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1aemilys
I just decided this would be a fun thing to do - so starting on 20 October 2007:
1. Gone for Good by Harban Coben - entertaining page turner and a fast read, this is the first thing I've read by Coben and I'd like to read more.
2. Atonement by Ian McEwan - this was really excellent, it's one of those books I can imagine rereading with pleasure - glad I bought this one.
1. Gone for Good by Harban Coben - entertaining page turner and a fast read, this is the first thing I've read by Coben and I'd like to read more.
2. Atonement by Ian McEwan - this was really excellent, it's one of those books I can imagine rereading with pleasure - glad I bought this one.
2aemilys
3. The Good Soldier by Ford Madox Ford - complicated and sad - I don't regret reading it from a cultural point of view but it was not a light read and it was not really what I would call an entertaining story - the style is complex and takes some getting used to. I can't really figure out why I did not like it all that much, perhaps it just has not aged well or perhaps I just didn't like the depressing characters
4. The Godfather by Mario Puza - entertaining and fast moving, of course I'd seen the movie but I'm glad to have read the book too
I am also in the 1001 books to read before you die group and both of these books are on the list - which is why I picked them.
20 X 50 book challenges will make 1000 books...so although it is a short story and not a book it is on the 1001 list and therefore I am including it on my 50 list...
5. The Garden Party by Katherine Mansfield - an excellent short story, charming and touching
4. The Godfather by Mario Puza - entertaining and fast moving, of course I'd seen the movie but I'm glad to have read the book too
I am also in the 1001 books to read before you die group and both of these books are on the list - which is why I picked them.
20 X 50 book challenges will make 1000 books...so although it is a short story and not a book it is on the 1001 list and therefore I am including it on my 50 list...
5. The Garden Party by Katherine Mansfield - an excellent short story, charming and touching
3aemilys
Just had a really nice long weekend - four days and so I've been on a binge and read:
6. Valley of the Dolls by Jacqueline Susann - I always meant to read this and I'm really happy to have finally done so - this is the best trash fiction ever! I think this should be included in the 1001 list.
7. The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd - sweet and touching, made me cry
8. Jane and Prudence by Barbara Pym - Barbara is such a comfort as always
9. A Glass of Blessings by Barbara Pym - Barbara is best read one after the other
10. Excellent Women by Barbara Pym - oh yes, I was in a very Pym mood, thanks Barbara for your lovely stories
11. Sister Carrie by Theodore Dreisir - this is one of those 1001 books - it was interesting from a cultural standpoint and I remember in high school I acted the same part in our production of Under the Gaslight...
12 The Forsyte Saga by John Galsworthy - very long and very good - great characters, lots of plot - I am happy to have gone through all 900 pages...
6. Valley of the Dolls by Jacqueline Susann - I always meant to read this and I'm really happy to have finally done so - this is the best trash fiction ever! I think this should be included in the 1001 list.
7. The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd - sweet and touching, made me cry
8. Jane and Prudence by Barbara Pym - Barbara is such a comfort as always
9. A Glass of Blessings by Barbara Pym - Barbara is best read one after the other
10. Excellent Women by Barbara Pym - oh yes, I was in a very Pym mood, thanks Barbara for your lovely stories
11. Sister Carrie by Theodore Dreisir - this is one of those 1001 books - it was interesting from a cultural standpoint and I remember in high school I acted the same part in our production of Under the Gaslight...
12 The Forsyte Saga by John Galsworthy - very long and very good - great characters, lots of plot - I am happy to have gone through all 900 pages...
4aemilys
13. Water : the Fate of Our Most Precious Resource
14. The Heartbreak Grape
both by Marq de Villiers and both highly interesting and informative
15. Brick Lane by Monica Ali ) - a good story and well written but kind of depressingly realistic - not a book to escape with
16. Quartet in Autumn - the best of the Pyms
17. Life of Pi - well written, interesting, funny in places scary in others, intense, moving, touching, etc. etc. my second best so far - right after Forsyte Saga.
14. The Heartbreak Grape
both by Marq de Villiers and both highly interesting and informative
15. Brick Lane by Monica Ali ) - a good story and well written but kind of depressingly realistic - not a book to escape with
16. Quartet in Autumn - the best of the Pyms
17. Life of Pi - well written, interesting, funny in places scary in others, intense, moving, touching, etc. etc. my second best so far - right after Forsyte Saga.
5carlym
Yay for Barbara Pym! I'm reading A Glass of Blessings right now. I also just bought Sister Carrie at a used book sale, but I have a feeling that it's going to sit on the shelf for now.
6aemilys
18. Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro
My first thought after closing this book was "Wow, that was depressing" - and it was indeed depressing. (It was also really boring and monotone in places)
I got it off the 1001 list and I suppose it's well written (there are some nice descriptions of places) and it's full of some kind of metaphor concerning the nature of evil and/or wasted lives but it just didn't have any of the things I always look for in a book.
I usually like things such as fascinating characters, good plot line, some humor or wit, intense gripping drama, or perhaps books where I learn something or am pushed in some way to look at the world in a different way...this book did not have any of that and I would suggest not reading it if you have a tendancy to get depressed and/or engage in existential crises.
I see depressing sheep like people leading lives of quiet desperation on the metro everyday - I don't necessarily need to read about them in my spare time.
My first thought after closing this book was "Wow, that was depressing" - and it was indeed depressing. (It was also really boring and monotone in places)
I got it off the 1001 list and I suppose it's well written (there are some nice descriptions of places) and it's full of some kind of metaphor concerning the nature of evil and/or wasted lives but it just didn't have any of the things I always look for in a book.
I usually like things such as fascinating characters, good plot line, some humor or wit, intense gripping drama, or perhaps books where I learn something or am pushed in some way to look at the world in a different way...this book did not have any of that and I would suggest not reading it if you have a tendancy to get depressed and/or engage in existential crises.
I see depressing sheep like people leading lives of quiet desperation on the metro everyday - I don't necessarily need to read about them in my spare time.
7aemilys
19. Cadillac Desert by Marc Reisner
An excellent book - well written, moves along at a nice pace. Although it was published in 1993 it is still very current - the same issues are still being discussed (recent article in the NYT that I was able to make much better sense of because of this book).
Along with Marc de Villiers book (13 on this list), this was a great introduction for me to understanding the present fresh water crisis. It's also interesting from a cultural perspective. I'm from Massachusetts and live in Paris where there is plenty of water - I had no idea of this western US water mentality...
This book also gave me lots of ideas for future reading. Why didn't it win a pulitzer?
An excellent book - well written, moves along at a nice pace. Although it was published in 1993 it is still very current - the same issues are still being discussed (recent article in the NYT that I was able to make much better sense of because of this book).
Along with Marc de Villiers book (13 on this list), this was a great introduction for me to understanding the present fresh water crisis. It's also interesting from a cultural perspective. I'm from Massachusetts and live in Paris where there is plenty of water - I had no idea of this western US water mentality...
This book also gave me lots of ideas for future reading. Why didn't it win a pulitzer?
8aemilys
20. The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman
One of the 1001 books - early feminist
21. Saturday by Ian McEwan - touchstone not working
Also one of the 1001 - I really liked Atonement so it was somewhat of a disappointment to find that I did not like this nearly so well. There are some interesting passages but overall I just kept feeling that I'd read it all before.
One of the 1001 books - early feminist
21. Saturday by Ian McEwan - touchstone not working
Also one of the 1001 - I really liked Atonement so it was somewhat of a disappointment to find that I did not like this nearly so well. There are some interesting passages but overall I just kept feeling that I'd read it all before.
9aemilys
22. Some Tame Gazelle by Barbara Pym
This was her first novel, classic Pym
23. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
A 1001 book - I first read this 30 years ago in high school and although I didn't feel quite so passionate about it this time it is still an excellent story.
And, today is my b'day - I wonder if someone will offer me a book?
This was her first novel, classic Pym
23. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
A 1001 book - I first read this 30 years ago in high school and although I didn't feel quite so passionate about it this time it is still an excellent story.
And, today is my b'day - I wonder if someone will offer me a book?
11aemilys
Yes, and thanks for asking. I got five books from the 1001 including
24. Vanishing Point by David Markson - Perhaps I will give up on modern fiction because I didn't really see the point of this book (oh, perhaps there is none - wow, that's profound). And, the mistake on page 16 was annoying too...I wish I was retired and had lots of time to look for more... because I am sure they are there
25. The Plot Against America by Philip Roth - an excellent story (at least the fictional parts) and well written with likeable characters but I was bothered by the whole "alternate history" thing which kind of marred my enjoyment of the book. The Human Stain was much better.
24. Vanishing Point by David Markson - Perhaps I will give up on modern fiction because I didn't really see the point of this book (oh, perhaps there is none - wow, that's profound). And, the mistake on page 16 was annoying too...I wish I was retired and had lots of time to look for more... because I am sure they are there
25. The Plot Against America by Philip Roth - an excellent story (at least the fictional parts) and well written with likeable characters but I was bothered by the whole "alternate history" thing which kind of marred my enjoyment of the book. The Human Stain was much better.
12aemilys
26. White Teeth by Zadie Smith - a real pleasure, I wouldn't have purchased because I did not really enjoy On Beauty all that much but since it was a b'day gift I felt obliged and I'm really happy I did - it's a much better all around story.
13aemilys
Oh, and I thought perhaps I'd get there before the end of the year but I guess not,
anyway,
27. The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver - interesting, Africa, but somehow lacking in "profondeur" - I wanted more Africa, the real Africa, the food, the atmosphere, the reality of it all
and
28. Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides - I liked this, it was fun and though provoking, tks
anyway,
27. The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver - interesting, Africa, but somehow lacking in "profondeur" - I wanted more Africa, the real Africa, the food, the atmosphere, the reality of it all
and
28. Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides - I liked this, it was fun and though provoking, tks
14aemilys
29. Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons and sorry but I do not have enough bagage for this. Who are these people, who do they mock? What is the point? It's just so long ago and you know she's making fun of someone but who?
this is the problem with satire long term.
Oh well, another 1001 book ticked off.
this is the problem with satire long term.
Oh well, another 1001 book ticked off.
15aemilys
I've just written a long post on 1001 so here is the shorter version
30. The End of the Story by Lydia Davis - excellent
31. The Romantics by Pankaj Mishra - very romantic
32. Choke by Chuck Palahniuk - fun read
33. Cocaine Nights by J. G. Ballard - disappointing
34. Slow Man by J.M. Coetzee - a cheat
35. La Maladie de la Mort by Marguerite Duras - a classic
36. The Feminine Mystique by Betty Friedan - what a strange experience rereading this I find out she has a lot of weird homophobic hangups and is not quite the person I found her to be at 15. Still a worthwhile book if you take it as a cultural memento.
37. How Proust Can Change Your Life by Alain de Botton - such a comfort, what a pleasure, I really needed this after all the efforts I've been making.
and so, it is the 26th...could I possibly read 13 books before midnight on the 31st (perhaps if I didn't have to go to work).
30. The End of the Story by Lydia Davis - excellent
31. The Romantics by Pankaj Mishra - very romantic
32. Choke by Chuck Palahniuk - fun read
33. Cocaine Nights by J. G. Ballard - disappointing
34. Slow Man by J.M. Coetzee - a cheat
35. La Maladie de la Mort by Marguerite Duras - a classic
36. The Feminine Mystique by Betty Friedan - what a strange experience rereading this I find out she has a lot of weird homophobic hangups and is not quite the person I found her to be at 15. Still a worthwhile book if you take it as a cultural memento.
37. How Proust Can Change Your Life by Alain de Botton - such a comfort, what a pleasure, I really needed this after all the efforts I've been making.
and so, it is the 26th...could I possibly read 13 books before midnight on the 31st (perhaps if I didn't have to go to work).
16sussabmax
I am in the middle of The Feminine Mystique, and I was a bit jarred by the homophobia, too! I thought it was a very odd explanation of homosexual behavior, especially as it only addressed men, not lesbians. I also thought it was jarringly out of place in an otherwise well-argued book.
17aemilys
Hi sussabmax,
What would be interesting would be a look back by some influential intellectual feminists on how they percieved Betty back in the day...she was such a reference for me as a teenager.
I wonder if we'll ever see that book. And it's also really sort of interesting that as women we would be finally able to make history of ourselves. I mean if someone writes the Betty critique...can you imagine someone dedicating their life to making a study of her?
At the end of the day, what realy irks me the most is that women just too easily fall by the wayside. Who remembers them? I'm thinking Maxine Hong Kingston, Jean Ryhs, Marguerite Duras...edited to add Simone Weil - who even knows who she is these days and yet in her day as brilliant as Sartre, Camus and Aron...
they are popular and well known for a while and then it's over and we are left with
Jane Austen and party dresses...the Bronté sisters and bad weather, it's just so sad.
What would be interesting would be a look back by some influential intellectual feminists on how they percieved Betty back in the day...she was such a reference for me as a teenager.
I wonder if we'll ever see that book. And it's also really sort of interesting that as women we would be finally able to make history of ourselves. I mean if someone writes the Betty critique...can you imagine someone dedicating their life to making a study of her?
At the end of the day, what realy irks me the most is that women just too easily fall by the wayside. Who remembers them? I'm thinking Maxine Hong Kingston, Jean Ryhs, Marguerite Duras...edited to add Simone Weil - who even knows who she is these days and yet in her day as brilliant as Sartre, Camus and Aron...
they are popular and well known for a while and then it's over and we are left with
Jane Austen and party dresses...the Bronté sisters and bad weather, it's just so sad.
18sussabmax
Yes, I agree totally. I don't recognize those names, sadly. I think getting even a short critique from leading feminists today would be interesting--like a book with a chapter response from several people.
19aemilys
38. Riddle of the Sands by Erskine Childers - a 1001 book and my last of 2007 so I guess I didn't make it. It's a lovely tale of the sea in any case.
Oh well, that means I must do 62 in 2008 (and since I did do 38 in just 3 short months of 2007 from 20 October to 31 December, I'm pretty confident that things will work out).
Oh well, that means I must do 62 in 2008 (and since I did do 38 in just 3 short months of 2007 from 20 October to 31 December, I'm pretty confident that things will work out).
