Tuesday, March 1, 2011

Jen's Top Ten Books I Just HAD To Buy...But Are Still Sitting On My Bookshelf

(Thanks to Lindsi from Books, Sweets And Other Treats for the new button!)
Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created here at The Broke and the Bookish. This meme was created because we are particularly fond of lists here at The Broke and the Bookish. We'd love to share our lists with other bookish folks and would LOVE to see your top ten lists!

Each week we will post a new Top Ten list complete with one of our bloggers’ answers. Everyone is welcome to join. All we ask is that you link back to The Broke and the Bookish on your own Top Ten Tuesday post AND post a comment on our post with a link to your Top Ten Tuesday post to share with us and all those who are participating. If you don't have a blog, just post your answers as a comment. 
If you can't come up with ten, don't worry about it---post as many as you can!

This week's topic: 
Top Ten Books I Just HAD To Buy...But Are Still Sitting On My Bookshelf

We all have them.  That book that you needed to buy so badly and had every intention of reading it as soon as possible...but they're still on your bookshelf collecting dust or sitting in a pile on the floor.

  1. The Tea Rose by Jennifer Donnelly: A historical fiction book that I NEEDED to buy.  The title caught my attention (I love tea) and the book sounds really good.
  2. Suite Francaise by Irene Nemirovsky: I want to read this book so badly!  It's been my "purse book" for the past few months and I honestly have not read one page of it.  I haven't had to wait in any long lines or sit in waiting rooms for hours on end or wait for someone who was running late for a coffee/lunch/dinner.  I was even early for my hair appointment last week and they took me in right away.  People, I have a book I need to read!
  3. The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood: This was one of the first books recommended to me on Goodreads.  I bought it immediately and just haven't read it yet.
  4. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott: Yes, it still goes unread and I don't really have an excuse as to why!
  5. Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier: I have no idea why but when I think of this book I think of it as a cross between The Fall of the House of Usher and Beauty and the Beast
  6. Across The Universe by Beth Revis: I swear I had every intention of reading this book as soon as it arrived on my doorstep.  Lately, my only time to read has been at night in bed and I hate dragging hardcover books to bed with me. 
  7. Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov: I searched high and low for an edition of this book that did not have lips on the cover (I think it's the Penguin edition that all you see is someone's lips...creepy) and last year I finally found a copy but the book still goes unread.
  8. Moloka'i by Alan Brennert: I've heard nothing but good things about this book!  Plus, the story of a young girl being taken from her family to live in a leper colony is sad yet intriguing.
  9. Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford: One of the first books I purchased for my nook!  It was such a good price that I couldn't pass it up!
  10. Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace: This is a big, scary, intimidating book.  I remember specially going into Borders to buy it with one of their coupons.  It might be a while before I read this one though...it scares me.
This is just a glance of the unread books on my bookshelf.  Honestly, at this point there may be more unread books than read books.  Oops.  I hope to read at least a few of these books in the near future!  They've been neglected long enough, they need some love.  Are there any books on my list that I absolutely must read right away?


Next week Kelly shares her Top Ten Dynamic Duos (those bff's, partners in crimes, or powerful couples that you just can't forget about).


    74 comments:

    1. man I am fast! I got in the linky before you Jamie. :)

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    2. I think the problem with buying books is then there is no longer an emergency to read them. Ha!

      -Anne

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    3. Haha..I was like WHAT?! Somebody BEAT ME! :) You deserve a cookie!

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    4. Rebecca is SO good. I can kind of see the Poe and Beauty & The Beast comparison, but it's got a little something extra too -- the Gothic and the secrets and the mystery...

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    5. I'm not sure what is so impulsive about buying books. At least I won't have to worry about culling the shelves just yet to make room. :)

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    6. If you enjoy audiobooks, I definitely recommend the audio of Little Women.

      As for Suite Francaise, I didn't think it was worth my time.

      Rebecca should have been on my list, too!

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    7. Oh but you must read Rebecca. It is FABULOUS!

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    8. I like this week's topic. It's reminded me of some books I should move up on my to-read list before getting new books.

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    9. Little Women is on my list, too! Hotel on the Corner... is one I borrowed from the library that's sitting on my nightstand...hopefully, I'll get around to it before it's due.

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    10. ashamed of my list but still cannot believe you haven't read little women! its amazing.

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    11. I have only read Across the Universe from your list. Must investigate the other titles.

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    12. I laughed so hard at this because fully five of the books I would list for myself are on your list! -- Suite Francaise, The Blind Assassin, Rebecca, Across the Universe, and Moloka'i. lol. And I have Infinite Jest, Lolita, and The Tea Rose on my really-want-to-buy-them-soon list, but I'm sure they'd probably end up on the bookshelf too.

      I just don't know what it is, but there are so many books that I just HAD to buy when I was at the store that I still haven't read years later. Maybe I'm too easily distracted.

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    13. I read the Tea Rose 7 or 8 years ago and remember really liking it. Oh, and I LOVED Rebecca! I have so many books on my shelves staring at me like they're screaming for me to FINALLY GET TO THEM... But I do not have a book buying problem, of course I don't :)

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    14. Yay! I'm glad you liked the button :)

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    15. So many books... Gosh, I own over 100 books that I haven't even tried reading yet. It's the one thing I can blame on the library - due dates create a sense of urgency that owned books just don't give. ;)

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    16. I have a few of the same titles as you on my bookshelf and I agree with Vicki - Libraries have Due Dates whereas your own books don't .

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    17. great question, and good list of books. i love your description of rebecca.

      i knocked "ij" off my own list just last year, though i'm going to have to read it again if i have any hope of understanding it. thank god i did finish it though, because i have enough books for my list without the shame of not having read dfw's masterpiece hanging over me.

      -- ellen

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    18. Lolita is on my list of books to read, but not one I have bought yet. I left classics off my Top Ten this week because I felt it often goes without saying. There are so many classics out there that we all want to read and the new shiny books just distract us. I bought most of the Jane Austen books, Anna Karenina, Peter Pan, Dracula, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, and Slaughterhouse Five all recently and haven't gotten to a single one. I honestly have an entire bookshelf devoted to the books I had to buy yet never read, narrowing down to 10 was hard :)

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    19. I haven't read Little Women either, but it is on my list to get. I have two books from your list that could have gone on my list: The Hotel on the Corner of bitter and Sweet & Moloka'i. Thanks for this topic, they have been unearthed!

      Wow, I looked up Infinite Jest and found that it was over 1,000 pages long! That would still be in my TBR pile too.

      Happy reading!

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    20. This is probably one of my favorite TTT so far - probably because it makes me feel less guilty about my book buying habits knowing that my fellow readers have books just sitting on their selves too. I'm excited to see everyone's lists and to know why they haven't read that "just had to have" book either.

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    21. Purchase and purge, purchase and purge, purchase and purge... The only way I've come up with to keep my heap of waiting-to-be-read's even marginally under control is to limit myself to two shelves- full at any time. Once I start stacking 'em two deep, I know it's time to read a few or pass them on. And it's about that time again: It took me a few minutes to select out just 10 for my list! Rebecca's one I need to get to soon myself. Thanks for this fun focus today!

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    22. This probably won't motivate you to read it, but I tried starting Lolita three times and finally had to get rid of it. Beautiful writing but I just couldn't read hundreds of pages with that plot.

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    23. I really enjoyed this week's meme topic. It's a good one.

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    24. Great list! Little Women and Rebecca are wonderful books you definitely need to read!

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    25. I always buy books much faster than I can read them, but the ones that have been sitting on my shelf the longest are Autobiography of Mark Twain, The World According to Garp, a bunch of books about John Cheever, Ulysses and a few books by JCO. You should definitely try to get to The Blind Assassin soon--it's a great book.

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    26. The Blind Assassin is one of my favorite books, so good!

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    27. You MUST read The Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet -- such a wonderful book!

      Suite Francaise and The Blind Assassin are also must-reads.

      We bookaholics seem to buy books faster than we can read them; if that is possible.

      Great topic.

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    28. Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet was an interesting book although I didn't love it. I'd love to read The Tea Rose.

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    29. Read The Blind Assassin! It's a great book.

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    30. Little Women and Rebecca are fantastic; I first read Rebecca in high school freshman English, and it was the only book all year that our whole class loved. That's how I recommend it to people. :)

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    31. I have Infinite Jest on my list too. And I'm also scared of it! But I really do want to read it. I just need to pep talk myself into it.

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    32. This one was difficult for me, because I live in a tiny apartment and buy relatively few books. Most of the books on my list were purchased because they were very cheap.

      Instead I go to the library a LOT. ;)

      The Blue Fairy's Bookshelf

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    33. I have a very short list. Just two. I agree with Anne Bennett. Once you buy a book, there's no deadline to read it.

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    34. I bought Lolita BECAUSE of the lips on the cover! I just thought it was too pretty. How funny!

      And Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet was a really enjoyable book, I hope you like it!

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    35. I love this meme!

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    36. If you read no other book on your list, please read Little Women!

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    37. so many books, so little time :) good luck on that list.

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    38. Glad to see I'm not the only compulsive buyer.

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    39. I'm glad I'm not the only one who does this. Sometimes you just can't resist! Happy Reading Everyone!

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    40. Thanks, I had fun with this!

      comacalm.blogspot.com

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    41. Excellent question, and a fun list to read! I've never been able to get through Lolita (SO disturbing), but I loved Little Women and liked Rebecca. :)

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    42. Jen: REBECCA and LITTLE WOMEN are wonderful. I did read LOLITA many MANY years ago. It was okay. Not anything I'd care to reread. Mostly an ugly book about ugly people doing ugly things. Well written, though.

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    43. The Tea Rose, The Tea Rose - definitely the Tea Rose!

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    44. I didn't like The Blind Assassin at all. It gave me nightmares!

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    45. Rebecca is so good you must read it next! I'm reading it right now and I can't put it down. Suite Francaise is also really good. Ha! I know what you mean by 'purse book' I have those too and get very frustrated when life doesn't give me a chance to even crack the cover.

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    46. This list is perfect for me, I'm totally a compulsive buyer! I am being a good girl though and started reading Across the Universe as soon as I got it! Seems pretty good :)

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    47. I really need to read Little Women, too. It seems like a book that I would enjoy. The reason that I'm usually hesitant to read a book that I had to have is because I'm always worried about my expectations being too high. You have some great books on there, though. Hopefully you'll get to them this year. Happy reading!

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    48. I loved Blind Assassin, still my favorite Atwood. Rebecca is amazing, if you can get the audio narrated by Anna Massey I highly recommend it.

      And shame on everyone for not making you wait, you need to get reading done!

      I have compiled my list and will be posting tomorrow since I've already posted today.

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    49. I'm interested in reading Tea Rose too. I had bought Across the Universe in January, but I finally got to it about a week ago, so I was able to keep it from being listed this week. :)

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    50. Totally agree with dragging the hardcovers to bed! They just seem so big and bulky.
      And Little Women is definitely worth a read. ;)

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    51. I love this theme, it's kinda comforting... I don't feel alone anymore lol

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    52. I have Suite Francaise on my list, too. I love this weeks topic.

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    53. Definitely read Lolita. It is great.

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    54. Rebecca is on my list too!

      I definitely recommend Little Women and Lolita. Yes, Lolita's subject matter is squicky, but there are so many layers to the narrative it's unbelievable. I think it helped that I re-read the book in a class with a Russian professor who was passionate about Nabokov. It showed me how many "readings" of the story I had missed the first time.

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    55. Little Women is a must read! I just reread it last month and it's still one of my favorite books and has been since I was ten.

      I also highly recommend Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet. It's a great read.

      And I'm super excited for next week's top ten! :)

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    56. My best friend really enjoyed The Corner of Bitter and Sweet. I hope you enjoy it when you get around to it :)

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    57. My best friend really enjoyed The Corner of Bitter and Sweet. I hope you enjoy it when you get around to it :)

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    58. I'm loving this blog, but I have to admit, I'm almost afraid to read the comments or check out other people's blogs. I already have so many books waiting to be read, and I'm susceptible to finding more if I look!

      *smile*

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    59. I'm new to your Top Ten Tuesday. I just posted my first list (under Amy @ If Blogging). I've only read one of the books on your list, Little Women. I really enjoyed it. Look forward to participating in your future Top Ten Tuesdays.

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    60. First Top 10 Tuesday post, because I have far too many books to read!

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    61. I totally recommend you read Little Women first. But if you're in the mood for something a bit darker, you can never go wrong with Rebecca. Bonus points if you guess the plot twist! Nice list — I hope you read them all soon!

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    62. Thanks for the recommendations! Honestly, I still have absolutely no idea which book from this list I'll read first...or if I'll even read a book from my list in the near future. Ahhh...too many good books! :)

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    63. Moloka'i is an amazing book. If you like it, you should definitely pick up Honolulu by Brennert. They're both such sad stories written so beautifully.

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    64. Suite Francaise has also been on my shelf for ages untouched! I keep telling myself I'd get to it next but I never do...

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    65. +JMJ+

      The last "Top Ten Tuesdays" topic I had a post for was the one about books we wish we read in childhood. There were common answers across the many submissions by very different readers.

      This one is very different. I've only seen a few lists so far, but I'm already betting they will be as individual as fingerprints--with very few books showing up on more than a handful of lists.

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    66. Suite Francaise is on my TBR pile, too. I've had it forever but still can't seem to get around to it. I recently donated the copy of The Blind Assassin I had had on my TBR for years. I still want to read it, but the copy I had was so beat-up and musty that I knew I would never pick it up. (I think I got it at one of those $5 for a bag library sales.)

      Love your blog! I'm pretty new to blogging, but I'm getting the hang of it.

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    67. I love-love-loved Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet - it instantly became one of my favorites. Hope you get a chance to actually dive into it soon!

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    68. Erm...posting rather late. But thanks for the awesome topic. ;)

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    69. I'm another person whose posting late as I've only just found this blog. I love this idea and I have far too many books I need to read, although for me, Lolita is on the half read list (which is long enough to make me very ashamed).

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    70. This is a perfect response for those who are bookish and broke...

      http://newyorkknowsbest.wordpress.com/2011/03/09/strand-books-just-got-cheap/

      New York's attempt to help those of us trying to survive while eating and reading :)

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