Literary Exploration discussion

If you live in Australia you might know that ABC's The Book Show did a "Bragging Rights" special last night and I thought it might be fun to have the topic here. Books in the show include Infinite Jest, Underworld, War and Peace, Don Quixote, and In Search of Lost Time.

So I want to know what books do you feel particularly proud of having read (and what books do you lie about having read)?

I can't think of any books that I've lied about reading, hopefully I've never done that. I can't really think of books that I've read and feel deserve bragging about. But because it is notoriously hard to read and mentioned in the show I have to mention Infinite Jest.

Other books (I've read)mentioned in the show but don't think they are hard to read or notoriously hard to read;

Foucault's Pendulum
Les Misérables
Slaughterhouse-Five

I read Slaughterhouse Five, but no, it wasn't hard at all.

I think I can brag about two Indian books:A Suitable Boy and A Fine Balance not that they were hard, but they were very long.

I gave up on: In Search of Lost Time; Les Miserables; and, most recently, Middlemarch.

Hm. Why didn't these books I entered come in as links? Or will they once i post?

Don Quioxtie is simply magic, I don't understand why more people don't read it. It's one long slew of poop jokes, I laughed out loud many times reading it.

As for bragging rights, Ulysseys, The Brothers Karamazov, War & Peace, Bleak House, David Copperfield, Anna Karenina....but these are all good books so I'm not sure why they'd be braggnig rights - just seriously recommended....well not so much War & Peace


A Fine Balance is superb, A Suitable Boy is the opposite.

Infinite Jest is on my "one day" list

I'm finishing up a read of In Search of Lost Time (part of the GR group doing so). I've always wanted to tackle this monster, and so I will be very happy when done. Currently 1/3 through "Time Regained"

The Count of Monte Cristo: In all honesty, I had avoided this, if only because of the length and the perception that it was the same swashbuckling swordplay as The Three Musketeers. Wrong. It's one of the greatest books I have ever read, and I'm actually re-reading parts now, and it is a highly recommended read.

Saw that episode! Quite funny and distracted me from what I was supposed to be doing :p

Proud of finishing Les Miserables, Anna Karenina... these are the latest 2 that I can think of...

Read A Suitable Boy too and yeah, it was just meh so whilst it was big, wasn't really quite pleased that I finished it :p

A Fine Balance was so very fine! :)

I gave up on Middlemarch a few years ago but picked it up again and finished it last year -err, forced finish that is...

Gave up on War and Peace too but thinking that may be the project for next year ;) and The Three Musketeers...

I find a read-along with a tight schedule works for me to finish these chunky books

Don't think I've lied outright about reading certain books but certainly inferred in a conversation just so I can join in the convo, ha ha ha...

I read Anna Karennina but didn't think it was a to-brag book.

I just adored the main character in A SUITABLE BOY, the mother whose name I can't recall. That I still remember her, though, after maybe 15 years, means she was vivid.

I am not done yet, but I'm coming up on two months spent reading Doctor Zhivago - in two translations - as well as watching two movie adaptations (David Lean's feature film, and BBC's miniseries). I will be proud of that accomplishment when finally done ;-), and claim those bragging rights {:D.

I've ordered the Poems of Doctor Zhivago in two translations (Kayden and Davie), in addition to the two translations included in the Hayward/Harari and Pevear/Volokhonsky translations of the novel ... but I'm saving those for another time. Probably the Poetry slot on the Genre challenge :).

I guess the fiction of Ayn Rand, too. I've read them all, Atlas Shrugged and The Fountainhead each more than once. I wrote my college application essay on Atlas Shrugged an eternity ago.

Tien wrote: "Gave up on War and Peace too but thinking that may be the project for next year ;..."

Me too, and me too, Tien!

I have recently finished and loved War and Peace. Thinking of trying Middlemarch next

Michael wrote: "I have recently finished and loved War and Peace. Thinking of trying Middlemarch next"

War is Peace is pretty impressive. I'll admit I tried once years ago, and just couldn't keep it up, and I love Tolstoy. I'm going to try Middlemarch maybe this summer. I just need a lot of time :)

I would say that finishing Les Misérables a few years ago was one I was proud of. Great novel!

Yep, I tried War & Peace in college (side read, not a course read). I abandoned it :(. It was only the second book I had ever abandoned. One day I'll climb that mountain!

Les Mis is a beast ... lol

I'm currently reading Les Miserables but it is very slow going and if I ever finish it I will definitely be proud of it! :)

~Sara~ wrote: "I'm currently reading Les Miserables but it is very slow going and if I ever finish it I will definitely be proud of it! :)"

It does take a while; all those random chapters on the battle of Waterloo, the Paris sewers, etc really make it a long book

I wouldn't necessarily say these are ones to brag about, but they are ones I checked off my 'literary bucket list:' Anna Karenina and Ulysses. Ulysses I think will need a re-read in the future so I can properly do it justice should I ever discuss it.

Kier wrote: "I wouldn't necessarily say these are ones to brag about, but they are ones I checked off my 'literary bucket list:' Anna Karenina and Ulysses. Ulysses I think will need a re-read in the future so I..."

I have a love-hate relationship with Ulysses: I usually dislike it when a book is unreadable just for the sake of literariness (like everything by Marlene Streeruwitz, who tries to find a feminine expression).
But I love riddles, hidden clues and meta, meta, meta :) As a linguist I especially enjoyed the chapter where a child is born, and the chapter itself relives the evolution of English.

I love Ulysses like I love Stanley Kubrick films: Knowing that every detail is full of meaning.

Kier wrote: "I wouldn't necessarily say these are ones to brag about, but they are ones I checked off my 'literary bucket list:' Anna Karenina and Ulysses. Ulysses I think will need a re-read in the future so I..."

Ulysses is quite an achievement :) I need to plan about a month ahead before I try to read that one..and have my Sparknotes handy.

Oh Ulysses was a beast! I was lucky to have read it in college with a professor who was obsessed with Joyce. I have detailed notes on all the themes in the story that helped me to understand (mostly) and enjoy it. The Brothers Karamazov is another book I have crossed off my list. I read Foucault's Pendulum but spent so much time looking everything up that I didn't understand it very well. That one is a definite re-read!

I have bragging rights to finishing Vanity Fair and Gone with the Wind, among others. These two I am very proud of because they are enduring Classics. "Gone With the Wind" is one of my favourite novels, and I was surprised at how much I enjoyed "Vanity Fair." I hope to earn bragging rights again soon for Uncle Tom's Cabin and Anna Karenina.

I read Gone with the Wind and Scarlett (the sequel by another author) when I was in high school. I was a bit obsessed with Gone With The Wind back in the day.

I want to tackle Gone with the Wind, one of these days. Maybe during the summer when I feel like I have more time.

I read vanity fair loved it enjoyed it and related to it. The book is immortal, social norms and people are not really that different in any society, we have the clever ones the mean ones the disloyal ones the extravagant ones and all play the same role in every society, William Thackeray did a great job with explaining the society, and of course the sarcasm was best. It is best satire written as far my opinions goes.

I read Ulysses last year and just finished War and Peace last week. Soon I plan to start Middlemarch. Those are my big three that I have wanted to tackle for a long time. Next month a group I am in will start Gone With the Wind as a quarter long read and I plan to join in reading it.

I claim bragging rights to Middlemarch and Anna Karnina. Neither of which I enjoyed or read quickly. Both took me the whole month. BUT I read them and they are off my list.