Pam from Bookalicio.us came up with a kind of meme where we would list 10 books we think should be read before we die. I decided to join in the fun but I wanted to find ten best books to still read instead of the ones which I have already read and think others should. (Does that even make sense?). Anyway, to make the long story even longer, I grabbed a book that has been sitting on my bookshelf for the longest times, The Top Ten Writers Pick Their Favorite Books, edited by J. Peder Zane and compiled my "bucket" list from the titles that were mentioned the most frequently. Here's what I came up with (or rather what the writers came up with and I just stole):
1. Rabbit Angstrom novels by John Updike
2. Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry
3. Middlemarch by George Eliot
4. Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert
5. Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes
6. Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
7. The Red and the Black by Stendhal
8. Clarissa by Samuel Richardson
9. The Raj Quartet by Paul Scott
10. I, Claudius by Robert Graves
Just in case you're curious, some of the authors whose lists I took the titles from include: Stephen King, Francine Prose, Joyce Carol Oates and John Irving.I am actually planning to really stick to this list and read these ten books. I only hope that I can put it away till next year (meaning, I won't kick the bucket, lol!) because I have so many review books to read and other challenges' books for this year that I couldn't possibly fit another list in.
First of all I <3 your blog and template. (note to self add to reader), second of all I have not read any of these but a few have been on my personal growth list for a while. If I do not try hard I will only read easy fun stuff, and I miss out on amazing novels. I try to read something intriguing and hard at least once a month. Thanks for the list!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great idea! I love this! I'm going to have to think about what my books are. A few are on your list here. I've been thinking about re-reading the classics I love and reading the ones I haven't yet and a Reading Bucket List is a good way to start!
ReplyDeletePam - I am very happy that you like my blog. I don't hear that often and it's always soo nice.
ReplyDeleteAmy - isn't it a good idea?! there are a lot of classics that I haven't put on this list but I still want to read. This is just the tip of the iceberg, I suppose :)
Hi,
ReplyDeleteI love your list. If "The Top Ten" sends any message it's this: In the best sense, there are no right or wrong answers when it comes to literature; the greatest books are those that mean the most to each of us.
That's why the 125 writers I queried named 534 separate books on their top ten lists and why 23 works that earned a No. 1 ranking from a writer did not appear as even the 10th pick on anybody's list.
As Faulkner said, "Read, read, read ... read everything."
J. Peder Zane
Oops!
ReplyDeleteMake that anybody else's list!
Thank you for visiting my blog. I feel embarrassed that I let forgot about your book because when I bought it I was very excited about it and still am. I am happy rediscovered it and will be actually writing a longer post about the book itself soon.
ReplyDeleteYou got an author comment...woo-hoo!
ReplyDeleteI haven't read a single book on your list. I've started Anna Karenina, and someday I'll finish it, but I tend to struggle with a lot of the "classics."
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ReplyDeleteI've read 2 from your list. Here is my bucket list:
ReplyDeletehttp://bibliophilebythesea.blogspot.com/2009/09/my-10-book-bucket-list.html
Excellent list! Anna Karenina is among my all-time favorites.
ReplyDeleteWe have two books in common...the Stendahl and Eliot:) The Top Ten book looks fascinating...I'll have to see if my library carries it.
ReplyDelete