1. Middlemarch by George Eliot
This has been on my TBR pile since I watched a portion of the mini-series years ago. My holdup? It is so long.
2. On the Road by Jack Kerouac
I actually haven't read any book by any author from the beat generation. I not so much want to read this book as think I should read it.
3. Oliver Twist, Great Expectations, Tale of Two Cities, anything by Charles Dickens
I'm pretty sure that I have created one of these lists before and I always add Dickens onto my must read list, but then don't read him. I wonder why?
4. Dante's Inferno by Dante Aligheri
I have a funny feeling that this is a book that needs to be read with a class and teacher that knows what he/she is talking about, therefore I balk at the idea of reading it alone.
5. The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas
When I watched the movie Slum Dog Millionaire I kept thinking about how I had never read this famous book with it's famous plot and characters. I would have been kicked off the show very early!
6. Dune by Frank Herbert
Honestly, I haven't read any of the classic Sci-Fi. But I think every well-rounded librarian should read the book that started it all.
7. Suite Francaise by Irene Nemirovsky
I think every person is a book club has read this book except me.
8. Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston
My sister tells me this is one of the most beautiful books written in the English language.
9. Julius Caesar by Shakespeare
Honestly, I haven't read much Shakespeare but my children just about dropped over from shock when they learned I'd never read it.
I loved Dune, but I tended to read a lot of sci-fi when I was younger. Suite Francaise was lovely. I don't think I've ever read Julius Caesar either.
ReplyDeleteMore resolve to read both Dune and Suite Francaise.
ReplyDeleteI read Dune because I felt like I just had to already, and I did enjoy it! It's not a favorite, but I definitely appreciate it.
ReplyDeleteOn The Road is pretty good; not the happiest read, but worth it nonetheless.
I also recommend Suite Francaise ;)
Oh this is a great list, Anne! I read Middlemarch a couple of years ago for a book group. It did take me a long time to finish it, but I was surprised by how much I liked it - it's actually quite witty and relevant today. here's my review (no spoilers):
ReplyDeletehttp://bookbybook.blogspot.com/2012/12/fiction-review-middlemarch.html
I read On the Road for the same reason you think you should read it - honestly, I wasn't all that thrilled with it. Glad I read it so I know what it is and what the Beat Generation was about, but I didn't love it.
However, you MUST read some Dickens!! I read both Great Expectations and A Tale of Two Cities in high school and loved them both. I recall that his novels are a bit slow for the first 1/4 to 1/3 but then you get engaged and can't put them down. A friend of mine says David Copperfield is her favorite Dickens, so that one is on my list.
Suite Francais was very good...and, yes, I did read it for a book group!
You and I better get busy!
Sue
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