Hoping for 15 new authors and 15 Pulitzer winners this year...
Yeah, coloured myself "ambitious".
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Hoping for 15 new authors and 15 Pulitzer winners this year...
Yeah, coloured myself "ambitious".
Good Luck, Scher!
The only plans I have are to read Tristram Shandy and re-read Don Quixote and Pickwick Papers. Let's see how it goes. :)
When I finish Proust I want to re-read Madame Bovary in Lydia Davis' translation, and then go through a number of other standards of French fiction; Pere Goriot, Cousin Bette, Germinal, La Malade Imaginaire, Phedre, The Count of Monte Cristo... and I'll leave it at there for now!
Okay, just finished my first book of the year, and it wasn't a french novel! Instead it was the book of essays by Anne Carson titled 'Eros the Bittersweet.' In it she discussed the notion of desire as something "beautiful (in its object), foiled (in its attempt), endless (in time)" and some of the ways that triangular paradox has been examined in ancient Greek literature. It was thought-provoking without making a whole lot of (to me) follow-able sense a lot of the time. That was part of its charm though, the way it left things open-ended.
My main book right now is Proust. I'm on the third volume of that. Meanwhile, my next side project will be Nabokov's Pale Fire, since a friend of mine very generously gave me this book:
http://www.amazon.com/Pale-Fire-Poem...ale+fire+shade
It contains the titular poem of Nabokov's novel, printed on index cards such as Nabokov himself (and his invented poet John Shade) wrote on. So I will be reading the poem, then the novel cover to cover.
Not having a very good reading year... Definitely not meeting my usual a book a week average with only one new author and one Pulitzer winner so far :-/Quote:
Originally Posted by Scheherazade
5. A River Runs Through It by Norman Maclean
4. My Family and Other Animals by Gerald Durrell (N1)
3. Humboldt’s Gift by Saul Bellow ~ 8/10 (P1)
2. The Power and The Glory by Greene ~ 8/10
1. Snow by Orhan Pamuk ~ 8/10
Poor Jude. After all he goes through, to get rated 4/10. That's harsh! :DQuote:
Originally Posted by Scheherazade
The only Hardy novel I've read is Tess. I do love his poetry. I think Roman Polanski made a film version; I've not seen it.
As for the rest of your list, Scheh, I thought the Power and the Glory was ok, but it made me not want to read any more by Greene.
I really want to read Humboldt's Gift, especially because it was (perhaps?) based upon Delmore Schwartz's life, that poet I like.
I'm pumped to finally listen to the audio version of Eugene Onegin. The argument between Nabokov and Edmund Wilson re: Nabokov's translation of that work is fascinating to me. My dad worships the Maclean book, since he's an avid flyfisherman.
And Winesburg, Ohio gets a 9. I've enjoyed some of his stories, I may have to tackle that one.
mona, I'm also gearing up for Tristram Shandy. I finally finished Don Quixote last year. I liked the second half much better than the first. Nabokov called it "sadistic," I think, but then again he hated almost everything :) Pickwick Papers is on my list too, though I want to finally finish Bleak House first (I've stalled several times).
Harold Bloom raves about Pickwick Papers in his Genius book. That's his favorite. Great Expectations was the Dickens that finally made me a fan of his.
I know... I do feel terrible but I just cannot stand all that miserable huffing and puffing... Hardy and DH Lawrence are not my cups of tea.Quote:
Originally Posted by mona amon
I love Greene, whom I discovered only couple of years ago. I am almost persuaded by now that he is the best British author of the 20th century (feel free to pelt with rotten tomatoes). Winesburg and River are among two favourite books of all times (though I have to admit that I was sold on the movie for the latter).Quote:
Originally Posted by CWolfieVan
Pickwick Papers is a wonderful book... Quite different from Dickens' other works in some ways.
17. We Are All Made of Glue by Marina Lewycka (W3 / S1)
16. Rabbit is Rich by Updike (N10/P3) ~ 5/10
15. Vernon God Little by DBC Pierre (N9) ~ 7/10
14. Lorne Doone by RD Blackmoore (R3) ~ 6/10
13. The Reader by Bernhard Schlink (N8) ~ 5/10
12. Pygmy by Chuck Palahniuk (N7) ~ 5/10
11. We Are Completely Besides Ourselves by Karen Joy Fowler (N6/W2) ~ 7/10
10. Jude the Obscure by Thomas Hardy (R2) ~ 4/10
9. Winesburg, Ohio by Sherwood Anderson (R1) ~ 9/10
8. The Architect's Apprentice by Elif Shafak (W1/N5) ~ 7/10
7. All That Light That We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr (P2/N4) ~ 8/10
6. Eugene Onegin by Alexander Pushkin (N3) ~ 6/10
5. A River Runs Through It by Norman Maclean ~ (N2) 9/10
4. My Family and Other Animals by Gerald Durrell (N1) ~ 7/10
3. Humboldt’s Gift by Saul Bellow ~ 8/10 (P1)
2. The Power and The Glory by Greene ~ 8/10
1. Snow by Orhan Pamuk ~ 8/10 (S1)
Updating my list:
22. Father of the Bride by Edward Streeter (N14)
21. The Crane Wife by Patrick Ness (N13) ~ 9/10
20. The Tenth Man by Graham Greene ~ 9/10
19. Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver (N12/W4) ~ 9/10
17. We Are All Made of Glue by Marina Lewycka (W3 / S1)
16. Rabbit is Rich by Updike (N10/P3) ~ 5/10
15. Vernon God Little by DBC Pierre (N9) ~ 7/10
14. Lorne Doone by RD Blackmoore (R3) ~ 6/10
13. The Reader by Bernhard Schlink (N8) ~ 5/10
12. Pygmy by Chuck Palahniuk (N7) ~ 5/10
11. We Are Completely Besides Ourselves by Karen Joy Fowler (N6/W2) ~ 7/10
10. Jude the Obscure by Thomas Hardy (R2) ~ 4/10
9. Winesburg, Ohio by Sherwood Anderson (R1) ~ 9/10
8. The Architect's Apprentice by Elif Shafak (W1/N5) ~ 7/10
7. All That Light That We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr (P2/N4) ~ 8/10
6. Eugene Onegin by Alexander Pushkin (N3) ~ 6/10
5. A River Runs Through It by Norman Maclean ~ (N2) 9/10
4. My Family and Other Animals by Gerald Durrell (N1) ~ 7/10
3. Humboldt’s Gift by Saul Bellow ~ 8/10 (P1)
2. The Power and The Glory by Greene ~ 8/10
1. Snow by Orhan Pamuk ~ 8/10 (S1)
Last couple of books have been great, which is a relief as they salvage what has so far been a mediocre reading year.
I watched it ostensibly because I had read Tess, but essentially because I am a big fan of nastassia kinski...Quote:
Originally Posted by CWolfieVan
Hopefully, I will be able to finish A Fable before the year is out.
34. A Fable by Faulkner (P8) ~
33. Ironweed by William Kennedy (N21/P7) - 7/10
32. Angle of Repose by Stegner Wallace (N20/P6) - 8/10
31. The Luminaries by Eleanor Catton (W7/N19) ~ 9/10
30. Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee (W6/S6) ~ 3/10
29. Rabbit at Rest by John Updike (P6/S5) ~5/10
28. A Death in the Family by James Agee (N18/P5) ~ 7/10
27. The Red House Mystery by AA Milne (S4) ~ 7/10
26. Independence Day by Richard Ford (P4/S3) ~ 8/10
25. The Paying Guests by Sarah Waters (N17/W5) ~ 4/10
24. The Book of Evidence by John Banville (N16) ~ 8/10
23. The Good Man Jesus and The Scoundrel Christ by Philip Pullman (N15) ~ 3/10
22. Father of the Bride by Edward Streeter (N14) ~ 8/10
21. The Crane Wife by Patrick Ness (N13) ~ 9/10
20. The Tenth Man by Graham Greene ~ 9/10
19. Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver (N12/W4) ~ 9/10
18. Infinite Riches by Ben Okri (N11) ~ 4/10
17. Rabbit is Rich by John Updike (N10/P3) ~ 5/10
16. We Are All Made of Glue by Marina Lewycka (W3/S2) ~ 7/10
15. Vernon God Little by DBC Pierre (N9) ~ 7/10
14. Lorne Doone by RD Blackmoore (R3) ~ 6/10
13. The Reader by Bernhard Schlink (N8) ~ 5/10
12. Pygmy by Chuck Palahniuk (N7) ~ 5/10
11. We Are Completely Besides Ourselves by Karen Joy Fowler (N6/W2) ~ 7/10
10. Jude the Obscure by Thomas Hardy (R2) ~ 4/10
9. Winesburg, Ohio by Sherwood Anderson (R1) ~ 9/10
8. The Architect's Apprentice by Elif Shafak (W1/N5) ~ 7/10
7. All That Light That We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr (P2/N4) ~ 8/10
6. Eugene Onegin by Alexander Pushkin (N3) ~ 6/10
5. A River Runs Through It by Norman Maclean ~ (N2) 9/10
4. My Family and Other Animals by Gerald Durrell (N1) ~ 7/10
3. Humboldt’s Gift by Saul Bellow ~ 8/10 (P1)
2. The Power and The Glory by Greene ~ 8/10
1. Snow by Orhan Pamuk ~ 7/10 (S1)