Books Just Waiting to be Read

Veronica, of Toddled Dredge fame, recently posted a list of books that she has that are waiting to be read. (I guess I'm talking about books as if they are alive, but what the heck.) She encouraged others to post their lists so that "we can all shower each other with comments about which books are not worth the bother, which books saved my life, which books kept me reading till dawn."

This is a perfect project for me because I am notorious for buying books and then not reading them. Whenever anyone comes over to my house and makes noises about being impressed at what they find on my shelves, I feel compelled to disclose that many, many of them have not been read.

I made a quick run through the two main book depositories in my house and came up with the following books that I have but haven't read yet and still WANT to read. (This does not include the books on my summer reading list.) There are a few I left out because I am very ambivalent about them. Life is too short to read books you aren't interested in.

Without further adieu, Mary-LUE's Neglected Books List (in no particular order):

1. Walden by Henry David Thoreau
2. The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova
3. The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins
4. The Path to the Spiders' Nest by Italo Calvino
5. The Cranford Chronicles by Elizabeth Gaskell
6. A People Betrayed by Alfred Döblin
7. The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett
8. The Illustrated Zuleika Dobson by Max Beerbohm
9. Sylvia's Lovers by Elizabeth Gaskell
10. Absalom, Absalom by William Faulkner
11. The Secret History of the Pink Carnation by Lauren Willig
12. The Gifts of the Christ Child & Other Stories and Fairy Tales by George MacDonald
13. The Short Day Dying by Peter Hobbs
14. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button by F. Scott Fitzgerald
15. I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith
16. Real Christianity by William Wilberforce
17. Out of the Silent Planet by C.S. Lewis
18. The Rock That is Higher by Madeleine L'Engle
19. Blue Like Jazz by Donald Miller
20. Millennials Rising: The Next Great Generation by Neil Howe and William Strauss

So, there it is, my list of books that have been left unread. I am so itching to explain why each book is on the list. But is that really necessary? Do you need to know which ones were book club selections that I didn't have time to read or which ones I bought because I liked the cover, etc. The only one I will explain is the last one. Most of my reading for my Master's project is journal articles. However, I need to at least get through a good chunk of this book. This one is a MUST READ and a MUST READ SOON actually. I'm hoping by posting it, I will get motivated to actually get started.

I wouldn't be me if I didn't decide to add a little bit to this project. If people are going to be coming by to look at my list of neglected books, I think I will take advantage of their presence to list a few of my "wish everyone would read and love" books. It's much shorter than the first one. I promise.

1. Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card. I think this story is worth reading, even if you are not a science fiction fan.
2. The Prince of Tides by Pat Conroy. Don't let Barbra Streisand's film version interfere with this very compelling story of the adult lives of three children from an abused family.
3. Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry. This book won a Pulitzer Prize for a reason. It transcends the Western genre because of it's wit and in-depth characterization of the men of the Hat Creek Cattle Company.
4. Microserfs by Douglas Coupland. Simply one of my favorite books ever and, I think, one of Coupland's best.
5. All Families are Psychotic by Douglas Coupland. This book is very different than Microserfs but still retains Coupland's ever present theme of dysfunctional families and community.
6. A Different Drummer by William Melvin Kelley. This is a book I bought because I liked the cover. I was working at a job where there was very little for me to do and so I read and read and read. It is the story how one man, Tucker Caliban, began the mass exodus all black people from a Faulkneresque Southern state. This is a book that has never failed me as a book recommendation. Every person who has read it based on my suggestion has loved it.
7. Kindred by Octavia Butler. There are many different reasons to read this book but the BEST reason to read it is the fascinating story of an African American woman who is inexplicably drawn through time to the pre-Civil War South.

And finally, because I am just feeling a little bit cantankerous, here is one book I came across on my shelves that I could have gone my whole life without reading:



So let me know what you think of these books. Have you read any of them? What are your favorites? If you WANT to know why I have these particular books on my list or if you just can't stand some of my recommended books, let me know. Reading is such a subjective endeavor. I know that something I think is the best thing since chocolate truffles might be someone else's cold oatmeal. And if you are interested in participating, head over to Veronica's place and leave your link in the comments to her post.