January 2015: What 1001 books are you reading?

I'm reading Sula for the group read and on audio I'm listening to Trollope's The Warden -- two short goodies to start the new year.

I'm reading and loving The Children's Book by A.S. Byatt.

>1 annamorphic: The Warden isn't on the list, is it?

I am reaching the end of 2666, what an impressive work! Next will be Smell of Sadness for the group challenge.

>3 Simone2:, What wretch at 1001 put The Last Chronicle of Barset on the list without any of the others?? The same person who included Castle Richmond, because to read it (they say) is to "experience a novel that ultimately fails," and another Trollope that is "his longest and darkest" novel. But not the lovely, popular classic The Warden??
Has anybody read the Last Chronicle without having gone through the first five? So cruel, so cruel.

>4 annamorphic: I agree that Trollope's representation on the list is all wrong. That being said, I absolutely loved the Barsetshire series and think it's very worth reading. Very annoying that only the last book is on the list, though.

I agree with you and I'm reading the other Barchester Novels before The Last Chronicle of Barset.

This month, I'll be reading Sula for the group read, Journey to the Center of the Earth and A Visit from the Goon Squad. Or at least that's the plan. Also hope to read the Swann's Way to kick off my yearlong read of Remembrance of Things Past.

Still working on Moby Dick very slowly as my "work book"-- probably will not finish it this month though, at least not at the rate I've been going.

I'm halfway through Atonement and loving it.

I'm reading The pursuit of love and four chapters in, it's great!

I'm reading The Castle of Otranto for my commute read and Vanity Fair for my audio book. I'm really enjoying Vanity Fair, it's not at all what I expected it to be.

Approaching the halfway point of Anna Karenina and also reading The Book of Disquiet.

I'm reading Cataract for the group challenge and feeling as if this is a book that was put on the list by somebody who had not actually read it but who asked a Ukranian colleague "what do you think is an important Ukranian book?" It is not a novel but a memoir, totally written for an audience of other Ukranian literary dissidents; it has 15 pages of (necessary) historical introduction and 40 pages of endnotes to its 180 pages of text. Ugh! At least it's short.

Now on Complicity for my personal challenge and thinking "Oh gosh, am I going to have to read 3 more books by this author?" I hate books that include (multiple) descriptions of a person ambushing unsuspecting victims at their own homes and torturing them. Seriously not my thing.

I just finished the audiobook of Rabbit Run and am debating whether to go with Harry's life or not.

Currently reading Remains of the Day with the British authors challenge. It's been on MT TBR since 2012 so it helps with my ROOT challenge, too.

Cakes and ale is on top of the pile and I'll start it later today. Have no idea what to expect.

I've just finished The Children's Book which was spectacular - a new favorite for me.

Now I'm going to start Sula. I've also started Can you forgive her? by Trollope. It is not on the list, but the next book in the Palliser series, Phineas Finn is.

I'm reading The Temple of Dawn, which is the third book in the Sea of Fertility tetralogy by Yukio Mishima. I loved the first two books in the series, but this one isn't grabbing me the same way.

@jfetting: I had a similar reaction. The first two books were great, but the series lost steam as it went on.

I'm in an Italian mood, so I'm going to read I'm Not Scared by Niccolo Ammanti.

>19 Nickelini: That's next up for me as well. Meanwhile, I'm still working on the same two from >11 ursula:.

Just finished The Brothers Karamazov and am now focusing on two of the toughest books on the list Ulysses and Infinite Jest. I am also about to start House of Leaves. I wasn't planning on reading these three all at once but they all came up for my book groups so it's a great opportunity to really delve into these wonderful novel.s

>21 M1nks: Wow, quite a challenge but then again, you do race through your books in no time, so you'll probably be finished by the end of the month!

I recently finished Orlando, and I'm currently reading Joseph Andrews.

I'm reading The Sorrows of Young Werther for my new year's resolution and actually quite enjoying it.

On paper I am plowing through Short Books for my new year's resolution because on audio I'm trying to listen to at least a couple of Trollope's Barsetshire novels before I do the one on the list, The Last Chronicle of Barset. I LOVE The Warden so this is not too painful. Just finished Blue of Noon and am looking at a short Doris Lessing next. Or maybe A Modest Proposal -- can this really be only 8 pages long?

So... I'm starting in The Swarm. Anyone here to encourage me?!

>26 Simone2: I thought The Swarm was fun -- it was a great airplane/vacation read. It felt like a John Grisham science-fiction book, if that makes sense.

I recently finished A Hero of Our Time by Mikhail Lermontov and because the title similarity amuses me, have started The Time of the Hero by Mario Vargas Llosa.

After finishing Joseph Andrews I'm now reading The Midwich Cuckoos, and will probably finish it today. Next up will be Nausea.

Like >25 annamorphic:, I'm also reading a Trollope prequel: Can You Forgive Her?, which is the first book of the Palliser series that continues with Phineas Finn.

I'm reading The Last World and loving the language and feel of the book. I haven't read Metamorphoses, so I feel like I'm missing a lot of the story. I'm definitely inspired to pick up Ovid next!

I am reading Catch-22 by Heller. It's taking awhile because I am reading it in short chunks. It's an awesome book but reading too much at once is exhausting. There is just so much in there!

I finished both I'm Not Scared and Anna Karenina, which were stellar reads - one short and one looong. :)

Now I've started Orlando.

That's one of my favourite books. I didn't find it exhausting personally, I can't remember but it might have even been read in one or two sittings. I think it's wonderful how books impact us all in such different ways.

Infinite Jest has been a lot denser for me, probably similar in how you feel about Catch-22. Only 100 pages to go though, the last half I've been speeding through with fewer sanity breaks needed.

I finished The Time of the Hero by Mario Vargas Llosa and have started Hyperion, or The Hermit in Greece. I was hoping for a snow day in order to read a substantial chunk of it, but Winter Storm Juno has been much milder than expected and work will be open by noon.

I'm listening to The Hound of the Baskervilles on audio. It's a book I know I've read at some point, but for some reason didn't cross off the list when I did my initial look at what I had read. I figured I might as well listen to it again since I didn't remember all the details. Plus, it's short!

I finished The Grass is Singing which was just great and am now starting Billy Bathgate also for my new year's resolution. On audio, listening to Mrs. Dalloway read by Annette Bening. At first it bothered me that the reader was American but in fact she's really good at dealing with Woolf's style.

I read Half of a Yellow Sun, Untouchable and just about done with Ulysses for January. I read the first book of the first movement of A Dance to the Music of Time or A Question of Upbringing.

I neglected my 1001 books last year but have made a great start to 2015 finishing two books in January: Ragtime and The Vicar of Wakefield. Thoroughly enjoyed them both. I am enjoying all your posts about what you are reading and I'm noting down book titles that sound interesting.

I finished The Red Room today - kind of like New Grub Street, but Swedish and not as good.

I think I'll be starting Queen Margot and really need to get back to Arrow of God. I realized how close I am to the 400 mark (three books to go) so making a big push....ETA Queen Margot at 500+ pages is not looking like the best book for this!

I had a low January re. 1001 books, finishing just Sula and An Artist of the Floating World. Now reading Tipping the Velvet by Sarah Waters. February will definitely be better with at least 4 books planned.

I just started Blood and Guts in High School last night. Hm.

>40 ursula: - good luck with that one. I didn't even want to donate that one when I finished.

I am in the middle of The Swarm. You are right, Eliz_M, what a pageturner! Fascinating theme as well!

Just finished Flaubert's Parrot (liked), Rites of Passage (liked), Blindness by Henry Green (liked) and Crash by Ballard (not so much).

Now reading Quo Vadis by Sienkiewicz.

I'm reading The Decay of the Angel, the last of the Sea of Fertility books.

There is a thread for February here:

http://www.librarything.com/topic/187546

>38 aliciamay:

But Queen Margot, and well, Alexandre Dumas' works in general, are so fast-paced, it'll actually be a great way to get to the 400 mark.