City Travel Guides > Books > 20th Century

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.What I Talk About When I Talk About Running
City Travel Guides > Books > 20th Century
by: Haruki Murakami

August 07, 2008
Well I'm coming at this from he opposite direction from Emma (above), but I agree with her assessment of the book.

As a 50-something runner and lover of Murakami's novels I found this fascinating - read it in one sitting (well, lying - it was an overnight hospital stay).

Recmmended for runners and couch potatoes alike.
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.To Kill a Mockingbird
City Travel Guides > Books > 20th Century
by: Harper Lee

October 05, 1989
I first read this book as a compulsory text for school and since then have read it countless number of times. It is such a beautiful story that is relevant to every society. You must take your time reading it and not rush it because there are so many hidden depths and meanings. "Shoot all the bluejays you want but remember it is a sin to kill a mockingbird". Everyone must read this book, it's beautiful.
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.The Catcher in the Rye
City Travel Guides > Books > 20th Century
by: J.D. Salinger

August 04, 1994
I first read this book way back in the late 70's. More luck then judgement I used to play a game where I would go to my local library in South Ockendon and just go over to the fiction section and take any book off the shelve and read it. Worked quite well as I would never have selected this title and at that time, when I was in my early 20's I had never heard of it.

I read the book over the week initially determined to finish it, but after a few chapters keen to see where the book would lead. I loved it and felt compelled to read other J.D. Salinger titles. I don't think I found any however.

The book is now infamous due to Mark Chapman's association with it. I suppose any publicity to get people to read a classic however is good ... Read More:
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.The Road
City Travel Guides > Books > 20th Century
by: Cormac McCarthy

June 01, 2007
I am immensely puzzled by McCarthy's fame. I keep thinking I should love his books, but I just don't. People I admire and whose opinions I trust urge his books on me and I conclude that these people must be nuts. I managed to read All the Pretty Horses. Goodness, what a waste of time. I read about ten pages of No COuntry for Old Men, hoping desperately that it would grip me. No luck.

So, when I read the first few pages of The Road and instantly felt the kind of exhilaration I wanted to get from his other books, I bought it. Should have saved some cash and visited the local library. Once you get the gist of the narrative framework (post-apocalyptic, father and son trying to reach safety, bad guys everywhere), that's it. It is left to Mr. McCarthy ... Read More:
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.The Great Gatsby (Penguin Popular Classics)
City Travel Guides > Books > 20th Century
by: F.Scott Fitzgerald

January 13, 1994
One of my resolutions for 2008 is to broaden my literary horizens. After studying English Lit to A-Level, my interest has fallen to the wayside. So on my quest to better myself through literature, I read "The Old Man and the Sea", which I just couldn't relate to. So imagine my relief when I started reading "The Great Gatsby". I'm so glad I perservered with classic books!

TGG is a great read. It's fast-paced from the outset, and gripping towards the end - I couldn't put it down. I even tried to convince family and friends to read it afterwards; but to no avail - so if I manage to get even ONE person to read it from writing this review, then good! Definitely recommended.
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.On Chesil Beach
City Travel Guides > Books > 20th Century
by: Ian McEwan

January 03, 2008
I've loved all of the other Ian McEwan books I've read, but although I acknoweldge that this is very well written I just didn't enjoy it at all. I found it very hard going and frankly, didn't have much sympathy for either of the characters. Someone called it a "Tragic love story" but love doesn't really come into it in my opinion!
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.1984 Nineteen Eighty-Four
City Travel Guides > Books > 20th Century
by: George Orwell

January 29, 2004
Its amazing this book was wrote in the forties. Its very modern and alot of what George Orwell wrote come true, very worrying. Maybe not his best work, still a classic though. Sixty years later and 1984 is still going strong. He has, in my opinion wrote better books but I would definitely recommend this book. Orwell's last masterpiece.
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.Midnight's Children (Vintage Classics)
City Travel Guides > Books > 20th Century
by: Salman Rushdie

May 01, 2008
Whatever controversies arise from Rushdie one cannot but marvel at the depths of his imagination. Midnight's Children whilst containing some of the most beautiful language and imagery is no easy read. As with most Rushdie novels we venture into the world of magic realism and we witness the life of a child born on the stroke of midnight hour when Nehru announces the "tryst with dynasty". Born with special powers Saleem is witness through the whirlwind of events that make up India's first thirty years and we see his attempted interfering. Again with Rushdie's novels we're unable to sympathise with any of the characters but nevertheless the strength of the writing keeps us plodding through.
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.After Dark
City Travel Guides > Books > 20th Century
by: Haruki Murakami

June 05, 2008
Ten years have passed since I encountered for the very first time, the enigmatic, but fascinating, psychological and cultural landscapes conjured by Haruki Murakami in such spellbinding works as "Dance Dance Dance", "A Wild Sheep Chase", and "Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World". At first, I thought he was a Japanese version of J. G. Ballard and Angela Carter, drawing upon both contemporary realities and classic fairy tales to render vivid, surreal versions of the present, in a literary style that I thought was so reminiscent of modern science fiction and fantasy. But soon I realized that he was such an astute, and elegant, observer of the real world too, in novels like "Norwegian Wood", "Sputnik Sweetheart", and especially, "The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle" (The latter a most treasured ... Read More:
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.Catch-22
City Travel Guides > Books > 20th Century
by: Joseph Heller

October 06, 1994
Believe it or not, my parents recommended this book to me. All I can say is, for once they were right. I've only read two other books that so blew me away in their conception and execution and those were "Clockwork Orange" and "Katzenjammer" by McCrae. But even those can't compare to "Catch 22. What a wild ride this well crafted book is. To say it's thought-provoking is a cliche, but there it is. Sort of like "1984" probably was before 1984. Some have likened this to MASH and the Korean war, and I can see those similarities, but the book is really meant to be read on a much broader level; a level of humanity in general and not one specific event or time period. The book is funny and challenging, but that seems to me to be what one would be looking for in a great novel. There's reason this book ... Read More:
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