Somewhere I have never travelled…
With apologies to e e cummings for taking a bit of his poetry in vain, I’ve been thinking today about things I have not done. More specifically about famous books that I have not read. Let me begin by saying that I am infamous among my friends for not having seen certain films. Folks always give me a shocked look when I say things like, “No, I’ve never seen The Sound of Music.” (My closest friends have reached the point of being surprised when I *have* seen a film.) Anyway, I was tidying up the Books on Tape section at work, and it struck me again that there are all of these books out there that it seems everyone else has read. The kind of books that you try to steer conversations away from rather than admit you have no idea what the other person is talking about. Do you know what all of this pondering has lead me to? I have decided to post a list of five things (series, books, etc.) that I have never read. You may then try to convince me to read any of the items on the list (good luck with that) and comment with a title or five that you admit to never having read. Perhaps we will unmask some classics as being deadly dull, or maybe I will actually read something from my list. Either way, I think it will be fun. Lets get started!
I hereby swear that I have never read:
1. The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown (It’s book 2…and I can’t talk myself into reading book 1.)
2. Anything by Jane Austen (Nope, I’ve never seen any of the films either.)
3. Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand (Although, I have a friend who tossed his copy into a swimming pool when he finished it.)
4. Anything by Louis L’Amour (And this makes my mother sad.)
5. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte (I never finished Little Women, either.)
So, there you are. My secret is out. I’ve got bunches of other books that I could add to this list, but now it’s your turn. Spill! What books are there that you feel like everyone out there has read except you?
e e cummings, The Da Vinci Code, Dan Brown, Jane Austen, Atlas Shrugged, Ayn Rand, Louis L’Amour, Jane Eyre, Charlotte Bronte, Little Women
July 26th, 2007 at 8:35 am
I thought I was the only one who hadn’t read the Da Vinci Code!:)
July 26th, 2007 at 10:12 am
I think that we should start a club, Neel.
July 26th, 2007 at 12:19 pm
I haven’t read any of those either. I’ve also never read Tale of two cities by Dickens, War and Peace by Tolstoy, Catcher in the rye by Salinger, the Lord of the Rings trilogy by Tolkien or anything by Philip Pullman. I intend to read Dickens and Tolkien, but not really anything else on either of our lists.
And I call myself a library man…
July 26th, 2007 at 12:40 pm
Well then, Dan. Obviously you can join our club.
I’ve never read War and Peace either.
July 26th, 2007 at 7:44 pm
I have read Da Vinci Code…it was a requirement in a course I took. It was a good book, but it is NOWHERE near all of the hype that everyone always spew about it.
I haven’t read any Jane Austen either…however, my roomies all think I have. They regard me as this all knowing book person and I didn’t have the heart to tell the truth. I have since been subjected to pretty much every version of Pride and Prejudice on film =) I did read this book my one roomie picked up (Darcy’s Tale) so I kind of know the story without having read it. That was good and supposedly the author was true to Jane’s voice and style so I’m thinking I’ll probably get around to the real thing someday!!
I’ve never read Atlas Shrugged either…but I did read the Fountainhead. It was really good, but in a strange kind of way where you don’t really know if you’re supposed to like it or not…if that makes any sense at all
I haven’t read much Louis L’Amour either…one or two which elude me right now. My impression was that he was kind of unimpressive, but I might give him another chance someday.
Jane Eyre on the other hand was amazing!!! I loved it when I read it in high school and I loved it when I read it again last month. It’s the kind of book that kind of grows with you.
Now, five random ones I’ve never read…War and Peace (it’s just so LONG!!!), Catcher in the Rye, 1984, Animal Farm…and pretty much any of the other modern classics that most people read in high school English. I was in IB and we spent a lot of time on Latin American and World Lit instead.
July 26th, 2007 at 7:44 pm
PS: Who is Phillip Pullman?
July 28th, 2007 at 1:38 pm
Jennifer, Phillip Pullman wrote The Golden Compass, Ruby in the Smoke, etc.
I have never read Animal Farm either.
July 29th, 2007 at 10:12 am
Um… Catcher In the Rye. Animal Farm. War and Peace. The Man In The Iron Mask. Grapes of Wrath.
I have, however, read the DaVinci Code (I thought it was kind of boring. I read it in 7th or 8th grade, because everyone else was reading it, especially adults, so it must be good, right?), several things by Jane Austen (including Pride and Prejudice at age 9 or so, owing to the fact that it was on the bookshelf. I read a lot of books that way.), and Jane Eyre (just recently. I liked it quite a lot).
sorry about the abuse of parenthesis.
July 29th, 2007 at 10:51 pm
Frances, you should so read The Man in the Iron Mask…it’s pretty much incredible…so is anything else by Dumas for that matter
July 29th, 2007 at 10:55 pm
Hi Frances! *waves* I’ve managed to avoid the Grapes of Wrath, too. Which was difficult that year all of California was supposed to be reading it.
I’ve never read The Man in the Iron Mask…
August 2nd, 2007 at 5:54 pm
Grapes of Wrath is pretty good…though I could do without the end scene…
August 3rd, 2007 at 2:42 pm
I was supposed to read Grapes of Wrath for my English for the College Bound class in 11th grade. I didn’t read much of it, but somehow wound up with good grades. Did watch the movie, though.
August 3rd, 2007 at 8:35 pm
You should totally read at least one Louis Lamour, even though he is a pale shadow of Zane Grey. My favorite is A Man Named Flint.
I also loved Jane Eyre and pretty much hate everything else written by a woman in that time period.
I have not read:
(ironically!) The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis
Last of the Mohiccans (loved the movie)
Lemony Snickett’s a Series of Unfortunate Events (loved the movie)
The Heart of Darkness (unless the first 3 pages count)
The Hobbit (loved the Rankin and Bass film)