A weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish
Today's category is to list the top ten popular authors we have never read. Define popular? Get Kristen Chenowith over here to explain it to me. I understand that she knows all about popular (get it?). So I took the tact of generating a list of "classic" authors that I have never read. If you follow my blog you know that I try to read a classic novel each month that fits my theme. Despite the fact that I enjoy classics there is a substantial amount of well-known and popular authors that I have never read.
1.) Daphne du MaurierI love Gothic literature and Wuthering Heights is one of my favorite books and yet I have never read anything by Daphne du Marier. Rebecca and My Cousin Rachel are both supposed to be fantastic and they both sound similar to The Portrait of a Lady.
2.) Fyodor Dostoyevsky
I recently took a quiz where Dostoyesvsky was revealed to be my classic author soul mate and I've never read any of his books... #awkward! Plus his books are philosophical and take a deeper look at humanity and Russia. I should probably read him.
3.) Leo TolstoyClearly I need to read the Russian Masters. One of my really good friends LOVES Anna Karenina and has been harassing me for the past 8 years to read it. She even gave the book to me as a gift one year. The length intimidates the crap out of me but it's another book about doomed love so if I do anti-love next February Anna Karenina.
4.) Thomas HardyI read two books recently that mentioned Tess of the d'Urbervilles and it's a tragic Gothic Romance which as previously stated, I love. It seems like a book I would have read but haven't. It's been recommended to me many times and I've never read it.
5.) Ernest Hemingway This surprises most people, but I was never really required to read Hemingway in school so I never picked anything from him up. His books are definitely the kind of books that I would enjoy, I don't know why I've never anything from him, I just haven't.
6.) Kurt VonnegutVonnegut writes Historical Fiction, SciFi, and Parodies all rolled into one. However his most famous book, Slaughterhouse-Five, is about being kidnapped by aliens. I have an irrational fear of aliens (I know what you're thinking, "but I thought you liked Sci Fi?" Don't ask). Plus the pretentious nature of Vonnegut turns me off a little bit, people really like him though.
7.) Ray BradburyBradbury is a Science Fiction writer who is one of those classic dystopian authors similar to Orwell and Huxley. But again one of his best known books is about aliens, so I get slightly turned off from his writing. I have wanted to read Fahrenheit 451 though. Maybe for Banned Books week.
8.) Gabriel Garcia MarquezOf his two most famous books one is magical realism, One Hundred Years of Solitude, and one is a tragic love story, Love in the Time of Cholera. Both are books that I would probably enjoy and have been on my TBR pile for quite some time. I've heard great things about his work and need to get around to reading them.
I love a good mystery. Agatha Christie is probably the mother of modern mysteries. She is definitely one of the most popular mystery writers. I've wanted to read something by her for a very long time and just never have. I almost put And Then There Were None on my list of island adventure/escape books for this month.
10.) Margaret AtwoodIt seems weird to put an author who is still alive and writing on this list of classic authors but she's another one similar to Bradbury and the others who set the tone for modern dystopia. I've heard excellent things about her writing and I've read a few book similar to her style. Next month my theme is dystopia and I am reading The Handmaid's Tale.
So those are the ten popular popular "classic" authors that I have never read. Shameful, I know! Have you read any of these authors or books? Are there any that you wouldn't recommend? Leave me a comment and of course... HAPPY READING!
Fahrenheit 451 and The Handmaid's Tale are extremely good.
ReplyDeleteI have yet to read some of the authors on your list, too.
There are so many books and so little time!
Thanks for stopping by.
So many books, so little time is right! I have plans to check out both those books soon. Thanks for the comment!
DeleteI am surprised to see Agatha Christie on so many lists. I thought I was the only one! Also, I haven't read Fahrenheit 451 either, I think this is like a book sin or something, we should get on that! Ha!
ReplyDeleteME TOO! I thought I was the only one. I feel like a lot of these are books sins that I've never read them. Thanks for stopping by and commenting!
DeleteOk stop the presses and read Rebecca next :-) I read that in 2012 and it is in my top 3 books of all times, stunning. I recently read My Cousin Rachel, enjoyed it and can embrace the style of writing but Rebecca, wow, you must read. I enjoyed Agatha Christie's And Then There was None also.
ReplyDeleteIf I didn't have planned themes for my blog I would read Rebecca ASAP, but sadly it may need to wait awhile. I will read it soon rather than later though. Thanks for the encouragement!
Deleteooh you went a classic route-- I'm right there with you on a lot of the authors! Dostoyevsky, Tolstoy, Hardy... lots of reading to still do!
ReplyDeleteI went with YA authors for my TTT!
You said it, so much reading still to do! I wish I read faster, or classics were shorter. I'll get to them eventually! Thanks for the comment.
DeleteI haven't read everyone on your list, but of those I have I'd day Agatha Christie or Margaret Atwood should be next. Too bad it isn't still February, or else I'd recommend reading A Handmaids Tale as a part of your anti-love series. (Still worth the read in any month, though.)
ReplyDeletePS: Love the Wicked shout out. :).
I'm reading A Handmaid's Tale as part of dystopia month in April so that one is definitely next. Not sure when I'll get to Agatha Christie though!
DeleteHeehee! Loved that song from the musical!
ReplyDeleteHonestly never read these first 9 authors in my school years. Did read A Handmaid's Tale by Atwood in a college course. It was one of the few books I could tolerate, but didn't love it.
Even being an English major, I find myself not in-tuned with the classics. Hope you get to read all of these some day!
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I majored in History so they didn't really assign much literature. I did read a lot of mythology and books from Antiquities. But I mostly focused on the recent era so they just made us read To Kill a Mockingbird and Catcher in the Rye repeatedly (both of which I read in HS).
DeleteRebecca is sooooo good! I was really taken back when I read it. Great twists. I didn't really like Slaughterhouse Five, but I did enjoy Galapagos. It has some crazy evolution stuff going on. :)
ReplyDeleteRebecca is at the top of my list, this list and my TBR pile. And I would rather read a book from Ray Bradbury that's not about aliens so maybe Galapagos would be better.
DeleteThe only one of these I've read is Margaret Atwood, and I've actually read quite a few of hers. I think Oryx and Crake is probably my favourite. Thanks for stopping by my blog to say hi!
ReplyDeleteI have heard that Oryx and Crake and the whole MaddAddam trilogy is really good. Thanks for returning the favor and commenting!
DeleteNice list, I haven't read most of these classics either :)
ReplyDeleteI tried to read the classics but there are just so many. I only just read Dracula! Thanks for stopping by and commenting!
DeleteEeek, nope, I've never read any of these authors either!! For shame... I really wish I had more excuse to read these classics, but as it is, I always end up being drawn to all the new releases out there! Ah, oh well - it'll happen someday! Thanks for stopping by earlier!
ReplyDelete