tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-446727280609751914.post5568452254846581975..comments2024-02-10T19:58:20.327+00:00Comments on Stuck in a Book: A Century of Books: some suggestionsStuckInABookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10017836017530130716noreply@blogger.comBlogger18125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-446727280609751914.post-1479070815817725042012-05-06T18:15:56.244+01:002012-05-06T18:15:56.244+01:00Hello Simon - I don't know if you are sticking...Hello Simon - I don't know if you are sticking to this list, but I'd strongly recommend something by Tom Wolfe, who is a vital, strong writer; a great ironist and observer. Bonfire of the Vanities came out in 1987, A Man in Full in 1998, and (since you are including non-fiction) From Bauhaus to Our House in 1981. The latter is short (presumably a plus) and a very amusing, spot on, squib on Modern architecture (which might chime with your interest in inter-war lit. Since you liked A Confederacy of Dunces I think you will like Wolfe too.<br /><br />And might I add a plug for the blog of a friend of mine, who is reading a book from every country in the world: http://ayearofreadingtheworld.com/<br /><br />TomTom Hardwicknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-446727280609751914.post-22323199992386689402011-10-13T19:49:42.654+01:002011-10-13T19:49:42.654+01:00Simon, you inspired me to take a look at American ...Simon, you inspired me to take a look at American bestsellers of the 20th C. and come up with some reads. Not one per year; just picked ten. Also chose a few from your list. Thanks for the suggestions. -Fay<br /><br /><a href="http://readramble.wordpress.com/2011/10/13/a-century-of-american-bestsellers-1900-1999/" rel="nofollow">A Century of American Bestsellers</a>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-446727280609751914.post-1864583237005341052011-10-08T22:53:33.013+01:002011-10-08T22:53:33.013+01:00Great list Simon, I am going to save this for a ye...Great list Simon, I am going to save this for a year in the, hopefully not too distant, future when I can give something like this a whirl.<br /><br />I do now want to go and see what books I fancy as well as yours that came out each year. Mustn't as it will just make me procrastinate all the more.Simon (Savidge Reads)http://savidgereads.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-446727280609751914.post-18529058098805940432011-10-08T17:33:18.585+01:002011-10-08T17:33:18.585+01:00You are a bigger man than me for planning on the K...You are a bigger man than me for planning on the Kundera.Thomas Hogglestockhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14284352537015457974noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-446727280609751914.post-29023014628898818142011-10-06T00:21:01.881+01:002011-10-06T00:21:01.881+01:00What an impressive list! I'm most tempted by ...What an impressive list! I'm most tempted by your suggestions for the 1960s and the pick for 1984, <i>Letters to Alice on First Reading Jane Austen</i> is one of my favourite books. I might be tempted to join the challenge just to make a list of my own...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-446727280609751914.post-55705535793535510052011-10-05T20:40:21.191+01:002011-10-05T20:40:21.191+01:00Quite a list indeed - loads I don't know and c...Quite a list indeed - loads I don't know and can look to if needed! I plan to join in casually by reading more from my TBR by whim and slotting them into their year, and then plan to fill in gaps later...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-446727280609751914.post-15349185771558036512011-10-05T20:00:09.838+01:002011-10-05T20:00:09.838+01:00Phew, what a list!
I've just this minute fini...Phew, what a list!<br /><br />I've just this minute finished Westwood, absolutely blooming brilliant! Bit sad that it is forgotten and eclipsed by Cold Comfort Farm.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-446727280609751914.post-16449849131954383012011-10-05T17:44:54.446+01:002011-10-05T17:44:54.446+01:00What an intriguing project.
My own inclination ...What an intriguing project. <br /><br />My own inclination is to include books whose publication closely corresponds to the time of action, so that Henrietta's War, while a perfect window into the time the columns were written, early WWII, doesn't work for me for its publication year, 1985.<br /><br />And I'll HAVE to include a Sayers.Susan Dhttp://www.destevenson.orgnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-446727280609751914.post-18122902969499766572011-10-05T16:17:22.657+01:002011-10-05T16:17:22.657+01:00WOW. I am extremely impressed. I'm not interes...WOW. I am extremely impressed. I'm not interested in going through my own lists and library to see how well I'd do, but I strongly doubt I'd do this well! What a feat - of reading, and of list-making. We're lucky to have you, Simon.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-446727280609751914.post-56012414272905791662011-10-05T13:45:15.534+01:002011-10-05T13:45:15.534+01:00Great list! I've been wondering how to go abou...Great list! I've been wondering how to go about making my own list for 2012. I've read quite a few of the books on this list tho but there are some I haven't and I think I shall include them in my TBR list as well.Geetanjalihttp://chronicledefforts.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-446727280609751914.post-52234681210578308762011-10-05T13:14:38.690+01:002011-10-05T13:14:38.690+01:00Susan - lovely! It'll give you a head start :...<b>Susan</b> - lovely! It'll give you a head start :)<br /><br /><b>Mary</b> - thanks! It was such fun making it (although frustrating trying to find things to fill the odd gap - lots of googling involved!)<br /><br /><b>Stu</b> - that's fine, I watch from the sidelines on all other challenges!<br /><br /><b>CB James</b> - It is definitely fun, and you'd be surprised at what fills the gaps... of course, this does rely on you being as neurotic as I am at keeping lists!<br /><br /><b>Thomas</b> - I'm leaving my choices up to chance, definitely - for me, making a list of books to read spoils the spontaneity and excitement. That's why I usually don't do challenges. And I know, I know, I totally cheated with my biographies! You could say I cheated with the children's books too. I'm hoping when I do the challnenge myself that I'll have more representative choices for the later decades - I already have Milan Kundera on hand for one or two...<br /><br /><b>Harriet</b> - I would love to have made it just novels, but my ten years of reading lists wouldn't have run to that! You would be able to produce a wonderful list, I'm sure, and I for one would love to see it!StuckInABookhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10017836017530130716noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-446727280609751914.post-52175092198225091212011-10-05T08:41:54.726+01:002011-10-05T08:41:54.726+01:00Fascinating. I've been meaning to make my own ...Fascinating. I've been meaning to make my own list but haven't got around to it. I've read quite a few of yours and almost certainly could fill many of the gaps with others -- but I'd be tempted to stick entirely to fiction or at least to exclude non-fiction.harriethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04470091985662379182noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-446727280609751914.post-34536620406202732992011-10-05T03:09:56.115+01:002011-10-05T03:09:56.115+01:00I have one critique that you may find annoying. Th...I have one critique that you may find annoying. There are quite a few non-fiction titles on your list for the 80s and 90s that don't exactly reflect the literary zeitgeist of the time. As much as I like Richmal Crompton, her bio doesn't seem very 1986 to me. The 80s don't thrill me much either but now I feel I have a mission to find some suggestions for you that don't include bios of your favorite authors. :-)Thomas Hogglestockhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14284352537015457974noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-446727280609751914.post-88406543984556264732011-10-05T02:57:16.679+01:002011-10-05T02:57:16.679+01:00I am impressed you came up with this list so quick...I am impressed you came up with this list so quickly. Are you leaving your choices for the challenge up to chance or are you going to make a TBR list for yourself?Thomas Hogglestockhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14284352537015457974noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-446727280609751914.post-64940173180931860512011-10-05T02:10:51.939+01:002011-10-05T02:10:51.939+01:00My. This is an impressive challenge. I don't...My. This is an impressive challenge. I don't think I could come up with a list myself, but I probably would enjoy trying.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06906212382849291562noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-446727280609751914.post-67598607110537321492011-10-05T01:07:03.062+01:002011-10-05T01:07:03.062+01:00I ll watch from sidelines terrible challenge doer ...I ll watch from sidelines terrible challenge doer but if I see I ve read a few from different years next year that may change ,all the best stuAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-446727280609751914.post-23208526106805112922011-10-05T00:35:27.159+01:002011-10-05T00:35:27.159+01:00Brilliant list. I started mine the other day (when...Brilliant list. I started mine the other day (when I was supposed to be working!) but only got as far as 1940. A few gaps, not sure if they're failures of imagination/memory or gaps in my reading.maryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13955194101659665925noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-446727280609751914.post-63257809579723297832011-10-05T00:11:50.803+01:002011-10-05T00:11:50.803+01:00This is quite a list! I have quite a few of them o...This is quite a list! I have quite a few of them on my TBR shelf, so that will make starting the project a little easier.Susan in TXhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09550766549670690646noreply@blogger.com