Sooooo . . . do you remember that one time I said I was going to read 35 classic books before my 35th birthday? Yeah. About that . . .
I checked out Pride & Prejudice right away. I started reading it. And, well, I didn’t like it very much. Don’t get me wrong! It was funny, in a dry sort of way. And there’s certainly been a time in my life when I probably would have loved it. But I have to admit: I only trudged through about half of it.
Don’t hate me.
Actually, I’m not only giving up on the first book on my list of classics, but for now, I’m giving up on the idea of getting through 35. You all had such great suggestions, but when I compiled the list – even after leaving off the few I’d already read or had no interest in – it added up to 70 books!! That’s a lot of non-fluffy reading, people! So, I narrowed the list down – and then narrowed it down again.
And I came up with a slightly shorter than originally intended list of 23 books to read in the next three years. Drum roll, please . . .
- 1984 (George Orwell)
- A Tale of Two Cities (Charles Dickens)
- A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (Betty Smith)
- Canterbury Tales (Geoffrey Chaucer)
- Catch-22 (Joseph Heller)
- Catcher in the Rye (JD Salinger)
- Fahrenheit 451 (Ray Bradbury)
- Jane Eyre (Charlotte Bronte)
- Les Miserables (Victor Hugo)
- Love in the Time of Cholera (Gabriel Garcia Marquez)
- Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil (John Berendt)
- My Antonia (Willa Cather)
- Rebecca (Daphne du Maurier)
- Tess of the D’Urbervilles (Thomas Hardy)
- The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)
- The Color Purple (Alice Walker)
- The Count of Monte Cristo (Alexandre Dumas)
- The Great Gatsby (F. Scott Fitzgerald)
- The Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (Douglas Adams)
- The Importance of Being Earnest (Oscar Wilde)
- The Scarlet Letter (Nathaniel Hawthorne)
- Vanity Fair (William Makepeace Thackeray)
- Wuthering Heights (Emily Bronte)
Now, don’t get all riled up about which books made the list and how we should define “classic.” It’s true. Some of the books on my list weren’t written a million years ago. But they’re big deal kind of books, and I want to read them.
I’m also consoling myself and my lack of Jane Austen love with the fact that since last summer, I’ve read the entire Harry Potter series. No, I’m not calling them classics, but for the record, I did love them.
This is actually a two-part post, because in addition to sharing my Revised 35 23 {Books} Before 35 List, I also thought I’d tell you what’s on my reading list this spring. And, of course, by “reading list” I mean the books I have on reserve at the library.
- Love Remains (Kaye Dacus)
- 10th Anniversary (James Patterson)
- A Cowboy’s Touch (Denise Hunter)
- Eve (Iris Johansen)
- A Heart Most Worthy (Siri Mitchell)
- Save the Date (Jenny B. Jones)
- The Sixth Man (David Baldacci)
- Smokin’ Seventeen (Janet Evanovich)
- Split Second (Catherine Coulter)
- Stars in the Night (Cara Putman)
- Quitter (Jon Acuff)
- One Thousand Gifts (Ann Voskamp)
I’m not going to lie. I like this list better than the first one. Not because the books will be better, though. They’ll simply be easier reads. I’m actually looking forward to all the books in this post! (Except the Kaye Dacus book. I already read it, and it was really cute. But I didn’t want to redo my collage!)
What are you reading this spring and summer? And what do you think of my revised classics list?
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Wow! Ambitious indeed. Since I didn’t see the post where you were asking for suggestions, I’ll keep my mouth shut about your list. :) But, I will say, that “Rebecca” is probably one of my all-time favorite books. Read it, then watch the Hitchcock version of the movie. Eeeeek!
I completely agree – love “Rebecca!”
I didn’t like Catcher in the Rye, but that’s all I’ve got for you. :) I haven’t read a lot of those either, except what I was required to in school. ;) And a couple others. As for HP, I think we can call them modern classics, can’t we?? Maybe they’re in a class by themselves. I’m so happy you read them and loved them though! :)
I read Pride and Prejudice once and really enjoyed it. I tried to re-read it a few months ago and couldn’t get into it for anything. Up next for the book club that I am in is A Tale of Two Cities. We have two copies on the shelf so I was flipping through it this morning and I’m all ready overwhelmed. The woman that chose it said to read one chapter and then compare what you thought you knew with sparknotes.com to make sure you got it all correctly. We’ll see if I get through it.
You’re list of 23 is pretty intimidating to me. I’m currently reading a Jenny B. Jones book (I think you recommended it to me the first time around) and I have Organized Simplicity and a Carol Lynch Williams book on the nightstand. Also Jason F. Wright’s latest – The Cross Gardener. Hopefully I can get through them before they are due back at the library!
The Count of Monte Cristo is seriously one of my all-time favorites! I read it right after college, which, embarrassing to say, was almost 10 years ago! I stayed up late one night b/c I was so close to finishing it and just cried and cried as I read. LOVE it! I’m also a huge fan of Jane Eyre, too … and you have some other great ones on the list, though whenever I see a list like this, I realize how FEW classics I’ve read – or read & loved! :-)
Would love to hear your thoughts as you read through the list!
Don’t feel bad about giving up on Pride and Prejudice. I gave up on it, too, which is rare for me. Even if a book is bad I’ll slog through it. But I couldn’t get past the first few pages.
I may steal your list…I’ve only read a few of these and several are on my should read list! The Great Gatsby and 1984 are two of my favorites! I am a huge fan of Gabriel Garcia Marquez – Love in the Time of Cholera is a good one. It wasn’t my favorite of his, but I liked it. (One of the characters in his book Chronicle of a Death Foretold is based on my father-in-law. Seriously.)
But I guess I should finish my stack of books that I have before starting in on more. =)
I found you on Kelly’s Korner ‘Show Us Your Life’ today.
I read a lot of James Patterson and Catherine Coulter. I’m gonna make a note of some of your other (non-classic) authors and give them a try as well.
If you have a chance and want something more on the lighter side read Something Barrowed by Emily Griffiths. I Liked the voice of the Author. It is coming out in a movie soon..
Happy reading
Pride and Prejudice can be a tough read. My favorite Austen is probably Persuasion or Mansfield Park. As for the rest of your list, some I loved and some I hated. The ones I love: A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, Catcher in the Rye, Jane Eyre, Les Miserables, Rebecca, and Great Gatsby.
I’ve been savoring 1000 Gifts for a few months- I’m just not ready for it to end! Jenny Jones’s latest is fantastic. Enjoy them both! I just checked out a few books on writing and for fiction fun: The Distant Hours.
That is some non fluff reading for sure! But I know you’ll love it when you are all done.
What a great list! I love how you have it organized too! :) Erin
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Love your blog! I am following you!
just came across your blog … and your reading list … can i recommend another one for you … The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer & Annie Barrows … LOVED IT and cant stop recommending it as an easy, cant put down kind of book …
I’m a P&P junkie, but I realize we’re not all wired the same way. If you ever decide to pick up JA again, I highly recommend Persuasion. Then again, if you end up liking Rebecca and Jane Eyre, then you must pick up Northhanger Abbey! (And then when you find yourself on a classic gothic tear, Mysteries of Udolpho and The Thirteenth Tale will fit quite nicely!)
My book club is reading Rebecca for book club right now, and I’m savoring my way through One Thousand Gifts. My “to read” list changes based on the day and my mood, but a few I have hopes for this summer are: The Happiness Project, My Jane Austen Summer (shocker, right?), Vintage Affair, and Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand.
I also have Shadow of the Wind lurking around my nightstand, but I think that’ll be a blustery autumn read.
Happy reading!
Oooh, thanks for all the suggestions!