For my blog debut, I posted a list of 32 things I want to accomplish before my 32nd birthday. One of those items was to read a new book every month, which I copy-catted straight from the original inspiration for my #32list. For fun, and because I like to trick myself into believing that I am productive and on top of things, I decided to go ahead and plan out which books I'm going to read. Most of these are books that I've been meaning to read anyway, but the fun of the #32list concept is that one can change anything at any time if one so desires. So I'm open to suggestions! I am painfully aware that this list is extremely geographically and culturally lopsided in the direction of Western/European literature. What are the big things I should read from Africa, Asia, Central/South America, the Middle East, etc? I'd be open to swapping a few things, and am already contemplating an all non-Euro/US reading agenda for my #33list (so on top of things).
So here they are, in no particular order, and with no promises that I won't change them as I go along (I can almost promise Anna Karenina will disappear at some point...):
1. The true story - My Silent War by Harold Adrian Russell "Kim" Philby. I originally wanted to read Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, but in looking it up I found out that John le Carré was inspired by the life of Kim Philby, the infamous senior British intelligence officer who was a life-long secret Communist and ultimately defected to the Soviet Union at the height of the Cold War. Knowing that, the fiction simply paled in comparison. (Just finished reading this so stay tuned for a review!)
2. The innocent children's book - Winnie the Pooh and The House at Pooh Corner by A. A. Milne. A two-for-the-price-of-one because they are so short--children's books, after all.
3. The book of poetry - The Complete Works of Emily Dickinson, because I already own a lovely gold leaf-edged hardbound volume that I rescued from a Goodwill for the princely sum of $2. #woot
4. The ministry book - The Knowledge of Life by Witness Lee
5. The tragedy - Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy (Gulp.)
6. The comedy - Thank You, Jeeves by P. G. Wodehouse. If you've never read Jeeves, you are missing out on the greatest belly-laughs in the canon of English literature.
7. The bestseller - The Help by Kathryn Stocket. Because, duh, it happens in my hometown of Jackson, MS and parts of the movie were actually filmed there!
8. The book I would probably never finish if it weren't on this list - Little Dorrit by Charles Dickens. One thing you should know about me is that I hate Dickens and love griping about his writing. If you disagree and feel it your duty to convince me otherwise, comment away. I like to (try to) keep an open mind. If you feel similarly, I'd love your camaraderie. :) But in my defense, I do respect his contribution to the world of literature and thus picked up at random one of his lesser known works some time ago in the hopes of changing my own opinion. So far Mr. Paid-by-the-word has only succeeded in confirming my worst complaints, but now I have to know if he is ever, EVER going to get around to bringing Little Dorrit and Clennam together (and how??). Plus, I discovered that there's a 14-episode (8-hour!) BBC/PBS miniseries on it, and I can't allow myself to watch it before finishing the book. Sigh.
9. The famous-but-forgotten children's classic - Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame. Did anyone else know that this was a book?!? (Does anyone else even remember this movie???)
10. The American classic - The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain. Or should I read The Adventures of Tom Sawyer?
11. The book you probably thought was only a movie - Breakfast at Tiffany's by Truman Capote. Yep that's right, it was a book first. Ok, technically it's a novella (ok FINE: short story), but have you noticed that Anna Karenina is on this list??
12. The famous Southern novel (also the Pulitzer Prize winner) - The Optimist's Daughter by Eudora Welty. I've never read anything by Eudora Welty (if you are currently reading this from the state of Mississippi, yes I heard that gasp), and I know I won't be able to look myself in the mirror all year if I don't have something by her on my list. Plus how can I call myself a Southerner (or a Jacksonian) if I've never read Eudora Welty?
My last dilemma is a question of money, technology, being environmentally conscious, and sentiment: should I buy a copy of each book, or check them out from the library, or buy/find free electronic versions to read on my phone + tablet + laptop + Kindle (disgusting, I know)?
Actually that's silly. I already know the answer: check them out from the library to read, then buy a really pretty hard copy if I really like the book. There, that was easy. :)
What's on your must-read list?
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ReplyDeleteGloria, very inspiring! Now I want to start a list. Maybe I will...
ReplyDeleteRead Huck Finn. Please. I love this book. I taught it for several years to my honors 9th grade English students who similarly loved it. I also read it many times prior to teaching it, and I loved it every time. Is that a good enough endorsement?
The Help was really good. I don't read a lot of contemporary fiction, but I did enjoy this book from start to finish.
Never read a Eudora Welty novel, but her short stories were always a treat. Let me know how that one goes.
Also never read any Wodehouse - sounds like I've been missing out! It is first on my list now!
Last but not least. I love Dickens. So very much. And I wish you lived closer so we could get coffee and chat about books. I'm sad I never got to know you while you were close-ish. I met your mom at the Memorial Day conference, and she is so amazing. I love her. Ok, at the risk of being the most annoying commenter ever, I'll stop here. :)
Julie, loved your comment! I wished we lived closer so we could book chat too! That would be too entirely lovely. Although if you want me to like Dickens even a smidge, you should probably point me to his best work--but if it's David Copperfield, then I'm afraid I'm a lost cause. But I will definitely read Huck Finn at your recommendation, and will let you know in due course how The Optimist's Daughter goes.
DeleteAnd Wodehouse. You must. Read. Wodehouse. Pick any of his full-length Jeeves novels, and you'll thank me. Just ask Mary Bradley. She's the one who got me started on Jeeves. So you know if a Bradley recommended it... ;)
If you do start your own list, let me know! You're obviously a discriminating reader, so I'd love to see what ends up on your menu. :)
Wodehouse - check. Will talk to Mary about it today. :)
DeleteYou know what we should do - we should have an online book club or something. Maybe once a month. With all of our mutual book loving friends. Like a google chat or something. No what's it called - a hangout? Maybe? Ok maybe a more tech savvy person than me could set it up. Anyway, food for thought.
Try Bleak House. One of the first Dickens novels that I absolutely loved. However, if your problem with him is his paid by the wordiness, then I don't know if I can solve that. :) Confession - I've never read David Copperfield. Haha.
I also loved Julie's comment due to the fact that the only title I had any reaction to other than mild curiosity was "The Adventures of Huck Finn." Why? Because I stongly disliked that book when forced to read it for a high school lit class. And by dislike I really mean hate. I'll give my reasons sometime if you're interested but unless I have children who have teacher that force them to read it for a class I wouldn't choose to read it again.
ReplyDeleteCurrently reading through "The Knowledge of Life" in my home meeting. At the pace we're going it will take 12 months to make it half way. :)
xtina
Why will Anna Karenina most likely disappear?? That is one of my all-time favorites! The sub-story is one of the best parts. There's a translation that I liked more than another... if you keep it on the list, I'll let you know which. If you haven't read O Jerusalem, it's a must. It's more about the Middle East than from, but it's amazing. (It's really intense; I read it during the training and I sometimes had to stop to catch my breath, no joke.) I don't know if you're into gripping non-fiction, but if you are, then add They Marched into Sunlight, about three concurrent events during the Vietnam era, and Unbroken, a WWII piece. An older kids' book: Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry -- have you read that? Read it in college, tears. Books that are ruined for people because they are forced to read them too young -- To the Lighthouse. Thankfully, I didn't read it until college and I absolutely loved it. South America -- I remember devouring One Hundred Years of Solitude years ago. Haha, you got me going. I went through the whole medium dilemma recently myself and ended up diving in headfirst with a Kindle and I don't regret it. (It's especially great for reading at night after D falls asleep). Like you, I decided to get "shelf copies" of things I love. Animal Dreams is currently on the shelf list. And My Silent War is on my to-read list. Eager for your review (as long as there aren't any spoilers, in which case I'll read it later). =D
ReplyDeleteYay fellow bookworms! :D
DeleteAs much as I want to read Anna Karenina, it's just so long...and I also signed myself up to read Les Misérables this year, so that's a whooole lot of depressing literature to read at once. I'm admittedly a happy-ending-only weakling. ;) So we'll see. I'll probably pick one of the two for this year and read the other next year. I take books and movies waaay too seriously, so when they're intense/depressing, I have to take them in small doses or it actually makes me stressed out/depressed. Sigh. #dramaqueen
Love your other recommendations! O Jerusalem sounds phenomenal! And as for My Silent War, I suppose one would only read it if one knew the history behind Philby and were curious to hear his side of the story (which is why I read it), in which case there can be no spoilers. If you don't know his story, then you should know that unless you at least read his Wikipedia file you won't be able to follow what he's talking about in the book, because his whole memoir presupposes a reader who is intimately familiar with the "what" and "when" of his history and simply wants to know the "why." For my "review," I'm really only planning to talk about his writing style (which is looovely and British) and my impression of his person. Hope that doesn't spoil anything. :)
Thanks for reading, thanks for commenting! Love the book talk!
Love the blog!!! You should DEFINITELY read The Help. It's really well written (and this is coming from the historian.) Plus since you're from Jackson.... absolutely. You can even get it as an audiobook if you want to listen to it while you're washing dishes or doing the laundry. I do that a lot and it's an easy way to keep up with reading if you don't have time to actually sit down and read or if that's what you do for a living!!
ReplyDeleteDid you know that A.A. Milne wrote a screenplay version of The Wind in the Willows?? It's hard to come by but a local library should have a copy of it. It's called Toad of Toad Hall. It's priceless. (Yes, this homeschooled girl read those and didn't watch the movie.)
You absolutely have got to read 101 Dalmatians by Dodie Smith (when you have a chance.) It's the original work upon which the Disney movie is made. It's really well written & some of the plot makes a whole lot more sense in the book. (Saying as a person who's only read the 25 page book version based on the movie.) It's also a relatively quick read.
And absolutely!! Collect the books in paper if you love them. (Or you can get them under $2.)
<3
Pearl