Famous Books You Haven't Read?

[Nick]

What is a famous book you haven't read, and why? Do you have any desire to read it later?

 

[Hattrick]

A lot of them, honestly. It is less likely to find in the realm of film, for example, because that is a limited engagement - a book takes longer and is more of a commitment. I have never read anything by Shakespeare (by choice) or the Lord of the Rings books, ... or, ... or, ... a lot of things. Will I read them? Maybe. Most likely not. There is always more to read that will likely be more attuned to what I am looking for.

 

[Nick]

A lot of them, honestly. It is less likely to find in the realm of film, for example, because that is a limited engagement - a book takes longer and is more of a commitment. I have never read anything by Shakespeare (by choice) or the Lord of the Rings books, ... or, ... or, ... a lot of things. Will I read them? Maybe. Most likely not. There is always more to read that will likely be more attuned to what I am looking for.

That's a fair statement. In general, I have a lot of famous books I have never read. I have read Shakespeare (although I wouldn't call myself a fan) and I have read The Lord of the Rings (not a huge fan either), and I do respect both of them. That in mind, I haven't read, say, any of the Game of Thrones books or The Catcher and the Rye or something like that. For me, a lot of the appeal with Dustjacket and our Logging system is that I will challenge myself to read more often and on a more consistent basis from here on out (I do read a lot, but a lot of my reading is admittedly submissions sent to Mishmashers for our story inclusions, as well as other independent writers).

 

[Tramuson]

I am not a huge reader so the list of books I haven't read yet is bottomless.

 

[Nick]

I am not a huge reader so the list of books I haven't read yet is bottomless.

As someone who'd consider himself a slightly above-average reader (looking to worsen the addiction), I believe one variable to consider, too, is that a lot of classic books are adapted and sometimes adapted well.

For example, Sherlock Holmes has been adapted about a million times over by now. The Robert Downey Jr. films were solid fun and I thoroughly enjoyed the BBC television series, and the deeper you dig, the more you'll find worthwhile adaptations of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's stories. I've read nearly every Sherlock Holmes story Doyle ever created, but, regardless, when I think of Sherlock Holmes, I still prefer to think of the BBC series.

If I'm looking at something by Shakespeare or, let's say, The Great Gatsby, I already know the story. I know what will happen and although certain scenes have been adjusted or tweaked, I still know them. For that reason, if I want to read a book, I find myself more compelled to read something that isn't a classic - i.e. I am reading books by Brandon Sanderson and manga by Junji Ito at the moment.

 

[Becklebear]

I tried to read the bible a lot as a teen and young adult. The begot lists got me every time. My last attempt gave up at the beginning of the New Testiment.

I enjoy Steven King, but I haven't read many of his classics. I've seen several of his movies, but the only one that has a movie I read was Carrie. I read Cell. It was weird but entertaining. Anything even close to zombies is my jam!

I've never touched Game of Thrones, Catcher in the Rye, Great Gatsby, Old Yeller, or Where the Red Fern Grows. I skipped the last two because someone told me the dogs died. Never make me love them and take them away!

 

[Varlot]

I've never read Dubliners or Ulysses by Joyce. I've planned on opening Dubliners asap, but Ulysses seems like a daunting projects.