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Today's topic is about books in a particular genre or category that you haven't read. It took me a while to decide which genre to focus on, but there are a ton of classics that I somehow have skipped or altogether missed out on ... If it was an "assigned reading" book in school, I can pretty much guarantee that I skimmed or simply read the Cliff Notes. (How terrible is that?!) But these are 10 that, I can't believe I still haven't read ... whether assigned or not!
Ten Classics I Can't Believe I Haven't Read (What?!)
Lord of the Flies by William Golding
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
The Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyan
The Awakening by Kate Chopin
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
Sense and Sensibility, Pride and Prejudice, Emma, and every other book by Jane Austen
Little Men and Jo's Boys by Louisa May Alcott (Considering Little Women is my favorite book of all time, this is especially atrocious!)
Paradise Lost by John Milton
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
The Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyan
The Awakening by Kate Chopin
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
Sense and Sensibility, Pride and Prejudice, Emma, and every other book by Jane Austen
Little Men and Jo's Boys by Louisa May Alcott (Considering Little Women is my favorite book of all time, this is especially atrocious!)
Paradise Lost by John Milton
Are there books that you feel like surely you should have read by now—either classics or some other genre? What is your favorite classic? I'm obviously needing to expand my horizons a bit!
Jane Eyre - while quite frustrating at times - is a great read! And I totally need to catch up on Jane Austen's books, as well. I've only read Northanger Abbey so far, I believe. But I do have Pride and Prejudice in my TBR. :)
ReplyDeleteFor someone who majored in English, there are so many classics I haven't read yet! I confess I hardly ever found reading classics "fun," although I started to appreciate more in college. Dracula really intrigued me!
I do have to say, Lord of the Flies scarred me when I was in high school. :( Maybe I just wasn't at the right age... I don't know. But the premise of the story and some of the things that happen in the book really bothered me. Hope you have a not-quite-so-terrible experience with the book if you do read it!
~Amber
As I was thinking through this list, I realized that I've read a few more classics than I initially thought. BUT there's just something about being required to read a book and then being forced to have lengthy conversations about it (that are generally a little odd) that made me dislike many that I read. It's funny, though, as I've re-read a few, I've been pleased to realize that I really love some of them! I just finished The Giver and absolutely loved it.
DeleteI think I'm moving on to Fahrenheit 451 next. Fingers crossed for a good experience with a new-to-me book that I should have read in high school (when it was assigned!). :)
Well, of your above list, I actually have read: Lord of the Flies, Gone with the Wind, Jane Eyre, The Catcher in the Rye, Farenheit 451, Pride & Prejudice and Persuasion by Austen.
ReplyDeleteI read Lord of the Flies (hated it), Catcher in the Rye (found it disturbing), and Farenheit 451 (actually liked this one) in high school.
I used to love Jane Eyre and Gone with the Wind. I read them both on my own in 8th grade and multiple times after in high school. But, I am not really a fan of either now.
And I absolutely love Jane Austen. I loved Persuasion and Pride and Prejudice. I read these a few years ago. I still need to read Emma and Sense & Sensibility, etc...
I do want to read some more classics. I think I might stick to Austen for awhile, though since I know I like her!
A classic I haven't read is 1984. I have read Brave New World which has a similar theme but I just can't get the gumption up to read 1984!
A couple of classics I did not enjoy were The Great Gatsby & A Farewell to Arms. These have some interesting life lessons, but doesn't mean I enjoyed them.
Some classics I loved (besides Austen): Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet, The Scarlet Letter, Wuthering Heights, A Tale of Two Cities, and Beowulf.
I have been thinking of adding in a classic to be reading on lately. Maybe I will start one soon!
Brittany McEuen
Everyone seems to have a really strong hatred for Lord of the Flies, but I somehow missed this one. I don't even know if I would like it or not, but I feel like I'm missing out, you know?
DeleteIsn't it interesting how your reading tastes can change through the years? I still say that Little Women is my all time favorite book, but I haven't read it since college. Honestly, I'm scared to read it now ... what if it's not as great as I remembered?! It's on my list for this year (again!), so I guess we'll see ...
I had to laugh at your list of books that you really loved and did not enjoy. The Great Gatsby and A Farewell to Arms are two of my favorites as far as "assigned reading" goes. And I absolutely hated Beowulf and The Scarlet Letter. I feel like we have pretty similar tastes in the Christian fiction world, so I thought that was pretty funny. :) I suppose there truly is a book out there for everyone!
If you add a classic to your reading list, I'd love to know which one you pick! I started Fahrenheit 451 after posting this list. Not sure I like it, but I'm determined to finish!