...is all I've read so far.
I can check off
1. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
2. A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce
3. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
4. The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
5. Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison
6. Lord of the Flies by William Golding
7. The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway
8. The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
9. Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad
10. A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway
10.5 Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov (the book was due back at the library and I just stopped...)
All I can say is, I have high school english classes to thank for everything on that list other than Brave New World (only non-honors kids read that..?) and A Farewell to Arms. I have a lot of respect for all the books I've read so far, but I'm wondering what it will be like just reading them. Reading them in english classes we discussed and I inevitably got more out of the books.
Take my newest challenge- Ulysses by James Joyce. A book I am slightly terrified of. I started the book by just starting the book, and ended up lost. Thanks to the kind advice of my cousin Allison/Ruby I read the Cliff Notes summary after the chapter, and was SHOCKED at how much I had missed. Religious imagery, references to other writers and Irish history (although this is understandable), parallels with The Odyssey, etc. I've even read The Odyssey! So I'm now on a new schedule:
1. Read the Cliff Notes summary and analysis of the chapter.
2. Read the actual chapter.
3. Look at the Cliff Notes again if still confused.
I've only gotten to chapter 3.
http://www.modernlibrary.com/top-100/100-best-novels/
p.s. I'm working on the Board's list not the readers list. I guess this reveals my inner book snob. Maybe the reader's list will be next!
I can check off
1. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
2. A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce
3. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
4. The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
5. Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison
6. Lord of the Flies by William Golding
7. The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway
8. The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
9. Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad
10. A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway
10.5 Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov (the book was due back at the library and I just stopped...)
All I can say is, I have high school english classes to thank for everything on that list other than Brave New World (only non-honors kids read that..?) and A Farewell to Arms. I have a lot of respect for all the books I've read so far, but I'm wondering what it will be like just reading them. Reading them in english classes we discussed and I inevitably got more out of the books.
Take my newest challenge- Ulysses by James Joyce. A book I am slightly terrified of. I started the book by just starting the book, and ended up lost. Thanks to the kind advice of my cousin Allison/Ruby I read the Cliff Notes summary after the chapter, and was SHOCKED at how much I had missed. Religious imagery, references to other writers and Irish history (although this is understandable), parallels with The Odyssey, etc. I've even read The Odyssey! So I'm now on a new schedule:
1. Read the Cliff Notes summary and analysis of the chapter.
2. Read the actual chapter.
3. Look at the Cliff Notes again if still confused.
I've only gotten to chapter 3.
http://www.modernlibrary.com/top-100/100-best-novels/
p.s. I'm working on the Board's list not the readers list. I guess this reveals my inner book snob. Maybe the reader's list will be next!
You're a reading machine. Go get 'em!
ReplyDeleteI still haven't gotten to Invisible Man. Should I? I also haven't read Lolita but I did read Reading Lolita in Tehran, about the suppression of rights (including reading) in Iran.
ReplyDeleteMy favorites from that group are Grapes of Wrath and Heart of Darkness.
Invisible Man was okay. I remember that it was interesting, but I wouldn't want to read it again.
ReplyDeleteWe have very different favorites! Heart of Darkness was my LEAST favorite, with either Hemingway as my most favorite.