The Guardian books you must read before you die thread (with a bit Marylin horn thrown in) (3 Viewers)

[Denny Oubidoux]

'LIAR' post rating icon please Pete

 

[Lili Marlene]

Cornu is the one on thumped who has read Finnegan's Wake right?

 

[7 - No tomorrow]

I've read it three times and listened to the audiobook once.

Fair fucks.

 

[Cornu Ammonis]

Cornu is the one on thumped who has read Finnegan's Wake right?

Twice. I've a shelf of Joyce books (amount written by Joyce <<<<< written about Joyce).

 

[jonah]

Those book lists are compiled by people that don't have a fucking clue about sci-fi and fantasy. Not a fucking clue.
Even the guardian one, which has a shedload of books, only really has a handful of classics in the sci-fi + fantasy section, and misses a horde of amazing books. Plus, there are so many books listed there that are just 'pretty good' - Joe Haldeman's Forever War for instance.
The Heinlein book, they choose Stranger In A Strange Land. This book is one of his only books that garnered any kind of reputation, yet I could name at least 3 books by him that would be on a list AHEAD of that one. Time Enough For Love is probably his greatest book, but hey, that didn't cause any real controversy when it was released.
They're actually even MORE clueless about fantasy, which has been enjoying an incredible renaissance in recent years arguably sparked by George RR Martin. No Steven Eriksen, who over the last 10 years has written possibly the greatest fantasy saga ever.
Neither list has a single Jack Vance book = These people are hipster book fuckheads.
Didn't see any Gene Wolfe in there either. (Edit: Spotted the Book of the New Sun. Gene Wolfe should be getting at least 2 or 3 other books in that list)
Fucking fools. If you don't know what you're talking about, don't make a stupid fucking list.

Edit: "Terry Pratchett - The Discworld Series" = Totally lazy bastards making a list.

I was quite happy they included (Or I think they included) Camp Concentration which is one of my favourites. But you're absolutely right.

 

[jonah]

I've read all of Joyce, too, for schoooool but I only ever read Portrait... for pleasure.

 

[Lili Marlene]

I've read all of Joyce, too, for schoooool but I only ever read Portrait... for pleasure.

What the hell did you study that made you read all of Finnegan's Wake??

 

[jonah]

What the hell did you study that made you read all of Finnegan's Wake??

My Masters was in Philosophy and Post-colonial Literature. But we only had to read a very small portion of Finnegan's Wake. At the time I kind of wanted to be a Joyce scholar, and I read all of it in the year before I started my MA.

 

[Lili Marlene]

Wow! Two people have read Finnegan's Wake on thumped.

That's about 5% of the entire world readership. Might want to get onto this....

 

[hugh]

122 on the Guardian list but I probably cheated a bit as there are a bunch there that I honestly can't remember if I have read and am just assuming I did .....

 

[hermie]

I think they're faking it

no one has actually read this, they just pretend they have

She's skipped straight to the Molly Bloom chapter - typical bird.

And if that wasn't sexist enough, how good does she look in that pic??

 

[hermie]

Wow! Two people have read Finnegan's Wake on thumped.

That's about 5% of the entire world readership. Might want to get onto this....

only one of his I haven't read. Although I did merely skim the 'Oxen of the Sun' chapter of Ulysses

 

[hermie]

I've read all of Joyce, too, for schoooool but I only ever read Portrait... for pleasure.

I answered an exam question on Ulysses without having read it. 1000 pages on top of all the other shit I had to read! Tackled it the summer after I graduated.

 

[therealjohnny]

The only Ulysses for me

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[shower another shower]

Pynchon and Zopitan

 

[Cornu Ammonis]

The Naxos audiobook of Ulysses is read by Biship Brennan from Father Ted. If that doesn't make you want to listen to the whole thing, I don't know what will.

I found Finnegans Wake much easier to read the second time after I had read this:
Amazon product ASIN 0299108244
Possibly the best book about a book I've ever read.

I tried Gravity's Rainbow by Pynchon and that defeated me. I thought it was far tougher than the Wake because there was almost enough plot there to fool you into thinking you could understand it whereas you start the Wake thinking you will never finish or understand it so I just let it wash over me the first time.

 

[shower another shower]

I've ventured a 100 pages into Destiny's Rainbow at least two dozen times.

 

[7 - No tomorrow]

Good moderating here

 

[7 - No tomorrow]

The Naxos audiobook of Ulysses is read by Biship Brennan from Father Ted. If that doesn't make you want to listen to the whole thing, I don't know what will.

I found Finnegans Wake much easier to read the second time after I had read this:
Amazon product ASIN 0299108244
Possibly the best book about a book I've ever read.

I tried Gravity's Rainbow by Pynchon and that defeated me. I thought it was far tougher than the Wake because there was almost enough plot there to fool you into thinking you could understand it whereas you start the Wake thinking you will never finish or understand it so I just let it wash over me the first time.

What's the Amazon link?

I can't see it

 

[jonah]

What's the Amazon link?

I can't see it

amazon link