These are the books I want to read, mainly because I feel like I should, but man, they look like so long/hard/a helluva lot of effort...
1. War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy.
2. Crime and Punishment by Fyoder Dostoyevsky.
3. Moby Dick by Herman Melville.
4. Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy.
5. Les Miserables by Victor Hugo.
6. Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes.
7. Ulysses by James Joyce.
8. The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas.
9. Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand.
10. The Feminine Mystique by Betty Friedan.
Have you read any of these? Tell my which ones I should man up and read!
I agree with all of those. I'd add Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace to that list. Although Count of Monte Cristo is actually a very easy read. Moby Dick...ugh. I've only read one of Melville's books and I thought it was dreadful.
ReplyDeleteWhat Australian authors do you read in school? Who's considered a classic author?
Really? Maybe I will give The Count a go sooner rather than later!
DeleteI had to read A Fortunate Life by Albert Facey for school. Picnic at Hanging Rock by Joan Lindsay and My Brilliant Career by Miles Franklin are also quite iconic. A lot of people get to study Melina Marchetta but I didn't. We do a lot of Shakespeare and English classics.
I have not read a single one of those books, but I have wanted to read Monte Cristo. I just need to do it, nut at the rate I'm going that may never happen. ;)
ReplyDeleteI have such a short attention span these days! It's terrible.
DeleteI would really like to read some more classics, but the works from those Russian writers seem so tough. I don't think I'll ever manage to read them, nor do I think that I'll love them. Maybe Anna Karenina ...
ReplyDeleteLes Miserables on the other hand could be worth the effort, I think.
I know! I really want to go to Russia and I'd like to read some Russian literature before I go but it's SO intimidating.
DeleteOMG yes yes yes. Several of these are spot on for me.
ReplyDeleteGlad it's not just me :)
DeleteI've read Anna Karenina and Les Mis... the latter is every bit as intimidating as you think it is, but Anna Karenina is actually fairly accessible. I really enjoyed it, aside from Part 3 (of 8) which is just one very long discussion about farming :/
ReplyDeleteFarming, yay! That's the thing with classics, many of them do seem to ramble a lot.
DeleteI'm making my way slowly through Les Mis, and I'm loooooooving it. It's really good, it's just really LONG!
ReplyDeleteI tried to read Atlas Shrugged but Ayn Rand just makes me rage, and I found it really overwritten.
Oh I'm glad you're liking Les Mis! Maybe I should give it a go alongside other books. I just only like to read one book at a time but I don't think I could do it with something so long!
DeleteI've heard mixed things about Atlas Shrugged! I just feel like it's something I SHOULD read, you know?
Ayn Rand - I've still not finished Atlas Shrugged but I've been trying for over ten years. I've had a copy with me that I take EVERYWHERE! in my bag, in the car, on holidays... I still can't finish it!
ReplyDeleteBut I'll get there eventually. Great list!
That's not a good sign! Maybe I'll keep that low on the list hehe.
DeleteWhy The Feminine Mystique?
ReplyDeleteWell I don't read a lot of non-fiction anyway, and it's quite massive. I do want to read it one day.
DeleteIt's been on my to-read for a while, too.
DeleteWhat draws you to the idea of reading it?
The Feminine Mystique was a book I found at a high school fete. I read it, hoping I wouldn't become a genuine feminist afterwards and my intuition was completely right. It did get a bit boring for me when I started reading, but I kept to reading it and was completely blown away. I actually became a bit of a feminist!! Haha. It really draws you in. It's good to understand the difference between males and females in society but it really is one courageous read! Warning: Your views and opinions may change drastically.
ReplyDeleteI am a feminist but I'm not, well, radical... I do want to read it sooner or later.
DeleteI know what you mean. It's greatly written, I do recommend it.
DeleteHaha. I feel the same way there with the classics and Les Miserable.
ReplyDeleteHere's my Top 10
I think Les Mis is up there for a lot of people!
DeleteWe have several of the same books on our lists! I swear it's mainly the classics that intimidate me!
ReplyDeleteYeah they can often be loooooong and tough to read.
DeleteI've read numbers 2, 5, and 9. I don't find them intimidating at all.
ReplyDeleteA true bibliophile would want to read the challenging books. :)
2, 5, and 9 are all powerful books that just give you goosebumps when, and after you read them.
I like challenging books, but not all the time. And I did say I wanted to read these, but they are a little intimidating. I don't think that makes me less of a "bibliophile".
DeleteI read The Count of Monte Cristo in high school and really liked it. I think I must have read an abridged version or something, though, because I don't remember 1200 pages. But it was really good.
ReplyDeleteAtlas Shrugged is also good and understandably daunting. I was surprised at how well she was able to keep me involved in the plot through such a massive book. Except the 70 page monologue. That nearly did me in, but ultimately I really enjoyed the book and am surprised how frequently I'm reminded of different lines from it.
70 page monologue?! Holy... I'm glad to hear you still enjoyed it though!
DeleteHaha haven't read even a single book from your list but I really want to read The Count of Monte Cristo. Well, all of them actually. But it takes a lot of time to actually read such books. I'll probably read Crime and Punishment first from the list because I already own it.
ReplyDeleteI know! I think I'm going to have to read them at the same time as other books so I don't get overwhelmed.
DeleteThis list is chocked full of classic that are highly intimidating. I'm reading Anna Karenina right now. It's been really good so far, but it's long. I've heard Don Quixote is a good read. Maybe I'll try that book soon.
ReplyDeleteMy TTT
Alex @ The Book Banner
Good to know you're enjoying Anna Karenina. Those kinds of books are just such a commitment!
DeleteYESSSS to this whole list! I just got the Feminine Mystique and it's sitting on my shelf... one of those classics I feel like I HAD to have, and hopefully maybe I'll get around to reading it. Maybe.
ReplyDelete"hopefully maybe I'll get around to reading it. Maybe."
DeleteExactly how I feel! Hehe.
I really want to read Tolstoy, but they're just so LONG! I'm also attempting to read Pillars of the Earth right now which has been on my intimidating book list for a long time.
ReplyDeleteAh yes Pillars of the Earth is ridiculous! My husband has actually read it and really liked it, it's sitting on our shelf and sometimes I think 'maybe I'll read that'. Then I think 'maybe not'. It's just soooo long. I don't know if I can be bothered.
DeleteI've read Les Mis and Anna.... I loved Anna, far more than I expected to actually and I enjoyed Les Mis but it is LOOONG and there are tangents and things where you're like why is this relevant? Where is the story?
ReplyDeleteThe rest of your list.... I agree. So very intimidating!
I remember when you read Anna, that made me think I really should read it. I just don't want to be bored hehe.
DeleteI've been really wanting to read Dostoyevsky and other Russian literature (like Anna) for years. I totally agree with you on the intimidation factor but hey: nothing ventured, nothing gained. I feel like it would take me years, maybe like a decade, to finish just one of them though.
ReplyDeleteI know, they are so massive and the idea of the language kinda intimidates me too.
DeleteNot Ayn Rand for the love of cookies!!! After I read The Fountainhead, I took it outside, set it on fire and toasted marshmallows. Just to make sure it never bred or I never picked it up and read it again by mistake.
ReplyDeleteLOL! OK then ;)
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