I always seem to stumble upon a review or an advertisement of a book that catches my attention but am struck with the predicament of lacking the time to actually pick it up.
This summer I've managed to achieve the extent of around 2 chapters of Not Dead Yet by Julia Neuberger and a couple of pages from The Spirit Level: Why More Equal Societies Almost Always Do Better by Richard Wilkinson and Kate Pickett.
I would have loved to have delved into a book and returned from the few disappointingly dreary 'summer' months with a sense of fulfilment, having managed to tick another book off of my hypothetical list of literary goals. But no. Instead I've been watching countless episodes of Friends and Desperate Housewives and spending my money, which is disintegrating quite rapidly, on pointless amenities and culinary treats.
This is why I have decided to write a list. A list to include all of the books that I will read at one point in my life. The purpose of the list is multi-fold.
1. It will help me to remember every book that I've ever looked at and thought, 'Ooh. I should read that one day to deepen my understanding or broaden my interest.'
2. It will provide a manifesto of how I should be spending my time and give me some actual goals to work towards.
3. I like having the excuse to write another blog.
4. Ticking off each book will be more exciting than I can imagine.
5. This will compel me to actually begin my book trail.
So, without much further ado, here is my list:
(bolded titles are of greater priority)
- The Lucifer Effect: Philip Zimbardo (I recently 'lost' this whilst borrowing it from the library, but it is taking a lot of effort to work through)
- Not Dead Yet: Julia Neuberger (I attempted to read this in the summer but had other things on my mind. It is more a book for those periods where you have little else to think about)
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- To Kill A Mockingbird: Harper Lee
- Nineteen Eighty-Four: George Orwell
- Crime and Punishment: Dostoevsky (Got so far as taking out and renewing this for 6 weeks, but it never ventured further than the bottom of my pile of books that idly sits on my desk)
- Lady Chatterley's Lover: D. H. Lawrence
- Tess Of The D'Urbervilles: Thomas Hardy
- Animal Farm: George Orwell
- A People's Tragedy: Orlando Figes (I have had this in my cupboard for over a year. Still haven't found the time to begin such an epic quest)
- Child 44: Tom Rob Smith (I found this in a charity shop recently and it now sits on the pile patiently waiting its turn)
- The Gargoyle: Andrew Davidson
- The Cellist of Sarajevo: Steven Galloway
- The Secret Scripture: Sebastian Barry
- Shit Magnet: Jim Goad (I used to own this, and have somehow misplaced it. Hopefully it will turn up on a day that I am in the right mood for it)
- Educating Rita: Willy Russell
- Outsiders: Howard Becker (I began reading this during school, but found it so very intricate that I could not devote enough interest at the time, and it has thus become redundant like the many others)
- Becoming a Marijuana User (Essay): Howard Becker (Hooray. One that I can tick off! Most probably because it was only 3 pages long. I found it online and printed it out. It was not as compelling as I had thought it would be. The theory behind it intrigued me, but the whole body of the essay did not compel me to read it and recommend it.)
- Doing the business: Entrepeneurship, The Working Class and Detectives in the East End of London: Dick Hobbs
- Metaphors We Live By: George Lakoff and Mark Johnson (Another one that was borrowed from the library for several weeks and yet was never introduced to daylight)
- Folk Devils and Moral Panics: Stanley Cohen
- Someday This Pain Will Be Useful To You: Peter Cameron (I read the book in about 3 days. It was easy to follow and interesting, but had an extremely disappointing ending! Which is ultimately unforgivable. And so I had to conclude that this was merely an 'ok' read.)
- The Elegance of the Hedgehog: Muriel Barbery
- Memories That Smell Like Gasoline: David Wojnarowicz
- Everything Is Illuminated: Jonathan Safran Foer
- Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close: Jonathan Safran Foer (This was an incredible read. I did not put it down for a second. Everything about it is wonderful. Just such a beautiful perspective on everything. And I've heard that there is a film being produced around it, so I look forward to seeing that!)
- The Book Thief: Mark Zusak (A quick read for such a long book actually. I enjoyed the different layout of it, it always kept your attention because it added little extras onto the page, whether it was a bit of commentary from Death or a picture drawn by the basement Jew. Interesting, but not something I would read over and over. Eye opening perspective of WW2 though - a German's experiences.)
- The Man Who Mistook his Wife for a Hat: Oliver Sacks
- Nausea: Jean-Paul Sartre
- Existentialism and Humanism: Jean-Paul Sartre
- Looking for Alaska: John Green
- Slaughterhouse Five: Kurt Vonnegut
