Saturday, October 18, 2008

Booking Through Thursday/Saturday #7: What's Sitting on Your Shelf?

On Saturday

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?"

Um...none really. I don't have a ton of books that I've been putting off reading for a period of time. I do have a lot of books out from the library that are sitting on my shelf, but those are recent acquisitions. I do have a few books on my mental list that I would like to read like Life of Pi, Nineteen Minutes, The Great Gatsby, The Bell Jar, Flowers for Algernon, and other must-read books of that sort. I don't actually own any of them, but they have figuratively been sitting on my "shelf" waiting to be read for quite some time. I want to read some of the more prominent well known classics of our decade. You know, the kind of books that everyone should read in order to be a cultured member of society. Speaking of which, what are some books that you think everyone should read? I'd say The Outsiders, To Kill a Mockingbird, Lord of the Flies, and Harry Potter, to name a few. I haven't read a ton of classics so I'm probably not certified to name books like that, but out of the books I have read, those are the ones that stick out to me. Your thoughts?

2 comments:

  1. That makes sense. Mentally having them. I have a few waiting patiently on my shelf to be read, She's SO Money, Angus, Thongs, and full-frontal Snogging, Wicked Lovely, Pretty Little Liars and Love on the Lifts, but I haven't gotten to them.

    I havne't read some of those books you mentioned, like Flowers for Algernon or Life of Pi, but Nineteen Minutes is a fabulous book. It's so sad, I started crying in the first chapter. But, yeah, most of those are on my mental bookshelf also.

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  2. I finished Life of Pi this past Sunday!!! you MUST read it. and devour it. There's so much symbolism in it. Wonderful! But, in some ways im mad at the ending, but in other ways i love it. Yann Martel is brilliant.

    The Great Gatsby and Nineteen Minutes, and about 60 more books (no kidding) are on my "mental list" to read. I'm still trying to finish Freaks by Annette Curtis Klause and Brisingr by Christopher Paolini.

    I have the Outsiders sitting in my drawer to read and Lord of the Flies is on my mental list. I attempted to read To Kill a Mockingbird, but i didn't like it, so i stopped. I want to eventually try to read it again. I love how you add Harry Potter to the books that everyone should read. I think this of Life Of Pi.

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Pour your heart out. :)