Okay–here was an interesting article by Christopher Schoppa in the Washington Post.
Avid readers know all too well how easy it is to acquire books — it’s the letting go that’s the difficult part. … During the past 20 years, in which books have played a significant role in both my personal and professional lives, I’ve certainly had my fair share of them (and some might say several others’ shares) in my library. Many were read and saved for posterity, others eventually, but still reluctantly, sent back out into the world.
But there is also a category of titles that I’ve clung to for years, as they survived numerous purges, frequent library donations and countless changes of residence. I’ve yet to read them, but am absolutely certain I will. And should. When, I’m not sure, as I’m constantly distracted by the recent, just published and soon to be published works.
So, the question is his: “What tomes are waiting patiently on your shelves?“
The better question would probably be what's NOT on my book shelves?? I have shelves of books just waiting to be read. In all honesty, I probably have over 500 books in my home that are just waiting to be picked up. Mind you, I have never actually COUNTED them. That would be just too scary. And it's probably the reason I will never move!!
I went through an eBay phase where I bought boxes of books about 2 years ago. Then there are the library sales. And finally, the stragglers that I pick up one or two (or 5!) at a time from Barnes & Noble or Borders. I've been really good lately about not buying any though.
But for the sake of the question, here are a few of the "tomes" that are awaiting the opportunity to tell me a story:
- The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas
- Middlemarch by George Eliot
- Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley
- Dracula by Bram Stoker
- Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides
- Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
- Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen
- The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay by Michael Chabon
- A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole
- Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell by Susannah Clarke
How about you? What's on YOUR shelves?
17 comments:
Oh my gosh, I went through that exact same ebay phase!!! I would buy boxes of for like 10 dollars. I have something like 75 Christmas books waiting for me this year! :)
I too have that Marquez on my TBR pile!
Tomes patiently waitiing to be read
Kill Word Verification
Middlesex is my top read for the year. Don't miss it.
Oh Stephanie, thank you...you just made me feel infinitely better about my TBR piles!
I'm reading Dracula now, and man, is it good!
Middlemarch is haunting me from the shelf as well. I read half of it for an undergrad class years ago but never finished it--one day I'd like to but I didn't really find it all that exciting back then...
I understand about the book collecting phase and I also understand that I can't buy anymore right now.
I had Dracula sitting on my shelves forever too and I still have Frankenstein. I finally took the plunge last spring and I LOVED it. I will get to Frankenstein one day soon. ;)
I haven't read the first two on your list, but I want to (the Dumas is waiting on my shelves too). The others are all books I absolutely love!
So many tasty books! Quite a few of those are on my shelves, too.
I don't think I have 500 unread books laying around (god, I hope not), but it's pretty bad. "Middlemarch" is on my shelf too, along with "One Hundred Years of Solitude," another Marquez book. I also have "Empire Falls," "A Tale of Two Cities," "Lovely Bones," and "The Jane Austin Book Club" - among many, many others - waiting to be read.
Sigh. I don't know why I think about these kinds of things. It only depresses me.
I've read three of those and they're all great:
Pride and Prejudice
A Confederacy of Dunces (not a favorite, but it's really good -- the other two are all-time faves) and
The Three Musketeers
And, I pretty much own the rest. (blush) But, I ditched one, this week. I decided Middlesex really doesn't appeal to me, now that I think about it. So, I donated it to the library sale corner and --poof!-- gone the next day. Amazing. :)
oh wow..! you have some good books waiting for you.
and i can personally say that "dracula" and "pride and prejudice" are definitely worth it!
and of the others i too really still want to read "jonathan strange" and "the three muskateers"!
oh my, Jonathan Strange is in my pile too (I started it and never finished) also the Complete Sherlock Holmes and a huge book on John Ford (director).. funny how the big ones get pushed aside for the newer books all the time.. *sigh
The library sales are what kill me. I'm gearing up for another one this weekend!
I'm so with you, Stephanie! ;P
You've a great list there! I haven't read any of those except Pride and Prejudice, it's one of my favourite Austen's book!
Pride & Prejudice is one of my favorites :)
I recently read Dracula.
http://thebookworm07.blogspot.com/
I feel that having books on the shelf to be read is the secret to immortality. How can we possible leave this life if we haven't read all the books we want to?!?
I've got a few on my shelf and the problem is that reserves keep arriving at the library, I hear other recommendations from blogs and various places and I keep visiting the bookstore.
What a wonderful "problem" to have...
Stephanie, I suggest you drop the others from your list and read Confederacy of Dunces, one of the funniest books ever written. On my shelf, with a bookmark halfway through, is Parting the Waters, a weighty book about Martin Luther King. Great reading, but I lost my momentum. Now, I fear that I'll be lost in the swirl of detail.
p.s. As a fan of horror, you might be interested in posts on The Baltimore Sun's Read Street blog (www.baltimoresun.com/readstreet)about Edgar Allan Poe (including his Sun obituary).
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