What? You never read The Odyssey? Or David Copperfield? Or The Omnivore’s Dilemma? R U kidding me?
Yes, today’s topic is, The Book I Always Meant to Read But Haven’t Quite Gotten to Yet. Dear Wickeds, Dear Readers — tell us that book or books you’ve just been meaning to get around to. You know, when you get time?
Liz: I’ll confess – I never made it through Jane Eyre, despite many false starts and good intentions. I really want to read it and keep moving it around with my latest TBR pile – but it hasn’t happened yet. Eh, I know the story anyway!
Jessie: I’ve never read Moby Dick or War and Peace. I feel a little low brow about that but apparently it doesn’t worry me enough to rectify the situation. After all, neither of them is in my TBR pile at the moment!
Sherry: I tried reading War and Peace once, Jessie. I think I made it through ten pages and gave up. Ivanhoe stopped me too, although that was a long, long time ago. With so many wonderful mysteries and thrillers to read I have a hard time forcing myself to read something because I “should” or I think I should.
Julie: I have read Jane Eyre, but the other books are on my “tried but not yet” list. The Master and the Margarita is on my list. And Middlemarch. And there are a few more modern novels that I keep meaning to get to, but they go to the bottom of the list. PS, Liz, read the Eyre Affair. Will help you get through the original.
Barb: Every writer I admire lists Graham Greene as a favorite author. So he’s on my list. Proust…I keep meaning to. Lolita. The list is so long.
Edith: Sigh. Michale Pollan’s The Omnivore’s Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals. That’s on my list. At least I read his Cooked, and loved it. I’m also the one who hasn’t read The Odyssey or David Copperfield. But when I have books like Julie Hyzy’s latest White House Chef mystery, Shelley Costa’s You Cannoli Die Once, and BB Oaks’ historical with Thoreau as the Concord Sherlock Holmes, how can I go wrong?
Readers: How about you? What have you always meant to read? One you still keep on the To Be Read pile? Or the one you just declared literary bankruptcy on?
I read Moby Dick, Ivanhoe, Jane Eyre, The Iliad, The Odyssey, The Tin Drum… but I stopped reading books that are supposed to be good for me when I hit War and Peace. I need a better reason then it’s a classic or it will round out my whatever and won’t have to worry about being left out discussions that are never going to happen except in class. Now I only read books that are fun or interesting and important to my research. I suppose I may regret this, But I can’t force myself anymore. Just can’t.
You all are on my list of fun books to read.
Aw, thanks!
I read most of The Illiad and The Odyessy and enjoyed both but year ago in high school and college. They were fascinating.
Too many books, too little time to read books I am not interested in…Graham Green’s “The Quiet American” was my favorite of his.
Agree!
Okay, I’m convinced.
Dang, now I’m feeling smug because I’ve read about 80% of the books you all have listed (when I was much younger and had more time!). I feel guilty about not having finished David McCullough’s John Adams (started it in 2002), or Robert Caro’s third volume on LBJ (the whole series is an interesting study of how a writer can become deeply absorbed in a character yet still hate him). If I can add one to the list, I’d say Nathaniel Philbrick’s Mayflower, which covers a lot of history you didn’t hear in school (and is very readable!). But I’ve got two more of his books that I haven’t even opened yet.
It’s okay to feel smug, Sheila!
The Mayflower is awaiting me in the basement study. I’m not sure I’ll ever get to it.
I’m with Sherry. I read for fun, so the classics aren’t even on my radar these days.
I do have a long list of books I meant to read but haven’t gotten around to reading yet. There are just so many good books out there I want to try to read.
And I’m with both of you!
Dispite being madly in love with Richard Chamberlain as Father Ralph in the mini series, I have never made it through The Thorn Birds. I think it’s because I can see Richard. And a part of me feels as though I should read Gone WIth The Wind, but not enough to have purchased a copy. I did read Jane Eyre and it is a favorite. Once you make it past her childhood it gets much better.
Some of these classics I read so long ago I might as well not have read them!
Love typos! That should have read…I think it’s because I can’t see Richard. Can’t being the key word.
Now that you bring it up—maybe I’ll read Mayflower. I have to finish all of David D. Hall’s books first, though.