#742) THE HOUSE ON THE BORDERLANDS, William Hope Hodgson- An absolute spellbinding, page turning, actually kind of scary horror/sci-fi story from the turn of the twentieth century. A pair of travelers camp in the remote lands of Ireland and discover a strange pit, the ruins of a building, and a handwritten manuscript of events too outlandish to be ( Read more... )

#741) WHERE ANGELS FEAR TO TREAD, E.M. Forster- This tale of love and travel in Europe contains enough twists and turns to surprise even the most jaded reader. Uptight English class-based values clash with real life in Italy, and the results are unexpected and sad but never boring.
MUST I HAVE READ THIS BOOK BEFORE I DIED: Yes
741 down, 260 to go

#740) UNDER FIRE, Henri Barbusse- Another WWI book that should be read by everyone. "Under Fire" could qualify as the template for all war tales- books, movies, documentaries. The action, as far as the war goes, occurs in bursts early in the book. Amidst the bursts, there is a furlough, there is rest in an overtaken town mingling with citizens, ( Read more... )

#739) THE RETURN OF THE SOLDIER, Rebecca West- During WWI, a soldier returns home after being injured, only to write love letters to a woman he left 15 years earlier. Amnesia occurred as a result of his injuries, and he returns having no memory of his wife, his family, and, the one silver lining, his experiences in the war. How everyone deals with ( Read more... )

#738) CROME YELLOW, Alduous Huxley- A young man takes the train to the English countryside for a vacation. Romance, philosophy, Three's Company's-esque misunderstandings, unrequited love- a slice of life with an eccentric cast of characters and a quick, lively pace. In many ways, it feels like a collection of short stories molded into a single ( Read more... )

#737) LIFE AND DEATH OF HARRIETT FREAN, May Sinclair- From cradle to grave, this short burst of a novel follows the somewhat sad life of its title character through friendships, love, loss, and more. Snapshots of a life.
MUST I HAVE READ THIS BOOK BEFORE I DIED: No
737 down, 264 to go

#736) THE DEVIL IN THE FLESH, Raymond Radiguet- This short burst of fiction takes place in WWI, when a young wife's husband is sent off to war, only to be replaced by a teenage boy making his first forays into mature love. Entertaining with a fantastic ending.
MUST I HAVE READ THIS BOOK BEFORE I DIED: No
736 down, 265 to go

#735) BERLIN ALEXANDERPLATZ, Alfred Doblin- This exhilarating novels captures the hectic life of Berlin in the 1920s as much as it follows the chaotic life of its lead character, Franz. In a near stream of conscious flow, Doblin's writing overwhelms the reader with every little detail of Berlin life, describing traffic, apartment buildings, passer- ( Read more... )

#734) CHOCKY, John Wyndham- Arguably, John Wyndham is the greatest sci-fi/horror writer of all time. For sure he is the most underappreciated and criminally under-recognized. "Chocky" is another unsettling, philosophically driven, witty, sci-fi masterpiece about a young boy who starts getting visits from another being, a being much more intelligent ( Read more... )

#733) THEY SHOOT HORSES, DON'T THEY?, Horace McCoy- Wow! First off, not a western. Two mid-western misfits, strangers to each other, decide to join together and compete in a marathon dance contest for teens on the Santa Monica pier, a gimmicky circus-like event featuring sponsors and fake marriages and all kinds of shenanigans. Funny, exhilarating ( Read more... )