DECEMBER 2012 -- What 1001 book(s) are you reading?

I am reading Slaughterhouse Five on paper and listening to The Plot Against America on audiobooks. They are a strangely complementary pairing and I'm enjoying the dual read very much.

Got sick of waiting for Cloud Atlas to arrive from the library (it must be a slow read because it takes a long time for one to get returned!) So, I checked out Northanger Abbey yesterday... my final Austen.

Cloud Atlas is a rather large book, I think about 450 pages. But in my opinion it will be worth the wait!

This month I am determined to finish two books that I started to read months ago, White Teeth and Wilhelm Meister's Apprenticeship.

I notice that every time they make a book into a movie, there's an exceptionally long wait to check it out all of a sudden. That's probably what's going on with Cloud Atlas.

Only five more List books to reach my target of 84 for the year (7 per month). Likely to be Slaughterhouse-Five, The Brief Wondorous Life of Oscar Wao, A Tale of Two Cities, The Rebel and The Golden Asse.

Then off for a couple of weeks by the beach with something non-List - might make a start on the Game of Thrones series.

I'm sure you all must be right about Cloud Atlas... it must be the movie. Definitely hoping it's worth the wait!

I haven't seen the movie, but the book (and anything by Mitchell) is so good.

I'm reading Love in a Cold Climate and it's pretty funny. I hope the humor keeps up!

I've currently got Rebecca, Animal Farm and Pilgrim's Progress on the go.

I found a copy of Rebecca in my office at work and, being a big Hitchcock fan, just had to borrow it! It has already sucked me right in. Animal Farm has been on my radar for so long I felt like I had to read it. There is a story about why I've always put off reading it, but I think I'll save it for when I finish it. As for Pilgrim's Progress, no I'm not on an allegory kick, I just felt that my pre-1800 reading had been sadly lacking and had a kindle version of it. Does anyone know if the 1001 list version includes both parts, or is it just Part 1?

261 - Slaughterhouse Five - 4 Stars. Read this with the December 1001 Group Read.

Currently reading Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro.

I just finished Oscar and Lucinda (fabulous) and Disgrace (horrible). Not sure what is up next.

Jonny-it seems that both parts are included. The section in the 1001 book talks about part 2 and Christina's journey. And I'll be curious to hear your Animal Farm story.

Finished (and enjoyed) Northanger Abbey... next up is The Inheritance of Loss.

How have I not read Jane Eyre before now? Enjoying it thoroughly!

The only thing throwing me off is that I'm reading it on my Kindle as part of a collection of all the works of the Bronte sisters, so the progress percentage does not include only Jane Eyre. I have no idea of where I am in the book, or when it may end - it's messing with my mind!

It's been months since I was able to read a 1001 list book, but I'm now finding time to squeeze in The Comfort of Strangers by Ian McEwan.

262 - The Cubs and Other Stories - 3.5 Stars. An entertaining collection of short stories. The title story is interestingly written in a stream of consciousness style--very fast paced reading with imbedded dialogue. The other stories are written in a very convetional style. Interesting characters, plots and out-comes.

Starting The Dispossessed by Ursula K. Le Guin today.

I feel an urge to get my teeth into one of the longer works on the list now that I've finished Rebecca and the holiday season approaches.

I'm thinking about Les Miserables. Anyone care to convince me otherwise, or is it worth the effort? Moby Dick is another option.

I think most seem to enjoy Les Mis. I'm planning on reading it sometime in 2013, it's one of those on my list of selections from my -translated from French- category.

I loved Les Mis. One of my favorite books. . .except for the section on the gutters of Paris.

Right now I'm listening to Titus Groan. Just finished 2666 (what a bear!) and Kitchen a perfect short followup. Will probably start Stranger in a Strange Land next.

Just finished The Moonstone which is absolutely brilliant - please all go and read this if you haven't already :)

Trying to finish a couple off before year end - still have French Lieutenant's Woman hald done and The red and the Black a third done. I'm not allowed to start any more till these are done!

@22 - How are you finding Titus Groan sabrina? I imagine it could work brilliantly as an audio book.

It is one of my few 5* books. I absolutely loved it, the way the language created such a brilliant and bizarre world in my head. I was completely sucked into it. Steerpike is one of my favourite characters of all time!

@23 - The Moonstone looks like a cracker. Time to make room for it up near the top of my TBR list me thinks.

I've started The Cubs and Therese Raquin. Both of them just jumped into my hand at the library. Funny how they do that.

I recently started reading Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency. I haven't gotten very far yet, but it's made me laugh a couple times.

@24 Jonny, I love it. Sometimes I worry that I've zoned out and missed something important, but it's all rich character development so far. Perfect audiobook. It reminds me of all the Discworld novels I've listened to.

#263 - Waiting for the Barbarians - 4.5 Stars. I thought this book was great! An easy, direct style of writing, very good character development and a great story line.

I made a start on Albert Camus' The Rebel but realised after about 30 pages (and scanning the remaining pages of the book) that this was going to be a struggle! The book appears to be a philosophical text on the nature of rebellion and is a historical analysis rather than a work of fiction. I'm sure its required reading for philosophy and political majors at university, and it may well be a key work on these subjects, but it was of no interest to me. So I've abandoned a List book for the first time ever!

On to Slaughterhouse-Five.

Recently started reading A Christmas Carol. Hope to finish it in time for Christmas!

I am reading The Magus by John Fowles.

I'm reading A Christmas Carol too, but it's not counting as a 1001 book for me as I've already read it.

Exercises in Style by Raymond Queneau. I've been saving this one because I knew it would be FUN. And it is.

Starting Wild Swans. So far it's good.

I've made more progress with Wild Swans, which has been on my bookshelf since 2007 and on my wish list for several years before that. I know why I hesitated to pick it up though--it's brutal. I'm only on page 101, but every single page has either someone being unjustly killed or people just being nasty to other people. And the communists haven't even taken control yet. Not sure I'm going to make it to page 650 at this rate.

I'm questioning why this book is on the 1001 list, as it's a memoir that reads like a memoir (it doesn't feel like a novel). The writing is fine, but certainly not literary. I realize that this is an important work that documents under-reported yet important historical events, but there are many other memoirs that do that too. Why does this one make the list?

I've never understood that either. I loved the book. It was one of the first memoirs about life in a repressive regime that I read, and it made a huge impression on me. However, I still want to think of the 1001 books list as fiction to read before I die, and this is decidedly not.

I'm currently reading Testament of Youth by Vera Brittain which is another memoir on the 1001 List. This one is about the impact of WW1 on the generation that lived through it.

I've picked up Out of Africa as my 100th book for the year (no, they've not all been 1001 books!) and am going to try and finish it in 2012. Meep.

I read To Kill a Mockingbird the weekend before Christmas. I read the book before in my teens but didn't remember any of it as I've discovered reading it the second time. It was a great book to read and even if I did remember it reading it from a kids point of view and then as an adult would pretty much make it two very different experiences.

>39 kiwiflowa: Same for me, but last year. I know I read it in school as a child, but I really remembered nothing of it (which is rare for me; obviously I don't retain all sorts of details from books read 20yrs ago, but I generally remember the basic idea!), and very much enjoyed reading it now. I'm sure a lot of it is lost on kids, but it's a fabulous book for all ages. :)

Hoping to squeeze one last 1001 book in this year with a quick one -- Pipi Longstocking.

Just started Solaris by Stanislaw Lem.

Snuck in two more before the end of the year.

#265 - The Crying of Lot 49 - 2 Stars. A post modern narrative which turned out not to be my style.

#266 - Hawksmoor - 3.5 Stars. A twisted, macabre tale of spirits, mystery and death. Watch for the January 1001 Group Read thread to get involved in this book.

- The Crying of Lot 49 - 2 Stars. A post modern narrative which turned out not to be my style.

Yep! That about sums it up. It had a few moments but not enough.

Just finished Solaris by Stanislaw Lem. Hated it.

I did finish the Out of Africa part of my book, but am still going on Shadows in the Grass, and it's now well into 2013 in my neck of the woods. Not sure if that quite counts as a 2012 read or not. :)

Great read at any rate, glad I finally got around to it. (This copy has been gathering dust at my place for 4+ years. Sigh.)

#43> George, Hawksmoor sounds good, and I generally like Peter Ackroyd. Might have to keep an eye open for that one, although I'm already rather over committed to group reads this January!

Now reading Ficciones by Borges.

Looks like we need a JANUARY 2013 WAYR? thread.

What's the etiquette here, can anyone start the thread?

Jonny, anyone can start the new thread! Here's the January 2013 one: http://www.librarything.com/topic/147390#