Last Book You Bought and Why

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Originally Posted by Jamesian

I've rather enjoyed what I've heretofore read of the unfortunately-named Trollope

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I've never read a novel by Anthony Trollope. And, to be honest, the reason is simply his name.

People tell me he was one of the greatest and most popular of Victorian novelists. People tell me his novels are wonderful. I percieve that they must be wonderful if so many people like them. My mind suggests that he is worth the read. Yet, my emotion revolts gainst reading him simply because it seems hard to believe that anything good could come from a man whose name was Anthony Trollope. It's ridiculous, I know.
:frown5:

Poems of John Donne (Wordsworth Classics)
"Walden" by Thoreau
"Fortunes of War" by Olivia Manning (I may not even get to reading it, since I've got so many genuine classics to do. But I'd just watched the mini-series with Emma Thompson and Kenneth Branagh, so was rather interested.)

A portable collection of Emerson's poetry, which is great as it easily fits in my pockets so I can read it anywhere. I bought it as, well the cover looked pretty...

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Originally Posted by Il Dante

I've never read a novel by Anthony Trollope. And, to be honest, the reason is simply his name.

People tell me he was one of the greatest and most popular of Victorian novelists. People tell me his novels are wonderful. I percieve that they must be wonderful if so many people like them. My mind suggests that he is worth the read. Yet, my emotion revolts gainst reading him simply because it seems hard to believe that anything good could come from a man whose name was Anthony Trollope. It's ridiculous, I know.
:frown5:

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I read his book The Warden, and I wasn't really thrilled with it. Kind of dull and boring. I wouldn't recommend reading that one.

The last book I bought was Great Expectations. I'm on the fence about whether I should read this or A Farewell to Arms after I finish my current novel.

I was also eyeing Philip Roth's American Pastoral in the bookstore today... it looks very good, and I haven't read anything by Philip Roth.

The Warden and its sequel, Barchester Towers, are excellent introductions into the personalities of those who live in a cathedral town. If you want a thriller, don't read them, but Trollope in these two comes off very well. If you don't want to take the time to read them, watch the excelent Masterpiece Theatre production. Only the English can portray the English so admirably.

The last book purchased was Lincoln's Literary Works, ably illustrated by John Steurt Curry. The most important speeches, letters, and other writings of the great American president published in 1942 by the Limited editions Club

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Originally Posted by Alexander III

A portable collection of Emerson's poetry, which is great as it easily fits in my pockets so I can read it anywhere. I bought it as, well the cover looked pretty...

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Hope you eventually read it to someone. Haha. :biggrin5:

The last book I bought was for a book club. The Postmistress.

[QUOTE=ktm5124;885904]I read his book The Warden, and I wasn't really thrilled with it. Kind of dull and boring. I wouldn't recommend reading that one.QUOTE]


After a period of some years, I reread The Warden quite recently and found that it stood up quite well to my initial reaction which was very favourable.
The central theme of how a well-meaning radical's efforts finaly forces the closure of the alsmhouses that until his appearence had been a haven of tranquility is something that everyone can learn from. It wouldn't be a bad idea to throw out Robin Hood from the classroom and replace it with The Warden.

You wont find Robin Hood in any American classrooms any way. But when I grew up, reruns of the 1938 movie with Errol Flynn and Olivia Dehaviland appeared at local movie houses frequently. This is Flynn's best action thriller, and the color was beautiful, at least by 1938 standards. And if you were lucky enough to own a copy of Robin Hood illustrated by N. C. Wyeth, you could become an expert and correct all of your compatriots as to what Robin Hood was really like. It is a shame that children of today do not read Robin Hood, Last of the Mohicans, Treasure Island, and Ivanhoe, just to name a few.

I agree with you about The Warden. It is a thoughtful and well-written book. However, it should be followed by a reading of Barchester Towers, the sequel. Masterpiece Theatre dramatized both together as well they should be. I mourn for Masterpiece Theatre and its portrayal of Victorian literature!

Interesting to hear everyone's thoughts on The Warden. Perhaps I should revisit that book.

My Mistress's Sparrow is Dead -- Jeffrey Eugenides, ed.
Howards End -- E. M. Forster
How Late It Was, How Late -- James Kelman
Lullaby -- Chuck Palaniuk
The Accidental Woman -- Jonathan Coe
The Dead Fish Museum -- Charles D'Ambrosio

A couple of poetry collections -

Book of Longing - Leonard Cohen (a particular hero from my adolescent years)
The Poetry of Norman MacCaig (a Scottish master and an ex-neighbour - unfortunately no longer sharing these twisting paths with us)

H

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Originally Posted by bouquin

Howards End -- E. M. Forster

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There's a book I'd like to get. Tell me if it's good.

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Originally Posted by L.M. The Third

There's a book I'd like to get. Tell me if it's good.

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I'd also be curious. I fell in love with A Passage to India but I couldnt get into A Room with a View - I had to "put it down".

I bought two books last month I think,
but unfortunately they're the last for now :(
Pride and Prejudice; Good Omens
^^

"Battlefield Earth" - L. Ron Hubbard

I'm a Sci-Fi junkie, mostly short stories, but I fell in love with "Battlefield Earth" many years ago. My poor paperback copy gave up the ghost after many readings and moves and was relegated to the heat stove about 2-months ago much to my sadness. A few weeks later while perusing a local thrift store I found a hardback copy in pristine condition that I happily paid either 50¢ or a dollar USD for.

Lady Chatterley's Lover - D.H. Lawrence
Sons and Lovers - D.H. Lawrence

I like D.H. Lawrence, and I got a great deal on the books ($5 each).

"No Man is an Island" Thomas Merton -- been feelin' a little spiritual lately.

I bought two books recently: The Good Soldier Svejk by Jaroslav Hasek (forgive me if I have spelled his named wrong) and The Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyan.

I bought The Good Soldier Svejk after wanting it for a very long time, but never deciding to buy it. I first heard of it somewhere where it said that, if Joseph Heller hadn't read it, he never would've wrote Catch-22.

The Pilgrim's Progress, on the other hand, is simply something that I have wanted to read for awhile; I have read the first few pages on the internet, and it seems good.

The Invisible Man - H.G. Wells
The House in Paris - Elizabeth Bowen
The Woman Who Walked into Doors - Roddy Doyle
The Reluctant Fundamentalist - Mohsin Hamid




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Currently reading: LE DIVORCE (Diane Johnson)

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Originally Posted by cgrillo

I bought two books recently: The Good Soldier Svejk by Jaroslav Hasek (forgive me if I have spelled his named wrong) and The Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyan.

I bought The Good Soldier Svejk after wanting it for a very long time, but never deciding to buy it. I first heard of it somewhere where it said that, if Joseph Heller hadn't read it, he never would've wrote Catch-22.

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Oh, The Good Soldier Švejk is great novel! I have only about 90 pages left of 760 and I'm going to write a review on my blog here.

Seneca's Essays and Dialogues (Oxford World Classics) - I wanted to learn more about stoicism from 'the horse's mouth'. I thought this might be a tough, boring (if worthy!) read, instead it's an easy, exciting (as well as worthy!) read.

Oxford Romeo and Juliet. I wanted an individual copy of R&J to read outside of my home; the RSC is a bit too big to be carrying around.

Senor Vivo and the Coca Lord - Louis de Bernières
The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett
A Boy's Own Story - Edmund White
The House Gun - Nadine Gordimer
Moll Flanders - Daniel Defoe
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland & Through the Looking Glass - Lewis Carroll
Oranges are not the Only Fruit - Jeanette Winterson
House of Meetings - Martin Amis
How the Dead Live - Will Self
Liver - Will Self
The Buddha of Suburbia - Hanif Kureishi
A Death in the Sanchez Family - Oscar Lewis
Arrowsmith - Sinclair Lewis
The War of the Worlds - H.G. Wells
The Wasp Factory -Iain Banks
God's Grace - Bernard Malamud
The Quiet American - Graham Greene
Across the River and into the Trees - Ernest Hemingway
The Red Queen - Margaret Drabble
The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao - Junot Diaz

Love All the People - Bill Hicks
Big fan of his comedy and it was cheap.

The Stars' Tennis Balls - Stephen Fry
Big fan of Fry as usual and I love his novels.

The last book I bought was Tom Clancy's The Hunt For Red October. I read the first few chapters and got bored, but it's very well-written and anyone in the Navy would probably enjoy it. It's a widely liked book, and it is good, but it is just not my type of literature. I bought it because I thought I would enjoy it.

The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury
Mars by Ben Bova

As strange as it might sound I got them for research for a short story I've had running around in my head for a while.

Infinite Jest, thanks to this forum. Lit Nit should abscond some type of nudge fee to Barnes & Noble, eh?

Winesburg, Ohio - Sherwood Anderson

'The Gathering Night' (Margaret Elphinstone)

She ran a one-day writing course I attended a fortnight ago so I did the courteous thing and bought a signed copy of her latest book - and I'll admit it is a very good read.

Published by The Limited Editions Club in the early 1930s in Haarlem in a tremendous letter press edition of 950 pages. It is to be rebound in Scarlet 1/2 Nigerian goatskin and hand marbled paper.

History of Madness -Michael Foucault
I've been wanting to read up on insanity for a while, haven't known where to begin. Not exactly what I was looking for on the subject, but it's more than I could ask for. I really love this book.

I'm thinking of picking up M/F by Anthony Burgess... but I'm a little scared to follow through with it.
I would like something to aid my feeling of emptiness inside, my feeling of aimlessness (even though I have 'goals')... don't know what that would be.

The Comedian mentioned the book Walden to me. I did some reading up on it. Not sure if I'm ready for it, but the idea of it is somewhat inspiring.

The way of shadows by brent weeks

why?
A friend recommended it and was a new york times best seller

I actually bought three books together.

Cosmocomics by Italo Calvino, because it was highly praised here on Litnet.

The Complete Works of Kafka, because I desperately wanted to read something different.

Clockwork Orange by Burgess because I thought it'd be a good time to read it.

Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell

I heard of it on another forum and was intrigued.

The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery, because it was mentioned here.

Usually I am more into classical literature but after the first pages I have the impression that it seems to be a quite nice book.
So you won't be sorry for luring me. ;)

Best regards

I am looking forard to some intelligent book chats.:

This book was written by someone interested in art. Art history people
often have a good sense of history in general. I wanted to give it as a
gift to someone who likes to philosophize.

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Originally Posted by minstrelbard

Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell

I heard of it on another forum and was intrigued.

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Love to hear what you think of it minstrel.

:conehead::conehead::conehead:Since I am opsessive-compulsive book shopper :crazy:, I bought seven books in June:
1. Lolita, V. Nabokov
2. In Praise of the Stepmother, M. Vargas Llosa
3. The Confusions of Young Torless, R. Musil
4. The Book Thief, M. Zusak
5. The Lover, M. Duras
6. Celebrations, M. Tournier
7. The Heart of Darkness, J. Conrad

Oh, if only a day had a hundred hours, wouldn't that be swell!

The Help by Kathryn Stockett

Mr. Midshipman Easy by Frederick Marryat, because I love that wry humour, and I haven't read it in about 40 years.