Elainedav's 1001 list

I found this group a couple of weeks ago and have enjoyed reading other people's threads. So, I bought a copy of the 2012 edition - which arrived today!

I have read shockingly few of the 1001, although I'm not including books I read so long ago that I can't remember the storyline - I will have to re-read those! My totals to date:

Pre 1800: 1
1800s: 18
1900s: 31
2000s: 33

Total overall: 83

2014 summary - started the year on 10 books read and finished on 24. Which means that only 14 of my 60 books read in the year were from the 1001 list! However, I started the year on the bottom of the progress list and ended the year 2 or 3 points up from the bottom (I ended the year 43rd out of 46th). I'm going to keep things simple in 2015 and only log books in Club Read and 1001. I shall aim to read on average, 2 x 1001 books a month and that way, should double by total in a year - if I'm really good, I might even get to 50!!!

2015 summary - failed to meet my aspirational 50 list books by the end of the year. Finished on 44, by reading 20 list books. That was just under half of all the books I read this year. I think the number of list books I am reading is gradually creeping up each year, so I will aim for properly half of all my reading to be list books in 2016. I have re-joined the TBR challenge, which will probably help me along!

2016 summary - finished on 71. My aim was for half of my reading to be 1001 books. I read 51 books in the year, so I achieved that aim! This year I shall aim to get to 100 - that is surely achievable?

Pre 1800:

1. The Unfortunate Traveller by Thomas Nashe September 2013

1800s:

1. Around the World in Eighty Days by Jules Verne
2. Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens November 2013
3. Frankenstein by Mary Shelley July 2014
4. The Pit and the Pendulum by Edgar Allan Poe July 2014
5. Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson August 2014
6. A Journey to the Centre of the Earth by Jules Verne January 2015
7. The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins April 2015
8. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle June 2015
9. The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde July 2015
10. The Fall of the House of Usher by Edgar Allen Poe September 2015
11. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll October 2015
12. A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens December 2015
13. Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll January 2016
14. The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman January 2016
15. The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson July 2016
16. Notes From the Underground by Fyodor Dostoyevsky July 2016
17. The War of the Worlds by H. G. Wells September 2018
18. The Purloined Letter by Edgar Allan Poe September 2019

1900s:

1. Wild Swans by Jung Chang
2. Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden
3. Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck 2012
4. The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Attwood July 2013
5. The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck March 2014
6. One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez August 2014
7. Veronika Decides to Die by Paulo Coelho August 2014
8. The Wasp Factory by Iain Banks October 2014
9. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee March 2015
10. Alias Grace by Margaret Attwood May 2015
11. Midaq Alley by Naguib Mahfouz August 2015
12. Troubles by J G Farrell September 2015
13. The Color Purple by Alice Walker October 2015
14. The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy October 2015
15. Catch 22 by Joseph Heller December 2015
16. The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro January 2016
17. Brighton Rock by Graham Greene January 2016
18. A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess February 2016
19. The Comfort of Strangers by Ian McEwan March 2016
20. Rabbit, Run by John Updike April 2016
21. Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe April 2016
22. Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut July 2016
23. The Call of the Wild by Jack London July 2016
24. I Know Why The Caged Birds Sing by Maya Angelou July 2016
25. Cannery Row by John Steinbeck August 2016
26. The Great Gatsby by F Scott Fitzgerald August 2016
27. Breakfast at Tiffany's by Truman Capote September 2016
28. Animal Farm by George Orwell October 2016
29. A Boy's Own Story by Edmund White February 2017
30. If Not Now, When? by Primo Levi April 2017
31. The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison December 2019

2000s:

1. Life of Pi by Yann Martel
2. The Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes 2012
3. Carry Me Down by M. J. Hyland August 2013
4. The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood August 2013
5. The Line of Beauty by Alan Hollinghurst January 2014
6. There But For The by Ali Smith April 2014
7. White Teeth by Zadie Smith May 2014
8. A Visit From The Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan July 2014
9. The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga July 2014
10. The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt September 2014
11. Nemesis by Phillip Roth December 2014
12. A Gate at the Stairs by Lorrie Moore December 2014
13. The Art of Fielding by Chad Harbach February 2015
14. The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen March 2015
15. The Devil and Miss Prym by Paul Coelho May 2015
16. Freedom by Jonathon Franzen July 2015
17. Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie August 2015
18. The Human Stain by Philip Roth October 2015
19. The Book About Blanche and Marie by Per Olov Enquist January 2016
20. The Master by Colm Toibin February 2016
21. Austerlitz by W. G. Sebald March 2016
22. The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood March 2016
23. The Sea by John Banville April 2016
24. The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri May 2016
25. The Gathering by Anne Enright June 2016
26. American Rust by Phillip Meyer September 2016
27. The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery October 2016
28. The Children's Book by A S Byatt December 2016
29. Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie December 2018
30. A Girl is a Half-formed Thing by Eimear McBride February 2019
31. The Plot Against America by Philip Roth October 2019
32. The Red Queen by Margaret Drabble December 2019
33. Home by Marilynne Robinson March 2020

Welcome and good luck on your journey!

We all started somewhere - welcome!

Happy reading!

Welcome and good luck! I counted ones I was sure I had read, but there were several I thought I had read until I read the synopses, then they didn't sound familiar! So I left those off, as to be (re?)read.

Day off today, so I've been browsing my copy of 1001 books and trying to decide which to read first - instead of tackling my list of things which I should be doing! 1001 books is one of my categories in the category challenge for this year and I'm aiming for at least 4 books from each category. As 1001 is divided into four sections, it seems sensible to go for one book from each section. So, this is my initial selection:

The Unfortunate Traveller by Thomas Nashe
Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens
The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
White Teeth by Zadie Smith

Welcome to the wonderful prevarication that is the 1,001!

I hope the list opens up a wide world of reading that you wouldnt have done otherwise....I know it has for me.

I only seem to have managed 4 books from the list in 2013!! Oh well - must try harder in 2014. With that in mind, I have started the year with The Line of Beauty by Alan Hollinghurst which I borrowed from the library months ago. Off to look at some other threads now to see how well others have progressed with their list in the last year!

What did you think of Carry Me Down? I have a copy that I have been thinking of reading soonish.

Have you found the spreadsheet of all the 1001 editions maybe you will be able to add a few more on your done list.

#14 Carry me Down is good. I enjoyed it - a little sad in places though.

#15 I'm trying to follow the 2012 edition of the list as I have that as a book. But I would like to look at the combined list. I'm sure I saw a link to it yesterday, but now can't find it anywhere - can you point me in the right direction?

www.librarything.com/bookaward/1001+Books+You+Must+Read+Before+You+Die

The above link combines the 2006, 2008 and 2010 editions.

I just noticed that the 2012 additions to the list are also there.

It is nearly the middle of the year. I started 2014 with 10 books read from this list and now I am up to 14. There is just so much out there to read..........and not enough reading time!! I would really, really like to end the year on at least 20 (of the 1001). I've just picked up A Visit From the Goon Squad from the library and have One Hundred Years of Solitude on the pile of books by my bed - so I guess they might get read pretty soon. My immediate target is to get off of the bottom of the progress index!!

>18 Elainedav: Perhaps you should peruse the Shorter books thread ;)

Going on holiday very soon so I have downloaded as many free and cheap 1001 books onto my kindle. That should help me edge my way slowly up the progress list. Just about to finish book 17 - surely I can get to 20 with a week in the sun???

I joined a few days ago and excitedly ticked off all the books I'd read on the combined list.... but now I've read your thread, I am now considering revising my own list to remove any that I can't remember well enough to count--unless, of course I remember that I hated them. Life is too short to reread a bad book!

>21 ipsoivan:
I quite agree. I was looking through my 2012 edition the other day and wondering whether I should list the ones I think I have read but cannot remember the detail, but I think I will just plod on and pick one up from time to time as a re-read. I was looking at your list earlier today - one to be proud of I think. It will take me years to catch you up!!!

>22 Elainedav: Thank you, but reading and remembering are quite a long way apart for me, so while I may be glad that I have been exposed to a lot of great books in my life, I sure wish I had enough recall of them to discuss them with other book lovers like those in this group.

When I look at the reviews of many in the group, I long to reread what I only vaguely remember, which will be quite a few. Writing my own reviews as I go will help me remember them. I will repost my list after editing.

Just finished Treasure Island this morning. So have quickly updated just in case there is time to sneak it in before Jonny updates the progress list. Hoping to be off of the bottom of the list this time!

The Wasp Factory by Iain Banks

There are a couple of short reviews out here that sum up this book perfectly - one is 'horrible, I couldn't put it down'. That pretty much sums it up!

This is the story of Frank who has a mentally ill brother, Eric. The story centers on the life of Frank and his father on a small Scottish island. Eric has escaped from a secure institution and is threatening to return.

Parts of the book reflect on Frank and Eric's childhood and parts on their present day. The whole story is filled with psychological horrors that basically made me feel that the whole family needed to be locked up!

>25 Elainedav: "'horrible, I couldn't put it down." is an excellent review! :)

2014 summary - started the year on 10 books read and finished on 24. Which means that only 14 of my 60 books read in the year were from the 1001 list! However, I started the year on the bottom of the progress list and ended the year 2 or 3 points up from the bottom (will have to check this!). I'm going to keep things simple in 2015 and only log books in Club Read and 1001. I shall aim to read on average, 2 x 1001 books a month and that way, should double by total in a year - if I'm really good, I might even get to 50!!!

I'm thinking about going backwards from the end of the 2012 edition, which I think means The Art of Fielding is next. The more up to date books tend to be the ones I enjoy more - although I didn't love A Gate at the Stairs. Have a couple of days off now, so will probably make a 'hit list' of books that appeal. Really want to read A Suitable Boy but slightly intimidated by the size of it!!

Happy new reading year everyone.

>27 Elainedav: Really want to read A Suitable Boy but slightly intimidated by the size of it!!

That is an excellent book and a surprisingly quick read.

Wait -- The Art of Fielding is a 1001 book? I had no idea. I think I want to read that too!

Really want to read A Suitable Boy but slightly intimidated by the size of it!!

I've tried to read it twice and given up halfway through. It's not a bad book (obviously) but it doesn't completely absorb my attention.

I will finish it though; next time I pick it up I'll start halfway through, no need to read it all over again for the 3rd time.

Yes, it is :-)

I agree with Eliz; I loved A Suitable Boy and it is quite readable!

Not doing well yet with my aim of 2 1001 books a month this year. I've started A Journey to the Centre of the Earth this morning and have ordered four more books from the Library and Amazon. I'm hoping that having a pile of 1001 books near to me at all times will inspire me to read them - the problem might be the piles of other books!

Not a good start to the year. Only read 3 books in total in January (compared to 7 last year!) including 1 x 1001. Never mind, determined to do better in February. Just started my second 1001 of the year The Art of Fielding - I'm not into sports AT ALL, but am already hooked on this book! I have Freedom by Jonathan Franzen ready to read, from the library but am waiting for The Corrections to arrive from Amazon first! That should take care of a good chunk of February!

It's not the quantity, it's the quality :)

How did The Art of Fielding go? As it's the last book on my 2012 list I'm tempted to make more of an effort to read this just 'because' :-).

>36 M1nks:
I really enjoyed The Art of Fielding. I'm not a sports person at all and I know nothing about baseball, but that didn't get in the way. The storyline is really interesting and not all sports related. The characters are strong and interact well. To be honest, I probably would not have read this if I wasn't following the list, but it was a good demonstration to me of how first impressions can be wrong and why following a list like this is good for expanding my reading. Go for it - it's a great read!

No updates for a while, so here are some quick thoughts on the 1001 books I've read so far this year:
A Journey to the Centre of the Earth - an ok read, not as good as Around the World in 80 Days, but interesting and fascinating all the same. I think you have to not think too deeply about this book and just enjoy the story otherwise you could be overly critical both in the way that the story becomes so far fetched and also around the practicality.

The Art of Fielding - I didn't expect to like this book much, but I loved it! The sports element is an important part of the story but for me, the relationships were much more interesting. There is the unlikely homosexual relationship, the strained father and daughter relationship and the same daughter falling into the arms of a sportsman possibly on the rebound from a failed marriage.

The Corrections - I found this a bit of a slog to be honest and that's a shame because I have Freedom in my to be read pile and now I'm not so keen to try it. Th Corrections is ok. The storyline is extremely valid - a parent suffering from dementia and all three grown up children have complicated adult lives and very different views on what to do/how to help. It was just too slow and too long.

To Kill a Mockingbird - I thought this might be a re-read as the characters were so familiar, but now I'm not so sure. This is the story of Scout and her brother Jem, who are brought up by their father in a deeply pre-judiced area of the USA. Really looking forward to the publication of the follow on novel later this year. Definitely the best book I have read so far this year.

The Moonstone - Not finished this yet, but am enjoying it so far. The moonstone is a large indian diamond which seems to bring bad luck with it. Considering the book is so dated, it is written in a way which means that it is an easy read.

So, I'm up to 29! Three more books and I will inch myself up a notch on the progress index! Really admire those people who have recently achieved 200 and 400 books - I will be happy to reach 50 this year.

Three more to add, now up to 32!

The Devil and Miss Prym
The main protagonist sets out to prove that 'given the right set of circumstances every human being on this earth would be willing to commit evil'. This premise proves for an interesting, slightly strange little story. An easy and quick read.

Alias Grace
Loved this. Grace is incarcerated for murder but it's not very clear whether she committed the murder or not. The book follows her life story from childhood through to adult hood, through different housekeeping roles, into prison and life afterwards.

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
This is an easy read. Lots of short stories packed into one volume. That's not my favourite type of book - I prefer one longer story, so I lost interest a bit in the middle, read something else and then went back and finished it.

Not sure what is next on my 1001 list. I still have Freedom on loan from the library, but as I didn't enjoy The Corrections that much, I'm finding lots of other books more preferable at the moment! Eventually I will get around to it no doubt.

>39 Elainedav: Jonathan Franzen and I are not the best of friends. Freedom was such a slog for me, so I'm listening to The Corrections on audio, which means it's moving MUCH faster. He uses too many words, imo.

Two more:

The Importance of Being Earnest
This has been lurking on my kindle for ages and ages and I picked it a couple of weeks ago, whilst on holiday, partly because I wanted something short to read. I was pleasantly surprised! I don't usually read plays, but it was easy to follow, amusing and entertaining!

Freedom
I've been putting this off for ages, because I didn't particularly enjoy The Corrections. But I think this is much better. It is still very, very descriptive and I think this makes the storyline plod along a bit - by another author it could be a book half the size I think. But, that said, it's interesting, it explores 'freedom' in a number of different ways and from different perspectives and I like the addition of an autobiographical section within the narrative.

>41 Elainedav: My impression of Jonathan Franzen is that he uses way too many words. I've read both Freedom and The Corrections and he just makes me tired. I feel like I'd get more out of the stories if there weren't so many words.

>42 amaryann21:
Couldn't have put it better myself. I quite enjoyed Freedom but it did go on a bit!

Thought you might enjoy this conversation about Franzen -- from Twitter but I can't embed the tweets here.

Matthew Yglesias: Am I supposed to have different opinions about David Foster Wallace & Jonathan Franzen or the same one?
Jeet Heer: Same opinions but different affect. Sadness tinged with anger for DFW. Anger tinged with sadness for JF

August updates in time for the progress list:

Midaq Alley - I picked this up as part of the august group read and am so glad that I did. It's a fascinating little book with really interesting characters. I was left wondering how different it would be if it was written today - or would it, in fact, be very similar?

Half of a Yellow Sun - wow! I think this might be my only 5* read this year! What an amazing story, rooted in fact and written by an author with an authentic and relevant background for research via her parents. Although the story is based in war time Nigeria, you get swept along with the humanitarian storylines. The descriptions are so clear that you get a real picture of what life must have been like at this time. A very powerful book, with a storyline that will stay with me for a long time I think.

Currently reading Troubles, the September group read. That means I am now officially following the combined list, not just the 2012 list. Oh well!

Latest reads:

Troubles
This was an OK read. I rumbled along with the characters and storyline, but the deeper meaning of the novel would have passed me by had I not followed the September read thread! The book is about an englishman in a decaying Irish hotel.

The Color Purple
What a fabulous book! This book is written as a series of letters - at the beginning of the book Celie writes to God and her narration reveals aspects of her life. Later on she writes to her sister Nettie, who she was seperated from when she married.

The God of Small Things
This book is about twins and alternates between their childhood and when they are reunited in their thirties. There are alsorts of themes within the novel, the caste system, the special bond between twins, ordinary family life, death, forbidden love etc.

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
This was probably a re-read, although I don't remember exactly when I have read this before. I was surprised it was such a short novel, but I suppose we are used to seeing it in an illustrated form - so just text on a kindle is much shorter! A quick read, very familiar and probably more enjoyable as a child than as an adult!

Nearly time to summarise for the year and think about books and challenges for next year!

Catch 22 Possibly my last list book of 2015.
Not enjoying this one at all. About half way through and determined not to give up! I like the setting and the premise but I think I prefer books with a stronger storyline. I do like the character Yossarian and his constant attempts to avoid missions and I did have a little chuckle at the 'I see everything twice' sequence in the hospital. But overall, I think I prefer an Andy McNabb style of war time fictional account!

Sadly, this will probably be my last list book of 2015 as it will take me all week to finish it - perhaps I will start 2016 with some short list books!

2015 summary - failed to meet my aspirational 50 list books by the end of the year. Finished on 44, by reading 20 list books. That was just under half of all the books I read this year. I think the number of list books I am reading is gradually creeping up each year, so I will aim for properly half of all my reading to be list books in 2016. I have re-joined the TBR challenge, which will probably help me along! If I equal 2015, I will get to 64 list books - so 70 seems a reasonable target for 2016 (might have to throw in a few short books to try and achieve that!)

I find the progress index quite motivational too. I was at the bottom of the list not so long ago and I have ended 2015 at 47th position, out of 51. It would be great to be mid table, but I think I am still a few years away from that!

There were two other first 1001 experiences for me in 2015. I took part in a couple of group reads and because of this, I have flipped from the 2012 list to the combined list. So, in terms of a very basic statistic, I have read 44 out of 1318 books, or am 3% through the list!!

Just added my first 2016 list book to my totals above. Through the Looking Glass - I'm sure I've not read this before although lots of the characters are very familiar. I love it, especially the rhyming poetry. Nice, quick, easy read to get 2016 off to a good start! Still haven't finished Catch 22 though, I guess I should keep plodding on with that.

I downloaded some more free kindle versions of list books this morning - most of the older classics seem to be available this way. And last week, as a late christmas present to myself, I bought a few second hand 1p books from Amazon. The Black Dahlia is the only one that has arrived so far - I expect they will be popping through the letter box most days this week. TBR physical pile is growing and growing! I can never understand it when people say they have nothing to read - I have quite the opposite issue.

Latest reads:

A Christmas Carol - a classic and a nice easy read. It's one of those where you know the story but somehow in book form there is something more that you either missed or wasn't included in a TV production.

Through the Looking Glass - I think I liked this more than Alice in Wonderland. I liked the idea that everything was a mirror version and therefore kind of backwards. And the chess theme that runs throughout was interesting too. Very clever.

The Book About Blanche and Marie - such and interesting book. Obviously a smattering of fact throughout the book, but where fact ends and fiction begins, I have no idea. Fascinating.

The Yellow Wallpaper
This is a creepy little short story. It makes you think about mental health and how you might be affected if shut in one room.

The Remains of the Day
Described by others as 'the memoirs of a lonely man' this is the account of Stevens, the aging butler as he travels to Devon. He is off to see Miss Kenton, a previous employee of Darlington Hall and along the way he reflects on his life and the things he has experienced.

Brighton Rock
I liked this partly for the setting in Brighton - a city I know, not well, but a little bit! The characters of Pinkie, Rose and Ida are well developed with lots of detail given about the way they live their daily lives. I loved the ending with Rose contemplating her future.

The Master
I've put off and put off reading this book, but I love it - about 100 pages to go as I write this. It is a fictional account of the life of the author Henry James. He is (mostly) away from his family and living in London and later in Rye on the English coast, but with frequent trips to Paris, Florence and Venice. It is a really interesting account, but I have no idea what is fact and what is fiction - I don't think that matters!

>52 Elainedav: I liked both those books too.

When I read Brighton Rock, I didn't know much about the city. When I visited, I found that it was nothing at all like what I'd imagined in reading the novel! Very much nicer.

The Comfort of Strangers

Austerlitz

The Blind Assassin

Rabbit, Run
I've read reviews that say this book is the weakest one in the series. I hope so, because I didn't find it really compelling to be honest. It covers Rabbit's early adulthood, marriage, children, adultery. My understanding is that the next book picks up ten years on.

Things Fall Apart

The Sea
I found this book really sad. It's a kind of narrative prowse with the main character grieving his recently deceased wife, in a guest house which has childhood significance - near the sea. I found it slightly tedious to be honest.

The Namesake
Not finished this yet, but I love it! It is the story of Gogol, whose parents move to America from India. It is partly a study of culture with the parents staying very traditionally bengali and the children growing up very much american.

I've finally reached 60! I might make it to 100 by the end of next year.

yay! Congratulations! I always love it when I hit a round number and reach a new decade.

I've read three of the four of your recent reads, The Sea being the exception. I really need to get back to the Rabbit books, because I haven't gone on with them.

congrats on reaching 60! it feels good to hit a milestone

No update for ages! These are my latest reads:

The Gathering
This was a bit of a slog. Lots of reflecting on the cause of the main characters brothers suicide. Not an uplifting book!

Slaughterhouse-Five

The Call of the Wild
I loved this, although it is not a happy story (but it is available for free from amazon as a kindle download!) A very emotional, memorable story about a dog during the gold rush era.

I Know Why The Caged Birds Sing

The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde

Notes From the Underground

Cannery Row
What a treat. I've been saving this one all year to read just before our trip to the California coast this summer. A great little book. Very observational as is commonly the case for Steinbeck. Not much of a storyline really, it's more about how the community in this small place get along with one another, their aspirations for others as well as themselves and the variety of characters. I particularly liked the Chinese man who walked down to the shore every evening and back up every morning, didn't speak and no-one really knew who he was or where he lived.

The Great Gatsby
I really enjoyed this. Somehow, I didn't know the story, having missed all the school plays, films etc based on this book and it wasn't at all what I thought it might be. It is a tragic love story which unfolds during one summer and involves two neighbours and their freinds.

Breakfast at Tiffany's
I loved this little story. It is narrated by the occupier of one of the other flats where Holly Golightly lives. We watches her, befriends her, helps her and ultimately is abandoned by her. It is very sad in places (especially when she leaves the cat in the street). It ends quite abruptly - I didn't realise the rest of the book was other short stories, so wasn't prepared for the book to finish!

American Rust
Great book. Not sure why I liked it so much as it's quite a depressing story. It is about two grown teenagers/young men who should both have gone to college, but didn't for different reasons. They are drifting and get caught up in something bad. One hits the road, but is eventually drawn back to his family. The other ends up in prison.

The Elegance of the Hedgehog
This is definitely a book which I wouldn't have read if it wasn't on the list. The cover didn't appeal to me, the title is a bit weird and it's a translation. However, I really enjoyed it, so it just goes to show how wrong first impressions and prejudices can be. There are two narrators in the book, the fifty something year old concierge of a building in Paris and the 12 year old daughter of one of the occupiers of the flats. There is lots of description and reflection and somewhere buried in this the story gradually unfolds. It is really well written.

>61 Elainedav: I listened to this as an audiobook and I loved it. I mean to go back and actually read it and see how the experience compares. The movie tries to capture it well, and does an admirable job, but there's some magic in the story that it can't capture on film.

I seem to have stalled a bit. I'm on book number 5 for 2017 and not even picked up a 1001 book yet. Oh dear!

Still reading but not read much from the list for a long time. Listing the 2018 additions here so that I remember what they are - and then I am going to update my 'read' list. Still not made it to 100, perhaps 2019 is the year!

Goldfinch by Donna Tartt
The Circle by Dave Eggers
Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
The Flamethrowers by Rachel Kushner
A Girl is a Half-Formed Thing by Eimear McBride
The Story of the Lost Child by Elena Ferrante
H is for Hawk by Helen Macdonald
10:04 by Ben Lerner
H(A)PPY by Nicola Barker
Winter by Ali Smith