TTT: Classics I SHOULD Read (But Don't Really Want To)

Top Ten Tuesday is a Meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish

This week's TTT topic: Favorite Classics or Classics You Want to Read

I did a favorite things list on my favorite classics once before so today I will focus on the classics I haven't read but probably should. I am not saying that I particularly "want" to read most of these. I've read most of the classics I really WANT to read.

As fun as I'm sure these ridiculously long works of great literature are, I just want to curl in a ball and cry whenever I contemplate reading them. Can't imagine why. I'm sure they're not at all depressing.

Death on the Nile is one of Christie's most famous, and a classic mystery novel but I can't be made to care much. I'v always preferred Sayers.

I've read A Farewell to Arms and The Old Man and the Sea so I figure my Hemingway quota has been met. I don't dislike Hemingway but there is really only so much one can take.

I really have no excuse for this. It is so short. But UGHHHH....

I tried reading both of these as a child. (I blame The Wind in the Willows for my deep and abiding hatred for all talking animal books. Really anytime animals are behaving like they are human beings....shudder. It scarred me life.) I retried both of them as an adult and nope nope nope. In the case of The Little Prince this is particularly sad since it is ridiculously short. But I honestly am more flabbergasted for the love of these two children's classics than any others.

Comments

Sage Blackwood said…

But... but if you don't read these books by dead white guys, who will? What if everyone decides they're boring and depressing? How will they remain relevant?

:-)

One vote here for just reading what you want to read. Life's too short etc.

July 1, 2014 at 10:10 AM

Brandy said…

Hahaha! I know right? I don't see myself ever getting to any of these really. Except probably Death on the Nile.

July 1, 2014 at 11:22 AM

Anonymous said…

I'm ashamed to say I've not read any of these books. :/ I do think I have a copy of Le Petit Prince somewhere, in French of course. It was my attempt at helping my fluency.

July 1, 2014 at 11:55 AM

Kritika said…

Crime and Punishment is one of my favorite books, so if you ever get around to reading it, I hope you like it :)
I don't like A Wind in the Willows, and I didn't like Le Petit Prince when I first read it; we read it again in French in high school, and my teacher was so passionate about it that I ended up loving it too.

- Kritika @ Snowflakes & Spider Silk

July 1, 2014 at 8:36 PM

Anonymous said…

I hear the Decameron is hilarious... but I still haven't made myself read it. The Wind in the Willows I think I love only because my father read it to us, and loved it so very much... otherwise I'm so with you on animal fantasies. And "The Little Prince", too. ugh.

July 2, 2014 at 12:04 PM

Anonymous said…

I've read The Divine Comedy, it was actually not that bad, although it drags in certain places, as classics usually do.

I couldn't finish Decamerone. There are some fun stories in there, but some of them are extremely snore-worthy as well.

July 4, 2014 at 4:31 AM

April said…

Crime and Punishment is SO GOOD.

July 16, 2014 at 10:53 PM

Serafina and the Black Cloak

Serafina and the Black Cloak by Robert Beatty is a thrilling tale of mystery and adventure set at the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, NC in 1899. Having lived in Asheville and visited the house several times, there was no way I was going to pass up a chance to read this. (Also it's MG fantasy, always a bonus for me.) Serafina lives in secret in the basement of the Vanderbilt's spacious vacation home. She has lived there most of her life. Her father worked on the house as it was being built and is the mechanic who runs the massive generator and keeps the electricity going. Serafina is the chief rat catcher, slipping through the halls of her massive home secretly and quietly. She is light on her feet, sees well in the dark, and is quick enough to catch the vermin and keep them out. Serafina knows she if different and strange. Her father insists she stay hidden. But all that changes when one night Serafina witnesses a horrible crime. A little girl, a guest in the house, is fleein

Shorter Musings MG Fantasy

Here are some shorter musings on recent MG fantasy reads. Anya and the Dragon by Sofiya Pasternack This book is fun. It is a book full of adventure, an obvious bad guy, some more complicated morally gray area characters, and a strong, brave heroine. It is also a book about friendships, community, and fighting for what is right. All things that usually work for me really well. While I enjoyed this, I did feel it was a little overlong and there were certain plot points at the end I didn't love. However, there were things I thought were done really well, such as Anya's Jewish faith and the idea that power needs to be challenged. In the end it was a middle of the road read for me, but it is one I will certainly be recommending to dragon and fantasy adventure lovers I know! R is for Rebel by J. Anderson Coats This is tough because I usually really like Coats's books. I had such a hard time with this one though on so many levels. It's difficult to get into because t

Favorite Kissing Scenes

When thinking of a favorite things post I could do for February I decided it would have to be kissing. I've already done couples and I was feeling in the mood to do something fluffy and Valentine's related. So kisses it is. I read more MG than YA, and the YA I read tends to not focus on romance so this was actually harder than I expected it to be though a few jumped into my head right away. (And one of my choices does actually come from a MG book. One is adult. Gasp!) The actual scene from the book is quoted followed by my thoughts. The king lifted a hand to her cheek and kissed her. It was not a kiss between strangers, not even a kiss between a bride and a groom. It was a kiss between a man and his wife, and when it was over, the king closed his eyes and rested his forehead against the hollow of the queen's shoulder, like a man seeking respite, like a man reaching home at the end of the day . - The King of Attolia by Megan Whalen Turner Turner doesn't write the

Shadowshaper

Shadowshaper by Daniel José Older is everywhere. Best of lists. Award buzz. Blogs everywhere. It's one of those books everyone is reading and talking about. I had it on my TBR but decided I definitely needed to read it before the year was out just so I could weigh in on one of the most talked about books of 2015 if asked. It is deserving of every good thing said about it. Every. One. Sierra was looking forward to a relaxing summer break. Her plans involved hanging out with her friends and painting. They did not involve being chased by zombie like creatures and threatened by a magical power connected to her family's heritage she has never heard of. When murals begin fading all over her Brooklyn neighborhood, Sierra is perplexed. When her grandfather, who had a stroke, begins to apologize and starts repeating strange phases and insisting Sierra get the help of a boy she barely knows to help her finish her mural, Sierra is concerned but mostly about her grandfather. Then at a

The Field Guide to the North American Teeanager

The Field Guide to the North American Teenager by Ben Philippe is a book I picked up on a whim at the bookstore when it first came out. I liked the cover. I thought it had an engaging premise. I went into it with a healthy does of trepidation because the execution could have gone so terribly wrong. Fortunately, Philippe is an excellent character writer, and I thoroughly enjoyed my time spent reading about Norris's adventures in Texas and high school. High school junior Norris Kaplan's life is ruined by his mother when she takes a job that requires them to leave the only home he has ever known in Montreal, Quebec. Moving is always hard, but Norris knows for him it will be harder than it's ever been for anyone else. Norris is moving to Texas. He will be a Canadian living in Texas. Not just a Canadian. A French Canadian who speaks fluent French. And not just your average run-of-the-mill French Canadian. A black son of Haitian immigrant parents French Canadian. If Norris has

Random Musings of a Bibliophile

Search This Blog