Non-CTMQ Everything I Feel Like Chronicling Not in or Related to Connecticut I've resisted putting this together in some cohesive way for years. Many years. But as I've settled on the major sections of this website, I realized I have a few outlying subjects that simply never fit in elsewhere. Granted, many of these … [Read more...]
Modern Library’s Top 100 Novels
Just Read 2002 - 2039 or so Nerd. But I love you for it. Outside of all the regular CTMQ stuff, I have other goals. One of those goals is to read 3 Modern Library Top 100 books per year 4 Modern Library Top 100 English novels of the 20th century per year, which should have me finishing the entire list around … [Read more...]
ML79: A Room With a View
"By George!" Modern Library # 79 1908, E.M. Forster If you're reading this page you've probably seen the acclaimed movie version of this book. I have not seen the acclaimed movie version, nor do I intend to see the acclaimed movie version. It's not that I'm some kind of weirdo bibliophile weirdo, it's just … [Read more...]
ML60. The Moviegoer
”I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For.” “U2?” Modern Library # 60 1961, Walker Percy This is another one of those books that is more than it appears to be at first blush. Of course, as per usual, I’m not smart or literary enough to have picked up on all the existential stuff and nods to Kierkegaard and … [Read more...]
ML99. The Ginger Man
Danger, Dangerfield Modern Library # 99 1955, J.P. Donleavy "The Ginger Man" is an interesting book in the CTMQ household. In the few weeks it took Hoang to read it, I heard her complain about it numerous times. She just wasn't into it at all and her hatred of the protagonist, Sebastian Dangerfield, grew to … [Read more...]
Top 100 Books Tallies & Reviews
At the turn of the century, the Modern Library, whomever they may be, came out with a list of their Top 100 English Literature novels of the 20th Century. Criticism abounded and many more lists and counter-lists were developed. But I had met a girl who agreed to tackle the whole list with me, plodding slowly but … [Read more...]
ML98. The Postman Always Rings Twice
Yeah, See, It's a Good Book, See Modern Library # 98 1934, James M. Cain "Economy of words." That's the phrase my 11th grade English teacher taught me regarding the works of Ernest Hemingway, perhaps my favorite author. I'm a lazy reader by nature, so perhaps that's why this terse, direct style of … [Read more...]
ML97. The Sheltering Sky
Getting Their Just Deserts Modern Library # 97 1949, Paul Bowles I feel sort of weird sitting down to write this review. Now I realize that when a board selects 100 top books out of the hundreds of thousands written over the course of one hundred years, they all should be nearly perfect. Of course, as I’m … [Read more...]
ML92. Ironweed
Just Bummin' Around, Readin a Book Modern Library # 92 1979, William Kennedy I am such a bum when it comes to acheiving my goal of reading 3 Modern Library Top 100 books per year. Not only am I a bum because I didn't read any in the first two years of this project (whereas my wife is still on target to be … [Read more...]
ML88. The Call of the Wild
I Love a Good Buck Modern Library # 88 1903, Jack London I realize choosing the 100 greatest English Language novels of the 20th century must have been nearly impossible. Ranking them; even worse. But I can't imagine that I'm going to be reading 87 books better than The Call of the Wild. I'll admit … [Read more...]
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