So, the Top Ten Tuesday meme for today got me thinking about my current TBR. I bought a ton of books in the past year – more than ever in my life. As you may know, up until recently I almost exclusively used the local library. But while I was in graduate school, I obtained quite a few books from the local secondhand bookstore (a few are new). While I bought most of the books for under 7 dollars, I have made it a goal to read 20 of my unread books before buying any new ones, so that I can keep a manageable TBR. In this post, I will list all the unread fiction that I have purchased in the past year or so. I’m leaving out any unread anthologies because I don’t want to read them in one go. If you would like to buddy-read with me any of the books on the list, please indicate the book in the comments section. Here’s my list.
1) O Pioneers! by Willa Cather
2) The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoyevsky (I’ve read half of it)
3) Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke (a bargain buy; brand-new hardback with deckled edge paper for 5 dollars!)
4) Great Expectations by Charles Dickens
5) Bleak House by Charles Dickens
6) The Way of Kings (Book 1 of The Stormlight Archive series) by Brandon Sanderson
7) The Tales of Beedle the Bard by J.K. Rowling (the only Harry Potter I own although I have read the 7-book series)
8) Roverandom by J.R.R. Tolkien
9) Beowulf translated by J.R.R. Tolkien
10) The Silmarillion by J.R.R. Tolkien
11) The Children of Hurin by J.R.R. Tolkien
12) I, Claudius by Robert Graves
13) Arms and the Man by Bernard Shaw
14) The Idiot by Fyodor Dostoyevsky
15) Murder in the Cathedral by T.S. Eliot
16) Faust (parts I and II) by Goethe translated by Philip Wayne (1949 edition in perfect condition)
17) Lord Jim by Joseph Conrad
18) The Mayor of Casterbridge by Thomas Hardy
19) Hild by Nicola Griffith
20) Peter Pan & Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens by J.M. Barrie (yes, I’m cheating)
21) Joan of Arc by Mark Twain
22) Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston
23) The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer (translated by Nevill Coghill)
24) Woman in White by Wilkie Collins
25) In Praise of Folly by Erasmus of Rotterdam
26) The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco
27) The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt
28) The Secret History by Donna Tartt
29) The Divorce Papers by Susan Rieger (a Kindle impulse buy)
30) Sinful Folk by Ned Hayes
31) The Power and the Glory by Graham Greene
Are there any books on this list you’d like to buddy-read with me?
I wanted to do this…and I thought we could with Lord Jim, til I realized it is Lucky Jim on my list. I’m on an inflexible schedule, and the only other one that might have worked is Great Expectations, which I won’t get to until next year. Wonderful list though. I loved the Brothers K, and all things Tolkien. I wouldn’t quite say I loved I, Claudius but it was very good. And I’ve read Great Expectations before and know I love it. Good Luck.
Oh well. It does look though like you will be reading The Scarlet Letter soon. I read it in high school and enjoyed it. Beautiful writing. I’ve been meaning to re-read it, so when you get to it, I will 🙂
Great. I look forward to it. I’m anticipating sometime around late August Early September.
Hey Fariba, I’m set to begin the Scarlet Letter. I’m not quite certain how/what we do the buddy read. Send me a note to joseph.fountain2@gmail.com
Hi J.E. (do you go by a different name?), I have no strict schedule. I was thinking we could read it this month. Are you on Goodreads? You could follow me there and we could discuss the book on there. My name is Fariba. If not, email works fine. If there are some themes that jump out at you, quotes, etc we could message each other about that or mention them in the comments of our reviews after we finish the book. My email is fariba.kanga@uky.edu. I look forward to rereading the book with you.
I think #’s 2, 5, and 14 are on my shelf waiting to be read, too.
I’m half-way through the Brothers Karamazov if you want to do that one. I’ve heard Bleak House is Dickens’ best. My favorite book of his so far is Hard Times, so I look forward to Bleak House as well.
Well, I probably won’t be able to catch up on BK, but I will keep an eye out, if you start Bleak House or The Idiot.
Great! I think I will probably read Bleak House in October or November. I need to go back to doing my monthly wrap-ups so people know what I plan on doing,
When are you thinking about reading Joan of Arc?
Whenever it’s convenient for you 🙂 I don’t really have a set reading plan for this summer. I just want to get books out of the way.
Would you mind waiting until September? I’m doing Women in Translation in August, but could start reading Twain right after that. The book I have is called “Personal Recollections of Joan of Arc.” That should be the same thing, right?
That works. It looks like it’s the same book
Great. I’m looking forward to reading with you.
You’re one lucky reader – the Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell bargain is making me jealous! 🙂
I don’t have any of your books in my phisycal TBR shelf, but I have been interested in The Secret History for a while and my library carries it. When would you be up for it?
Yes. I would definitely be up for it. Do you have a timeline in mind? Is August 1 too early for you to start?
I will be away August 10 -18. I don’t think we could finish by August 10, so we could start before August 1, start after August 18, or try to fit that off week in a schedule. I don’t know yet whether I’ll have access to the internet. I haven’t seen the book yet, so what do you think?
I’m excited about this! 🙂
It’s a pretty long book so maybe we could begin after August 18 so there’s no rush to finish at a certain time. It is exciting! Thanks for joining in.
Great. So August 19 it is!
Hi Fariba! I’m back and ready to start reading. How do we do this?
You should follow me on Goodreads if you haven’t already. And every so many chapter we can discuss the book via message. I think it’s good to begin each reflection/comment with an update on how far you have read to so no one is spoiled. Would that work for you?
I like that system, but I can’t seem to find you on GR! Do you have a link to your profile? Also, if you prefer it, I have a link to my GR profile on the right-hand bar on my blog.
Ignore that last comment. I’m so daft sometimes – just realized I could see your profile through your GR widget. Sorry for bothering you!
Buddy reading sounds like a fun idea! I do want to reread Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell at some point but am not sure when I will squeeze that in. O Pioneers, too, which would be less of a time commitment. Let me know if you’re wanting to read either one imminently.
I would love to read Jonathan Strange with someone. I doubt I’ll be able to read it without some encouragement. Last year’s Moby-Dick group read went very well so I’m sure that with some support I can get through some large books. O Pioneers sounds great too but as I already read two of Cather’s books this year, I probably will postpone that until the end of the year or next year. We can start whenever you think best 🙂
Cool — I”m trying to get through Anna Karenina first, then I might be ready for another long book.
Hey, I found this from Kevin Davis’s site. You interested in doing The Silmarillion? I’ve read it before but would love to have someone to re-read it with. I don’t mind going slow (it’s somewhat episodic) if you’re busy.
Hello Joel, I would be interested in doing a buddy-read of The Silmarillion but it would have to begin late May/early June because I don’t really have any time right now. I will keep you updated.
Okay. Here is a beautiful comic-book version of the first chapter (abridged) to whet your appetite:
http://www.evanpalmercomics.com/#/ainulindale/
Wow! That’s gorgeous