May 2016: What 1001 Books are you Reading?

Happy May Day!

What 1001 books are you reading in the month of May?

I finally finished The Water Margin, the 70-chapter, 800 page version (book was due at the library) and also recently finished Adam Bede on audio. I've started The Man Who Loved Children on audio and probably will pick up Nemesis next.

I am currently melting my mind reading Uno, nessuno e centomila.

And continuing on with Clarissa (I'm getting close to the end of Vol. 4 now).

I just started The Sun also Rises and afterwards will join Gabriela for the GR.

I am so glad to be done with The Lost Language of Cranes which was terminally conflicting with The Art of Fielding. They even both have a gay character named Owen! I couldn't keep track. I am still listening to AofF on audio and on paper will move on to Gabriela for the group read.

I am reveling in The Temple of My Familiar. I don't want it to end.

I loved Owen in TAoF. He was hands down my favourite character. To the detriment of the book really because I lost interest in every single other person (apart from his lover but only because he became part of the 'Owen Package').

Hoping to finally finish In Search of Lost Time this month. Also, planning to read Gabriela, Clove and Cinnamon for the group read, American Rust and The Beautiful Room is Empty.

>6 amaryann21: I am reveling in The Temple of My Familiar. I don't want it to end.

Well that's good to hear. I've had a beat up copy of it for years and it feels like a book I should read but I never want to. Have you read and liked other books by Walker?

I'm going to wrap up Rasselas shortly (it reads kind of like a Song of Songs), and will bang my head against this cinder block of a book called Julie, or the New Heloise for a month or two. I took a peek. It's an epistolary novel. "Epistolary" is from the French for "Garbage which the author attempts to conceal by conniving the reader into thinking something is creative because it's written in letters."

I'm just starting Blaming, which is Elizabeth Taylor's last book.

I've finished In Chancery and I'll probably start To Let shortly so that will finish off the Foysyte Saga trilogy.

I'm also still working my way through Clarissa. I'm past the 80% mark and although it's still engaging in parts, Clarissa's cloying perfection (or perfection in the eyes of every single character in the novel baring her appalling family) is really slowing me down.

I've also yet to get around to House of Leaves. As this is about the 10th put off I really need to pull finger!

>9 Nickelini: Yes, I've read The Color Purple and Possessing the Secret of Joy, neither of which I liked as much as this, but Purple came close. I read Purple in high school and I don't think I appreciated it as much as I would now.

I really liked The Color Purple but rather loathed Possessing the Secret of Joy so I have no idea if I like Alice Walker's writing or not.

Loved Blaming, by Elizabeth Taylor, and now I'm on to another 1001 book, Life & Times of Michael K, by JM Coetzee

I just realized I hadn't read my yearly Dickens yet, so I'm working on David Copperfield.

I've now finished Adam Bede for real (apparently I didn't download the last two parts of the audio book). I am still listening to The Man Who Loved Children. I've started The Guermantes Way and am also reading The Crime of Father Amaro.

I am reading Rabbit is Rich. After that, I'll read The Home and the World.

Still reading War and Peace and should finish this month; also reading The Dispossessed by Ursula K. Le Guin which is fantastic.

>19 jfetting: I love The Dispossessed with the intensity of a thousand suns. It's one of my desert island books.

>20 paruline: I can see why. Unless it goes horribly off the rails (it won't), this'll be a 5 star book.

I just started Rousseau's Confessions on audio, which should take me the rest of the summer. On paper, reading The Romantics.

I'm staring The Master and Margarita and feeling rather daunted.

I'm reading Possession and enjoying it very much.

I am starting in another Murdoch, The Black Prince. I loved The Sea, the Sea and was a bit disappointed by The Nice and the Good, so I am curious what this one will be like.