Kylie

I found this site where you can download a spreadsheet of the entire list. It's been set up really well and you can simply enter an 'r' for 'read' in the left-hand column and it will automatically keep count of how many (and what percentage of) books you've read. I suppose you can modify it further to suit your own needs if you like (adding columns to show the books you own but haven't read yet etc). I'm going through it now to see how many I've read (not many I suspect, and apparently none that have been published in the 2000s).

I lost my mojo for at least a week last month when I was sick. Since then I've been reading much more than I usually would (probably trying to make up for lost time). I hope I don't overdo it and lose it again - I have too many books that need to be read!

They whisper many strange things, of the towers which rose to the sky, in those Unmentionable Times, and of the wagons which moved without horses, and of the lights which burned without flame. But those times were evil. Anthem - Ayn Rand

I can get easily distracted in public too. I often read the same lines over and over again or I have to put on my iPod to drown out noisy people. If I'm reading a 'light' book I can listen to any music and it won't distract me, but if it's a 'heavy' read then I can only listen to instrumental music. It's way too easy for me to get distracted anywhere, at any time (even when I'm by myself in a quiet room I'll start thinking about something else - I'm my own worst enemy).

I do very little reading at home - I get easily distracted by what's on TV or I decide to watch a DVD. On weekends I usually have grand ambitions to read about 100 pages but end up going to work on Monday having read nothing I've been getting a bit better lately and turning off the telly so I can concentrate on reading. Luckily I have a long commute to work so I read while waiting for the train, then while on the train (until I fall asleep), then while going up/down escalators and lifts. Then I read at morning tea and lunch (an hour and a half all up), although sometimes I bring my laptop to work and watch DVDs at my desk instead. I keep thinking I should get away from my desk and go for a nice walk, but then I think of all the reading time I'll miss out on and I give up on the idea

Crime And Punishment 8/10 Fyodor Dostoevsky, 1866 To Kill A Mockingbird 10/10 Harper Lee, 1961 Lolita 9/10 Vladimir Nabokov, 1955 The Bell Jar 8/10 Sylvia Plath, 1963 Black Beauty 4/10 Anna Sewell, 1877 Alice's Adventures In Wonderland 8/10 Lewis Carroll, 1865 Dracula 10/10 Bram Stoker, 1897 Of Mice And Men 9/10 John Steinbeck, 1937 A Clockwork Orange 10/10 Anthony Burgess, 1962 Through The Looking-Glass 8/10 Lewis Carroll, 1871 The Time Machine 8/10 HG Wells, 1895 Slaughterhouse-Five 9/10 Kurt Vonnegut, 1969 One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest 10/10 Ken Kesey, 1962 Carmilla 8/10 Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu, 1872 Peter Pan 8/10 JM Barrie, 1911 Anne Of Green Gables 8/10 Lucy Maud Montgomery, 1908 Lady Chatterley's Lover 5/10 DH Lawrence, 1928 Diary Of A Nobody 9/10 George Grossmith, 1892 The Midwich Cuckoos 7/10 John Wyndham, 1957 Emma 9/10 Jane Austen, 1816 Great Expectations 9/10 Charles Dickens, 1860 The Town And The City 9/10 Jack Kerouac, 1950 The Thirty-Nine Steps 6/10 John Buchan, 1915

A selection of classics on my TBR pile: Classics Jane Austen: Mansfield Park Jane Austen: Northanger Abbey Jane Austen: Persuasion Jane Austen: Sense And Sensibility Charlotte Bronte: Jane Eyre Charles Dickens: Bleak House Charles Dickens: Nicholas Nickleby Thomas Hardy: Far From The Madding Crowd Thomas Hardy: Tess of the D'urbervilles Nathaniel Hawthorne: The House Of The Seven Gables Nathaniel Hawthorne: The Scarlet Letter James Joyce: Portrait Of The Artist As A Young Man Rudyard Kipling: The Jungle Book Mary Shelley: Frankenstein Jonathan Swift: Gulliver's Travels William Makepeace Thackeray: Barry Lyndon William Makepeace Thackeray: Vanity Fair Jules Verne: 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea Emile Zola: Nana Modern Classics Frances Hodgson Burnett: The Secret Garden Truman Capote: In Cold Blood Tom Collins: Such Is Life Ralph Ellison: Invisible Man AB Facey: A Fortunate Life Frank Herbert: Dune Hermann Hesse: The Glass Bead Game DH Lawrence: Sons And Lovers Joan Lindsay: Picnic At Hanging Rock Henry Miller: Tropic Of Cancer Henry Miller: Tropic Of Capricorn Margaret Mitchell: Gone With The Wind Sally Morgan: My Place Boris Paternak: Doctor Zhivago Ayn Rand: Atlas Shrugged Nevil Shute: A Town Like Alice Betty Smith: A Tree Grows In Brooklyn John Steinbeck: East Of Eden John Steinbeck: The Grapes Of Wrath John Kennedy Toole: A Confederacy Of Dunces Nathaniel West: The Day Of The Locust Edith Wharton: The House Of Mirth John Wyndham: The Chrysalids Books that I'm reading are in blue. Once read, they'll be moved to the next post.

'Classic' classics and 'Modern' classics, in the order they were read, with year published and rating out of 10. The Catcher In The Rye 8/10 JD Salinger, 1951 Catch-22 10/10 Joseph Heller, 1961 On The Road 8/10 Jack Kerouac, 1957 Metamorphosis 7/10 Franz Kafka, 1915 The Great Gatsby 8/10 F Scott Fitgerald, 1925 The Day Of The Triffids 8/10 John Wyndham, 1951 The Count Of Monte Cristo 9/10 Alexandre Dumas, 1844-1846 The Invisible Man 8/10 HG Wells, 1897 Brave New World 9/10 Aldous Huxley, 1932 Lord Of The Flies 7/10 William Golding, 1954 Pride And Prejudice 10/10 Jane Austen, 1813 A Tale Of Two Cities 9/10 Charles Dickens, 1859 The Trial 7/10 Franz Kafka, 1925 Waiting For Godot 5/10 Samuel Beckett, 1952 A Christmas Carol 9/10 Charles Dickens, 1843

Kylie's Classics Challenge Seeing as I love reading classics above all else, I just have to give this challenge a go! I'm going to put my 'classic' classics in this thread along with my 'modern' classics. I love that the term 'classic' is ambiguous because it means I can fiddle the years to suit my own needs So for this challenge I'm going to label any literature prior to 1900 as 'Classic' and any from 1900 to around the mid 60s as 'Modern Classic' (even though in everyday life I would just refer to them all as Classics ). I'm also going to cheat a bit and list the classics I read last year, because that's when I really started getting into them and it would be a shame having them missing from the list.

I've acquired the following books in the past week or so Books purchased from book fair Now, this isn't as bad as it looks. It only cost me $19.50 for the lot! Bargain! I was particularly pleased to find The Stand and I Am David. The Small Assassin: Ray Bradbury Such Is Life: Tom Collins Bridget Jones' Diary: Helen Fielding Tess of the D'urbervilles: Thomas Hardy The House Of The Seven Gables: Nathaniel Hawthorne I Am David: Anne Holm The Stand: Stephen King The Jungle Book: Rudyard Kipling A Tree Grows In Brooklyn: Betty Smith A Walk to Remember: Nicholas Sparks Gulliver's Travels: Jonathan Swift 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea: Jules Verne Nana: Emile Zola Books borrowed from my brother My brother is a big Stephen King fan and told me to borrow whatever I wanted. I would really like to read IT (which he has), but figured it would be a long time till I got around to it. In the meantime, I now have the two books below. I've actually read Night Shift before (my one and only SK), but would like to read it again. Different Seasons - Stephen King Night Shift - Stephen King Book given to me by a complete stranger A kind gentleman on my train saw me reading Lolita and recommended a couple of other books by Nabokov, including Pale Fire. A couple of days later he showed up with Pale Fire, and told me I could keep it because he had another copy! Wow! You don't see generosity like that every day! The book is in really good nick too. Now I ask you, what chance does a girl have to knock a few books off her TBR pile when people are literally walking up and giving her books? Pale Fire: Vladimir Nabokov

Black Beauty Anna Sewell Rating: 4/10 Published: 1877 Number of pages: 176 ISBN: 014240408X Summary (taken from Amazon.com): This graphic novel adapts the classic children's story of a horse whose gentle nature triumphs over abuse and misfortune. Anna Sewell's original remains beloved to preteen girls in particular, not just for the adventures Black Beauty goes through, but also for Sewell's lyrical descriptions of a past era. Husband-and-wife team Brigman and Richardson do a wonderful job illustrating that period, with b&w drawings that pop off the page and give readers an excellent sense of place as well as time. Unfortunately hamstrung by having to shorten a story that spans many years, they have had to cut all of Sewell's descriptions and most of her transitions, leaving short, choppy chapters that represent information rather than tell a story. Sewell originally wrote the story to expose mistreatment of animals in her society, and the cuts leave the adaptation sounding a bit preachy and repetitive. The spirit of the author's brave horse still comes through, as Black Beauty describes his different masters and the other horses he meets in his life. This should be a hit with horse lovers still too young for the original. Comments: Not a bad read, but I wouldn't read it again. It was very repetitive in the way that it describes Black Beauty's various encounters with humans ('horse meets bad person, horse meets good person, horse meets bad person' etc). When there were actually things happening I enjoyed it but otherwise it was a bit tedious. As an aside, I downloaded this book from Project Gutenberg and read it on my iPod. Started: 16 April 2007 Finished: 28 April 2007 Black Beauty (at Amazon.com)

Lolita Vladimir Nabokov Rating: 9/10 Published: 1959 Number of pages: 361 ISBN: 014102349X Summary (taken from blurb): Humbert Humbert is a middle-aged, fastidious college professor. He also likes little girls. And none more so than Lolita, whom he'll do anything to possess. Is he in love or insane? A silver-tongued poet or a pervert? A tortured soul or a monster?...Or is he all of these? Comments: It took me ages to read this book (I was too sick to read for the first week), but it was well worth it, and it's one that I think will get better and better with repeated readings. Although next time I think I'll keep a dictionary and a French translator at hand I love to read books that make beautiful use of the English language, and this is one of the best I've read yet. It's so well written, it's astounding This was my first Nabokov and certainly not my last - what a brilliant writer! I don't know what else to say...this a superb book and highly recommended. Started: 1 April 2007 Finished: 27 April 2007 Lolita (at Penguinclassics.com)

The Handmaid's Tale Margaret Atwood Rating: 8/10 Published: 1996 Number of pages: 324 ISBN: 0099740915 Summary (taken from inside front cover): The Republic of Gilead allows Offred only one function: to breed. If she deviates, she will, like all dissenters, be hanged at the wall or sent out to die slowly of radiation sickness. But even a repressive state cannot obliterate desire - neither Offred's nor that of the two men on which her future hangs... Brilliantly conceived and executed, this powerful evocation of 21st century America gives full rein to Margaret Atwood's devastating irony, wit and astute perception. Comments: I'm a big fan of dystopian novels and was really looking forward to reading this one after the reviews I read on here. I wasn't disappointed! The style of writing was a little different from what I was used to and I found it a bit hard to get a feeling for the personality of Offred (I guess that was intended, but still...). However, I found it to be a thoroughly enjoyable read, and one that made me think (and appreciate my life). I look forward to reading more Margaret Atwood in the future. Started: 24 March 2007 Finished: 1 April 2007 The Handmaid's Tale (at Amazon.co.uk)

I finished Black Beauty a couple of days ago (my first reading circle novel). Not a bad read, but I wouldn't read it again. I have to agree with you Kell when you talk about it being a bit preachy. I got a bit sick of 'horse meets bad person, horse meets good person, horse meets bad person' etc. It was very repetitive in that way. When there were actually things happening, like the fire, I enjoyed it, but otherwise it was a bit tedious.

I had the same problem when I first started reading A Tale of Two Cities (my first Dickens). I found it a bit difficult to get into, but by the end I absolutely loved it. I found it quite educational too (not knowing much about that particular period in history). It inspired me to a bit of extra research, which is always a good thing! I hope you enjoy the rest of it!

I have a list of my books in a spreadsheet and just counted up the unread ones...107 And what's worse is that the spreadsheet is nowhere near complete. I think I could easily add an extra 30-40 unread books! Oh dear. I had no idea it'd gotten that bad. But that's still not going to stop me from going to a huge book fair next week, where I expect to buy another 20 or more. Hey, the books will be dirt cheap and the money goes to a good cause, OK?

Funny you should mention this. I just read that McCarthy has won a Pulitzer Prize for this book. I've never read any of his works before. When and where is 'The Road' set?

In addition to some of the movies mentioned above, I always cry at the end of Hair. I bawled at a mini-series remake of On The Beach. The Notebook leaves me blubbering for ages after the movie ends, and nothing beats Beaches for a good cry! I'm certain I've cried during at least two of the Lord Of The Rings movies. I cry during pretty much anything that has a remotely sad part, or a very happy ending

Thanks for the recommendations everyone. I might check out The Stand first and see if I can get my hands on Different Seasons as well. The Shawshank Redemption is one of my favourite movies and I'd love to read the original novella.

Hi Dave and welcome! Here's my top 10: 1. Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen 2. To Kill A Mockingbird - Harper Lee 3. Catch-22 - Joseph Heller 4. Tomorrow, When The War Began - John Marsden 5. Fahrenheit 451 - Ray Bradbury 6. 1984 - George Orwell 7. The War Of The Worlds - HG Wells 8. The Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood 9. The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy - Douglas Adams 10. For The Term Of His Natural Life - Marcus Clarke Have you tried going into bookshops and libraries and surveying the staff? I should think they'd be pretty helpful. Good luck!

I've read and thoroughly enjoyed The Handmaid's Tale. Margaret Atwood has been named as a finalist for the 2007 Man Booker International Prize. http://www.reuters.com/article/entertainmentNews/idUSN1244447720070413

I would like this book but I'm afraid that if I get it I'll wind up on some crazy quest to track down every single book to read. I think my TBR list is big enough already!

Hmm, I don't think reading this thread was a good idea. Looks like my TBR list has just grown by about 20 books! Thanks very much everyone! My brother has just about every Stephen King novel I think. I wish now that I had borrowed more when he was living at home. The only one I read was a collection of short stories (can't remember the name) which I think had the Children of the Corn story, and the one about the trucks being alive and killing people. I think a visit to my local second-hand book store is in order. I recall seeing a lot of King's book there. Thanks for the tips and opinions

I don't know exactly what I was expecting from The Bell Jar. I had always heard about Sylvia Plath and her poetry and for some reason I thought the book might be a bit - for want of a better word - pretentious. I'm happy to report that it's not That's one thing I love about books. They constantly surprise me. I would love to read Plath's diaries one day. A little before I finished The Bell Jar, I looked Sylvia up on Wikipedia and was saddened to read about the way her life ended. Sad as it is to say, I really didn't know that much about the history of Sydney before I read this book. We'd learnt a bit in school about the 'discovery' of Australia by Captain Cook but I think they glossed over the details quite a bit. This book filled in a lot of holes in my knowledge about the way convicts were treated, the hardships that were faced, and just how long it took to get the colony off the ground. It was great to see a large cross-section of accounts, from Aborigines to convicts to Governors. It's really given me a longing to explore this city more. There are so many coves, beaches etc that have a history I was not aware of and I can't wait to see them with new eyes

The Birth Of Sydney Tim Flannery (ed) Rating: 8/10 Published: 1999 Number of pages: 349 ISBN: 1876485450 Summary (taken from blurb): The Birth Of Sydney tells the story of the founding of one of the world's great cities. Tim Flannery's brilliant anthology reveals Sydney's strange and secret life from its unruly beginnings as a dump for convicts to its arrival as the 'queen of the south' a century later. In this compelling narrative history we hear the voices of everyone from Aboriginal women to Russian sailors, from Elizabeth Macarthur to Charles Darwin and a host of others. Comments: Another thoroughly entertaining and educational collection of accounts of the early history of Australia. It's amazing to compare the old colonial town of Sydney with what stands in its place today. A lot of stories centre around the area I work in, and I know I'll never view these streets and parks the same way again. Started: 25 February 2007 Finished: 24 March 2007 The Birth Of Sydney (at Dymocks.com.au)