Boxall's 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die discussion

Some of the books on the list are within a series. Do you recommend reading the entire series even if only 1 or 2 of the books are on the list?

I'm think specifically of Girl with Green Eyes specifically, but I might come back with others. How say you on this one?

Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "Some of the books on the list are within a series. Do you recommend reading the entire series even if only 1 or 2 of the books are on the list?"

I can't speak for everyone, but personally I would read the entire series just because I get a little OCD about my reading at times. If it's part of a series, even a loose series, I like to read them in order.


That being said, I haven't read anything by Edna O'Brien yet. My brother read something by her and loved it. Unfortunately I can't remember which one he read.

I'm like that too - have to read books in order. Love Edna O'Brien too - was it The Country Girls?

Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "I'm think specifically of Girl with Green Eyes specifically, but I might come back with others. How say you on this one?"

I think it helps tremendously to read The Country Girls first. It establishes the relationship between Kate & Baba and also provides background about Kate that might explain the choices she makes in Girl with Green Eyes. However, I must confess I didn't go on to read Girls in Their Married Bliss.

Here's an odd one: Regeneration (book 1) and The Ghost Road (book 3) are included on the 1001 Lists. The Eye in the Door (book 2) is not.

I loved Regeneration, but thought the other two didn't quite live up to the first.

An easier choice is to just read the first two novels in the Gormenghast series, Titus Groan and Gormenghast, which are included in the 1001 list. The third was not and the fourth was recently published by his surviving family.

As a general rule, I think it's best to read the entire series of which a particular novel is a part. But if you're not particularly keen on reading the entire series YET you are inclined to read one of the novels therefrom, go for it. :)

Right now, I'm enjoying Philip Kerr's Bernie Gunther Series. Bernine was an ex-cop (from the Kriminalpolitzei during the Weimar Republic) who worked as a private detective in Berlin during most of the Nazi era.

Berlin Noir: March Violets; The Pale Criminal; A German Requiem by Philip Kerr is ABSOLUTELY FIRST-RATE.




I'm now into Book 4 of the series.

The One from the Other

Great info. When I posted I hadn't yet come to The Country Girls and so, of course, have added it to my bulging Wish List.

The added insight for others on the list is much appreciated.

Liz M wrote: "Here's an odd one: Regeneration (book 1) and The Ghost Road (book 3) are included on the 1001 Lists. The Eye in the Door (book 2) is not.

I loved Regener..."

Completely agree. I really enjoyed Regeneration - highly disliked the other two. But you really do need to read the first two in order to read Ghost Road.

David Peace books on the list are 1974, 1977 and 1983, for some reason 1980 wasn't added.
Think it depends on the series, some can be read by themselves, others are part of a continuing story. However it also depends how you feel about the characters and whether you're interested in finding out what becomes of them.
At the moment I'm reading A Dance to the Music of Time, it's 12 books and I'm up to book 10.

Deanne wrote: "David Peace books on the list are 1974, 1977 and 1983, for some reason 1980 wasn't added.
Think it depends on the series, some can be read by themselves, others are part of a continuing story. How..."

I could only find Nineteen Seventy-seven on the combined list.

Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "Some of the books on the list are within a series. Do you recommend reading the entire series even if only 1 or 2 of the books are on the list?"

I'm having the same issue with Trollope. Can You Forgive Her? is the first book in the Palliser series, but not on the list. Phineas Finn is. I think I have to read the first book in the series. But lots of people love Trollope, so I'm willing to go to the effort.

I just finished a Trollope not on the list - The Way We Live Now. It was my first and I was more than pleasantly surprised. I had already planned to read the Barsetshire Chronicles. Only 1 - The Last Chronicle of Barset is the 6th in that series and the only one on the list.

Another series with an easy decision:

Rabbit, Run: A Novel
Rabbit Redux: A Novel
Rabbit is Rich

Are all list books. The fourth book, Rabbit at Rest: A Novel, is not.

So, what is the general opinion on Zola's Les Rougon-Macquart series?
Are the following 1001 list books stand-alone or does one need to read the entire series?

L'Assommoir (The Dram Shop) (Les Rougon-Macquart, #7) (Also called Drunkard)
Nana (Les Rougon-Macquart, #9)
Germinal (Les Rougon-Macquart, #13)
La Bête Humaine (Les Rougon-Macquart, #17)

Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "I just finished a Trollope not on the list - The Way We Live Now. It was my first and I was more than pleasantly surprised. I had already planned to read the Barsetshire Chronicles. O..."

A lot of reading for one book checked off! Good thing you like Trollope.

Liz M wrote: "So, what is the general opinion on Zola's Les Rougon-Macquart series?
Are the following 1001 list books stand-alone or does one need to read the entire series?

[book:L'Assommoir (The Dram Shop) (L..."

Oh, I am most certainly going to be reading the whole series. It's a personal life goal that I plan to start... soonish.


But to answer your question, Liz, I think people read them out of order all the time, so I don't think it's necessary to read them in order. I'm insisting upon it for myself though. :)

Whoops, 1977 is on the list, for some reason the better 3 books of the series aren't.

Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "I just finished a Trollope not on the list - The Way We Live Now. It was my first and I was more than pleasantly surprised. I had already planned to read the Barsetshire Chronicles. O..."

Elizabeth, I just finished reading "The Way We Live Now" for a group read, and it is the first book by Trollope I've read. I was really impressed by the book and definitely plan on reading more of his books; I thinking of starting the Barchester Chronicles soon. I'm glad to hear you enjoyed "The Way We Live Now" as much as I did!

Ellen wrote: "Elizabeth, I just finished reading "The Way We Live Now" for a group read, and it is the first book by Trollope I've read."

Must be the same group! ;-)

The Asian Saga of historical novels by James Clavell are among the best novels I've ever read.



Clavell knew how to both educate and entertain the reader with the rich casts of characters he created in the following novels of the Series ---

1) Shogun

2) Tai-Pan

3) Gai-jin

4) King Rat

5) Noble House

6) Whirlwind (set in the Middle East)


To date, I've read the first 4 novels. Of that number, "Gai-jin" is the weakest. Though displaying the usual Clavell elements, the story taken as a whole, somehow fell flat. For that reason, I would regard "Gai-jin" as an OK novel.

Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "Ellen wrote: "Elizabeth, I just finished reading "The Way We Live Now" for a group read, and it is the first book by Trollope I've read."

Must be the same group! ;-)"

I'm thinking.... ;o)

I'm glad I spotted this thread, because I was wondering some of the same things. I'm headed back to the library in the morning, & had kind of been a little confused on the series books, so I think I'm going to hunt down Rabbit, Run & Tai-Pan. I read Shogun YEARS ago & liked it, never paid attention after that to realize it was the first in a series.

But Shogun isn't on the list, is it?

No, Sandi, Shogun is not on the lists.

Another series that is on it though is "USA" by John Dos Passos. We assume that All three books in the series are included though only the name of the series is on the list.

The names of the individual novels are: 1919, The 49th Parallel and Big Money (in that order).

On the other hand, another series: "Alexandria Quartet", only has one of the four titles on the list, "Justine" by Lawrence Durrell.

It's always been interesting to me how and why these decisions about series were made by the list contributors, but I've never found any explanation.

One of the best series of novels (look below) I've ever read is THE POLDARK SERIES from Winston Graham.

1) Ross Poldark



2) Demelza



3) Jeremy Poldark



4) Warleggan



5) The Black Moon




6) The Four Swans



7) The Angry Tide



8) The Stranger From The Sea



9) The Miller's Dance




10) The Loving Cup




11) The Twisted Sword



12) Bella Poldark




In the main, these novels are set in Cornwall and span the years 1783 to 1820.

Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "Ellen wrote: "Elizabeth, I just finished reading "The Way We Live Now" for a group read, and it is the first book by Trollope I've read."

Must be the same group! ;-)"

Which group? I think I read it for the Victorians group, but I could be wrong. ;o)

Ellen wrote: "Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "Ellen wrote: "Elizabeth, I just finished reading "The Way We Live Now" for a group read, and it is the first book by Trollope I've read."

Must be the same group! ;-)"

Which group? I think I read it for the Victorians group, but I could be wrong. ;o)
"

Yes, discussion ongoing.

Shogun isn't on the list but Tai-Pan is? Makes me wonder who's making the decisions about series books. It's quite confusing when you have the whole Rabbit series by Updike on the list, but they pick & choose one book or two out of other series to include.

Lisa wrote: "Shogun isn't on the list but Tai-Pan is? Makes me wonder who's making the decisions about series books. It's quite confusing when you have the whole Rabbit series by Updike on the list, but they ..."

Tai-pen is not on the list. None of the series books mentioned in Komet's posts are on the 1001 list. The entire "Rabbit" series is not on the list either (see message 16).

Presumably "they" have their reasons for whether or not to include an entire series. Often, an entire series is on the list as a single entry (Forsyte Saga, Lord of the Rings, A Dance to the Music of Time, for example). Presumably books are judged on individual merit & just because a specific book is part of a well written series does not necessarily mean it is a book worthy of inclusion.

Liz M wrote: "Presumably "they" have their reasons for whether or not to include an entire series. Often, an entire series is on the list as a single entry (Forsyte Saga, Lord of the Rings, A Dance to the Music of Time, for example). "

In this post: Forsyte Saga, El said that the Forsyte Saga on the list is not the complete series. Am I again confused?

According to the 2008 list book The Forsyte saga consists of The Man of Property, In Chancery and To Let.
If in doubt refer to the actual books, usually there is a copy in the library somewhere.

Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "In this post: Forsyte Saga, El said that the Forsyte Saga on the list is not the complete series. Am I again confused?..."

I always forget that Galsworthy wrote other books about the Forsytes. I snidely/snobbishly go by the wikipedia definition of the series, which only includes the original saga books mentioned in El's post & considers the rest of the books as sequels to the original series.

I read the whole saga which you can buy in one book. It is a wonderful read. Don't watch the movie. It is lousy and will turn you off to the book.

I forgot that Galsworthy himself referred to the first trilogy as The Forsyte Saga (which included The Man of Property, In Chancery, and To Let, in addition to two short stories or "interludes"). The additional two trilogies were called A Modern Comedy (which included The White Monkey, The Silver Spoon, and Swan Song in addition to two short stories or interludes, and End of the Chapter (which included Maid in Waiting, Flowering Wilderness, and Over the River).

Judith wrote: "No, Sandi, Shogun is not on the lists.

Another series that is on it though is "USA" by John Dos Passos. We assume that All three books in the series are included though only the name of the serie..."

Judith, I can't recommend the "USA" trilogy by Dos Passos enough. It brings the reader directly into the period in American history of which the novels take place, and all three were really enjoyable reads for me. I still haven't read "The Alexandria Quartet", although it's been on my to-read list for ages. What did you think of the series? Definitely worth reading? Thanks!

Ellen:

I totally agree with you about the USA series. Each of the three is worthy of the lists they are included on.

As for the Alexandria Quartet, I have only read the first and only one on the list, "Justine". I liked it very much and want to read the others. I've been looking for copies ever since I finished "Justine" earlier this year, but no luck with good used copies yet. It is an erotic, mysterious story told from four people's points of view (each book, a different perspective). Very tastefully written though, not like Henry Miller erotica or the other "Justine" on the list by the Marquis de Sade.

Judith wrote: "Ellen:

I totally agree with you about the USA series. Each of the three is worthy of the lists they are included on.

As for the Alexandria Quartet, I have only read the first and only one on the..."

I'm glad to hear that you liked "Justine"; now I'm encouraged to pick up the series, too. Have you tried looking on Abebooks.com for copies of the other two books? It's an internet bookstore through which a great many small bookstores sell their books, and many of the sellers have a ton of out-of-print books. And they're not too expensive either. I've found a great many books there for group reads and such. I hope you find the books you're looking for there, Judith!! Let me know how it goes, OK? Thanks!

Judith wrote: "As for the Alexandria Quartet, .... I've been looking for copies ever since I finished "Justine" earlier this year, but no luck with good used copies yet.

The next three books are available through Better World Books, each for less than $4 and with free shipping.

Liz and Ellen, Thanks! I have never tried that site before, and now I'm hooked! I ordered "Clea" for my next read in the series.

BTW Liz, have you read any of the "Alexandria Quartet"?

Judith wrote: "Liz and Ellen, Thanks! I have never tried that site before, and now I'm hooked! I ordered "Clea" for my next read in the series.

BTW Liz, have you read any of the "Alexandria Quartet"?"

You're so very welcome, Judith!

Another partial series on the 1001 lists:

Epitaph of a Small Winner: A Novel (Trilogia Realista #1) also known as The Posthumous Memoirs of Brás Cubbas
Dom Casmurro: A Novel (Trilogia Realista #3)

But not the second book in the series.