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This week's topic: Ten Books That Have Been On Your Shelf (Or TBR) From Before You Started Blogging That You STILL Haven't Read Yet
We started this blog back in 2010 (though a few of our writers jumped in later!) so most of these books are books we've owned/are on our TBR since before 2010.
Jamie's List of Shame
1. East of Eden by John Steinbeck: Literally have meant to read this one when I bought it in 2008 at a used book sale. I've read other books from Steinbeck but this one is just so huuuuge I haven't gotten to it STILL.
2. A Great And Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray: I didn't read YA back when I bought this (nor did I really know that YA was a thing) at a used book sale but it looked interesting and still it's sat on my shelf unread.
3. The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls: I had heard amazing things about this one and was thrilled when I had found it at a used book sale (running theme here huh?) and it has remained shamefully unread on my shelves.
Books Currently Shaking Their Heads at Jana
1. East of Eden by John Steinbeck: Literally have meant to read this one when I bought it in 2008 at a used book sale. I've read other books from Steinbeck but this one is just so huuuuge I haven't gotten to it STILL.
2. A Great And Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray: I didn't read YA back when I bought this (nor did I really know that YA was a thing) at a used book sale but it looked interesting and still it's sat on my shelf unread.
3. The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls: I had heard amazing things about this one and was thrilled when I had found it at a used book sale (running theme here huh?) and it has remained shamefully unread on my shelves.
Books Currently Shaking Their Heads at Jana
My tastes have changed a lot over the last two years, plus I've been blogging for like a million years now so I've lost interest in most of the titles I wanted to read before I was a blogger. That makes this tricky for me!
4. The Thorn Birds by Colleen McCullogh: My mom loves this book and I've seen the mini-series, and thought it was very well done. I bought the book eons ago, and it sits on my shelf unread year after year!
5. Stolen: A Letter to My Captor by Lucy Christopher: I keep thinking and thinking about this book. After eyeing it for years, I finally got it from a Scholastic book order back when I was still teaching. I almost got it on Audible last night because I thought maybe I'd be more tempted to read it. I don't know what my problem is! It sounds amazing, and I love kidnapping stories. I need to read it soon.
6. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen: Basically, this is a right of passage for me. I love the BBC mini-series, but I worry about reading the book because of the language. I've heard it's a little hard to get into. But I am GOING to do this! I need to read more classics!
SHAME, so much shame (with the bell), Daisy's list:
7. The Clan of the Cave Bear by Jean M. Auel: I've been meaning to read this FOREVER and I have almost the entire series sitting on my shelf and it's just not happening. One of the reasons that I want to read this is that my grandmother loved this series, but this also makes it extra hard to start it because what if I don't?
8. The Season by Sarah MacLean: I read Sarah MacLean's historical romance and then discovered she also had a YA novel and then... I just never read it. But I love her writing, so I should get on this!
9. Outlander by Diana Gabaldon: This series sounds like it would be a very me kinda series, but the sheer size of this is SO daunting! But it's gonna happen. One day.
10. Beautiful Creatures by Kamia Garcia & Margaret Stohl: I added this back in the day when a lot of YA in this genre was coming out and then I just never read it for some reason. I hear so many mixed things about it, but I own the full series, so I should just really get on starting it.
5. Stolen: A Letter to My Captor by Lucy Christopher: I keep thinking and thinking about this book. After eyeing it for years, I finally got it from a Scholastic book order back when I was still teaching. I almost got it on Audible last night because I thought maybe I'd be more tempted to read it. I don't know what my problem is! It sounds amazing, and I love kidnapping stories. I need to read it soon.
6. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen: Basically, this is a right of passage for me. I love the BBC mini-series, but I worry about reading the book because of the language. I've heard it's a little hard to get into. But I am GOING to do this! I need to read more classics!
SHAME, so much shame (with the bell), Daisy's list:
7. The Clan of the Cave Bear by Jean M. Auel: I've been meaning to read this FOREVER and I have almost the entire series sitting on my shelf and it's just not happening. One of the reasons that I want to read this is that my grandmother loved this series, but this also makes it extra hard to start it because what if I don't?
8. The Season by Sarah MacLean: I read Sarah MacLean's historical romance and then discovered she also had a YA novel and then... I just never read it. But I love her writing, so I should get on this!
9. Outlander by Diana Gabaldon: This series sounds like it would be a very me kinda series, but the sheer size of this is SO daunting! But it's gonna happen. One day.
10. Beautiful Creatures by Kamia Garcia & Margaret Stohl: I added this back in the day when a lot of YA in this genre was coming out and then I just never read it for some reason. I hear so many mixed things about it, but I own the full series, so I should just really get on starting it.
Daisy, I have Clan of the Cave Bears series sitting unread on my shelf, too! Some day, right? I LOVED Outlander. Yes, due to the sheer volume, I highly recommend the audiobook. The narrator was fantastic. I haven't gone beyond the first book, but I want to read the whole series.
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I've only read Beautiful Creatures, Pride And Prejudice and A Great And Terrible Beauty, but I love all 3! I kind of want to read Outlander, because so many people seem to love but at the same time, it makes a little intimidating to read. Great list!
ReplyDeleteNicole @ Reading Books With Coffee
Outlander is great! It is daunting, but it flies by, honestly.
DeleteIt's really no surprise that most of us came into blogging with a TBR pile already! Outlander (the 2nd book) made my list too.
ReplyDeleteI haven't read most of these, but I do love P&P, OUTLANDER, and STOLEN. I almost put THE GLASS CASTLE on my list today since I've been wanting to read that one for a long time as well.
ReplyDeleteI thought that A Great and Terrible Beauty would be on my list, too, but it turns out I bought it soon after I started blogging. And I still haven't read P&P either, but didn't get it until after I started blogging.
ReplyDeleteI think the Glass Castle is worth reading. I forgot about The Clan of the Cave Bear, that has also been on my list for far to long.
ReplyDeleteJamie, Jana & Daisy: East of Eden is on my nightstand....haven't cracked it open yet, but have only been meaning to since High School in the 1970s; Glass Castle excellent but need the right mood; Thorn Birds and P & P--Loved both, but also love the miniseries/movies tho Thorn Birds story has a lot of stuff left out. Ignore the stupid made-for-tv "interim" story for Thorn Birds. Outlander....I don't recommend listening while driving. Nearly took out a pest control guy one morning when something too sexual hit before my caffeine. Just sayin.... Don't guilt yourself over these--they'll be there when you are ready. Very fun topic though.
ReplyDeleteI still haven't ever gotten into East of Eden, either. I didn't particular enjoy Hemingway's other works, so I'm hesitant to pick it, despite the constantly positive things I hear about it. And I definitely recommend Pride and Prejudice. I was super skeptical to read it because of the language, but I actually found it fairly easy to get into and it has the best humor!
ReplyDeleteI'm so excited to learn that people are still aware of Clan of the Cave Bear. Auel is a local author, and my dad, a photographer, did a few stories about her. When asked what she was going to do with her advance, she replied "I'm going to do what any other red-blooded American housewife would do: pay of my Visa bill."
ReplyDeleteWhen I was in middle school, I started reading my mom's copy of the books and got ahead of her in the series. We never talked about all the sex (especially books 2 and 3), but once when I walked in on her and a friend talking "woman stuff," my mom said, "Oh, don't worry about Wendy hearing us--she's read all the Clan of the Cave Bear books; she knows all this stuff." Ha!
The Glass Castle is one of my favorite memoirs, and it goes by quite quickly!If it makes you feel any better, Daisy, the sheer size of Outlander is the reason it is NOT on my TBR. So you are a step ahead of me. :D And though I liked Beautiful Creatures when I first read it, Beautiful Darkness sincerely disappointed me. I now only have one book in the series left (I read the third book in 2014), and I still haven't gotten around to finishing it.
ReplyDeleteEast of Eden is on my list to read one day. I really should tackle more classics. Outlander is also on my list. So many people have told me to read it.
ReplyDeleteJana, The Thorn Birds is a great book. It's different from the movie in many ways, but I've read it more than once and always enjoy it. Hope you get a chance to read it soon.
I *love* Pride & Prejudice; I don't remember having much trouble reading it as a teenager. I suspect well-read readers have less trouble with it, so you might not have any trouble getting through it.
ReplyDeleteI'm curious now about A Great and Terrible Beauty; don't think I've heard of that one before.
I finally read East of Eden this year by getting it on audiobook — it was great! I love The Glass Castle, and appreciated it much more on reread after having read lots of other memoirs — it really sets the standard. I was not sure about Stolen — my little sister recommended it to me as one of her favorites — but I ended up really liking it. Enjoy!
ReplyDeleteWhere do I even begin--I love East of Eden, P&P, and Outlander so much. I would like to read The Thorn Birds, myself. I seem to be on a 70s megabook kick, so maybe I actually well. Great list(s).
ReplyDeleteI've got East of Eden on my TBR too! I've not had luck with Steinbeck but I've heard so many good things about it I really want to read it
ReplyDeleteI wrote a paper about East of Eden in college, so that's one of my list! :) I haven't tried all the others yet. (A Great And Terrible Beauty is one I'd like to try). I've got quite a list of my own. You'll see!
ReplyDeleteOoh nice! Some new to me ones here! A few familiar ones too, but none are read or to read. Hope you all get around to your picks soon!
ReplyDeleteHere's my Tuesday Post
Have a GREAT day!
Old Follower :)
Lol, "shame (with the bell)"! My husband and I tease each other with that same thing -- "Shame, shame, shame! Ring-a-ling-a-ling!" Haha.
ReplyDeleteI just finished Pride & Prejudice and it was great! I didn't find the language difficult to understand at all. Jane Austen's stories and characters are so relatable and her narration so hilarious that you'll quickly lose yourself in the book. You're going to love the Bennetts in print!
I read A Great and Terrible Beauty when I was younger and really loved it. I hope you enjoy it, too!
Outlander and Pride & Prejudice are awesome! I've read The Thorn Birds ages ago, but I don't remember. I do think I enjoyed it, though. Beautiful Creatures was just meh for me. However, I thought the series improved with each book. Since I had them all I forced myself to continue with the series.
ReplyDeleteI have yet to read the following instalments after Beautiful Creatures-- I didn't like the writing style that much, but the concept interests me. You should definitely read Stolen! I read it this month (and reviewed it!!) and absolutely adored the short thriller/romance. My goal is to read Pride and Prejudice by the end of the year, so I can binge watch the tv show on my 23hr plane trip to NYC :)
ReplyDeleteMy first venture into Top Ten Tuesday - great fun! Don't be worried about the language in Pride and Prejudice, its one of the most accessible of the classics
ReplyDeleteI loved A Great and Terrible Beauty so much, though I still haven't read the third in the series for some reason. I also really liked Stolen and The Clan of the Cave Bear a lot. I'll admit that I liked the miniseries adaptation of Pride & Prejudice better than the book, but the book is still good and worth reading, I think!
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