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Rusty wrote: "Just finished reading The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne. I liked it. Poor Hester. What a life she led after adultery. And, her daughter, Pearl, is quite an interesting char..."

I liked that one a lot too, Rusty. I'm so glad I didn't have to read it in school, so I could approach it on my own terms.

I just finished Lady Chatterley's Lover by D.H. Lawrence. I enjoyed it

Finished Black Water by Joyce Carol Oates. I was not much impressed.

Ursula wrote: "Angelique wrote: "The Count of Monte Cristo. Great book but I would definitely suggest making it a long term read."
I started it a couple of years ago and was really enjoying it, but I got distrac..."

I read a couple of other books in the process of reading this. Sometimes the really long ones just need to be put down for a little bit of perspective.

I've just finished 'Waiting for the Dark, Waiting for the Light' by Ivan Klima. It was ok, I think it may have fallen victim to a slight book slump I'm going through. I've somehow ended up reading 3 mid-life crisis books in quick succession in 3 months so I may have to take a break from those!

Finished Evelina by Fanny Burney. Loved it!

Sandi wrote: "Finished Evelina by Fanny Burney. Loved it!"

I enjoyed the Burney books on the list :)

I've just finished Thursbitch. Really enjoyed it!

Finished A Sentimental Journey by Laurence Sterne.

Finished A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, my first Joyce book. Went in very intimidated, and while it wasn't an easy read, I felt I got more out of it than I expected (though I did like the bits about his early boyhood the best).

"Rebecca", by Daphne du Maurier. Wow. Just wow.

Gabriela, Clove and Cinnamon, it started out slow and got a little better. My translation may not have been great.

Finished Watchmen. It was even better than I thought it would be. Review or here.

Finished The Devil and Miss Prym by Paulo Coelho. I liked it better than his other list book, Veronica decides to die.

Sarah wrote: ""Rebecca", by Daphne du Maurier. Wow. Just wow."

I picked up a copy of this book few weeks ago when it caught my eye. Your comment makes me more excited to get to it soon!

The Stone Diaries by Carol Shields. Good book.

Edwin wrote: "I just finished Chess Story, also known as The Royal Game, by Stefan Zweig.

Wow, for such a short book, this story carries a powerful punch."

I love that book!

Finished Operation Shylock: A Confession by Philip Roth. I thought it thought-provoking, but a bit self-indulgent and repetitive. Still, it was way better that his other list book I have read, The Breast. Now I have to plod through the rest of his books on the list.

Also read Broken April by Ismail Kadaré, which I did like quite a bit. I thought this was completely fictional but was surprised to learn that blood feuds still go on today in some parts of rural Albania. This was my 3rd list book by this author and definitely the best.

Diane, if you want Roth redeemed a bit try reading "The Plot Against America". Even though some of his themes pervade-Judaism, Newark, etc.-the themes that some readers find more cloying-priapic philandering, novelistic navel-gazing, etc.-are much less, if at all, present. It's a grand, page-turning alternative history and is the one Roth novel I'd recommend to just about any reader.

Jonpaul wrote: "Diane, if you want Roth redeemed a bit try reading "The Plot Against America". Even though some of his themes pervade-Judaism, Newark, etc.-the themes that some readers find more cloying-priapic ph..."

Thanks for the heads up. I will have to get that one. I have heard good things about Nemesis and American Pastoral, too. I wouldn't recommend anyone start with The Breast. I don't even know why it was included in this list.

Just finished Breakfast of Champions by Kurt Vonnegut. Definitely one of his *weirder* ones. He's one of the few postmodern authors, I think, who can get away with the craziness he does without seeming to try to hard. Even though this one makes some good (very satirical) points, I much prefer the perfect balance of weird & heart of Slaughterhouse Five.

Finished Rashomon. Japanese short story written in 1915.

Finished North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell; review here.

Finished The Comfort of Strangers.

Miss Pettigrew Lives For A Day. Very charming.

I've just finished Things Fall Apart. Short, simplistic, gripping in parts and I liked the narrator but didn't like the book enough to want to read anything else by Achebe.

Catch-22

Finally finished Dr. Zhivago.

Just finished A Fine Balance by by Rohinton Mistry. See my review here.

Finished A Maggot by John Fowles. I've read two of his other books so I was waiting for the post-modern-splosion...and yes, was well enough prepared. If one can be prepared for that sort of thing.

Wendy wrote: "Finished A Maggot by John Fowles. I've read two of his other books so I was waiting for the post-modern-splosion...and yes, was well enough prepared. If one can be prepa..."

A splendid book Wendy, I loved it.

Just finished Doris Lessing's "The Grass is Singing". I was hoping for a different ending. This is an excellently written and disturbing novel and it will stay with me for a long time.

This weekend I finished Moscow to the End of the Line. The first part was very tragic-comic but after the first half it got quite boring.
I also finished Adjunct: An Undigest. I have no idea what this book it doing on the list!

Dead Souls - not my favorite Russian novel, but not bad.

Dangling Man by Saul Bellow. It dragged on a bit even though it was actually quite short.

Sense and Sensibility-different edition than this thumbnail shows, but it was pretty good! The characters were pretty likable, even the Willoughby gentleman who turned out not to really be a "gentleman' in some of his dealings, & ends up getting his just desserts.

The Count of Monte Cristo

Amie wrote: "The Stone Diaries by Carol Shields. Good book."

Although nothing tremendous happens in this, I really loved it!

Just finished Thousand Cranes (reminded me of Silk, and similarly was devoured in one afternoon) and Slaughterhouse Five by Vonnegut. I liked Slaughterhouse Five a lot, but Cat's Cradle is still my fave. I find it hard to move on from the 'first' novel that introduces me to an extraordinary writer, even if it isn't their best.

In this way, Cement Garden will always be my favourite McEwan. Maybe also because it is the shortest! :)

Just finished The Hobbit last night. Took me 3+ months. Boo yeah!

I just finished The Guermantes Way, putting me at about the halfway point of In Search of Lost Time. Not yet crossed off the list, but getting there!

Danyellemastro wrote: "Just finished Thousand Cranes (reminded me of Silk, and similarly was devoured in one afternoon) and Slaughterhouse Five by Vonnegut. I liked Slaughterhouse Five a lot, but Cat's Cradle is still my..."

I just read Slaughterhouse five by Vonnegut too and I did like it more than Cat's Cradle.

Finished The Power and the Glory by Graham Greene. The ending is indeed powerful.

Finished There but for the; review here.

Finished Infinite Jest. Not a fan.

Just finished The Mayor of Casterbridge. I enjoyed it.

Finished Miss Lonelyhearts by Nathanael West. It wasn't as bad as I've heard.

Finished The Time Machine by H.G.Wells and thoroughly enjoyed it. A book with more punch than pages.

Finished The Vicar of Wakefield by Oliver Goldsmith and In a Glass Darkly by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu. Hooray for Irish authors.

Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami; review here.