Wednesday, October 31, 2007

The Greatest Books We Haven't Read

Kelly at Big A Little A asks a very interesting question:

The Inferno is my "gravest literary omission." I unjustly think I know all about it, so it has never actually made it on to my to read pile.What about you? What is your greatest reading sin?
I think it's interesting to see what people consider worth reading but have a twinge of guilt about not getting to yet.

For me, the obvious answer is St. Therese's Story of a Soul. I'm thinking that admitting it will help me get around to it sooner. :)

One of my other big omissions I corrected only in the last year or two. Before that I hadn't read anything by Flannery O'Connor.

Last night I finished one I've always wanted to read - Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.

How about you?

6 comments:

Charlotte (WaltzingM) said...

The Divine Comedy
Divine Mercy in My Soul
and aside from a few Fr. Brown stories... anything else by G.K. Chesterton. (Ducking and running!)

love2learnmom said...

You know, aside from reading most of Fr. Brown in high school, I didn't get to any other Chesterton for about twenty years - and then suddenly read four or five books within a few years (most of them last year!). I started with Ballad of the White Horse and then read Heretics, Orthodoxy, The Man Who Was Thursday, and The Everlasting Man last year and St. Francis of Assisi this year. Great stuff!

Kristen Laurence said...

Most great literature, save a few I read at TAC, of course! I have a difficult time getting into fiction. So sad, I know. :(

Margaret in Minnesota said...

My list would be quite long, as well. You've prompted me to give it some thought--and perhaps get started in my own small, distracted way. How do you DO it? You must be incredibly disciplined.

I once asked a left-brainy friend of mine: "Do you read your books from start to finish?" She's like, "Well, yes..." because she has no idea what it's like for some of us that have a dozen books going at one time, and who read chapters at random here and there. I need help, Alicia!

love2learnmom said...

No, I'm not incredibly disciplined as a matter of fact! I usually have at least ten books on my reading pile (mostly non-fiction) and often flit from one thing to the next. Some have been in my pile for years. Often I give up on a non-fiction book about half-way through. I often feel like I've gotten the gist of it.

I also find that my stronger reading times come and go. I go through times where no book sounds interesting whatsoever. Often some fun reading will get me back on track.

Probably the best thing that happened to my reading habits this year was getting this bookwedge from John for Mother's Day. Reading a little in bed helps me sleep (I'm a very restless sleeper) and keeps some consistency in the reading even when it's been too crazy during the day. :)

The other thing I did recently (which also helped) was sign up at Goodreads.com to keep track of my current reading and created a "home" for my current reads in a prominent place in real life so I could get at them when I was in the mood.

Some day I should post a picture of the bookshelf that John built for our bathroom. His family has traditionally referred to that room as "the library". :)

Sweetness and Light said...

Well, I'm just now getting to The Divine Comedy and didn't even know who Chesterton was until I started home schooling so consider me the sheepish one :)