I snagged this meme: 30 Books Every Adult Should Read Before They Die from BiblioHistoria. It's kind of an odd list, and I'm not sure I agree with all the titles as a few seem sort of random (and three Tolkien titles??--I know a lot of people love him, but I'd be lucky to read one to be honest), but anyway, here goes:
Books I've Read are Highlighted in Red.
To Kill A Mockingbird, by Harper Lee
The New Oxford Annotated Bible [with the Apocrypha, Third Edition, new Revised Standard Version]--I read a lot of the Bible when I was in school (Catholic), but it wasn't this version and I didn't read it all by far!
The Fellowship of the Ring, by J.R.R. Tolkien
The Two Towers, by J.R.R. Tolkien
The Return of the King: being the Third Part of the Lord of the Rings, by J.R.R. Tolkien
Nineteen Eighty-Four, by George Orwell
A Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens
Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Bronte
Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen
All Quiet on the Western Front, by Erich Maria Remarque
The Golden Compass (His Dark Materials, Book I), by Philip Pullman
The Subtle Knife (His Dark Materials, Book II), by Philip Pullman
Amber Spyglass (His Dark Materials Book III), by Philip Pullman
Birdsong: A Novel of Love and War, by Sebastian Falk's
The Grapes of Wrath, by John Steinbeck
Lord of the Flies, by William Golding
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, by Mark Haydon
Tess of the D'Urbervilles, by Thomas Hardy
Winnie-The Pooh, by A.A. Milne--I probably read this as a child, but I don't have a clear recollection, so I hesitate claiming it.
Wuthering Heights, by Emily Bronte
The Wind in the Willows, by Kenneth Grahame
Gone with the Wind, by Margaret Mitchell
Great Expectations, by Charles Dickens
The Time Traveler's Wife, by Audrey Nigger
The Lovely Bones, by Alice Se bold
The Prophet, by Kahlil Gib ran
David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens--I am reading this now and will finish by the end of the year (giving myself lots of leeway there, eh!)
The Alchemist, by Paulo Colo
The Master and Margarita, by Mikhail Bulgaria
Life of Pi, by Tann Martel
Middlemarch, by George Eliot
The Poisonwood Bible, by Barbara King solver
A Clockwork Orange, by Anthony Burgess--I've seen the movie, does that count?
One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich, by Alexander Solzhenitsyn
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At the moment I have (at home or coming in the mail) three reader's copy's lined up to read (three at once is my limit!). Earlier this year I read a YA book by Lynn Brittney called Nathan Fox: Dangerous Times, which I really enjoyed. It was a retelling of Shakespeare's Othello. Lynn kindly approached me to read her newest book, which is not a Nathan Fox installment, but a YA novel with a Christmas setting. It is called Christine Kringle. I've seen the cover illustration, which is darling. I am reading it via a PDF file online, and I will post about it later (and hopefully be able to share an illustration and her website by then). Christmas really isn't that far away is it? How scary. Still it is fun to get in the mood with books.
Recently Sassymonkey reviewed a book by Georgette Heyer. I have always meant to read Heyer who is known for her historical fiction, but never got around to it. It is sort of serendipitous that I was approached by someone at Sourcebooks to read one of Heyer's novels. They are going to start publishing her work again, which is not readily available (at least here in the US--I'm not sure about the UK), despite her popularity amongst fans of historical fiction and Regency romances. I just received a copy of An Infamous Army, which is set in Brussels during the Battle of Waterloo. Apparently she meticulously researched her novels, so this should be quite good. I've already started it--lots of characters to keep straight--Dukes, Earls, Kings, Princes, amongst others--but once I've gotten them sorted out I expect this will zip right along.
And totally by chance I have won a copy of Pamela Thompson's Every Past Thing from Library Thing. They have what is known as an "Early Reviewers" group. It started with only titles from Random House, but they are expanding the program to include other publishers. I'm completely surprised that my name was chosen (it sounds like it is a lottery type system based on the book subject and what sorts of books you have in your library--they try and match you up). There were only 15 copies up for grabs and 416 members threw their names in. How lucky was that?! The book is published by (a new to me publisher), Unbridled Books. I am always pleased to discover another new small press. From the publisher:
"In this masterful debut, Pamela Thompson reveals the pain and desire of one woman, the wife of 19th Century painter, Edwin Romanzon Elmer, as she searches for her lovers in New York City over five days of wishes and regrets in November 1899."
"Writing in a voice that is filled with longing, Thompson captures an emotional whirlwind of art, politics, family, and desire with an authenticity that is absolutely breathtaking. Every Past Thing is an enduring novel, as personal as it is historic."
Check out the book trailer, too (I love these!):
Um. So. I guess I'm not going to be at a loss for good things to read anytime soon, am I?