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Rory Gilmore's Book List Challenge


AbielleRose

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:lol: "Looking for some hot stuff baby this evening? You need some hot stuff, baby, to read!" :readingtwo::lol:

 

What's worrying me is the fact that you've read all the Rory books that have been suggested we read, which means that you've pretty much read every classic there is which in turn means that you need recently published books, and oh I see you've already mentioned that :D Forget what I just said ;)

 

I can't remember if you've already read the following, so I'm just going to go ahead and do my recommendation bit:

 

- Augusten Burroughs! Excellent memoir novels. First there's Running with Scissors, a hilarious and yet really twisted and disturbing story of Burroughs's teenage years. Dad was an alcoholic, Mum was in desperate need of some psychological help and the solution is of course that Augusten should live with his Mum's psychiatrist! Now, talk about a ****ed up family! Awful things happen but Burroughs manages to write about it in such a hilarious way that one sometimes forgets that it's a true story and instead of laughing their asses of, the reader should be very disturbed.

 

Second memoir, Dry, is about Burroughs's twenties, when he's working in advertising and has problems with booze. Another funny read, although I think it was a bit more to the serious side than Running with Scissors.

 

If you get this far and have enjoyed the memoirs, you should move on to the third novel called Wolf at the Table. Now this one's a serious and very dark novel about Burroughs's relationship with his alcoholic father. Very disturbing stuff!

 

- Fingersmith by Sarah Waters. Historical fiction novel with an incredible twist. From play.com: 'We were all more or less thieves at Lant Street. But we were that kind of thief that rather eased the dodgy deed along, than did it . We could pass anything, anything at all, at speeds which would astonish you. There was only one thing, in fact, that had come and got stuck - one thing that had somehow withstood the tremendous pull of that passage - one thing that never had a price put to it. I mean of course, Me.' Sue Trinder, orphaned at birth, is born among petty thieves - fingersmiths - in London's Borough. From the moment she draws breath, her fate is linked to another orphan, growing up in a gloomy mansion not too many miles away ...A modern day Dickens, Sarah Waters is one of Britain's rising stars. Very beautifully written! Also, includes the best written sex scene I've ever encountered (and the only sex scene that I haven't rolled my eys at when reading it).

I have also other novels by Sarah Waters and I'm 100% sure that they will be excellent as well, just haven't gotten around to reading them yet. Sarah Waters is someone I'll be following closely for the rest of my life!

 

- Thursday Next -series by Jasper Fforde. Fantastic fantasy in a literary world! Full of literary references, lovable characters and plot that takes your breath away. This novel made me want to start reading fantasy! :(

Edited by frankie
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- Augusten Burroughs! Excellent memoir novels. First there's Running with Scissors, a hilarious and yet really twisted and disturbing story of Burroughs's teenage years. Dad was an alcoholic, Mum was in desperate need of some psychological help and the solution is of course that Augusten should live with his Mum's psychiatrist! Now, talk about a ****ed up family! Awful things happen but Burroughs manages to write about it in such a hilarious way that one sometimes forgets that it's a true story and instead of laughing their asses of, the reader should be very disturbed.

 

I KNEW you were going to recommend this!!! I just knew it!

 

Another one that I believe everyone should read is Reading Lolita in Tehran by Azar Nafisi. It is such an incredible look into lives of women in Tehran, Iraq. It goes through lives of women much like ourselves who aren't allowed the most basic daily freedoms we all enjoy such as wearing make-up, leaving the house with whomever we want and even being able to read the books we want. Its been a few years since I've read it myself, I think I'll be putting that one back on the list for a re-read soon!

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Thank you lovelies :D Off to a great start! I've put the Burroughs, Fingersmith and Reading Lolita on my to-be-obtained-as-soon-as-possible list. I've been reading Mr Fforde since The Eyre Affair came out, he did a signing at the bookstore I worked in at the time and it's one of my most treasured possessions :readingtwo:

 

Anyway, keep the suggestions coming - maybe leave them in my book thread rather than go off-topic in here though if you want!

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I KNEW you were going to recommend this!!! I just knew it!

 

Yes, predictable ole me... :readingtwo: I can't help it, the book's great :D

 

Another one that I believe everyone should read is Reading Lolita in Tehran by Azar Nafisi. It is such an incredible look into lives of women in Tehran, Iraq. It goes through lives of women much like ourselves who aren't allowed the most basic daily freedoms we all enjoy such as wearing make-up, leaving the house with whomever we want and even being able to read the books we want. Its been a few years since I've read it myself, I think I'll be putting that one back on the list for a re-read soon!

 

I haven't read this book but isn't it on Rory's book list? (Not the Shona list but the other one, see my reading list if you don't know what I'm talking about) I've borrowed the book like two times but just haven't gotten around to reading it, but I do want to read it at some point though. If you guys wish we could do a group reading of that one too. (And soon, it seems, we've all planned all of our reading schedules for the next couple of years... :lol:)

 

Fi, I took a look at your librarything list after my last post and there was Jasper Fforde there. That's kinda the reason why I wanted to check out your LT account, so I won't be recommending stuff you've already read. Do you only list the books you own, or also the books you read (borrowed from friends/library)?

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I try to list everything I read - if I get it from the library I try to tag it as such. I'm a bit behind in keeping it up to date as there are chunks of book activity missing - think that's mainly from when I moved and from when I had no internet for nearly 5 months!

 

I'm going to go through everything on LT sometime to tag everything I've read that's in the Rory challenge as well so that should make things slightly easier :readingtwo:

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I haven't read this book but isn't it on Rory's book list? (Not the Shona list but the other one, see my reading list if you don't know what I'm talking about) I've borrowed the book like two times but just haven't gotten around to reading it, but I do want to read it at some point though. If you guys wish we could do a group reading of that one too. (And soon, it seems, we've all planned all of our reading schedules for the next couple of years... :readingtwo:)

 

Is it? I didn't realize! Aah, I must go back and re-sort through the list. I had a paper one going but it is lost in one of my 20+ notebooks (all in a giant tub that I'm too scared to open atm.)

 

@Fi- Have you heard of Cassandra Clare and The Immortal Instruments series? It is absolutely amazing! Its like the love of Twilight and the unique world of magic (but not as long and involved) of Harry Potter in a 3 (soon to be 4) book series. It is about a world of Shadowhunters also known as Nephilim who are demon fighters. In that sense it definitely has a Buffy the Vampire vibe. It is YA but I highly recommend it, especially since you enjoyed Twilight. This is much more grown up than that, though.

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I've read City Of Bones but for some reason never got round to picking up the others, I think I borrowed it from the library so that may be why. Thanks for the reminder though :readingtwo:

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I haven't heard about the Kerouac book and I still have On the Road to be read :D Somehow I have the idea that I won't like Kerouac, even though I've never read him :friends0: Of course I'm going to try him out, but don't feel too keen on starting if you know what I mean.

 

I understand what you mean. Kerouac isn't for everyone, although I'm a fan myself. His writing is very different, but even if you don't like On the Road I would still recommend The Town and the City because it was the first book he ever wrote and is written in a much more 'normal' style, as opposed to his well-known beat style.

 

Ooh! Ooh! Now I have a reason to make a list today!

 

That brought a smile to my face. :D

 

Fi, I think you have created a couple of monsters. :D

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That brought a smile to my face. :D

 

Fi, I think you have created a couple of monsters. :friends0:

 

Muhahaha.... *rubs hands together evily and grins*

 

You can help me if you want. We can put it in alphabetical order and color code it according to genra and whether the author was male or female. Then we can break it up into mini lists according to country and century of publication!!! It will be so much fun!

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Fi, I think you have created a couple of monsters.

 

No, I haven't - it'll be fine :friends0:

 

Muhahaha.... *rubs hands together evily and grins*

 

You can help me if you want. We can put it in alphabetical order and color code it according to genra and whether the author was male or female. Then we can break it up into mini lists according to country and century of publication!!! It will be so much fun!

 

Uh oh, maybe I was a teeny bit wrong ! Run for cover :D

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You can help me if you want. We can put it in alphabetical order and color code it according to genra and whether the author was male or female. Then we can break it up into mini lists according to country and century of publication!!! It will be so much fun!

 

Oh cool! You know me so well Abby. Thank you for thinking of me. :D:friends0:

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No, I haven't - it'll be fine :D

 

 

 

Uh oh, maybe I was a teeny bit wrong ! Run for cover :D

 

Oh, come on. I just got the markers out! I even have stickers. Gold for best, Silver for good and Red for worth a read but only once.

 

Oh cool! You know me so well Abby. Thank you for thinking of me. :D:friends0:

 

Kylie, I think there is a chance that we were seperated at birth... No one else finds list making as fantabulous as you and I do.

Edited by CaliLily
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Kylie, I think there is a chance that we were seperated at birth... No one else finds list making as fantabulous as you and I do.

 

:D That reminds me, I made a list last weekend of things to do by this weekend and I haven't started on it yet. :D That's my problem: I spend lots of time making pretty lists and then don't have time to follow them through. :D

 

Stickers? I love stickers - you have free rein to do anything :friends0:

 

:D That was too easy Fi!

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Oh...oh...oh... *eyes get wide* :friends0: *starts bouncing up and down on the bed*

 

 

:D That was too easy Fi!

 

I'm a soft touch for anything sticker-y or sparkly and as for markers, well I wholeheartedly encourage everyone to have large numbers of them in many different colours :D

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I'm a soft touch for anything sticker-y or sparkly and as for markers, well I wholeheartedly encourage everyone to have large numbers of them in many different colours :friends0:

 

My soul sister! *swoon*

 

Sparkly Power! *punches fist into the air*

 

(No, I'm not drunk)

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I understand what you mean. Kerouac isn't for everyone, although I'm a fan myself. His writing is very different, but even if you don't like On the Road I would still recommend The Town and the City because it was the first book he ever wrote and is written in a much more 'normal' style, as opposed to his well-known beat style.

 

Okay, I'm putting it on my wishlist :D I do hope that I'll be one of the people who love Kerouac, I'd hate to dislike him :D I don't even know where my prejudice towards him comes from, I've never read anything by him.

 

Kylie, did you notice we were talking about reading LotR in April(ish)? If I remember correctly you haven't read it either, would you be up for it? :friends0:

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Ah, okay Kylie, somehow I had the impression that you haven't read the book yet!

 

Hmph, now that I've been watching the show I sometimes hear the girls talking about a movie that's on the Rory Book list, and I'm beginning to wonder if the listmaker hasn't realised that it's the movie they're talking about, not the book, or whether the books will be also mentioned later in the series. For example I'm pretty sure they mentioned The Graduate as a movie, as well as some others (why didn't I write them down...). I think it's weird to list them as books to be read...

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I think possibly a lot of books on the list come from different references (especially movies). For example, the one you pointed out to me: They Shoot Horses, Don't They? was parodied as They Shoot Gilmores, Don't They? in an episode title. As far as I'm aware, that's the only link the book has with the series.

 

I'm also interested in where The Code of the Woosters by PG Wodehouse came from. The only reference I can recall to Wodehouse is when Richard asks Rory what she's been reading and she says 'I'm very into PG Wodehouse right now'. She never mentions a specific book so I wonder if this one was randomly chosen as it's one of his most well-known and well-loved works. Also, Rory's quote seems to imply to me that she's been reading more than one Wodehouse.

 

I believe a lot of the list came from an official list posted on the WBs website, so maybe the show's creators had some say on exactly which books should be added?

 

I wonder if we'll ever have a fully comprehensive list. :D

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The more I think about this, the more I start to believe that yes, a lot of the names on the list are from different references and not always books. I also remember hearing the Wodehouse comment but I don't recall them mentioning the actual title. And I know that this particular thing interests you a great deal, being a Wodehouse fan yourself :lol:

 

I believe a lot of the list came from an official list posted on the WBs website, so maybe the show's creators had some say on exactly which books should be added?

 

I wonder if we'll ever have a fully comprehensive list. :roll:

 

Ach so! Well I don't mind that at all, because the show's creators are obviously a bunch of geniouses and I don't mind reading their recommendations :lol: I'm going to need to take a closer look on the WBs website me thinks.

 

A fully comprehensive list would be a longshot, yes :(

 

One of the names on the list that are unfamiliar to me is Dawn Powell. Rory mentioned reading her novels (short stories?) a few episodes back and told Lane that Powell is really underrated and unknown for no good reasons and she really likes her stuff. I like the fact that Rory would also look into the less known authors and try to boost their name :D

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