Some of you may be familiar with my friend Erin's blog, the Books I Should Have Read, on which she talks about the books she should have read earlier in her life, but never managed to get around to. This year, in lieu of making a New Year's Resolution that involves somehow reforming myself (not that I couldn't stand some work!) I decied to follow her example, and read certain titles that have intrigued me for awhle (in some cases, for years). Now these aren't the only books I'll read - far from it! - and they aren't new books. All of them are considered, in one form or another, classics. As of yet, though, they are classics that I've managed to miss, and I'm bound to fix that!
1) David Copperfield by Charles Dickens
Start with the biggie, right? And just as a disclaimer, this list is not the order in which I plan to read them. But this book as been on my to read list for a loooong time. By the way, if you're wondering, yes, Suzanne and I did fall off the Charles Dickens bandwagon at Martin Chuzzlewhit. It was So. Contrived. But I still really like Dickens, and as this is his most autobiographical book, it is must read for me. At some point.
2) The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling
Yeah, I know. It's a kid's book. But the honest truth is that a lot of the books that I've really enjoyed - Little Women, Anne of Green Gables, Daddy Long Legs - fall under that category. As the only thing I really know about the Jungle Book is from the hands of (wince) Disney, I really need to attack this one.
3) Something by Faulkner
If you think Something is one of Faulkner's books, try again. I've read one Faulkner novel - A Light in August - in high school. And while I cannot tell you much about the plot ten years later (something about an unwed mother, I think), I remember really liking it, and thinking that I should read more of his work. So I will. Any suggestions?
4) Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie
Another English childrens classic that I've managed to miss. I've seen many adaptations of it, including movies, the stage show, and even Peter Pan on ice (you've not lived until you've seen a crocodile on ice skates), but I've never read the book. Shame on me!
5) Emma by Jane Austen
Gasp! Shock! Clutches pearls. No, I've never read Emma. And I've always considered that to be ok. I do like Jane Austen quite a bit, but I'm not a religious devote, as many are. I have made a point, though, of picking up all of her novels, though I have not yet read them all. At present I'm lacking two from my have read list - Emma and Mansfield Park. I did like the recent BBC version of Emma, as much as anyone can actually like Emma, and now it's time for the book. At some point.
What do you hope to read in the coming year?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
6 comments:
I would reread A Light in August, if I were you. A shorter Faulkner work I've read is As I Lay Dying, which I liked in college. I'd loan you my copy, but my copious notes might annoy you.
I love to read "children's" books and I'm twice your age! ;-)
I'm not quite that organised - but my next book is one of those depressing war books about death and camps. I might need some tissues to get through it.
How can it be that I've reached the ripe old age of 46 and have never read any of those books either? (Hanging my head in shame) Must remedy that.
Agreed that many of the best stories come from childrens books. They seem to be the novels most intent on telling a good tale rather than proving how creatively literary and insightful they are.
I am not generaly a Faulkner fan (I have a hard time following his stream-of-consciousness style) but really enjoyed The Unvanquished. It's the story of a spunky southern grandmother and two boys during the Civil War.
Hi, I agree with reading As I Lay Dying, but then I love Faulkner. I also highly recommend Go Down, Moses; Intruder in the Dust; and The Sound and the Fury (in that order)! Looks like you will have a great reading year with that list!
Post a Comment