but her eyes expressed confusion and beseeching -- how could she stop? what should she do? -- she had caught a strange beast and didn't know it was herself. She went skittering helplessly about the garden."

Starting 32. Neuromancer tomorrow.

32. Neuromancer by William Gibson
I like science fiction novels. Evidently, however, I don't like all science fiction novels...even classics. I had a hard time following the plot of the book. I'm not very well-versed in computers (although you'd never know it from the amount of time I spend on my laptop) and the bits of technical language and jargon threw me. I did find the novel interesting and can see how it spawned a whole generation of cyberpunk followers.

"Cyberspace. A consensual hallucination experienced daily by billions of legitimate operators, in every nation, by children being taught mathematical concepts... A graphic representation of data abstracted from banks of every computer in the human system. Unthinkable complexity. Lines of light ranged in the nonspace of the mind, clusters and constellations of data. Like city lights, receding...”

I will start 33. The Double tomorrow on my flight from Atlanta to Boston (even though I'm not really looking forward to it).

Well, I haven't read Neuromancer so far but from what I have heard Gibson was not so well versed in computers either and made most of the stuff up without any kind of scientific foundation...but indeed his visions were well-liked and influential to many.

33. The Double by Jose Saramago
Although the first 30 pages or so left me wanting to shoot myself in the face rather than read another line, I quickly picked up Saramago's distinct writing style from that point on. As a grammarian, it was a hard read -- run-on sentences that lasted for paragraphs, paragraphs that lasted for pages and no clear lines of demarcation for his dialogue. The plot, however, was innovative and thought-provoking: what would you do if you discovered you had an exact double?

"We all know that each day that dawns is the first for some and will be the last for others, and that for most people it will be just another day. For the history teacher Tertuliano Maximo Afonso, this day in which we find ourselves, in which we continue to exist, since there is no reason to believe it will be our last, will not just be another day. One might say that it appeared in the world with the possiblity of being another first day, another beginning, and indicating, therefore, another destiny. Everything depends on what steps Tertuliano Maximo Afonso takes today. However, the procession, as people used to say in times gone by, is just about to leave the church. Let's follow it."

Starting 34. Home as soon as I finish typing this sentence.

34. Home by Marilynne Robinson
I hate reading prize-winning books and ending with the feeling that I can't figure out what all the hullabaloo was about. It makes me feel like I've missed something in the reading. Unfortunately, this was one of those books for me. Although a good steady reimagining of the parable of the prodigal son, I just didn't get into it. The pacing of the novel was too slow and stilted for me (not a huge fan of novels as character studies, I prefer plots). But on another note, the mention of hymns throughout the book did have me singing to myself all evening.

"'It is an oddly patient beast, my carnal self. I call it Snowflake. For, you know, its intractable whiteness. Among other things. A certain lingering sentiment attaches to it. It reminds me of my youth.'"

Next, I'm on to a quick read -- 35. The Great Gatsby.

35. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
About three pages into this book, I realized I had already read it in high school, but Fitzgerald's flowing lyricism easily convinced me to re-read it. Touted as an example of The Great American Novel, the novel about poor young man James Gatz transforming himself into millionaire man-about-town Jay Gatsby is a relatively quick read filled with vivid imagery that everyone should read.

"He smiled undestandingly -- much more than understandingly. It was one of those rare smiles with a quality of eternal reassurance in it, that you may come across four or five times in life. It faced -- or seemed to face -- the whole external world for an instant, and then concentrated on you with an irresistible prejudice in your favor. It understood you just as far as you wanted to be understood, believed in you as you would like to believe in yourself, and assured you that it had precisely the impression of you that, at your best, you hoped to convey. Precisely at that point it vanished -- and I was looking at an elegant young roughneck, a year or two over thirty, whose elaborate formality of speech just missed being absurd. Some time before he introduced himself I'd got a strong impression that he was picking his words with care."

Since I finished The Great Gatsby so quickly, I'll start on 36. Frankenstein tonight as well.

I agree with your analysis. It is one of the first "great" books I read and I still remember the story.

36. Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
I say this knowing full well I may incur the wrath of more than a few people: I did not like this book. I had high hopes going into it because I'd heard so many great things, but I found the monster to be unsympathetic and whiny (and extremely chatty) and Frankenstein himself was a melodramatic depressed egomaniac.

"'Hateful day when I received life!' I exclaimed in agony. 'Cursed creator! Why did you form a monster so hideous that even you turned from me in disgust? God in pity made man beautiful and alluring, after his own image; but my form is a filthy type of yours, more horrid from its very resemblance. Satan had his companions, fellow-devils, to admire and encourage him; but I am solitary and detested.'"

Too late right now, but I'm going to start 37. Brave New World tomorrow morning.

and extremely chatty
LOL - just my thoughts! And about Frankenstein himself - actually not very bright outside his laboratory (thinking of his wedding night here) and forever conveniently fainting when action was required.

Jillbone, I think you hit it on the head. Agree with you completely. It might have been acceptable, titalating and yet frighting in its time, but not now. We are too sensitized to it. We have seen horrors that go far, far beyond this whiny creation.

37. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
To say I loved this book is putting it mildly. As soon as I finished, I immediately wanted to pick it up and read it again. Huxley's vision of the future where stability is the watchword reminded me of one of my favorite Philip K. Dick short stories "Stability." Maybe that made me predisposed to enjoy his dystopic vision of a world where progress is not merely arrested, but actively discouraged. I greatly enjoyed how the book seemed to equally condemn the seemingly idyllic future of the Controllers and the savages of the reservations. Simply wonderful.

"No wonder these poor pre-moderns were mad and wicked and miserable. Their world didn't allow them to take things easily, didn't allow them to be sane, virtuous, happy. What with mothers and lovers, what with prohibitions they were not conditioned to obey, what with the temptations and the lonely remorses, what with all the diseases and the endless isolating pain, what with the uncertainties and the poverty -- they were forced to feel strongly. And feeling strongly (and strongly, what was more, in solitude, in hopelessly individual isolation), how could they be stable?"

Since it's already the middle of the night, I might as well start 38. The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen.

38. Great Expectations by Charles Dickens
Although I enjoyed this novel, I found both Pip and Estella to be pretty repulsive characters. I found very few redeeming qualities in either of them despite their supposed "transformations" in the last few chapters. The character I enjoyed the most, however, is Mr. Jagger's clerk Wemmick. The self-styled survivalist (whose home could survive a seige) was warm and engaging throughout the novel. I particularly liked his relationship with his Aged P. which comes off as not only loving but almost bashfully doting.

"Once for all; I knew to my sorrow, often and often, if not always, that I loved her against reason, against promise, against peace, against hope, against happiness, against all discouragement that could be. Once for all; I loved her none the less because I knew it, and it had no more influence in restraining me, than if I had devoutly believed her to be human perfection."

Since it's a nice Friday night and I have nothing else to do, I'll start on 39. The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood in a moment.

I felt sorry for Pip in the beginning but as I get further into the book and get to know him better, I must agree. He is trying out to be rather repulsive. I haven't seen to much of Estella yet but she seems rather snobby so far. I am curious to see how they get 'redemned' in the end.

39. The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood
This was my first Atwood novel and I can easily say it won't be my last. Told in short bursts of chapters, I was thoroughly engrossed in the tale of the Chase sisters interwoven with the novel-within-a-novel, The Blind Assassin. I enjoyed the way that the recollections of the elderly Iris didn't romanticize her past or gloss over the realities of her present.

"She writes like an angel, it says of Laura , on the back of one of the editions of The Blind Assassin. An American edition, as I recall, with gold scrollwork on the cover: they set a lot of store by angels in those parts. In point of fact, angels don't write much. They record sins and the names of the damned and the saved, or they appear as disembodied hands and scribble warnings on walls. Or they deliver messages, few of which are good news: God be with you is not an unmixed blessing.
Keeping all this in mind, yes: Laura wrote like an angel. In other words, not very much. But to the point."

Tomorrow morning I'll start on 40. Snow by Orhan Pamuk.

40. Snow by Orhan Pamuk
I did not like this book. There was just something about the main character, Ka, that rubbed me the wrong way. I think maybe it was his naivete and selfishness in the midst of a revolution between militant secularists and zealous Islamists. His attitude completely negated any tension the author/narrator tried to set up. I know Pamuk won a Nobel Prize in Literature, but I really would not want to read another of his novels...especially if it's similar to this one.

"'There are two kinds of men,' said Ka, in a didactic voice. 'The first kind does not fall in love until he's seen how the girl eats a sandwich, how she combs her hair, what sort of nonsense she cares about, why she's angry at her father, and what sorts of stories people tell about her. The second type of man -- and I am in this category -- can fall in love with a woman only if he knows next to nothing about her.'"

Next I'm going to start on a Group Read -- 41. Foundation by Isaac Asimov.

"The second type of man -- and I am in this category -- can fall in love with a woman only if he knows next to nothing about her.'"

Eew. I am just so done with that mentality. Time to grow up, European men. Still haven't heard anything good about this book, and I'm sorry I had My Name is Red in my TBR pile.

#68 -- I thought he was just handing her a line and that it was supposed to be funny.
Maybe this is why it took me so long to realize that I just wasn't "getting" the whole book!

41. Foundation by Isaac Asimov
It's not really surprising to me that I loved this book. Science fiction has always been a passion of mine and Asmiov is one of the greats. The story is told in five parts (with a significant time lapse between the parts). Set at the ending of the great Empire that has reigned for 12,000 years, psychohistorian Hari Seldon manuevers to start his own society (under somewhat false pretenses) for the eventual rebuilding of a second Empire based on new ideals. As time passes and crises are faced, the Foundation (Seldon's society) changes its approach to situations with respect to knowledge, government, religion and commerce. Foundation's a must-read for sci-fi fans (along with its 2 sequels and 2 prequels).

"Violence is the last refuge of the incompetent.”

On to another group read: 42. Kim by Rudyard Kipling.

42. Kim by Rudyard Kipling
I'm not sure how I feel about this book. I liked the first 2/3 where we get the story of Kim's childhood. I enjoyed the way Kipling showed how Kim was a boy of two worlds (white and Indian), but fully belonging to neither. I think Kipling resolved this issue well by having the boy straddle both worlds and utilizing all of his skills as a member of British Intelligence. What I did not enjoy was the ending. I found it quite contrived, but I guess that is kind of a sign of the times it was written in.

“'I have seen something of this world,' she said over the trays, 'and there are but two sorts of women in it-- those who take the strength out of a man, and those who put it back. Once I was that one, and now I am this.'”

Maybe later tonight I'll start on 43. Cat's Eye by Margaret Atwood.

43. A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess -- I'll be honest...I started off hating this book. Trying to read the first chapter made me want to rip off my own skin inch by inch. Without a corresponding dictionary, the slang Burgess uses is jarring and hard to understand. After a chapter or two, it got better. What ultimately redeemed the book for me, however, was the underlying theme of personal choice. Can we truly be good human beings if we aren't the ones choosing to do these good acts? It's a question everyone should think about

"When a man cannot chose, he ceases to be a man.”

44. Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut -- Maybe it's me. Maybe I'm jaded. But I don't get what all the fuss is about this book. It was an interesting topic (a man becoming "unstuck" in time), but the book never really grabbed me. I only felt compelled to finish it because I hate leaving books unfinished. That's not high praise for a book.

“Everything was beautiful and nothing hurt.”

A Clockwork Orange, although intriguing, is one I'm not sure I'll ever tackle. I tried to movie twice--once in 1980 when I was 18 and in my pseudo-punk stage (hated it--didn't get anarchism at all), and then in my late 30s after I was well into my English major and thinking maybe I was a lot more mature and would "get it." Nope, still found it too disturbing. Scares me off the book. Good for you for giving it an honest try and finding something .... worthy.

#75- I didn't watch the movie until after I read the book, and I found the movie more disturbing. This is typical for me, though- I can read Stephen King all night long, but I can't watch the movies. I agree with you, jill, the message about choice is what makes the book a classic and relatable for all eras.

45. 2001 by Arthur C. Clarke -- This is a book I've been putting off reading. I'm not usually a fan of "hard" science fiction and I remember the movie left me more than a little confused (and subsequently a little afraid of computers). But I was pleasantly suprised by this book. I found the hard science easy to understand because of Clarke's fluid writing. The ending was still a little confusing to me, but it was an enjoyable read and might make me read more of Clarke's works.

"He had traveled these millions of miles in search of mystery; and now, it seemed, the mystery was coming to him."

46. Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro -- I read this book as part of my year long science fiction reading, but it's only science fiction in the vaguest sense of the words. I have to say Ishiguro did a good job fleshing out his characters, yet to me, they still weren't "likeable" characters. Tommy was too childlike and simple, Kathy was too passive and Ruth was just a bitch. But the interactions between them seemed genuine and made the novel an overall "meh." Nothing to write home about but not bad enough to stop reading.

“I keep thinking about this river somewhere, with the water moving really fast. And these two people in the water, trying to hold onto each other, holding on as hard as they can, but in the end it's just too much. The current's too strong. They've got to let go, drift apart. That's how it is with us. It's a shame, Kath, because we've loved each other all our lives. But in the end, we can't stay together forever.”

47. The Dispossessed by Ursula K. Le Guin -- I just finished this book and I have the feeling that I didn't really understand it at all. The science (I still don't know if it was real science or not) went right over my head. The one thing I did learn was that there is no such thing as "utopia." No matter how perfect a society may seem, they all have problems. The secret may be in knowing this fact and not searching for perfection at all.

“It is our suffering that brings us together. It is not love. Love does not obey the mind, and turns to hate when forced. The bond that binds us is beyond choice. We are brothers. We are brothers in what we share. In pain, which each of us must suffer alone, in hunger, in poverty, in hope, we know our brotherhood. We know it, because we have had to learn it. We know that there is no help for us but from one another, that no hand will save us if we do not reach out our hand. And the hand that you reach out is empty, as mine is. You have nothing. You possess nothing. You own nothing. You are free. All you have is what you are, and what you give.”

48. Solaris by Stanislaw Lem -- I confess. I hated this book. There was just way too much science for me. That's really all I can say...except this book gave me a headache.

“We have no need of other worlds. We need mirrors. We don't know what to do with other worlds. A single world, our own, suffices us; but we can't accept it for what it is.”

49. Animal Farm by George Orwell -- For some reason, this book was never on any required reading lists at either my high school or college. It really should have been. Not that it's not a good book for an adult to read, but I think reading it at a younger age could have explained concepts like communism better than any teacher could have. I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

"There was nothing there now except a single Commandment. It ran: ALL ANIMALS ARE EQUAL BUT SOME ANIMALS ARE MORE EQUAL THAN OTHERS"

#48 I just finished it, too, and there was way too much science, but it was all FAKE science, which was even more frustrating. If you're going to write about science, at least help me learn something.

#80+82 I had exactly the same reaction when i read it last year! It was one of my worst 2012 reads.

50. The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien -- I won't be popular for this, but I didn't really enjoy The Hobbit. While the plot was interesting, it seemed every 5 pages there was a song. Meet the dwarves...oh they're singing. Here are some goblins...let them sing about how they want to eat you. Elves...oh they sing a lot too. I feel like the Hobbit movie should just be one long musical number. And I have no idea how they will make 3 movies out of this 1 book. There's really only enough plot for 1.

“There is nothing like looking, if you want to find something. You certainly usually find something, if you look, but it is not always quite the something you were after.”

Funny! I read the Hobbit in about 1978, so I'm not sure, but I think I'd already learned from reading Roald Dahl books that songs meant "skip over". And I'm still puzzled over making it three films.

84 & 85 Jillbone and Nickelini

Tolkien was massively influenced by old Nordic folklore and literature and you see a lot of that reflected in his stories. Back then the lit was pretty much all skaldic poetry and if you look at something like Beowulf there are actually several other poems nested within the larger epic poem. My knowledge of that mythos and literature type is limited, but even so reading The Prose Edda a few years ago was fraught with details, names and themes I recognized as being shamelessly (or perhaps proudly) lifted by Tolkien.

Though I found funnier moments in The Prose Edda than I ever did in Tolkien.

Yeah, Tolkien does not necessarily advertise his sources too strongly but he doesn't hide them either, and Nordic literature would naturally come as a musical or opera (preferably latter, as there seems to be much less dancing).
But yeah, turning the book into three films requires padding it with all kinds of stuff which probably end up suffocating the story. I have no high hopes about.

It's been a really long time since I read the book but the first movie didn't feel fluffy. Or at least the only part I found indulgent I remember from the book--that long bit with the dwarves hangin' at Bilbo's, eatin', singin' and carryin' on.

We'll just have to wait and see about the next ones. As I understand it the supplementary material in the movies isn't fabricated, for the most part it comes from Tolkien's other writings which expand the story and, to a certain extent, smooth over continuity issues between The Hobbit and LOTR.