Confess your literary ignorance

[sojourner]

One of the oldest books Ive read to the end is Walk on The Wild Side, which almost fits in to that deep south thing - I thought it was older but its from 1956, but still a definite step back in time though, and filled with that old drawl and slang - may as well be poetry

Brilliant book that - yes, it is really poetic

You should read some Jack London, ska invita

Another fab recommendation

I've never read any Shakespear. Every time I've tried I've thought it bollocks after a couple of pages.

It's not really meant to be read is it? They're plays. I gave up English Lit O Level cos they made us read it and I couldn't afford to go the plays. Shite off the page. Have seen a couple of plays as an adult and surprised myself by how much I enjoyed them.

Erm, never read War and Peace. Bought what I thought was the whole thing from charity shop and there was a big section missing

Dickens is well alright actually, even given the propensity to use 10 words when 3 would suffice!

I've had a copy of the Quran on my shelves for years and never got round to reading it yet. I will do, one day.

 

[bimble]

Dickens is well alright actually, even given the propensity to use 10 words when 3 would suffice!

He was paid by the word. Not the best way to get good writing out of someone.

 

[sojourner]

He was paid by the word. Not the best way to get good writing out of someone.

Was he really? Well. I never knew that.

 

[Wilf]

I've only read 18 off this list of 100 Best Novels (and I reckon I read most of those by the time I was 40 - I've been reading 'middlebrow' fiction for the last 15 years )
The 100 best novels written in English: the full list

 

[Nine Bob Note]

I've only read 18 off this list of 100 Best Novels (and I reckon I read most of those by the time I was 40 - I've been reading 'middlebrow' fiction for the last 15 years )
The 100 best novels written in English: the full list

I've only read nine, and two of them were so dull they almost induced nose bleeds. I gave up reading proper books for wrestling biographies two years ago, and I've learnt so much more as a result

 

[Pickman's model]

I've only read 18 off this list of 100 Best Novels (and I reckon I read most of those by the time I was 40 - I've been reading 'middlebrow' fiction for the last 15 years )
The 100 best novels written in English: the full list

17

 

[littlebabyjesus]

I've only read 18 off this list of 100 Best Novels (and I reckon I read most of those by the time I was 40 - I've been reading 'middlebrow' fiction for the last 15 years )
The 100 best novels written in English: the full list

25, including nearly all the kids' books, when I was a kid mostly.

It's a highly questionable list! On the road, but nothing by Burroughs. No Vonnegut.

Good to see Doris Lessing's Golden Notebook is in there. Best British novel of the 20th century, imo. Best I've read, anyway.


Like you, I read most of them years ago. I don't read much fiction nowadays.

 

[Pickman's model]

25, including nearly all the kids' books, when I was a kid mostly.

It's a highly questionable list! On the road, but nothing by Burroughs. No Vonnegut.

Good to see Doris Lessing's Golden Notebook is in there. Best British novel of the 20th century, imo. Best I've read, anyway.

yeh, tarzan or one of the mars novels should have been there

 

[Orang Utan]

He was paid by the word. Not the best way to get good writing out of someone.

That's not true. He got paid for each 'number' ie instalment.

 

[Pickman's model]

He was paid by the word. Not the best way to get good writing out of someone.

That's not true. He got paid for each 'number' ie instalment.

he was paid for producing 32 pages of text in each installment: which is worse, really

 

[littlebabyjesus]

That's not true. He got paid for each 'number' ie instalment.

Yeah, but did each instalment need to be a certain length?

 

[Pickman's model]

Yeah, but did each instalment need to be a certain length?

yes, 32 pages, like i said

 

[Spymaster]

I've only read 18 off this list of 100 Best Novels (and I reckon I read most of those by the time I was 40 - I've been reading 'middlebrow' fiction for the last 15 years )
The 100 best novels written in English: the full list

15

 

[Pickman's model]

15

tbh i am not sure about 83 of them, whether they should be on the list in the first place.

 

[laptop]

44 AND TWO HALVES

oops capslock

 

[Pickman's model]

44 AND TWO HALVES

oops capslock

TWO HALVES? you'll have to stay off the books for a couple of days then, lest you reach your limit.

 

[danny la rouge]

15

49 for me. I was getting quite excited towards the end of my count, as I thought I might beat 50. Boo!

I have to say that I found several of them pretty poor. I certainly wouldn't recommend Ford Buggering Maddox Feckin Ford to anyone.

 

[Spymaster]

44 AND TWO HALVES

kabbes will be along in a minute to insist that that's 45.

 

[Wilf]

I would politely ask posters to confess their own literary ignorance rather than confirming mine.

 

[danny la rouge]

I've tried on a couple of occasions to read Lord of the Rings but hated it and had to give up.

 

[littlebabyjesus]

I've tried on a couple of occasions to read Lord of the Rings but hated it and had to give up.

That seems more like wisdom than ignorance, tbh.

 

[Spymaster]

I've tried on a couple of occasions to read Lord of the Rings but hated it and had to give up.

Lord of the Flies, on the other hand ....

 

[danny la rouge]

That seems more like wisdom than ignorance, tbh.

It's hard to confess ignorance because that would be unknown unknowns. Tolkien is a known unknown.

DotCommunist did recently tell me to compare something with several sci fi writers I'd never even heard of. Unfortunately I can't remember who they were. But I hereby confess my ignorance. (It was during a conversation about the difference between science fiction and science fantasy).

 

[Orang Utan]

I've tried on a couple of occasions to read Lord of the Rings but hated it and had to give up.

Best tip I had from my dad about that was 'skip the songs'

 

[danny la rouge]

Lord of the Flies, on the other hand ....

Read it at school.

 

[littlebabyjesus]

Hmmm. Bit annoyed by the descriptions on the list:

81. The Golden Notebook by Doris Lessing (1962)

Hailed as one of the key texts of the women’s movement of the 1960s, this study of a divorced single mother’s search for personal and political identity remains a defiant, ambitious tour de force.


It's a book by a woman, so it's a 'women's movement' book, cos it's written from a woman's pov, presumably.

 

[Spymaster]

DotCommunist did recently tell me to compare something with several sci fi writers I'd never even heard of.

I don't have the imagination for science fiction and read Planet of the Apes when I was about 15 and hated it. So I have to confess that since then I've never read another sci fi.

 

[littlebabyjesus]

I don't have the imagination for science fiction and read Planet of the Apes when I was about 15 and hated it. So I to confess that since then I've never read another sci fi.

Vonnegut Cat's Cradle. Sort of scifi lite but totally brilliant. (And short)

 

[Pickman's model]

I don't have the imagination for science fiction and read Planet of the Apes when I was about 15 and hated it. So I to confess that since then I've never read another sci fi.

tell you what try a bit of space opera and ee "doc" smith's lenssman series. give triplanetary a go.

 

[Nine Bob Note]

Lord of the Flies, on the other hand ....

Worst book I've ever read, and I've read manuals on microprocessor design