Challenge: 50 Books discussion

Because I didn't complete last year's 50-books challenge (I was just only 1 book short D:) I will try again to accomplish my goal for this year >_<

1. The BFG by Roald Dahl (Children Classic; 199 pages)
★★★☆☆

2. The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux (Classic; 262 pages)
★★★☆☆

3. Lord of the Flies by William Golding (Classic; 225 pages)
★★★☆☆

4. The Railway Children by E. Nesbit (Classic; 224 pages)
★★★☆☆

5. A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens (Classic; 144 pages)
★★★☆☆

6. Evil and the Mask by Fuminori Nakamura (Japanese Lit.; 356 pages)
★★☆☆☆

7. The Fellowship of the Ring by J. R. R. Tolkien (Classic; 378 pages)
★★★☆☆

8. The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka (Classic; 97 pages)
★★★★☆

9. The Thief by Fuminori Nakamura (Japanese Lit.; 211 pages)
★★★☆☆

10. The Wolves of Willoughby Chase by Joan Aiken (Children Classic; 223 pages)
★★★☆☆

11. The Call of the Wild by Jack London (Classic; 228 pages)
★★★☆☆

12. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald (Classic; 161 pages)
★★☆☆☆

13. Boy Tales of Childhood by Roald Dahl (Children Classic; 217 pages)
★★★★☆

14. Kidnapped by Robert Louis Stevenson (Classic; 248 pages)
★★★★☆

15. Dance Dance Dance by Haruki Murakami (Japanese Lit., 393 pages)
★★★☆☆

16. Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad (Classic; 107 pages)
★★☆☆☆

17. Silas Marner by George Elliot (Classic; 216 pages)
★★★★☆

18. Pincher Martin by William Golding (Modern Classic; 224 pages)
★★★☆☆

19. A World of Winnie-the-Pooh by A. A. Milne and E. H. Shepard (Children Classic; 220 pages)

★★☆☆☆

20. The Two Towers by J. R. R. Tolkien (Classic; 322 pages)
★★★★☆

21. Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe (Classic; 331 pages)
★★★☆☆

22. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle (Classic; 290 pages)
★★★☆☆

23. James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl (Children Classic; 150 pages)
★★★☆☆

24. The Return of the King by J. R. R. Tolkien (Classic; 278 pages)
★★★☆☆

25. Going Solo by Roald Dahl (Children's Non-fiction; 210 pages)
★★★★☆

Congratulations! on reaching the half way mark.

Exanimis wrote: "Congratulations! on reaching the half way mark."

Thanks! And congratulations on finishing your challenge! :D

26. The Jungle Books by Rudyard Kipling (Classic; 351 pages)
★★★★☆

Raina wrote: "26. The Jungle Books by Rudyard Kipling
★★★★☆
" Wow! I'm imprerssed. Kipling is my favorite poet and I have read through his complete works several times but have never read his stories, I really should read this myself but I have always been afraid it would read like Moby Dick.

Exanimis wrote: "Raina wrote: "26. The Jungle Books by Rudyard Kipling
★★★★☆
" Wow! I'm imprerssed. Kipling is my favorite poet and I have read through his complete works severa..."

Thanks! Gosh, that's amazing. I have never read any of his poetry collections before. Another Kipling book I read was Just So Stories, which is a short story collection featuring jungle animals, interspersed with poems. I would say it is a companion to the Jungle Books. By the way, I have Moby Dick but I haven't read it yet, likewise with Kim, another novel by Kipling (so many books, so little time), so I can't determine whether The Jungle Books is as "similar" to Moby Dick in terms of writing and style, however, here's my fresh take:

The Jungle Books consist of a series of short stories; some of them follow the main plot (Mowgli) and the rest are about other characters, but towards the end of the book the main plot does conclude. After each short story, there will be a poem based on the character that is featured. Furthermore, it is rich in Indian mythology and Kipling usually names his animals in Hindi or in metaphors. From my experience, I had to google few of the animals to picture them in my head. The main plot is surprisingly action-packed and savage. It is a tale of survival, friendship and mutual respect; if Mowgli wasn't quick at his feet, respectful to other animals and without his mentors' help, he wouldn't survive. Conversations can be quite confusing because they are in Shakespearian English, and Kipling sometimes doesn't specify which character is speaking. Plus, male roles make up majority of the character list and many characters have their respective brief backgrounds.

Haha, yes. I still recommend you to read it nonetheless! Do not fear it, his stories in this book are very compelling, rich and adventurous, more than that of the live-action movie and the animated version combined. After reading this, I felt the movies were considerably watered-down, damping the story's rich history and sense of danger, nothing like the book at all. Just to add in, Shere Khan is not the only villain and his death is only a small part (less than one-third) of the whole book.

Thanks, I'll have to add The Jungle Book to my reading list and give it a try sometime. Moby Dick is a tiresome read, the only way I could get through it was through determination, I refused to give up on it both time that I read it. The story isn't as good as I would have thought. If you want to know everything known about whales that was known in 1851, including paintings and whether or not the artist had ever seen a whale, this is the book to read. Melville was heavy on descriptions and the book can seem like a textbook at times.
Good luck with your future reading.

27. The Hunchback of Notre-Dame by Victor Hugo (Classic; 497 pages)
★★★★☆

The drama, the irony, the comedy, the tragedy! I just can't...! I don't know where to start. My heart is torn to pieces.

28. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl (Children; 180 pages)
★★★☆☆

29. The Invisible Man by H. G. Wells (Classic; 172 pages)
★★★★☆

30. The Chrysalids by John Wyndham (Modern Classic; 187 pages)
★★★☆☆

31. Notes from Underground, White Nights, The Dream of a Ridiculous Man and Selections from the House of the Dead by Fyodor Dostoyevsky (Classic; 217 pages)
★★★★☆

I am just wondering, with your reading list, have you ever read Dante's Devine Comedy?

Exanimis wrote: "I am just wondering, with your reading list, have you ever read Dante's Devine Comedy?"

Only the first part, Inferno :o

I am on the 23rd canto of Pergotorio, I have been surprised by how much I like it. I know it's supposed to be a comedy but Inferno was horrific, very scary.

Exanimis wrote: "I am on the 23rd canto of Pergotorio, I have been surprised by how much I like it. I know it's supposed to be a comedy but Inferno was horrific, very scary."

Dang, I see :o I've not gotten used to the writing style yet as I haven't had any experience reading poetry before. When I read Inferno, I asked myself whether is this really what hell is like? Yeah, I agree with you. Descriptions are very convincing @_@

I don't want to take up all of your time, I am just an old man who likes to read and chat. I hope you don't mind me posting something now and then. Since you haven't read much poetry, look up Kiplings "The Power of the Dog". If you like dogs it will make you so happy that you cry.

the power of the dog link http://www.bartleby.com/364/335.html

Exanimis wrote: "I don't want to take up all of your time, I am just an old man who likes to read and chat. I hope you don't mind me posting something now and then. Since you haven't read much poetry, look up Kipli..."

Hahaha, nah, you're not taking up my time at all! Simply, I like to talk to anyone who loves to read :o Thank you so much for your recommendation! :D I will give my thoughts when I read it in the "morning" though XD (it's nearing 5 am) Yes, I love dogs equally as cats. Thank you again!

Exanimis wrote: "I am on the 23rd canto of Pergotorio, I have been surprised by how much I like it. I know it's supposed to be a comedy but Inferno was horrific, very scary."

Pardon the interruption for a word from my Humanities professor. The word "comedy" does not mean the same thing in classic works as it does to the modern mind. It was a way to describe a story that begins in confusion or misery and ends in elation or happiness. Think A Midsummer Night's Dream where the lovers are separated and mixed up then end up with the right partners. I shall now go somewhere and try to be less pedantic.

Donna wrote: "Exanimis wrote: "I am on the 23rd canto of Pergotorio, I have been surprised by how much I like it. I know it's supposed to be a comedy but Inferno was horrific, very scary."

Pardon the interrupti..."

Haha, I appreciate your knowledge! I personally didn't know what "comedy" meant in classical works and now I do. Thanks :D

Exanimis wrote: "I don't want to take up all of your time, I am just an old man who likes to read and chat. I hope you don't mind me posting something now and then. Since you haven't read much poetry, look up Kipli..."

Thank you for sharing the poem with me. It reminded me of my Golden during my childhood. I will look into more of Kipling's poetry next time when I'm at the bookstore!

32. The Death of Ivan Ilych by Leo Tolstoy (Classic; 300 pages)
★★★★★

33. The Diary of a Madman and Other Stories by Nikolai Gogol (Classic; 221 pages)
★★★★☆

34. Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy (Classic; 940 pages)
★★★★★

35. The Chronicles of Narnia: The Magician's Nephew by C. S. Lewis (Classic; 221 pages)
★★★☆☆

36. The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (Classic; 206 pages)
★★★☆☆