I stumbled upon this Penguin Random House post recently, lured in of course, by the desire to see if their list in any way echoes my own. Not that I have a real, written down list of such books, but there is one floating endlessly around in my head. I’ll be adding these books to this list.
++War and Peace Leo Tolstoy
Ah, yes, War and Peace. Surely this book wears the crown as the classic book that everyone has been meaning to read. The granddaddy of the must-read nobility. How many people floating around in the universe have had good intentions of reading this one? How many have started and never finished? Ugh, me for one. Many years ago I made the reading of this book a New Year’s Resolution. Probably along with the giving up of sugar and working out every day. The road to hell is paved with good intentions and trying to live the perfectly healthy, fit and well read life can be tough. In my defense I got to within a couple of hundred pages of the end, which means I could, maybe, lay claim to having read it?
I have no idea why I gave up so close to the end. Why read a good thousand pages only to stop when the finish line is in sight. On the other hand, maybe a thousand pages of Tolstoy can make just two hundred more seem almost unbearable. Not that it is an unenjoyable novel, it’s just that Tolstoy is sooooo verbose and his writing is so dense And some of those battle scenes! But ultimately I think the most difficult aspect of the novel is trying to keep hundreds of unfamiliar Russian names straight.
So…I could give it another go. I’d kind of like to. Or…I could watch the recent BBC adaptation and call it done. I’ve been wanting to watch it for a while and it got solid reviews. At eight hours, a fabulous cast and gorgeous costumes, this option might well be the perfect cheat!
++ Song of Solomon Toni Morrison
I must confess that this has never been on my TBR list. I read Beloved many moons ago and don’t remember whether I liked it or not. Should read this one.
++ The Fountainhead Ayn Rand
Yep. Definitely been a long time should read for me. Some people love it. Some people hate it. I guess I will endeavour to find out which one I will be.
++Ulysses James Joyce
Aahh, James Joyce. Can’t say he’s my favourite author. The word tedious springs to mind. The whole stream-of-consciousness thing is most definitely not my cup of tea and I positively limped my way through the Portrait of an Artist as a Young Man. Far too intellectual for me, I’m afraid. But as an English Lit major Ulysses falls squarely into the category entitled “I really really don’t want to read this book but a desire to fill in the gaps of my literary education means that I should despite the fact that I know I will hate it.” It remains to be seen if I have the courage to give this one a go.
++ The Shadow of the Wind Carlos Ruiz Zafon
Yes, yes and yes! A good friend recommended this years ago and it seems to be a top pick for people who make favourite book lists. I did start reading it once, then stopped about 75 pages in. I tried again but didn’t make it any further. I think it may have become a casualty of small-children-no-sleep-syndrome. This is officially numero uno on my TBR list.
++ The Lord of the Rings J.R.R Tolkien
When I was around 10 a teacher gave me a copy of The Hobbit to read. With it being such a big book I remember feeling a little intimidated…but who doesn’t want to impress a teacher? Despite its wordiness, I thoroughly enjoyed it. Imagine my surprise upon just discovering that it’s only 300 pages long! I never did go on to read the rest of the series so it might be time to rectify that. I may have to throw in a re-read of The Hobbit for good measure, it’s such a short book anyway!
++ The Satanic Verses Salman Rushdie
Who can forget the controversy created by the publication of this novel? It should be read for that reason alone, but as a lover of both books about India and magical realism, I’m surprised I haven’t picked this one up already.
++ Don Quixote Miguel de Cervantes
Definitely another of those books that routinely pops up as a must read. Can’t say I’ve ever seriously considered it…but hey, if penguin books says I should, who am I to argue? I’ll give it a go.
++ The Golden Compass Philip Pullman
Completely off my radar this one. Apparently the first of a trilogy and known as Northern Lights in the UK. Young adult novel about witches and demons…two strikes against it. However, might be nice to squeeze something a little lighter between the likes of War and Peace and The Satanic Verses.
++ Catch 22 Joseph Heller
I don’t think I’ve read this but I want to. I am going to lump this in with the next book on the list George Orwell‘s 1984. Don’t think I’ve read that one either. Definitely falls into the education-gaps category and therefore must be read ASAP. And while I’m at it I should throw in Fahrenheit 451, Animal Farm and Brave New World. Not sure how I managed to escape reading such veritable classics, although it’s possible I did and just don’t remember.
++The Kite Runner Khaled Hosseini
Read it. Loved it.
++ Little Women Louisa May Alcott
Same as above.
++ The Cloud Atlas David Mitchell
Added this to my list last month.
++ The Picture of Dorian Grey Oscar Wilde
I’m almost positive I’ve read this but I’m not entirely sure. It might be one of those books that you hear so much about that you just think you’ve read it. In some cases that’s a good thing.
++ Lolita Vladimir Nabokov
I have read it. And I hated it. A good friend has always raved about this book and I could never understand why. However, it came up in a conversation a little while ago and she said that having a daughter gave pause to her opinion of it. Interesting. Penguin calls this a “wise, ironic elegant masterpiece.” and a “love story almost shocking in its beauty and tenderness.” All I recall is an intense loathing of the protaganist, so repugnant that he left me cold. A re-read, perhaps, to see if I can unearth the book so described.
++ The Help Kathryn Stockett
Read it. Loved it.
++ The Liars’ Club Mary Karr
I’ve heard a lot about this one. It’s a memoir, so not my favourite, but the description sounds interesting.
++ Moby Dick Herman Melville
Penguin says about this book “either you’ve read it, or you pretend you’ve read it.” Well I have read it and let me tell you my dislike of it is as vast and deep as the ocean it plays out on. My advice? Pretend you’ve read it. There’ll be no regrets.
++ Gravity’s Rainbow Thomas Pynchon
This is the only book on the list that I’ve never heard of. A brief search reveals the author is noted for his dense and complex novels and he is influenced by Vladimir Nabokov and James Joyce. So far, not looking good.
Gravity’s Rainbow is described as lengthy and complex and is about the uncovering of a secret of a mysterious device named the Schwargerat, slated to be installed in a rocket with the serial number 00000. What?
Although selected by the Pulitzer Prize jury for an award in 1974, members described it as “unreadable” “turgid” and “overwritten”. Really not looking good.
In the interest of filling in yet another education gap I will add this to my TBR list…in very small letters at the very end where I am hoping it will go unnoticed.
++ The Handmaids Tale Margaret Atwood
I love Margaret Atwood so I read this one years ago, but like many people I re-read it after watching the Hulu series. It’s a fabulous book and well worth a read, however, if like me your TBR pile threatens to topple over at any minute, watch the TV production which was so haunting and brilliant. Then you can just pretend to have read it. My lips are sealed.
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