What are you reading for March 2008

I just finished Ethan Frome. I found the book completely absorbing and almost finished it in one sitting.

I liked Ethan Frome when I read it too. I'm really impressed by Edith Wharton.

Right now I'm reading Cat's Eye by Margaret Atwood. It was a bit tough for me to get into at first, but now I think it's quite interesting.

I'm reading The portrait of a Lady.

Still working on Dubliners from last month, and theoretically Pickwick Papers, though I think I'm going to bail on the latter.

Working on She by H. Rider Haggard, weird Victorian African adventure novel, pretty interesting so far.

I'm about 160 pages from the end of the very long Bleak House, by Charles Dickens. I've enjoyed it very much.

I am reading The city of God and The three muskateers and enjoying them both. (Funny, the touchstone for three muskateers wont work).

I just finished reading Brighton Rock by Graham Greene. I'm reading a non-1001 book at the moment (though it does mention books from the list, Reading Lolita In Tehran, but next up is probably either Madame Bovary or Amsterdam.

Edited to add: The touchstone for the Three Musketeers probably isn't coming up because it's spelt wrong

Fear and loathing in Las Vegas, and other American stories
by Hunter S. Thompson
Starts off with a gunshot and no looking back. A great read.

>6 Nickelini: Bleak House is a wonderful book! Glad you enjoyed it, Nickelini.

I finished Little Women a few days ago and have moved on to Cranford by Elizabeth Gaskell. My copy is the BBC series tie-in edition which also includes Mr Harrison's Confessions and Lady Ludlow. These two stories aren't on the 1001 list, but are nice companion reads to Cranford.

Just finished War and Peace and am half-way through with The Futurist by James P. Othmer. Will follow up with The Dog of the South by Charles Portis, Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy, and The Moviegoer by Walker Percy. Not sure which ones are on the list. Haven't checked yet.

This month I'm moving on to the the second movement of A Dance to the Music of Time, finishing up The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, which is fantastic, and starting Like Water for Chocolate. The last two are nice and short, so I'll probably get a fourth book in before the end of the month, but I have no idea what yet.

It's a good thing I read this thread; I read Like Water for Chocolate a bit ago, and had no idea it was on the list! I might be getting a little too excited about crossing things off the list, I'll admit.

To return to topic, I finished Cat's Eye and am now reading The Red Queen by Margaret Drabble.

I'm reading The Invisible Man by H. G. Wells. I'm thoroughly enjoying it. I've been laughing aloud at some of the antics he describes. This is the first book by Wells that I have read. I now have the others lined up.

Just finished Updike's Rabbit is Rich. That is the last of the Rabbit novels on the 1001 list, but I have all four in my anthology, so I might as well finish up. Rabbit at Rest is the fourth novel in the "tetralogy". I'd be sick of this one narrator written by a lot of authors, but Updike keeps it fresh and interesting with a lot of changing supporting characters. Even though the majority of all of the Rabbit novels (totalling over 1500 pages in my edition}, are told in first person narrative by one character, he changes and develops so much as a person that reading this whole series has been very rewarding, although long.

I am reading Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep by Philip K. Dick and White Noise by Don DeLillo.

#16- just finished Updike's Rabbit is Rich. That is the last of the Rabbit novels on the 1001 list, but I have all four in my anthology, so I might as well finish up. Rabbit at Rest is the fourth novel in the "tetralogy".
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I've wondered about this . . . so is the 4th, ignored, book so very much worse than the other three? Why would they leave one out of a series?

You do realize, however, that had they included it, they would have counted the whole work as one book (as they've done in several other places, such as Lord of the Rings)

Just finished Life of Pi and now moving on to Atonement.

I'm ploughing on with Foucault's Pendulum, which I'm just over half way through.

I also picked up The Turn of the Screw while on holiday and, after loathing pretty much everything I've previously read by Henry James, am finding this reasonably tolerable.

Now I'm back at work, I'm listening to Cloud Atlas on audiobook.

These are books 132, 133 and 134 for me off the list.

#16,19 -- I actually thought Rabbit at Rest was the best! I liked ..at Rest, and ..is Rich the best. I thought the second one Rabbit, Redux was not as good and almost stopped reading them. Not sure what the deal is about 1001's selections, but I think it was just the last two that won Pulitzers and I concur with that.

I don't know which I'd call the best, but I can understand what the editors did. A lot of what makes these books interesting to me is the level of character development in the main characters over the books and years. So, if it's decided that Updike only gets three books, I'd want to read the first three because I think that is the foundation for why you find the later ones to be the best. Even if you can enjoy one on its own, and you can, they are best enjoyed in order.

I finished City of God. I enjoyed parts of this book, but other parts I really didnt enjoy. This book either went over my head, or it was pointless - hmmm

I am now reading Ignorance by Milan Kundera and am really enjoying this - its like kind of a sequel to The unbearable lightness of being.

Started reading The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath and it is very good so far!

I'm into my sixth version of the Bible and it is the most intelligible and intuitive interpretation of the Bible that I've come across yet its called The Message and its written by an American pastor Eugene Peterson its a chapter a day for me or if I have time a complete book within the Bible. Oh, yes I do read other books, on science and health topics

But its not on the 1001 list tedrick....

Recently finished On the Road by Jack Kerouac and now working on Tropic of Capricorn by Henry Miller. Once that is finished, it will be on to The Book of Daniel by E.L. Doctorow.

Not sure why Touchstones are not working for my post. Sorry!

The Updike Rabbit books...It makes me wonder if the contributors really had something against the last book. If they had included all four (as one series), it would have left room for two more books. And there must have been two more books out there to want to include. It only seems logical.

I started House of Leaves a few days ago. Seems like an interesting take on the novel's form. More impressed with the form (story within a story within a story with some random stories) than the actual content at this point. It reminds me of Watchmen (form-wise) although the content is not similar.

I just started The Monk by Matthew Lewis, as I love a good Gothic novel. I'm not very far in, but am enjoying it so far.

I've finished Cranford last night. A very pleasant book.

For something different, I've started Wild Swans by Jung Chang.

Just finished Amsterdam by Ian McEwan. Also picked up three other books from this author from the list, Black Dogs, Atonement and The Comfort of Strangers. I will be reading these over the next week .

I finally got Atonement from the library and started it over the weekend. So far it's pretty good (better than I expected, given the movie and hype, to be honest). In theory I'm still working on The Dubliners too, though it's been a few days since I picked it up. Oh yeah, and I grabbed The Turn of the Screw, since I started it as an audiobook and was rather disappointed when it started skipping and I had to quit partway through. Pickwick Papers has been returned to the library and is thus officially abandoned, thank heavens. I think that's it for now.

I read The Killer Inside Me by Jim Thompson, pretty cool and a real quick read, but not really anything thats going to stay with me. This week I'm supposed to reread Tess of the D'Urbervilles, which I loved when I read it last year, but since I've read it so recently I might spend the time on something else.

>34 Kplatypus: Pickwick Papers has been returned to the library and is thus officially abandoned, thank heavens

Not to worry. Its not on the 1001 list anyhow. How about one of Dickens' other books...? :)

Finished Bleak House last week (which I'm actually missing--I think I need to read some more Dickens), and now I'm reading a book from my Victorian Lit course that isn't on the list, and another play for my Shakespeare course (and we all know that Shakespeare isn't on the list!), but next week I'm scheduled to read Dr. Jeckyl and Mr. Hyde.

I always get that title confused . . . sometimes I think it's Dr. Hyde and Mr. Jeckyl. I've also come up with Dr. Heckyl and Mr. Jyde.

Anyway, I have mixed feelings about this one. I didn't much like Treasure Island when I read it a couple of years ago, but this one is short, so it shouldn't be too painful. I think the premise sounds fascinating, but I have me doubts about Robert Louis Stevenson's writing. Anyone want to sell me on this one?

>36 digifish_books: & 34
Not to worry. It's (Pickwick Papers) not on the 1001 list anyhow. How about one of Dickens' other books...? :)

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And I would have sworn that Pickwick Papers was on the list. Just when I thought I had the thing memorized. :-) According to Arukiyomi's Excel spreadsheet, there are 10 books by Dickens. Surprised that Pickwick isn't one of them. Gonna double check the definitive source (the book itself) when I go up to bed, because I thought there were 11 Dickens on the list, but it just shows me that I can't assume something is there. I've been wrong before, and I'll be wrong again.

Same here! I'm glad I'm not the only who was confused about this. It did make me kind of happy to see Pickwick's place disputed, though, since I have no intention of going back to it anytime soon, and I would hate to go and die without fulfilling my requirements ;)

I seem to recall that it was you, Nickelini, that wondered why I hated the Dickens so much on another thread, so I'll look into Bleak House and see if it looks any more appealing. After all, I didn't actually hate Hard Times, so there may be hope. I doubt it, but maybe.

For what it's worth, I quite enjoyed Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde- easy to read, entertaining, and an excellent source for cultural/literary references. I haven't read Treasure Island yet, so I can't compare the two. I hear TI is kind of boring though?

Right now I'm rereading Pride And Prejudice because it's one of those books that is just worth rereading over and over again... in my opinion of course. But after the reread is done, I picked up Memoirs of a Geisha and Amsterdam. I'm hoping it will live up to the bar that was set by Atonement, which is one of my favorite books.

#39 Kplatypus:
Yep, I double checked with the tome itself, and Pickwick Papers is definitely not on the list. So you're totally off the hook for feeling you have to read this. There was an eleventh Charles Dickens book in the index, but it isn't on the list, so the total of Dickens on the 1001 list is ten.

I'd recommend Bleak House, but it IS a really long book, so you have to be motivated. If you're not, I think it would be a drag.

Glad to hear that Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is good. I thought Treasure Island was indeed boring. Also, I was kind of discouraged because it's been read by kids since it was written (I think), and I found it a laborious read and the language stilted. I don't think that's all me because I've read Geoffrey Chaucer in the original Middle English, and Edmund Spencer and John Milton, and all sorts of other old literature. But I remember being frustrated with the language on that one.

I've just finished Don Quixote, and now I'm 30 pages in to Ian McEwan's Saturday. Odd beginning - not sure I like it as much as I liked Atonement - but it will probably pick up as I get more in to it.

(Sorry, the touchstones are misbehaving)

As I mentioned in my previous post (#33), I recently picked up several Ian McEwan books. I have finished Amsterdam and The Comfort of Strangers and have just started Atonement.

Meanwhile, keeping with the same author, I picked up The Child in Time at library yesterday along with The Killer Inside Me by Jim Thompson, another author from the 1001.

Hi all, I have just discovered this website and was so excited to find it.

I just finished reading (Love in a Time of Chollera) and am now about to start (Enduring Love)

This was my first book from the list, well first book I have picked up as a result of the book, have read about 35 up to now inadvertantly. I"m looking forward to seeing what happens in the group.

Speaking of Enduring Love, does anyone have an opinion about this book? It's sort of near the top of my mountain of TBR books. Just curious what the general opinion of it was. P.S. As far as my reading, almost finished with Pride and Prejudice and will move onto Amsterdam.

I thought Enduring Love was fabulous. I read it on my vacation -- started it in the morning at the beach, read through the afternoon at the pool, and finished it in my room that night. My family didn't get a lot of conversation or cooperation out of me that day.

no. 45

You should definitely read it, especially if you've bought it. One of McEwan's best, Amsterdam will pale into insignificance beside it.

I'm reading Indigo, by Marina Warner. I didn't realize that it was on the list when I took it out of the library, so this one is sort of a bonus.

I just finished reading Frankenstein. It was a quick read and very accessible. I'm not sure what's up next but it may be Amsterdam as it's the only Ian McEwan I have on my shelves that I haven't read.

Thanks 45 & 46!! That makes me excited to read them both. I loved Atonement and am eagerly trying to finish the book I'm reading now to get to more of his work.

Speaking of McEwan, the only book I've read is Saturday. It was ok, but it didn't make me want to run out and read another one. Is this book typical of his style and tone? Just curious.

I don't think Saturday is his greatest book, and it certainly isn't his most accessible. I would recommend either Atonement or Enduring Love as a better example of McEwan at his best.

I'm reading Saturday right now and it's my first Ian McEwan book. I'm so relieved to find I'm not the only one who doesn't find this book engaging. I'm considering not even finishing it.

I'm rereading two books from the list for class next week, Tess of the D'Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy (yes its depressing, but its a fantastic book) and Confessions and Private Memoirs of a Justified Sinner by James Hogg (19th century Scottish Gothic-ish novel critiquing radical Calvinism, quite fun). I think I only have two more novels from the list scheduled for the semester, The Blithedale Romance by Hawthorne, and New Grub Street by George Gissing.

Just finished The Invisible Man and am eagerly awaiting my first installment of The War of the Worlds. The Invisible Man was great. It really gripped me towards the end.

I actually enjoyed Saturday. So for me it was an appitizer for more of McEwan, and from what I can read on here, it's not even his best. Atonement next for me from him I think.

>53 TheEclecticBookworm:
Ellsinore, I would keep going if I were you. Saturday gets better as it goes along. There's a lot of build-up, but the denouement is quite rewarding I feel. The book's not too long so you won't have wasted too much of your life by finishing it :)

I finished Atonement and Black Dogs both by Ian McEwan. Neither of these books really kept my interest, found myself reading same pages twice, skipping boring parts, etc. But I finally pushed through and finished.

I really wanted to improve my number of books read, so I kinda took a shortcut and read two Poe stories: The pit and the pendulum and The purloined letter and Dickens' A Christmas Carol and Aesop's Fables by, well, Aesop of course... I'm now up to 47, which is considerably better than the 41 I started out with.

I'm also reading The remains of the day which I adore. But I saw a post somewhere from someone who said she cried at the end, so I'm a bit apprehensive... ^^

As for my on-line reading, I'm currently reading Far from the madding crowd by Thomas Hardy as he's very well represented in the list and I hadn't read anything by him yet.

I'm reading Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad

I just bought Cold Comfort Farm from work so that's up next. It sounds promising actually...a lampoon of the rural English novel. Should do nicely after reading Lady Chatterley's Lover and Tess of the D'Urbervilles.

Cheese - how did you enjoy Chatterley and Tess? Those are two big ones on my TBR mountain.

45, I'm half way through (Enduring Love) and I love it, has been fabulous I have been sucked in since the second chapter so I'm relieved it's a long weekend so I can finish it this weekend. I have (Atonement) on my book shelf, but I"m hesitant to read it since I saw the movie not long ago. Am thinking of reading (Zadie Smith) next, what do you guys think?

Actually I quite enjoyed both....though they do tend to ramble a bit. I read Lady Chatterley's Lover ages ago and I had to leave my copy behind in Japan so I can't quickly refer to it, but I think Lawrence was almost revolutionary for his time in the way he deals with society and sexuality. Neither Tess not Chatterley are particularly fast-moving books, but I think the idea is to really get involved in the lush countryside and the use of nature as almost a character in the story. If you enjoy that sort of thing, might I suggest tracking down some of Andrew Marvell's poems. He has a great series of "nature" poems and a great sense of humour to go with it. He's most well-known for "To His Coy Mistress" which is well worth a read!

Just read The Killer Inside Me by Jim Thompson. Found this ti be a chilling tale of a pyschopath who was also a deputy sheriff. I am sure this was a shocking tale in 1952, Of course, in this day and age, unfortunately, there is a pyschopath in almost every neighborhood.

Finished Amsterdam... I guess I would have to say I liked it, though I have no idea why I liked it. All I know is that I wanted to keep reading until I was finished. I like Atonement better, but that's just my taste.

Reading a bit of fluff right now (fluff=NOT list material). But next up for me is Memoirs of a Geisha.

To Kill a Mockingbird.
Awesome so far!

Still reading Indigo, or Mapping the Waters, which is quite interesting (still mulling it over in my mind). But tonight I need to put it aside and read Dr. Jekyl and Mr. Hyde to prepare for a class next week.

> 57

I'm still hanging in there and will take your word for the rewards to come! I figured I might as well finish it so I can get "credit." :-) I only have an hour or so at any given time to read, and not every day, so it's always slow going.

I'm still not enthralled, though. It's not a book I can't wait to get back to.

Currently reading Garnethill by Denise Mina. I have 100 pages left. Pretty good. Next will be Manic by Terri Cheney, a memoir about bipolar disorder.

#70 - But neither is on the 1001 list. You might want to repost that to the What Are You Reading Now? group at:
http://www.librarything.com/groups/whatareyoureadingno

New Grub Street by George Gissing. Victorian novel about the state of literary publishing in the 1880's-90's. Its quite interesting, the writing is rather pedestrian at times, although I suppose thats to be expected from a novel about mass-produced commercial literature.

Currently reading The world according to Garp which is pretty entertaining so far.

Also still reading Far from the madding crowd for my on-line book.

I read Ethan From it too and I liked it a lot. I liked The age of innocence even more though.

#71 - It seems funny that so many people post here without understanding the group. Perhaps they don't read the group's description? Or haven't heard of the book?

Anyway, I'm still reading House of Leaves and hoping to finish in the next day or two.

# 75 - It seems funny that so many people post here without understanding the group. Perhaps they don't read the group's description? Or haven't heard of the book?
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Don't get me started on this one! It drives me absolutely bananas. I come to this group to talk about the 1001. And that's it. I know we all make mistakes, but it does seem to happen a lot. And it's not like there aren't scores of other groups to post to . . .

I'd like to say, though, that I am always impressed by how firmly yet politely these mistakes are pointed out to the posters. I would be more inclined to mock, which is why I don't comment.

To keep it on topic, I'm still slogging through The Dubliners. Honestly, slogging isn't really the right word, since I do like the book- it's just not exactly a page-turner. I'm finding it easier to read about a story a day, as the spirit moves me.

How's Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde going, by the way?

Well, I am reading The Pilot's Wife.......tee-hee. Yes, I know that is not on the list! Just thought I'd razz you guys. I just finished The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time and before that, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. Both excellent, excellent, excellent.

After checking the list, I've read Moll Flanders this week and am in the middle of Slaughterhouse-5 by Kurt Vonnegut. Both of which are worthy reads.

I remember reading Slaughterhouse-5 in my mid teens (raiding Dad's sf shelves), and perhaps another attempt before the age of 20 and know that I had absolutely no guide-posts to understanding Vonnegut's ironies!! Maybe I was completely clueless. It's a good novel, and I find it hard to think of as science-fiction because it has more in common with Borges than Heinlein.

So, I can finally post here again because I am reading Cloud Atlas. I haven't been able to cross any of this list for quite a while! Only 50 pages in, and I'm hoping it will get better. So many people rate this book so highly, I have very high expectations.

Finished House of Leaves today. I'd call it innovative but uneven. Starting To Kill a Mockingbird tomorrow.

Need some advice fellow members of the group, am about to finish Like Water For Chocolate I've taken my time as it's been a real joy to read, it's def one of my fav's now. But what should I read, I'm thinking Persuasion or Life of Pi or maybe even Catch 22) I know couldn't be more different, what do you think?

I know lots of people loved Life of Pi, but I do not share these sentiments. Honestly, one of the lowest ranked books in my opinion that I have read from this list, and I'm closing in on 100. I have not read Persuasion, and Catch-22 is on my short list from my TBR pile. I think you know what you're getting with Austin going in if it's not your first by her, but I would definitely choose Catch-22 here, even if I cannot yet speak to it's quality.

#75 - I think the reason people may post to the thread non-1001 books is they may be coming directly to the thread from the Talk forum, rather than the group page. Perhaps for next month's thread the title can be expanded to "Which of the 1001 Books List Are You Reading - April 2008".

I'm now reading the Pevear-Volokhonsky translation of Fyodor Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment. I'm on Part Two, about 120 pages in, and really enjoying it so far. The psychological aspect of the criminal mind is fascinating, and the setting, 19th century Russia, is somewhere I've not read before.

#84 - Perhaps for next month's thread the title can be expanded to "Which of the 1001 Books List Are You Reading - April 2008".
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Let's try it and see if it works. If no one else goes ahead, I'll start it in a few days so it's up and ready for April 1st. Thanks for the suggestion.

#77 - How's Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde going, by the way?
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Well, it's Easter weekend, so I've been pretty busy with three major family events; hence, not a lot of reading has been done! I just finished Indigo this morning. I started Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde the other morning, but have to finish it for a class tomorrow. So that's what I'll be doing today. Two 1001 books finished in one weekend. :-)

#85 The twoDs - Have you read any other Pevear and Volokhonsky translations?

#82 - I'd give the opposite advice. I loved Life of Pi and gave up (temporarily) on Catch-22. I just couldn't get into it at all. Haven't read Persuasion yet. In spite of my anecdotal argument, based on the fact that you liked Like Water for Chocolate, I'd definitely recommend Life of Pi over Catch-22.

#88 juliette07 - No, this is my first of their translations. I also own Anna Karenina, The Master and Margarita, The Double and The Gambler and Richard Pevear's translation of The Three Musketeers. I had been meaning to finally crack one open and I chose C&P. It's been a pleasant surprise to read, not at all stilted like some of the translations of foreign language works I remember reading back in my school days. I really feel like I've been inserted into the mind of a killer as he slowly cracks from madness.

Pevear and Volokhonsky's Anna Karenina was my first Russian novel and it was wonderful.

Reading Breakfast of Champions.

#90 Thanks - I was just interested as I read the Pevear and Volokhonsky War and Peace and have just got a copy of their Anna Karenina. Completely agree regarding their writing and I loved the way in which they retained the original French.

#91 merry10 - thanks - you must have been a mind reader =) You should try War and Peace now - it was wonderful.

#92 juliette07, I have it! but I'm putting off starting it because I can be a compulsive reader and it looks so long! I also have Fagle's translation of The Iliad on the go, and it is taking a while.

#93 merry10 - that sounds quite a journey you are on. I have yet to follow that path! Looking forward to doing so one day.

However, we *must* stick to War and Peace and Anna Karennina on this thread. I have just looked it up and The Iliad is not on the list ...

Yes, it's not on the list, throw it away and start WandP without delay!

83 & 89

Thanks for your advice, I'm thinking that I'm going to go with Catch 22 for 2 reasons, I read the first page and realised it wasn't going to be easy, I've had a sweet run with like water for chocolate and enduring love maybe its time for me to read a not so easy book.. I asked a couple of friends at work and they love Pi so I'm going to read that next.

Persuasion is mentioned in a couple of films I have seen lately, so these will def be the next 3 I read. Wish me luck with 22 I think I may need it.

Thank you both for your advice it is appreciated, I'm so in love with this forum, so happy I found you guys :-)

>82 shelby1977: & >96 shelby1977:
Good call! Catch-22 is fantastic - Heller manages to be really, really funny and really thought-provoking. I absolutely love this book. Persuasion is pretty good, too, and an easy read. It's not my favorite Austen book, but the ending makes up for the slow bits in the middle.

It's been a long time since I read Persuasion or Catch-22, but they're both great.

Finishing The Golden Ass by Apuleius, a scatalogical series of stories with a lovely mythological fable of Cupid and Psyche. Lucius Apuleius has been turned into a donkey through his own stupidity and is now trying to escape a bunch of bandits with a beautiful kidnapped bride. Many beatings ensue.

Just finished the Hobbit

I just started The Color Purple. It is very different from anything I've read in a very long time. But I think it's going to be good.

I really enjoyed The Color Purple. I'm tempted to see the movie, but I'm not sure I could take Oprah Winfrey as an actor. The book inspired me to get my Dad's high school copy of Go Tell It On The Mountain and to start searching for Uncle Tom's Cabin, neither of which is particularly easy to find here. Actually, maybe I should bump Go Tell... up my TBR list. I've had it for a while but I usually need some small thing to spark my interest in particular book for it to get read. This might just do it.

#101- I've seen the movie, twice I think, but a very long time ago. I was shocked at how well Oprah Winfrey did in her role--I think she was one of the highlights of the movie, actually. She was nominated for an academy award, so I'm not the only person who thought she was great. Really, you should see it. (Said by someone who loves movies--I know a lot of people at LT don't.)

Just finished a non-1001 run of books, but now it's list time once again. After blindly recommending Catch-22 over a book I had read and thought overrated, I pretty much have to read Catch-22 now. I was going to read it soon anyway, but probably not this soon. Ah well, I rarely stick to the original plan when it comes to my reading anyway. Looking forward to starting it tonight.

#102 - I do like movies. I've got the 1001 Movies list as well. I will get around to watching it one day I think....just not in the immediately foreseeable future. And just to keep this on topic, I'm currently reading Amsterdam by Ian McEwan.

I finally finished Saturday.

I picked up Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro at the library yesterday afternoon and barely got started on it last night, but I'm already hooked. I don't usually read two books at one time, but I'm reading Aesop's Fables now, too.

I have Never Let Me Go on my TBR pile (a huge pile). At the moment I'm reading Memoirs of Hadrian by Margaret Yourcenar. It is slower to read because I am not very familiar with ancient Roman culture, it's got me interested though as a fictional memoir of a successful man who makes the most of his talents and opportunities.

I finally finished Saturday.

I picked up Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro at the library yesterday afternoon and barely got started on it last night, but I'm already hooked. I don't usually read two books at one time, but I'm reading Aesop's Fables now, too.

#102 - I confess to also be working on the 1001 Movie and Music lists as well...

I just finished The World according to Garp which with 600 pages nicely balances all the short stories and short books I read just to make a little headway ^^ I have to say I enjoyed it, but it won't be on my all time favorites list.

I am reading Oscar and Lucinda by Peter Carey, and enjoying it a lot.

However the entry in the 1,001 book has kindof given the game away, revealing that Oscar dies before the end :P

I'm reading War and Peace. I actually started it at the end of February but since it's not the only thing I'm reading it's taking some time. Plus it was always on the top of my list for accomplishing.

After taking some time away from Fingersmith for non-1001 books (read: books for school and crap mindless books to give my brain a break), I've picked it up again and found that I had put it down just before it started to get a little more interesting. I think it'll go a lot faster now, since I'm starting to enjoy it and see what some of the fuss is about. I'm on spring break next week, and I should make a decent dent in it. I'm also planning on *finally* finishing The End of the Affair over break as well.

I am currently reading Absalom, Absalom & Song of Solomon.

Reading "The Shell Game" by Steve Alten.
A genuinely thought provoking thriller for the 21st century.
It's about the end of the oil era, neo-con political agendas. "false flag" terror acts, the CIA, suitcase nukes and everything that is relative in today's world of madness.

Hi phaedrus. Welcome to LT. Just thought you should know that this is a thread for listing what you're reading from the books contained in the 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die list.

For other stuff you should try posting in the "What are you reading now?" group. They have a new thread for each week.

I am reading The blind assassin.

Sorry. I'm new here and it shows. (embarrassed smile)

That's all right phaedrus. That's what the rest of us are here for! Go out and post to your heart's content.

I'm rereading Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray. I don't like it as much as The Importance of Being Earnest, but its a fascinating book nonetheless.

I am rereading To Kill a Mockingbird. I read it so long ago that I only vaguely remember. I need to get on it though because I have to begin teaching it Monday!

I'm halfway through The Drowned and the Saved which is very good, but also very depressing. I'm reading The Castle of Crossed Destinies at the same time.

I started Madame Bovary yesterday. I'm only 40 pages in but I'm enjoying it so far. Been a while since I read a "classic".

In March, I read Castle Rackrent by Maria Edgeworth. I also tried to read Ennui by the same author, but it was just too much. I missed a lot of the sense of Castle Rackrent and will someday go back and reread it, but what I did "get" I enjoyed. If that makes sense. :)

For April, either Turn of the Screw or The Picture of Dorian Gray. Or maybe both.

I've started Dostoevsky's Notes from the Underground on Dailylit this week.

This month I've read the following books that are also on the list:
Birdsong,
Frankenstein,
Catch-22,
Robinson Crusoe,
The handmaid's tale,
The woman in white,
One hundred years of solitude &
Disgrace

I am still reading The blind assassin

I am about to start Memoirs of a Geisha, which seems like such a mainstream choice, but I'm looking forward to reading it.

I keep hearing people mention The End of the Affair. It's obviously on my list since it is on the 1001 List... but can I get some feedback? If it was something truly wonderful, I'll bump it up in my TBR Mountain. Thanks!

I used to read quite a lot by graham greene, but it's been a few years and I couldn't say now whether it was truly wonderful, but quite an easy read and I should say well worth it. I was truly sceptical about Memoirs of a Geisha, it was a gift and it sat in by bookcase for years before I decided to give it a shot. Once I got into it I liked it a lot more than I expected to. Whatever you decide on it won't be time wasted will it ?- You'll be one closer to 1001...