Paruline's attempt - thread 2

Charlas1001 Books to read before you die

Únete a LibraryThing para publicar.

Paruline's attempt - thread 2

1paruline
Dic 21, 2017, 1:36 pm

Hello all and welcome to my second thread! I realized that my other second thread has a typo in the title and I thought I should just start again instead of staring at that typo for years.

---------------------------

I've been aware of the 1001 book list for a few years now and getting quite obsessive about it ever since. According to arukiyomi, I have to read 24 books/year from now on, which might give you an indication of my age :).

My first language is French and I try to get translated works in French when I can. But I am also fluent in English and enjoy its rich literary tradition.

16paruline
Editado: Ene 4, 2021, 9:12 am

301- Cannery Row



How to throw a party.

4/5

17paruline
Editado: Ene 4, 2021, 9:12 am

302- The long dark tea-time of the soul



Dirk Gently investigates the realm of North gods. Douglas Adams sure knew how to turn a phrase. Quite funny but several plot holes.

3,5/5

18paruline
Editado: Ene 1, 2018, 6:48 am

303- Solitude



Beautifully told story of a young woman's self-actualization despite a disastrous marriage. The Catalan mountains provide a gorgeous setting and are almost a character.

4/5

19paruline
Editado: Ene 4, 2021, 9:13 am

304- Casino Royal



Dated, sexist, racist, but could make a good movie if handled right. Oh wait.

2,5/5

20ELiz_M
Ene 1, 2018, 10:28 am

>19 paruline: Wonderful review! :)

21paruline
Ene 1, 2018, 2:21 pm

22paruline
Ene 1, 2018, 2:22 pm

305- Dispatches



A free-lance journalist reports on the Vietnam war, the soldiers, their fears, other journalists, superstition in the face of death, rock & roll and the local culture.

3/5

23paruline
Editado: Dic 16, 2019, 4:00 pm

306- Meurtriers sans visage (Faceless killers)



When the last word of the dying elderly victim of a brutal robbery is "stranger", local detective Wallander has to solve the crime while also protecting immigrants from retaliation.

Nice read for a wintery evening.

3,5/5

24paruline
Ene 1, 2018, 2:35 pm

307- La ferme de cousine Judith (Cold Comfort Farm)



Pretty funny parody of all the pastoral novels of the 19th century. Flora Poste, newly orphaned, calls upon relatives to take her in and sets about putting everything and everyone right at Cold Comfort Farm.

4/5

25m.belljackson
Ene 1, 2018, 2:47 pm

These succinct reviews work well!

26paruline
Ene 1, 2018, 5:35 pm

308- The invisible man



Violent, unpredictable, megalomaniac Griffin finds the means to become invisible and realizes that instead of solving his problems, being invisible just compounds them.

3,5/5

27paruline
Ene 1, 2018, 5:36 pm

>25 m.belljackson: Thanks! They're useful to me when I look back and try to remember the main impressions a book gave me.

28paruline
Editado: Ene 4, 2021, 9:14 am

309- Les treize horloges (The 13 clocks)



An evil Duke gives impossible tasks (and failure is punishable by death) to any suitor that comes for the hand of his niece. But will the impoverished minstrel complete his task in time?

Some clever word play make this an enjoyable read.

3,5/5

29paruline
Ene 1, 2018, 5:50 pm

310- L'assassin qui est en moi (The killer inside me)



Told in the first person by the Sherif of a small town in Texas, who during the day is thought of as a lovable if slightly daft member of the community, but turns into a sadistic murderer when no one is looking. Because, who will ever suspect the Sherif?

Very well done.

4/5

30paruline
Ene 1, 2018, 6:03 pm

Last ten books by order of enjoyment, from most to least enjoyed. Books 301-310 (title -my rating) :

Solitude -4
Cold Comfort Farm -4
Cannery Row -4
The killer inside me -4
Faceless killers -3,5
The invisible man -3,5
The thirteen clocks -3,5
The long dark tea-time of the soul -3,5
Dispatches -3
Casino Royal -2,5

31paruline
Editado: Ene 4, 2021, 9:15 am

311- Silas Marner



Charming tale of a miser that looses his gold only to find an abandoned child who brings him true happiness.

4/5

32paruline
Sep 9, 2018, 9:35 am

312- Memento Mori



Sometimes humorous, sometimes dark, and sometimes darkly humorous read about the foibles and quirks of an aging group of people.

4,5/5

33paruline
Sep 9, 2018, 9:38 am

313- Exercices de style



The same anecdote, told again and again in different writing styles. Interesting to see how the writer's chosen emphasis can manipulate the reader.

4/5

34paruline
Sep 9, 2018, 9:42 am

314- The once and future king



I think I read an abridged version of the first section as a child as I remembered some passages vividly. What started as a charming adventure grew dark and a bit tiresome in the last two sections when the focus shifted to Lancelot.

4/5

35paruline
Sep 9, 2018, 9:58 am

315- Uncle Silas



Entertaining. Gothic. Non-insipid heroine. What else could you ask for?

4/5

36paruline
Editado: Sep 9, 2018, 10:10 am

316- H is for Hawk



I didn't know it would be in the updated version of the 1001 list when I read it earlier this year. I'm not sure about its future staying power but it gave interesting insights into The once and future king and I learned a lot about about falconry!

4/5

37paruline
Sep 9, 2018, 10:13 am

317- Silence



A 20th century Japanese writer made me believe I was reading the diary of a 17th century Jesuit missionary. Impressive.

3,5/5

38paruline
Sep 9, 2018, 10:18 am

318- Absalom, Absalom!



Ugh. Most tedious, longest 300 pages of my life. A student recounts to his roommate the rise and fall of Thomas Sutpen in the US south.

2,5/5

39paruline
Sep 9, 2018, 10:26 am

319- À la courbe du fleuve (A bend in the river)



An outsider observes over many years the changes in a post-colonial small, unnamed African city. Considered important, but not by me.

3/5

40paruline
Sep 9, 2018, 10:30 am

320- Lives of girls and women



A young intelligent girl grows into adulthood in a small Canadian town post-WWII and navigates the expectations placed upon the lives of girls and women.

3,5/5

41paruline
Sep 9, 2018, 10:40 am

Last ten books by order of enjoyment, from most to least enjoyed. Books 311-320 (title -my rating) :

Memento Mori -4,5
Exercices de style -4
Silas Marner -4
H is for Hawk -4
The once and future king -4
Uncle Silas -4
Lives of girls and women -3,5
Silence -3,5
À la courbe du fleuve -3
Absalom, Absalom! -2,5

42DeltaQueen50
Sep 10, 2018, 9:25 pm

I am dreading reading Faulkner, I tried once before many years ago and gave up, so I do have very high expectations for his works.

43paruline
Sep 13, 2018, 11:02 am

>42 DeltaQueen50: Some books/authors I consider "duty-read" in that they were so influential they are basically required reading. But that doesn't mean I necessarily enjoy reading them!

Otoh, I've been pleasantly surprised more than once by books I had previously avoided because I felt they would be too difficult. The 1001 books I read from the 1700s and pre-1700s were for the most part surprisingly engaging!

44LisaMorr
Oct 18, 2018, 5:36 am

I'm enjoying your thread - you are making great progress!

45japaul22
Oct 18, 2018, 7:58 am

Two here that are were not on my radar, Uncle Silas and Exercices de Style. I'll add them to my mental list!

And regarding Faulkner, I studied his Sound and the Fury in my teen years at school and was so excited by the world he created. It set me up to love and understand (at least a little) his other works.

46annamorphic
Oct 20, 2018, 2:32 pm

>41 paruline: Interesting ranking. I too really liked the Muriel Spark (she is so brilliant), and Exercises in Style was just brilliant. But I also really liked Silence. Both that and the Queneau have been books I keep coming back to, talking about, recommending to others.

As for Faulkner, I'm with >45 japaul22: here -- loved Sound and the Fury in high school, nothing else has lived up to that.

Enjoyed catching up with your thread!

47paruline
Ene 21, 2019, 3:20 pm

321- The Colour



The gold rush, and the gold fever it brings, in New Zealand in the 1860s. Pleasant read, but not ground breaking.

4/5

48paruline
Ene 21, 2019, 3:26 pm

322- The virgin suicides



Over the span of one year, five teenage sisters commit suicide. As readers, instead of the point of view of these teenagers, we get the endless speculations of the neighbourhood's boys.

3/5

49paruline
Ene 21, 2019, 3:31 pm

323- La vie de Lazarillo de Tormes



Lazarillo is cast out into the world as a child and goes through seven masters, who really are just there so the anonymous author can critique his society. Hugely influential and quite enjoyable centuries later.

3,5/5

50paruline
Ene 22, 2019, 10:40 am

324- Some experiences of an Irish R. M



A string of humorous episodes detailing the settling in of an Englishman of Irish extraction sent to be a Registered Magistrate in Ireland. Of course, there will be drinking, horse racing, and hunting.

Fun.

4/5

51Yells
Ene 23, 2019, 10:55 am

>50 paruline: But of course:)

52paruline
Ene 23, 2019, 6:47 pm

53paruline
Feb 18, 2019, 12:58 pm

325- Légende



Fantasy where a city has to defend itself against powerful hordes. A bit predictable and with several characters that are thinly drawn, but the logistics of preparing for a siege and the battles themselves were convincing.

Enjoyable.

3,5/5

54paruline
Feb 20, 2019, 1:11 pm

326- She



Adventure story about a lost world, decadent civilizations, an irresistible queen who-must-be-obeyed, super powers, immortality, all wrapped up in some dated clichés.

A crowd pleaser.

3,5/5

55paruline
Mar 7, 2019, 11:15 am

327- The water babies



Somewhat interesting at the beginning, reminding me a bit of Dickens (poor child chimney sweep becomes suspected of a crime), but once he turns into a water baby, I completely lost interest.

A slog.

2,5/5

56paruline
Mar 7, 2019, 4:31 pm

328- Tout est illuminé (Everything is illuminated)



I very much enjoyed the story of the Jewish writer traveling to Europe to find out about the woman who saved his grandfather during WWII. The story within a story about the shtetl of Trachimbrod was less successful for me, especially since it involved so much misery for one of the only woman character.

3/5

57paruline
Mar 18, 2019, 12:45 pm

329- The house on the borderland



Two fishermen come across an old manuscript detailing how a house served as a portal through time and space for both the owner and otherworldly creatures.

An important precursor of horror and science-fiction tropes but a bit melodramatic in its delivery.

3/5

58paruline
Mar 18, 2019, 12:57 pm

330- A town like Alice



During three years in WWII, a group of women and children are marched from town to town in Malaysia because no Japanese officers wants the responsibility of caring for them. Years later, one of the survivor has become an heiress and looks for an Australian POW that helped them through a difficult time. As they reunite and fall in love, they set about remaking a remote Australian outpost into a comfortable town (A town like Alice).

Only my second book by this author but I found I'm enjoying his writing style and his stories of ordinary people stuck in difficult situations. There is some casual racism and sexism from several characters, and the remodeling of the outpost sometimes felt like something out of Cold Comfort Farm, but the first part in Malaysia was riveting.

4/5

59paruline
Mar 18, 2019, 1:04 pm

Last ten books by order of enjoyment, from most to least enjoyed. Books 321-330 (title -my rating) :

A town like Alice -4
Some experiences of an Irish R.M. -4
The colour -4
Legend -3.5
The life of Lazarillo de Tormes -3.5
She -3.5
Everything is illuminated -3
The house on the borderland -3
The virgin suicides -3
The water-babies -2.5

60paruline
mayo 28, 2019, 10:39 am

331- Wide Sargasso Sea



For such a short novel, this packs quite a punch. A retelling of the famous Jane Eyre but from the point of view of the mad woman in the attic, and how she came to be there.

3,5/5

61paruline
mayo 28, 2019, 11:01 am

332- Catch 22



Not really my cup of tea. Too long, the timeline is confusing, the humour is repetitive, and the women are mistreated as a matter of course. Next.

2,5/5

62paruline
Editado: Jun 4, 2019, 11:58 am

333- Les jumeaux de Black Hill (On the Black Hill)



Famous for his travel stories, Bruce Chatwin tries something different: a novel where the protagonists never leave an area but are nevertheless influenced by the events of their time.

4/5

63paruline
Editado: Jun 6, 2019, 11:54 am

334- Love in a cold climate



Must have been great fun when it was published, especially among the upper class, but since we don't have these reference points nowadays, it has aged rather badly, although Cedric is great fun.

I much preferred The pursuit of love.

3/5

64paruline
Jun 6, 2019, 12:04 pm

335- The grass is singing



Doris Lessing's first novel details the life and murder of a woman trapped in a bad marriage. We are witnesses to her slow deterioration from a happy woman to a helpless, confused, and despairing person who turns to a black servant for companionship. While Mary is racist and not very sympathetic, the writing is subtle, evocative and powerful, and the book a harsh critique of South Africa's culture under white rule.

4/5

65paruline
Editado: Jul 15, 2019, 11:44 am

336- The picture of Dorian Gray



The corruption of young, handsome Dorian Gray. Lots of witticisms, predictable story line.

Enjoyable.

4/5

66paruline
Jul 11, 2019, 1:33 pm

337- Le talentueux Mr. Ripley (The talented Mr. Ripley)



Crime was a lot easier before cellphones.

4/5

67paruline
Editado: Dic 16, 2019, 3:54 pm

338- Do androids dream of electric sheep



A bounty hunter looks for a last job "retiring" androids. But when the androids become virtually indistinguishable from humans, both in looks and in thought patterns, what does that do to the bounty hunter's own empathy and humanity?

Thought-provoking.

4/5

68paruline
Editado: Dic 16, 2019, 3:55 pm

339- A farewell to arms



Semi-autobiographical novel about a young American that fights in WWI, gets wounded and taken care of by an English nurse with whom he falls in love. I found the characters boring in words and actions, but the scenery was at least interesting.

Added half a star for the well-built ending.

3,5/5

69paruline
Editado: Dic 16, 2019, 3:55 pm

340- L'ancêtre (The witness)



A young sailor is taken prisoner for 10 years by a remote tribe in the 16th century. His first impression of his captors as sex-obsessed violent drunken cannibals is transformed over the years as he learns about their world view. A quiet, introspective novel that is both dreamlike and realistic.

Laure Bataillon won a major prize for the French translation of this book, and I can understand why.

4/5

70paruline
Jul 15, 2019, 12:02 pm

Last ten books by order of enjoyment, from most to least enjoyed. Books 331-340 (title -my rating) :

The witness -4
The talented Mr. Ripley -4
On the Black Hill -4
Do androids dream of electric sheep? -4
The grass is singing -4
The picture of Dorian Gray -4
Wide Sargasso Sea -3.5
A farewell to arms -3.5
Love in a cold climate -3
Catch 22 -2.5

This time, I can't really discriminate between the top four contenders; I liked them all equally but for different reasons.

71paruline
Editado: Dic 9, 2020, 10:04 am

341- Autobiographie d'Alice Toklas (The autobiography of Alice B. Toklas)



Well, I never learned less about the subject of an autobiography than I did here for Alice B. Toklas. Because really, this is the autobiography of Gertrude Stein, written by herself.

I learned quite a bit about the art scene of Paris at the turn of the 20th century, but I found it quite dry and surprisingly boring.

3/5

72paruline
Editado: Dic 9, 2020, 10:02 am

342- Falling man



Several unpleasant people react in different ways to the terrorist attack of 9/11.

3,5/5

73paruline
Ene 1, 2020, 5:35 pm

343- Après le tremblement de terre (After the quake)



A much better take of the aftereffects of a catastrophe, which are explored through the reactions of people in a series of short stories, some with a fantastical bend. The characters have no other link than the fact they see the earthquake on the news and that it changes them.

4/5

74paruline
Editado: Dic 9, 2020, 10:01 am

344- The big sleep



Classic noir with a famously complicated plot. The movie is fairly faithful to the book.

3,5/5

75paruline
Dic 9, 2020, 9:59 am

345- Sula



I understand what Toni Morrison was trying to do but that doesn't mean I enjoyed it; all the characters were just unpleasant.

3/5

76paruline
Dic 9, 2020, 10:12 am

346- La guerre des salamandres (The war with the newts)



First book read after a two-months hiatus. The discovery of a new species of newts brings about all the worst human instincts. Darkly humorous. Recommended.

4/5

77paruline
Dic 9, 2020, 10:19 am

347- Cane



Collection of poetry and short stories with some arresting imagery, exploring the realities of being an African American in early 20th century US. Interesting but I ultimately failed to connect.

2,5/5

78paruline
Editado: Dic 9, 2020, 10:38 am

348- Le loup des steppes (Steppenwolf)



I've met people like this: disdainful of mass culture but unable to detach themselves from it. I was impressed with the insights into this mentality by the author but the final magic theater section went on a bit too long. And Hermine's ultimate fate was a real letdown.

3,5/5

79paruline
Editado: Dic 10, 2020, 9:23 am

349- The Glass Key



Corruption, murder, seduction, fist fights, more corruption, politics. You'd think all this would make the novel interesting, but you'd be wrong.

2/5

80paruline
Dic 10, 2020, 9:28 am

350- Get Shorty



Corruption, murder, seduction, fist fights, drugs, movies, Hollywood, humour. That's more like it. The movie is also pretty great, especially with that Booker T & the M.G.'s soundtrack.

3,5/5

81paruline
Editado: Dic 10, 2020, 3:37 pm

Last ten books by order of enjoyment, from most to least enjoyed. Books 341-350 (title -my rating) :

War with the newts -4
After the quake -4
Get Shorty -3,5
Steppenwolf -3,5
The big sleep -3,5
Falling man -3,5
Sula -3
Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas -3
Cane -2,5
The glass key -2

82annamorphic
Dic 16, 2020, 1:51 pm

Catching up with all your reviews and just wanted to say -- love the way that you pause after every 10 books and rank them. That's a good idea. I might have to appropriate it.

Some of your brief reviews are also hilarious. I definitely laughed at >66 paruline: and >79 paruline: - >80 paruline:!

83paruline
Dic 17, 2020, 9:12 am

Appropriate away! I've neglected my thread this year, but I keep reading and being inspired by everyone in the group :)