Tuesday, October 05, 2010

Books on Your Life List

Normally my blog posts on Tuesdays are only ten words long, but I'm feeling talkative today. (grin)

One of the first things I did when my Kindle arrived was download a bunch of free classics. Some of them were books that I've always meant to read, like the complete works of Shakespeare, Rememberance of Things Past, and Ulysses. I have to admit that when I peeked at the first page of the last two books, I quickly clicked away. Those books aren't going to be easy reads, and I may have to tackle them in stages.

As far as SF/Fantasy books go, I've always meant to read some of Philip K. Dick's work, Marion Zimmer Bradley's Darkover series, and CJ Cherryh's Foreigner series. I wasn't sure where to start with the Darkover and Foreigner series, so I had to look them up on Wikipedia. I finally downloaded samples of two of Dick's books today, along with one of Bradley's. I didn't find a Kindle version of the first book in the Foreigner series. I think I may have to start looking at used bookstores for some of these books.

So, what books have you always meant to read but haven't yet? And why haven't you read them?

8 comments:

Bast said...

I did the same thing when I got my Kindle. As far as books I've always wanted to read ... Dante's Inferno. I haven't read it cause it just seems boring and I guess intimidating. Plus, I have a whole list of books that I know I'll enjoy more waiting to be downloaded/ bought.

I can appreciate classics for what they are, but they bore the hell out of me. That's why I haven't read a single one of the free classics I added and why I probably won't be reading Dante's Inferno any time soon.

Golden Eagle said...

I keep meaning to read War and Peace. My mom read it around a year ago, but the copy she got out of the library, while translated well, had a gazillion footnotes. Drove me nuts.

Maria Zannini said...

I've always wanted to read the Jane Austen books.

Maybe someday.

Meredith said...

I keep meaning to read Ulysses, but I haven't yet. It's just sitting on my shelf, mocking me :)

Carolyn V. said...

Oh...there are so many books on my tbr pile. But I just started my college classes, so they'll have to wait for a while.

Sandra Ulbrich Almazan said...

Quinn, I have to agree that that the classics can be boring--not to mention preachy. But I think you can still learn something from them.

Golden Eagle, I read War and Peace ages ago, when I was sick. With some books, you have to be in a situation where you have nothing else to read before you actually read them.

Maria, I've read some of the Jane Austen books. She does a good job of mocking people who deserve to be mocked. Still not my cup of tea, though.

Meredith, I wonder how long Ulysses will sit on my Kindle and mock me before I tackle it. ;)

Carolyn, good luck with your college classes! What are you studying?

Jackee said...

Still haven't succumbed to an e-reader, but man I really want to read Rebecca Stead's When You Reach Me. It's a middle grade.

Now I'm off to learn more about the Foreigner series! Have a great day, Sandra.

Nicki Elson said...

I'd actually like to re-read some of the things I was forced to read in high school, like the Iliad and Hamlet. I think I'd have a new appreciation for them now. A classic that has only recently made my list is Dante's Inferno.

As for why I haven't done this yet---time, never enough time.

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