Thread: Books that are must reads before you die ?

Originally Posted by hoglahoo

I thoroughly enjoy this version! I'd hate to die not having read it, or have it read to me

Yeah, that book really gets your lips moving.

stranger in a strange land

I have just ordered the following books:

Ulysses and Finnegans Wake - Joyce
Gravity's Rainbow - Pynchon
Painted Bird - Kosinski

Originally Posted by JimmyHAD

When I was about 13 I saw the film Lawrence Of Arabia with Peter O'Toole. I loved the movie and soon found out that Lawrence had written a book called The Seven Pillars of Wisdom.
........

Aha books.... I am so lucky to live within walking distance of a good little library.

We should not forget to list the "Books we must read to
our children and grandchildren before they grow up."

My hat is off to anyone that makes it through Moby Dick. I've got a rather nice copy that graces my bookshelves. I have attempted to read it on three occasions and failed miserably each time. I have trudged through my share of similar books (I even made it halfway through War and Peace), but for some reason I can't make it through. Maybe that will be one of my goals for the year.

With the exception of perhaps Moby Dick, I'm fairly pleased with my reading experiences. I feel I could certainly squeeze in more classics, but not just for the sake of reading them. I did that for a while and it's not the most satisfying of experiences.

Since we're all talking about classic books, let me ask this. When you read these or any other books, what approach do you take? Do you take it at face value or do you try to analyze it?

Originally Posted by Quick Orange

Since we're all talking about classic books, let me ask this. When you read these or any other books, what approach do you take? Do you take it at face value or do you try to analyze it?

I've read my share of classics and modern novels, and I do not claim to be a literature scholar. In fact, growing up I hated literature. Shakespeare and stuff like that are not for me.

On my own terms, reading is fun.

I read a book for entertainment and/or education. If it sparks an analytical line of thinking, then that's part of what's entertaining!

Originally Posted by Quick Orange

Since we're all talking about classic books, let me ask this. When you read these or any other books, what approach do you take? Do you take it at face value or do you try to analyze it?

For me that depends of the book. There are authors who just tell a good story and then there are authors who have this magic of making everything they write look good, even if the story wouldn't be worth much anything. And lastly there are authors who make the good story look bad and childish.
With Moby Dick it takes lot of analyzing for me, and in that book there's more to analyze than i could ever do.
One example, imho, of the author that makes interesting story look childish is Dan Brown, but as i said, it is just my opinion.

Just finished "The road" and started yesterday "Blood Meridian", both by Cormac Mccarthy, the first one is already one of my favourites from all books I have read. And just yesterday I was able to find a copy of Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand, which is, believe it or not, very difficult to get in Spain....

Some books I'll add a a "must":

- "Portrait of a Lady" by Henry James
- "The catcher in the rye" by JD Salinger
- "The grapes of wrath" by John Steinbeck

and this may be a very particular choice: "The rules of attraction" by Bret Easton Ellis...

And yes, one day I'll finish the Ulysses too...."Don Quijote", mmmm, not so sure about that one....

Originally Posted by Quick Orange

Since we're all talking about classic books, let me ask this. When you read these or any other books, what approach do you take? Do you take it at face value or do you try to analyze it?

It depends on the book. For example there were philosophical parts of T.E. Lawrence's Seven Pillars of Wisdom that were fascinating and stimulated some analysis. OTOH, much of it consisted of his describing terrain and his experience in traveling by camel over Arabia.

Having recently finished Don Quixote I must say that I was disappointed with the ending. I spoke with a friend who is familiar with the book and he said that it couldn't have ended any other way. I won't give the ending away but if you read it you'll have your own feeling on it.

So I've started Moby Dick. I had a vague feeling of dread in beginning it. The last time I tried was a couple of decades ago but my memory of it was worse than the book is turning out to be. Matter of fact , having gone through the first couple of chapters I'm enjoying it. I'll finish it this time come hell or high water.

Dan Simmons - Cantos series (Hyperion, The Fall of Hyperion, Endymion, The Rise of Endymion)
John Keats - Cantos series (Hyperion, The Fall of Hyperion, Endymion)
Isaac Asimov - the complete Robot/Robot and Empire/Foundation cycle

Currently trying to work up the motivation for:
Kyokute Bakin - Nansō Satomi Hakkenden (all 106 volumes)