1001 books to read before you die

The new book has hit the shelves and a fellow bookcrosser posted the changes in the forum.  There is a bit of chuntering going on as the list is basically the same, with only 11 changed books (see below).  According to an American bookcrosser, this was because the 2nd edition was a U.K. edition, only available on import to the U.S.  


Taken off the list:
1. Animal's People  TBR
2. The Reluctant Fundamentalist
3. The Kindly Ones
4.A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian   read
5.Small Island  read
6.The Plot Against America  read

7.The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time  read
8. Islands
9. The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay  TBR
10. The Heart of Redness
11. Small Remedies


I am sad that  The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time has been dropped as I loved this.  As for   A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian   and Small Island, that is no real surprise as, while I enjoyed both books, I did find them to be lighter than some of the other books on the list.


And the new ones
1. The Elegance of the Hedgehog
2. The Children’s Book
3.Invisible  read
4. American Rust
5. Cost
6. The White Tiger tbr
7. Home
8. Kieron Smith, Boy
9. The Gathering
10. The Blind Side of the Heart
11. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao  tbr


I have read only one of the new books,  Invisible, which I got an advanced ready copy of through LibraryThing Early Reviewers/Member Giveaway  before Christmas.   I did enjoy it, though it was rather strange.  I suppose that as the 2nd edition redressed the English language bias of the original list, there will be fewer differences between future editions.  Although, I can boost my stats!

Evelyn Waugh

I had completely forgotten that I had signed up for these book rays, but as they are 1001 books, I thought I'd read them.   I have already read a few of his books, the most recent being   Scoop: A Novel About Journalists (Penguin Modern Classics) (diff. ed.), which I added to   Soffitta1's 3rd Bookbox (Africa Theme).  He does seem a rather eclectic writer from the books I have read, like A Handful of Dust (different cover),  Edmund Campion  and Black Mischief (Penguin Modern Classics)

The first to arrive was  Brideshead Revisited , I saw the ITV series a while back, but had never read the book.   From what I remember, the series was very faithful, but both have the same drawback - a slight let-down of an ending.  Next up is  Vile Bodies.  Hope it is as good as the others.

1010 Challenge - Half Way

Wow!  Half way there, and we are still in March (OK, so I started in October...!).  I decided to change a category from Classics to Film, as I just kept avoiding the Classics, freaked out by the name I guess.  I am also trying to complete 2 other challenges at the same time, 52x 1001 books and 50x Olympic Countries, so I am trying to get as many books to fit these as possible.

Highlights: I would have to say The Midwich Cuckoos and The Siege of Krishnapur, two very different books, but both very good.  I am not a sci-fi fan, but I found The Midwich Cuckoos very exciting.


Group 1: 1001 Books 4/10
1. The Grass is Singing
2. The Successor  ** Olympic
3. Embers ** Olympic
4. The Plot Against America

Group 2: Spain and the Spanish speaking world 9/10
1. Paradise Travel 

2. Captain Alatriste 

3. Purity of Blood 

4. The Old Man and the Sea **1001 Book
5. The Scarlet Cloak 

6. The Return 

7. The Queen's Sorrow 

8. The Book of Murder 

9. Our house in the Last World
 

Group 3: British Writers 4/10

1. Sexing the Cherry  ** 1001 book
2. Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner ** 1001 book
3. The Book lovers' Appreciation Society 

4. Black Dogs  ** 1001 book

Group 4: Books not written in English 1/10

1. D. Maria II
 

Group 5: Travel 2/10

1. Attention. Deficit. Disorder

2. In the Heart of the Sea

Group 6: History 8/10
1. Castle Rackrent  **1001 Book
2. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society 

3. Very Interesting People Queen Victoria 

4. The Alienist 

5 The Lost Daughter of Happiness

6. The Lady Elizabeth
7. Mademoiselle Boleyn
8. The Concubine of Shanghai

Group 7: Myths and Legends 4/10

1. The Lusiads   **1001 Book

2. Politically Correct Holiday Stories
3. The Snow Cow

4. Stardust (this is the audiobook read by the author)

Group 8 - Made into Film 8/10

1. A Kestrel for a Knave **1001 Book
2. The Midwich Cuckoos **1001 Book
3. The Shining **1001 Book
4. Watchmen **1001 Book
5. Riddle of the Sands **1001 Book
6. The Piano Teacher **1001 Book
7. The Tin Drum **1001 Book
8. Brideshead Revisited **1001 Book

Group 9: Olympic Challenge 6/10
1. Mother's Beloved: Stories from Laos 

2. Homo novus - valik hüperboole Estonia 

3. The Eye of the Leopard Sweden / Zambia 

4. This Body Guyana

5. Kisses in the Nederends Tonga
6. Being Here: Modern Short Stories from Southern Africa Swaziland, Botswana

Group 10: Asia 5/10
1. Sacred Games
2. Inheritance 

3. The Siege of Krishnapur ** 1001 Book 

4.  River Town 

5. Tale of a certain Orient ** Olympic