Boxall's 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die discussion

Use this Topic to discuss books you are reading or that fit the 2nd Scavenger Hunt task.

Task 2: Read a Boxall list book mentioned in another list book you have read in 2022. (Can be mentioned in the narrative and/or in a preface or introduction. Requires reading two Boxall Books.)

I plan on reading Evgeny Onegin, which is mentioned in The Master and Margarita.

I am currently reading Decline and Fall by Evelyn Waugh which mentions The Forsyte Saga.

There is a thread somewhere in the group with a list of these. I can't seem to find it.

Found it: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

I also found one myself that is not on this thread: The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas mentions The Making of Americans...and since it seems you need to read both and I've read a lot of the other books on the list, these 2 are the ones I'm going with.

Am I correct in assuming that 1Q84 mentions 1984? Obviously the title is a reference to it but my copy doesn't have a preface or introduction.

If so, I think that'll be my book for this one! I've been planning to read both 1984 and 1Q84 for a while.

Amanda wrote: "I also found one myself that is not on this thread: The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas mentions The Making of Americans...and since it seems you need to read both and I..."

Two Steins back to back? Serious torture. But you're right, she mentions The Making of Americans over and over again in Alice B. But.... she repeats everything over and over and over again.

Looks like I lucked out. Apparently The Charterhouse of Parma by Stendhal shows up in Nausea by Jean-Paul Sartre, and I've already committed to reading both in 2022.

It's a slightly loose interpretation of the task, but The Unnamable by Samuel Beckett makes references to both Molloy (out of Molloy) and Malone (out of Malone Dies). I need every excuse I can find to motivate myself to finish Beckett's entries on the list, so those are my picks.

Lianne (The Towering Pile) wrote: "Am I correct in assuming that 1Q84 mentions 1984? Obviously the title is a reference to it but my copy doesn't have a preface or introduction.

If so, I think that'll be my book for..."

At the beginning of 1Q84, 1984 refers to the date of a musical composition. However, in Chapter 18 of the first part, a character does refer to the book 1984.

Diane wrote: "Two Steins back to back? Serious torture. But you're right, she mentions The Making of Americans over and over again in Alice B. But.... she repeats everything over and over and over again."

Lol! I didn't hate 3 lives so we'll see how this goes. I think I'll go for the autobiography soon (also for BINGO on the other group) and read making of Americans later...with adequate gap.

My options for referential books where I haven't read either was pretty limited.

Found a reference to Ivanhoe in The Secret History, so I guess that'd be my choice. There's also a reference to Great Gatsby in there too case anyone wants that.

Karen wrote: "Lianne (The Towering Pile) wrote: "Am I correct in assuming that 1Q84 mentions 1984? Obviously the title is a reference to it but my copy doesn't have a preface or introduction.

If..."

Wow, that's great! I'd love to read those two this year! Wonderful =)

Lianne (The Towering Pile) wrote: "Am I correct in assuming that 1Q84 mentions 1984? Obviously the title is a reference to it but my copy doesn't have a preface or introduction.

If so, I think that'll be my book for..."

Great, idea! Thank you - now I now how to deal with challenge nr 2! =)

I read The Absentee by Maria Edgeworth which is mentioned in the first chapter of Melmoth the Wanderer by Charles Maturin that I just finished.

I just finished The Brief Wonderous Life of Oscar Wao and three list books are mentioned: Gormanghast, Lord of the Rings, and Watchmen. I have read all these - which one will I re-read for this challenge? Hrmm .....

I recently finished Pepita Jiménez, which mentions both Amadis of Gaul and Don Quixote.

Lianne (The Towering Pile) wrote: "Am I correct in assuming that 1Q84 mentions 1984? Obviously the title is a reference to it but my copy doesn't have a preface or introduction.

If so, I think that'll be my book for..."


From: https://blog.prepscholar.com/allusion...

1Q84 (2009) by Haruki Murakami
The allusion here isn't a specific quotation but rather the title of 2009 bestselling novel 1Q84 by Japanese author Haruki Murakami.

While English speakers might not see the connection right away, the title of this dystopian novel is an allusion to George Orwell's 1984. How? You see, in Japanese, the letter "Q" is pronounced the same way as the number nine, making the title sound as if you're saying "1984" or "one nine eight four" in Japanese.

Does it count if the book is not mentioned by title but is quoted?

What I Loved mentions Dickens and a quote from Oliver Twist but does not include the actual title of the book.

Sean wrote: "You see, in Japanese, the letter "Q" is pronounced the same way as the number nine, making the title sound as if you're saying "1984" or "one nine eight four" in Japanese."

You transliterate it as ichi kyuu hachi yon.
Incidentally, the number nine can be also be pronounced as "ku", it depends on whether it's a On or Kun reading. Hence September, [九月] is read as "ku gatsu".

Sure that counts. Same for if just a Boxall author is mentioned.

I read The Razor's Edge by W. Somerset Maugham. This book gives me some choices for other books to read since it mentions The Princess of Cleves, The Odyssey, and Père Goriot.
And since Maugham mentions himself as an author, I could read any of his other books.

Kimberly wrote: "I read The Razor's Edge by W. Somerset Maugham. This book gives me some choices for other books to read since it mentions The Princess of Cleves, [book:..."

Thank you for this! I've got both The Razors Edge and The Princess of Clève on my To Read 2022-list so this was terrific information for me! =) <3

Unfortunately, The Odyssey is not on the Boxall list. A glaring omission (with the Illiad) in my humble opinion. And don't say that's because they are poetry. Boxall included The Lusiads, Eugene Onegin, and Adjunct (though classifying Adjunct as poetry is debatable).

I'm reading The Last World. It mentions Metamorphoses several times, as well as the poet Ovid. I have already read Metamorphoses quite recently, so throwing out there for someone else. :)

I just finished Fathers and Sons which mentions Eugene Onegin. So Pushkin's now moved up my list.

I'm probably going to read Madame Bovary by Flaubert, which is mentioned in The Idiot by Dostoevsky, which I just read (the main character, Prince Mishkin, finds a copy of it in another character's room on a table). At 350 pages, it's shorter than my other options so far.

PS: I've just finished On Love by Alain de Botton for my "Love" in title task. At the end he mentions the (1001) novel Madame Bovary by Balzac, which I was already planning to use for this task after seeing it mentioned in The Idiot. Weird that it was mentioned in two list books I've read this year (in less than three months); must be a sign that I'm meant to read it!

Impressions of Africa mentions Jean-Jacques Rousseau’s Emile, or On Education. Reading Impressions of Africa was a chore and taking on Emile at over 800 pages is something I likely won't do.
There's a reason Impressions of Africa only has 387 reviews - including mine.

I'm currently reading The History of Love and someone in the book just mentioned that they read The Street of Crocodiles by Bruno Schulz!

If I use Street of Crocodiles that was mentioned in The Histroy of Love for this task (Task #2), does that mean I can't use The History of Love for Task #4?

Or in other words, does this scavenger hunt require a total of 14 books in order to complete the 13 tasks?

Ultimately, it's your challenge so it's your rules....

Here's how I read it. The challenge is to read a list book mentioned in another list book you also read this year. Meaning that the book doing the mentioning can be used for another challenge but the book being mentioned cannot. So in your case.... I'd say that it is allowable to use History of Love for task #4 as well.

Odds are I've asked this before but just to be on the safe side, does mentioning a list author also count or does it have to be a specific book?

Taylor wrote: "If I use Street of Crocodiles that was mentioned in The Histroy of Love for this task (Task #2), does that mean I can't use The History of Love for Task #4?

Or in other words, does this scavenger..."

I think it's totally ok to have the reference from a book you used for another of the tasks. "Whatever's not prohibited is allowed" is my motto.

Taylor wrote: "I'm currently reading The History of Love and someone in the book just mentioned that they read The Street of Crocodiles by Bruno Schulz!"

I actually remember that reference now that you mention it. The Street of Crocodiles is a short book, a novella really, but could be a little hard to get a copy.

Nocturnalux wrote: "Odds are I've asked this before but just to be on the safe side, does mentioning a list author also count or does it have to be a specific book?"

Yes, it counts -- if you then read a list book by that author.

Currently reading The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test, and it just mentioned Stranger in a Strange Land, which I read earlier this year. So, switching my Gertrude Stein plan and going with these 2 once I finish the book.

King Solomon's Mines is recommended to one of the main characters by a bookseller in Independent People.

A Tale of a Tub is mentioned in The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman.

Kidnapped by Robert Louis Stevenson is mentioned in The Secret History by Donna Tartt where a character mentions that the fictional character he most identifies with is Davy Balfour from Kidnapped. While I loved The Secret History, I found that Kidnapped started strong but I lost interest about halfway through. The Secret History is a great book to use for this challenge because it mentions loads of other novels from the list.

The Waves by Virginia Woolf is mentioned in Unless by Carol Shields. The title is mentioned as one of the books a character is checking out of the library.

The characters in Catch-22 briefly discuss Raskolnikov from Crime and Punishment, although they do not mention the title directly. Later on, the book Moby-Dick is also mentioned.

I'm reading Vanity Fair and at pg 60 odd. So far, Ceclia and Udolpho has been mentioned.

Yrinsyde wrote: "I'm reading Vanity Fair and at pg 60 odd. So far, Ceclia and Udolpho has been mentioned."

Camilla, Humphry Clinker, Voltaire and Henry Fielding have been mentioned.

George P. wrote: "I'm probably going to read Madame Bovary by Flaubert, which is mentioned in The Idiot by Dostoevsky..." which I read earlier this year

I'm now waiting for my book to come in at the library branch by me. Madame Bovary is also mentioned at the end of On Love and in Life is a Caravanserai, both of which I've read this year so a total of three mentions! Seems to be kismet that I read it for this challenge.

This task prooves to be harder than expected. All the books mentioned in the books I read are either ones I've already read or really old, overly long classics I'm not really keen on reading right now. I'll probably read something be Diderot as of all the old books mentioned they seem to be the only ones interesting (and short) enough.

Finished Rameau's Nephew by Denis Diderot. Diderot ist mentioned in Tomcat Murr which I read ealier this year. This was my final task!

I read Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson mentioned in The Secret History by Donna Tartt.

This has been my favourite challenge so far! I've already completed it but wanted to leave a few that I have found in case anyone else is still looking

In Northanger Abbey (Jane Austen):
- The Mysteries of Udolpho (Ann Radcliffe)
Udolpho of course plays a huge role in the story and is referenced regularly.
- Ceclia (Fanny Burney)
- Camilla (Fanny Burney)
They also mention Belinda (Maria Edgeworth) but I see that although this author is on the list, Belinda is not one of those mentioned.

Blonde (Joyce Carol Oates):
- The War of the Worlds (H.G. Wells) is being read by Norma Jean
- The Time Machine (H.G. Wells)
(I'm hoping to read this before I see the movie, so I've only just picked it up and managed to find these references just flicking through the pages and skimming the author's notes)

The Cider House Rules (John Irving):
- David Copperfield (Charles Dickens)
- Jane Eyre (Charlotte Bronte)
Both are mentioned extensively and play a huge role in the story.

This month's group-read - The Heather Blazing - mentions Cranford by Elizabeth Gaskell

Excellent Women mentions Chrome Yellow.