One of the people I subscribe to on WordPress (Greta Renee – When Almonds Bloom) just posted her A to Z book list. She made a list of books she wants to read. And I hope she does read them. When I was in high school and college I kept a list of every book I read. I filled a small note pad. Then I switched to a 3-ring binder with loose leaf notebook paper. It was a huge undertaking since it wasn’t just moving the titles to a new page. I chose to organize it by author instead of by book title. (I think my OCD was beginning to show up). Anyway her list jogged my memory. I went to the basement to see if I still had that binder. And the short answer is no. The longer answer is that I found it but it had been damaged during one of the more recent basement water events. It was moldy and I pitched it. However I was able to pull together a list of books I’ve already read. Now granted there are some books that are from a long time ago when I was in my “Must read all the classics so I can get into college” phase. And there are some that are from the backpacks of my children (because every parent wants to know what their kids are filling their brains with). So here is my A to Z list!
A – Anna Karenina (Leo Tolstoy) – one of my favorites
B – The Book Thief (Markus Zusak) – my current most favorite non-series book
C – Canterbury Tales (Geoffrey Chaucer) – still makes me laugh
D – Doctor Doolittle (Hugh Lofting) – the series that made me want to be a veterinarian
E – Ella Enchanted (Gail Carson Levine) – fluff that my niece was reading but still fun
F – Frankenstein (Mary Shelley) – a classic that is so much better than any movie adaptation
G – Galapagos (Kurt Vonnegut) – all his stuff is good and this is a gem
H – Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (J. K. Rowling) – this series is one I can reread again and again
I – I Sing the Body Electric (Ray Bradbury) – this story was in a compilation and so very thought provoking reminded me of the Velveteen Rabbit (another favorite story that makes me tear up)
J – John Carter of Mars (Edgar Rice Burroughs) – my father gave me this and I was hooked
K – Kon-Tiki (Thor Heyerdahl) – had to read it in school and was mesmerized
L – Love’s Labour’s Lost (William Shakespeare) – one of the lesser known but so good
M – Madame Bovary (Gustave Flaubert) – at one time a scandalous read, still was for a 13 year old…
N – Nineteen Eighty-Four (George Orwell) – terrifying for me
O – Of Mice and Men (John Steinbeck) – probably the only Steinbeck novel I’d ever recommend
P – The Picture of Dorian Grey (Oscar Wilde) – like a train wreck that I couldn’t put down
Q – QB VII (Leon Uris) – horrifying account (part fiction and lots of truth)
R – Robot Dreams (Isaac Asimov) – yes you need to read this
S – Stranger in a Strange Land (Robert Heinlein) – I read this as a precocious 12 yr old my parents were not happy
T – Tell Me That You Love Me, Junie Moon (Marjorie Kellogg) – I cried
U – Ulysses (James Joyce) – in my classical phase Joyce is not an easy read
V – The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (C. S. Lewis) – lapped this up like milk out of a saucer
W – Waiting for Godot (Samuel Beckett) – read this in college and then saw the play
X – Xenocide (Orson Scott Card) – I like all the Ender series
Y – The Yearling (Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings) – another school assignment that I really enjoyed (surprisingly)
Z – Zorba the Greek (Nikos Kazantzakis) – The book was better than the movie
So there you have it. Can you make an A to Z book list? Have we read any of the same books??
Boy, I’m not sure I could make an A to Z. That would take some thinking. Plus I’d probably have to read some books to fill in the harder letters.
We have read some/many of the same. I’ve seen movies of a couple. I know that isn’t the same!! I really enjoyed the mini series of Anna Karenina, so I guess I’d better read the book. I read a Vonnegut at the beach. I haven’t read Galapagos, though, so I need to get that one. I read Player Piano. It was pretty good. I prematurely stopped thinking about it.
The Book Thief is fantastic. I love HP, of course. And I’ve certainly enjoyed Orwell, the origin of my love of dystopic novels.
You’ve some classics in here that I guess I’d better look into.
Unfortunately my book rack is still overfilled. I took lots of books to the beach, but the only books I read were ones that I bought specifically for the beach or bought at the beach. Counterproductive! Plus I bought another book at the beach and borrowed a book from a friend. So my plan was foiled. Completely.
Plus I read 9 pages yesterday. Sigh. Perhaps I should go back to the beach… to keep up with my reading.
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I like reading outside – almost anywhere that is comfortable is a good spot to read! Going to the beach to read wouldn’t be my first choice but it sounds like your perfect escape! Anna Karenina is such a good story! It was one of the first hard back books I bought…
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I’ve read a few of them but not most. I really should read more of the classics. I’m going to look for “Ella Enchanted” at the library. My grand-daughter, Ella is 10. Would that be appropriate for her? It sounds like it might be. I loved all the Narnia books.
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Ella Enchanted would be fine for a 10 year old if her reading skills are up to it. It might be a book that is read together! I bet she would love reading it with you!
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I loved all the Narnia books too and I read Kon-Tiki. My favorite pastime when I was young, reading.
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I haven’t read the Narnia series in a couple of years – I think I’ll read it again!
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WOW, you are good. I always knew that you were very organized, but this is amazing. I had started to do a list, say, when I was in my twenties or thirties. It has gone by the way side. However, I write different paragraphs or sentences from various books that I have read. If I ever sit down to make a list of the books I have read, it will take me a month or more.
I have read many of the books you have listed here Val. But I am surprised that you would recommend only “of Mice and Men” by Steinbeck? Really? That surprises me. I have I think almost every single book of his, and once started, I couldn’t put them down until I finished it.
Happy reading Val.
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Thanks Zakiah, I will continue to read with glee. Steinbeck however doesn’t make the cut – I had to read so many of his books in school and dissect them which sucked the joy right out of the stories. I guess that is why I don’t care for Steinbeck. I have considered revisiting some of the stories but just can’t get past the bad taste left from school days.
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I could cover A-X with Sue Grafton’s books. I haven’t read her Y book yet. So bummed she passed away, and so close to the end of the series.
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Maybe there will be outlines discovered for the last 2 books and her daughter/son will finish them as a memorial to their mother… just saying. I’m sure there are other books you’ve read.
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Fabulous idea–gets your reader thinking about her own reading. Sigh. So many books, so little time. BTW, Book Thief would definitely be my “B” as well! LOVED it! I may steal this idea down the road…
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Steal away! The Book Thief is a must read. I love the way it is written as much as the story.
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I’ve read several on your list. I don’t have an A to Z list but I do have several bookcases full of books, I am reading something every chance I get. 😉
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Sounds like a good deal! I love books and we have too many but they are like old friends that I would never discard!
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Just now finding the time to read some of my blog friends’ posts…and was excited to find this!
So glad that my post prompted a trip down memory lane! I have read several of these books, but many of them are new to me or on one of my many book lists ‘to read’.
Thanks for sharing what you thought of these books and some of your memories!! Really enjoyed reading this!
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Thanks Greta! I have enjoyed your blog and hope you are enjoying the last part of summer. I also hope you can find the time to read some of the books on your list! (and maybe a few on my list!)
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Glad you have enjoyed it!
Yes, I am slowly starting to have time to read again. Between work, writing and life, I have little time…
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I’ve read only ten of your 26 but I expect our taste overlaps more than this list would indicate, being as how we’re both from the mid-west. I’m glad you included Madam Bovary. I read it only recently (I’m on a classics kick). What a timeless story! I’ve been trying to keep track of what I read on Goodreads.com but often forget to update my list. Now you’ve inspired me to try to make an A to Z list.
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Cool! I’m glad you liked Madam Bovary – it isn’t a book that many have read or have any intention to read (I think it dropped off the “must read for college” list)… I will look forward to your A – Z list!!
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I, like you, can read and enjoy the Harry Potter books, again and again. 🙂
Currently I am interested in reading the original version of Beauty and the Beast.
Frank… you remember Frank, I’m sure (HumorMeNow)… sparked my interest in reading The Phantom of the Opera. Hope I’ll get to that one day too.
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I remember Frank and I do hope he is doing well. I miss hearing about his wife and daughter… I have lots of books that are on my list. They will have to wait until I get a little more free time!
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Revisiting this blog made me wonder if we should initiate a “Reading Now” feature. It seems like Xanga used to have something like that.
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I’m tickled that you’ve gone back and read some of the older posts! A Reading Now feature would be a fun thing to have! I think there is a way to have a side bar that could scroll and announce the latest books either that have been read or that you want to read!
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