A few weeks ago, I wrote a discussion post about why people read classics. I decided about a year ago that I don't want to read classics just for the sake of reading classics. I'm going to judge them like any other book. That decision definitely decreased the number of classics on my TBR, but I still have quite a few left. Here's some of them!
I definitely want to read everything by Jane Austen. So far, I've read Pride and Prejudice and Persuasion, so that leaves me with Sense and Sensibility, Emma, Northanger Abbey, and Mansfield Park. And, luckily, readbyzoe on YouTube has created the Austentatious Book Club! It started in August, and everyone reads one Jane Austen book per month. I haven't done the last two months, since those were the two that I've read, but I really want to get to Northanger Abbey this month!
I also want to read more by Charles Dickens. I read A Tale of Two Cities earlier this year, and I really enjoyed it, but I want to try out some of his other books before I decide whether to make it a goal to read them all. I think the ones I'm going to read next are Oliver Twist and Great Expectations.
Another book that I finally read and loved this year was Anne of Green Gables, and I really want to finish the Anne series soon. I have five books left (Anne of Windy Poplars, Anne's House of Dreams, Anne of Ingleside, Rainbow Valley, and Rilla of Ingleside), and I'm sure I'll fly through them as quickly as I did the first three! It's just a matter of getting them and finding the time to read. I also want to try some other L.M. Montgomery books, but I don't know where to start!
Finally, I have a few that don't really follow the theme of a particular author or series. One that I can't believe I haven't gotten to yet: Jane Eyre. I've had a copy of this for years, and there have been a few times that I almost picked it up! But no, it's still just sitting on my shelf, unread. Maybe this year?
Les Misérables is one that's just intimidatingly long. I mean, it's huge! It's a brick! I'm okay with not having read this one yet, but I do want to read it eventually.
And finally, there's the Sherlock Holmes series (which I'm not listing as its own thing because I never even really think of it as a series - more like one ginormous book). My friend got me an absolutely beautiful complete edition as a gift a few years ago, and it motivated me to get through the first three books, but that still means I have six left (The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, The Hound of the Baskervilles, The Return of Sherlock Holmes, The Valley of Fear, His Last Bow, and The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes). Next time I want a mystery, I have to prioritize these.
What are some classics that you want to read? Are there any really good ones I'm missing that I should add? Any of these that are SO GOOD that I have to read them right now? Tell me in the comments!
Les Misérables is one that's just intimidatingly long. I mean, it's huge! It's a brick! I'm okay with not having read this one yet, but I do want to read it eventually.
And finally, there's the Sherlock Holmes series (which I'm not listing as its own thing because I never even really think of it as a series - more like one ginormous book). My friend got me an absolutely beautiful complete edition as a gift a few years ago, and it motivated me to get through the first three books, but that still means I have six left (The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, The Hound of the Baskervilles, The Return of Sherlock Holmes, The Valley of Fear, His Last Bow, and The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes). Next time I want a mystery, I have to prioritize these.
I can't believe you haven't read Jane Eyre. Though I've only read one Jane Austen novel so I can't really talk. Have you read A Christmas Carol? It's another good Dickens book.
ReplyDeleteI can't believe I haven't read Jane Eyre, either! And my two Jane Austen books aren't much better than your one, so you can absolutely talk. I haven't read A Christmas Carol yet! I should have included it here. My mom has a "sarcastically annotated" version that I really want to read, but I can't decide whether I should read the original first or not.
DeleteI LOVE the Anne series. Another L.M. Montgomery series that I enjoyed is Emily of New Moon. I can hardly remember the plot now, but it's similar to Anne in tone. I read the Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, which I thought was interesting but I haven't read the others yet. I'd recommend Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None if you're interested in a classic mystery! I definitely want to read more of Jane Austen's book - I have Emma sitting on my shelf but haven't gotten around to it. I also want to read Elizabeth Gaskell's North and South, thanks to the BBC adaptation!
ReplyDeleteI'll have to check out the Emily of New Moon series! And I definitely want to check out some Agatha Christie - I just couldn't decide which one I wanted to try first! I'll look at And Then There Were None. And I haven't heard much about North and South, but I know I should look it up!
DeleteI do want to read more Sherlock!! I read my first ever Sherlock book this year! Mostly because I was guilty because I've read so many retellings and seen so many shows/movies but not read the originals? #shame 😂 I've only read a Study in Scarlet though, sooo...I definitely will work on that. One day...hehh. I'm not a huge fan of classics but if they're on audio I do a bit better with them! (Except for the Jane Eyre audio. I was getting so traumatised I turned that off.😂)
ReplyDeleteI loved A Study in Scarlet! And I definitely get that about all of the retellings - it seems like Sherlock Holmes is such a huge character lately, but I've barely heard anything about the originals! I haven't listened to many classics on audiobook, but the two I have (The Secret Garden and The Adventures of Tom Sawyer) were really good!
DeleteI eventually want to read Emma, since I've never read anything by Jane Austen, and Jane Eyre, because a friend recently recommended it to me :D
ReplyDelete~Lilah
From what I've read of Jane Austen, I HIGHLY recommend her books! I tried to read Emma a while ago, actually, but I only got about 60 pages in. I think I just wasn't in the mood for it at the time. And I definitely need to read Jane Eyre soon, too!
Delete