Okay, okay, okay. Yes, I have quite a listing of "classics" I wish to read and/or re-read. And, much like Carolyn, Kay, Cecila, and Ariel, other co-hosts of the Literary Wives Club, I feel it would be a good thing to "succumb to peer pressure," as Carolyn so aptly states, and "just do it."
I will also publish my listing of classics and take my chances on the Classics Club lucky spin this next Monday, February 10 (gosh, that's tomorrow, isn't it?) to see which one I will be tackling first.
Actually, it was kinda fun putting this list together!
Those books about which I am relatively neutral:
1. The Golden Notebook by Doris Lessing
Nobel-prize winning author...
2. The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway
Have yet to read one of his novels.
3. Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
Just keep seeing references to this one all over the place and am definitely curious!
4. Sister Carrie by Theodore Dreiser
Loved An American Tragedy when I read it at the age of 15.
5. The Light in the Forest by Conrad Richter
Fascinated by the concept.
Okay, the ones I rather dread, but for whatever reason wish to read:
6. The Hunchback of Notre Dame by Victor Hugo
I feel as if I really should read this if I haven't yet...
7. The Making of Americans by Gertrude Stein
I want to read something written by her, but really have no idea what to expect.
8. The Jungle by Upton Sinclair
I'm sure this is going to gross me out, but I think we all need to read it...
9. Moll Flanders by Daniel Defoe
So many references that I feel I need to have at least read it.
10. East of Eden by John Steinbeck
Loved The Grapes of Wrath, but have never been attracted to this one, though I feel I
should read it.
Those I cannot wait to read:
11. Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison
Feel I should read it so I can understand the references made to it.
12. The Painted Veil by W. Somerset Maugham
Loved the movie and would like to read the book, which is virtually always better,
in my opinion!
13. The Ways of White Folks by Langston Hughes
Love Hughes, and want to read what he had to say...
14. This Side of Paradise by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Love his short stories and this will be the first full-length novel of his for me to have
read. (The Last Tycoon doesn't count, since it was unfinished.)
15. The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
Yeah, I know. Unbelievable that some English/literature teacher in my past never
got to this one, but I am very curious.
Free Choice:
16. A Separate Peace by John Knowles
Read this at age 15, loved it, and am anxious to see how I feel about it now, some
42 years later! :)
17. The Ship of Fools by Katherine Anne Porter
First read when I was 13. I loved it then and am anxious to see how it resonates
for me now.
18. Go Tell It on the Mountain by James Baldwin
I like his writing; so intense and emotional...heartfelt!
19. The Philadelphia Negro: A Social Study by W.E.B. Du Bois
Have always said I wanted to read something he'd written. I admire his
accomplishments with regard to the NAACP, etc.
20. The Stranger by Albert Camus
Very curious to see what I think of this one! Have wondered about it for many years!
What classics are on your TBR list? Are you participating in any similar challenges?
Let me know...maybe we can be "reading buddies"!
Have a great week, everyone! I've been sick and am looking forward to hopefully
re-establishing my regular routine this week!
I've read quite a bit by Hemingway and The Old Man and the Sea is my favorite, followed closely by A Clean, Well-Lighted Place (I think that's the title of the short story). While I don't like a lot of Hemingway's "man's man" writing and his treatment of women, I cannot help but admire and envy his writing style...not a wasted or extraneous word....quite a feat! As for Catcher in the Rye, it's my least favorite of Salinger's works, though I think it should be read for its obvious impact on American writing/fiction in the 20th century and beyond. I LOVE Salinger's collection of short stories (Nine Stories) and I reread Nine Stories as well as Franny and Zooey every year or two. I am so looking forward to 2015 when his previously unpublished works will begin to appear and we'll finally get to see what he's been writing since the 1960s!
ReplyDeleteI agree about Hemingway and women! His wanting to live with his current wife, their child, and his mistress all in the same house is pretty much all I need to know about the man, regarding women! lol You make me want to read Salinger's other works, too! Thanks so much for sharing your insights!!
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