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| The Broke and the Bookish |
The Top Ten Books I Can't Believe I've Never Read
1. Anything by Charles Dickens...I've only read David Copperfield when I was in 6th grade (so that hardly counts), and of course, A Christmas Carol. All others I've not read.
2. Lord of the Flies by William Golding...I think every kid has to read this in high school and somehow I escaped.
3. East of Eden by John Steinbeck... many people have told me that this is their favorite book.
4. Beloved by Toni Morrison...this book shows up on the Top 100 Books of all-time and she is a living author. I must, must, must get to it.
5. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley.... see #2
6. A Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams...everyone in my generation has read this but me, I think.
7. The Color Purple by Alice Walker...I'm not even sure if I know the storyline.
8. Frankenstein by Mary Shelley...OK, this is starting to feel like "true confessions."
9. Middlemarch by George Eliot...I'm a huge Jane Austen fan and this book seems like it would be right up my alley, but who knows? I haven't read it.
10. A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy OToole...I've been told that this is one of the funniest, most irreverent books ever written.
11. I could go on and on ..... so many books, so little time to read the old when I want to read the new.
Hi, there!
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by and commenting on my blog. I would be happy to help out your "books for boys" campaign in any way that I can. Is there a particular age group you are targeting? I can't say I know too much about children's lit, though I taught reading for one summer - Henry Huggins was probably my personal favorite, as a teacher. If you're a YA librarian, though, I could be of some help... maybe?
Now, for your list. I typically tacklet these in meta-responses. So, here goes:
1. My favorite Dickens novel was Great Expectations but A Tale of Two Cities was good too. I'm starting The Mystery of Edwin Drood this weekend, so feel free to keep an eye out for my thoughts on that as well.
2. You have to read this! It was featured in my Saturdays, Uncensored! post last week. Check out my thoughts there, if you're interested. (You can go to my blog and click on "Saturdays Uncensored" on the list in the left-side menu).
3. East of Eden was my favorite Steinbeck. I thought it was brilliant and beautiful. Grapes of Wrath comes in a close second, for me.
4. I have read some Toni Morrison, and I have had this one on my shelf for about 5 years, but I still haven't gotten to it.
5. I started Brave New World a long time ago, and never finished. I'll get back to it.
6. I liked Hitch-hiker's Guide, though I thought the earlier books were better.
7. Absolutely loved it. Beautiful and sad. And honest.
8. Frankenstein was good but not what I expected. I just picked up another Shelley novel which I hope to read soon, Transformations.
9. I feel like a bad book blogger for not having read this, but I read The Mill on the Floss which was amazing.
10. I have to read this one too!
I just read The Color Purple about three mos ago. It was phenomenal. I would make it the first of the ones you read. I had to read Beloved twice in college, it was just okay. I got about halfway through Middlemarch...it was good but at that time in my life, it was too long. Plus I wanted to kill Mr Casaubon for being such a jerk. :) I tried to start A Confederacy of Dunces about five years ago and didn't get very far. You'll have to let me know how it is if you read it.
ReplyDeleteYou're not alone - there are plenty of titles on that list that I haven't read. So many books, so little time ...
ReplyDeleteGlad to have found you via the Blog Hop!
Wow, I was amazed at the fact that I haven's read any of the books on your list either- watched the movies, but never read the books. I am planning on reading "The Color Purple," an all of the Dickens' books since they were some of my favorite movies.
ReplyDeleteAnother great book that you should read is a book by Darryl Nyznyk titled, "Mary's Son: A Tale of Christmas." I was able to review this book before its October 15th release date. It is a great modern day Christmas story that sort of reminded me of one of my favorite Christmas movies- "It's a Wonderful life."
Dude, I could not deal with Dickens, we had to do Great Expectations in high school and it absolutely killed me to make it through that thing, despite it being chapter by chapter. Yuck.
ReplyDeleteAlso, Hitchiker's Guide is so worth it. Read now lol.
Thanks for your comment on our list, btw :D
Lord of the Flies was torture for me! I want to reread it but I have such bad memories of that book from high school!
ReplyDeleteGreat list!
I've only read one of these! We had to read The Color Purple for school. I think I am scarred for life on Dickens though, someone gave me a copy of David Copperfield for my 7th birthday! That is one brick of a book! It was just way too much for me and I've never been tempted to try him out again.
ReplyDeleteI haven't read any of the books on your list, though I have seen the movie of the Color Purple so I know the plotline :) Many are on my to-read list, I'll get to them sometime.
ReplyDeleteI also „escaped“ The Lord of the Flies – I think it was being alternated between years with Animal Farm as set reading for English class. East of Eden is on my TBR list, but somehow I haven‘t yet worked up the pluck to tackle it, although I loved the TV series. And I must admit to not liking Beloved, but still found it well-written. As for the rest, the one I would urge you to read is The Color Purple.
ReplyDeleteYou have some great books on your TBR pile. The Color Purple is a must read. Beloved is also a wonderful book. I was actually a fan of Dickens at one strange point in my life.
ReplyDeleteLove your list. Thanks for sharing.
Just coming back by to tell you I gave you an award on my blog!
ReplyDeletehttp://everylastpage.blogspot.com/2010/08/summer-blogger-award.html
Hi Anne -- Thanks for stopping by my blog & commenting on my list! :-) I was picking from books I own but haven't yet read (over 400 of them, yikes). Wow, I actually own all the books on your list except Lord of the Flies and East of Eden, both of which I actually HAVE read, though I only read Golding two or three years ago. (I'm glad I finally read it, but hope to never read it again.) I almost included Beloved on *my* list, too. ;-)
ReplyDeleteHitchhiker's Galaxy is a lot of fun and a fast read. Middlemarch is the opposite, but SO worth it, I love it!
Hey there, I saw your comment on my blog and jumped on over. Being late on a meme is alright, I will probably be doing that a lot more now that classes have started!
ReplyDeleteAs for your list...
1. I could take or leave him.
2. I haven't read this one either! I started it in high school, but I thought it was too boring so I quit about half way through. I've read almost every other dystopia ever written though, so I don't really mind.
3. This one is on my list too. So many people have told me it's their favorite. I always feel bad when they do.
4. It's...weird. I'd say it's worth reading, but be prepared for some hard work and a strange reward.
5. This one I did read. I liked the first bit, but the last half got really preachy. I would definitely recommend reading it, but I'm just going to say that 1984 is the better book.
6. Read the first one, and stop there. They get worse as they go.
7. Me too! This one is totally on my to-read list.
8. This is such a great book. Get past the introduction, and it is the best short novel you will ever read. Really.
9. I really feel like I should read some George Elliot, but I never have. I need to go put this on my TBR list.
10. I know absolutely nothing about this book. Wow.
11. Story of my life!
You've got a great blog here. I'll definitely be back. :)
1. Anything by Charles Dickens...I love Great Expectations and reread it every couple of years. I agree that this is a must-read.
ReplyDelete2. Lord of the Flies by William Golding...I haven't read this either.
3. East of Eden by John Steinbeck... I want to read this too.
4. Beloved by Toni Morrison...I really liked this strange and moving book. You'd probably like it.
5. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley.... actually, they didn't teach this at my high school. I read it in my twenties. It comes up in my mind all the time, when I see ads for products like "Soma" and every time I think about how disposable our "culture" is becoming.
6. A Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams...overrated nerd book? Well, it's pretty funny, so if you have the free time you might as well.
7. The Color Purple by Alice Walker...Missed this too. Maybe I'll watch the moviel.
8. Frankenstein by Mary Shelley...I love this one.
9. Middlemarch by George Eliot...I love Austen but I found this one to be a yawn and a half.
10. A Confederacy of Dunces... This is a love it or hate it book. I would fall in the latter group. However, I do like the character of the black guy who engages in "sabotagin'" the man all the time. The main character is one of the most disgusting and annoying characters I've ever encountered. It's the literary equivalent of boogers.
Hope that helps! Hey, I see Never Let Me Go is on your list. Can't wait to hear what you think.