In spite of this, though, my reading pace has slowed a little as I've grown. Pesky obstacles like jobs, essays and people have severed the white cord of time quite disproportionately, so that when, in the twilight time still reserved for reading, I can barely keep my eyes open past a few pages. I read as much as I can in the days off from this and that but essentially I have dozens of books on my selves, in the garage and at my Mum's that have never been read. A total crime!
So what I wanted to do with this post was to invite a little discussion. Here's a list of the top ten books I already own but still need to read. I encourage you to leave your own examples in the comments section; first of all because you might be inspired to go on and read those books but mainly because I might not feel so lazy if you do!
- A Clockwork Orange - A. Burgess
- A Farewell To Arms - E. Hemingway
- The House Of The Spirits - I. Allende
- Through The Looking Glass - L. Carroll
- A Portrait of The Artist... - J. Joyce
- The Diary Of A Young Girl - A. Frank
- The Social Contract - J.J. Rousseau
- The Finkler Question - H. Jacobson
- Metamorphoses - Ovid
- The Great Shark Hunt - H. S. Thompson
Just a short one today, then. Hope you enjoyed my list and/or found some little stimulation amongst those titles. I certainly did. I'm going to redouble my reading efforts on Hilary Mantel's Booker-prize winning Wolf Hall and get ploughing through that delightful lot asap!
Happy weekend.
Very good idea for a post here James - I could have written those first two paragraphs myself, I have a feeling this is an almost universal issue.
ReplyDeleteI keep my 'unread' pile by the side of my bed...if it gets so tall I fear for my life when turning in for the night, I try and set aside some time to catch up! I love starting books, but I have a bit of trouble finishing particularly hefty ones...here is my current pile, top to bottom, though this bears no relation to what is likely to get read first.
1. Jo Shapcott - Of Mutability (nearly done with this, I promise)
2. The Poems of Norman MacCaig (I think I'm now onto the third introduction...)
3. Letters of Ted Hughes (I'm past the heartbreaking parts)
4. Paul Durcan - Life is a Dream
5. Julian Barnes - Nothing to be Frightened Of (ten pages to go)
6. The Bloodaxe Book of Poetry Quotations (dipped into, but deserves more)
7. Kate Atkinson - Not the End of the World
8. Sean O'Brien - Cousin Coat
...all with bookmarks in to various degrees. And this is to say nothing of the interesting manuscripts piling up!
Excellent - I need to get a copy of Of Mutability myself! Plus the rest sound stirringly interesting too! I left poetry collections out of my list because I'm always dipping in and out, favouring different styles/themes/eras each day really! But yeah, glad you liked the post!
ReplyDeleteHmm, another good point actually...you might have figured out why these particular books of mine remain stubbornly uncompleted. I often wonder what people do when faced with a 600-page collected poems - there's a good argument that they aren't meant to be ploughed through beginning to end at all...and yet I still feel bad if I don't try!
ReplyDeleteI savoսr, cause I found just what I was taking а look for.
ReplyDeleteYߋu have ended my 4 dayy lengthy hunt! God Bless you man. Hаve a nicе day.
Bye
Here is my weblog ... pure green coffee bean cleanse reviews