Tuesday, June 19, 2012

Top Ten Tuesday: My Summer TBR.

It has been awhile since I've done a Top Ten Tuesday post, but I couldn't pass up the chance to talk about some of the titles I'm going to be reading this summer. I have been counting down to having more reading time, so hopefully all ten of these titles are read in the summer months!

In no particular order...

  1. Far From the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy: I have been craving some Hardy something fierce, which makes sense, since I've read a Hardy novel both summers that I've been working towards completing my 250 list.
  2. Middlemarch by George Eliot: Technically this might be cheating since I already started it, but I knew I was going to get to this one this summer! It has been years since I last read it, so I've been loving every page. :)
  3. Barchester Towers by Anthony Trollope: Now that I have the much smaller The Warden under my belt and a firm grasp on Trollope's trollping style, I'm anxious to get to the title that was included on my original 250 list! I'm excited to see what's next in this little series, and to get to know another Victorian a little better.
  4. Return of the Native by Thomas Hardy: I'm saving this one for near the end of my Victorian celebration, but I know I will get to it this summer. It is Amanda's favorite Hardy, so I KNOW that it's going to be amazing. :)
  5. Agnes Grey by Anne Bronte: My first Bronte was Wuthering Heights, which I read only 2 years ago! I haven't had a chance to read Anne, and there has been lots of talk about how awesome she is from Adam and Jillian, so even though this isn't on the 250 list, it IS on my Classics Club list and I'm going to read it soon!
  6. The Life of Charlotte Bronte by Elizabeth Gaskell: This one has been sitting on my nightstand for a couple of weeks, so I am sure it'll be opened as soon as the mood strikes. I'm very curious about the lives of all the Bronte sisters, so this is a great introduction I think!
  7. Wives and Daughters by Elizabeth Gaskell: This is the last Gaskell title on my 250 list, so I kind of want to get to it to cross off Gaskell's works. :) I'm also really curious about it since it's unfinished!
  8. A Passage to India by E.M. Forster: I set this one aside once the Victorian event started, but I want to get back to it. It is a curious little book, and while I had a hard time focusing on it, I think I need to get back to it and restart. I loved Forster's A Room with a View, so I'm hoping this one is just as amazing. 
  9. The Voyage Out by Virginia Woolf: Another title I set aside, I got 50 pages into this one before school insanity took over. I've heard this one isn't as...complex as some of her other novels, so I'm curious to see the difference between this and her later work. 
  10. Light in August by William Faulkner: I have been craving some Faulkner something fierce, so this is a definite for August (see what I did there?). I haven't read this one in a couple of years, but I'm looking forward to a revisit with one of my favorite writers. I also blame Melissa for her review of As I Lay Dying for sparking my craving.
Bonus-3 more! :)
  1. Beloved by Toni Morrison: It has been a bit since I've read some Morrison, and this one will fulfill a challenge. :)
  2. The Hunchback of Notre Dame by Victor Hugo: This is another title that will fulfill a challenge, but since Adam reviewed it, well...I keep eying it on my shelf.
  3. Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackeray: While I would really like to get to this one during the Victorian event, I can only read so fast. :) But I'm hoping I get to this one in time for the event (and yep, it fulfills some challenges). 
What are you looking forward to reading this summer?

27 comments:

  1. I think I'm going to read The Life of Charlotte Bronte and Beloved this summer too! (I'm reading Vanity Fair at the moment, so hopefully I'll finish that in the next 3 months haha!) I hope you enjoy all these books- I always think classics are really great in the summer :)

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    1. Agreed! I've found that I really dive in during the summer months (and winter-fall and spring seem to be light on reading for me!).

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  2. I'm in the middle of Return of the Native now and it's so good! Amanda was right. Light in August is next on my list for Faulkner. I've heard wonderful things about it.

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  3. GREAT list! I need to get over my fear and tackle more Faulkner. I enjoyed Absolom! Absolom! when I read it in grad school, so I'm not sure why I haven't jumped into more of his work. Hmmphf!

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    1. I love me some Faulkner, but it's been awhile!

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  4. Wonderful list! I've also been meaning to read more Hardy (I've only read Tess, and that was years ago now) and Middlemarch. My list for the summer is a bit more low brow, so I won't be hitting up too many classics, but you can see it at my blog if you'd like! :)

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    1. Middlemarch is just so wonderful, isn't it? :)

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  5. Yay for Vanity Fair and Anne Bronte!!! Also Faukner. (And of course, the whole list.) But yeah. Anne Bronte! I can't WAIT to read your thoughts on her. :-)

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    1. I'm hoping I have time...I've slowed down a bit (stuff is still crazy round here), but I want to make sure I read Agnes this summer!

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  6. For what its worth I LOVED, LOVED, LOVED Beloved and The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Hope you do too!

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    1. Thanks! That makes me feel more excited to get to them!

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  7. Oh, your list is pure heaven! Many of these are on my Classics Club list and I'm afraid you're going to compel me to add some more, and I so want to keep it to 50!

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    1. I just keep adding to my classics club list. :)

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  8. I'm really intrigued by/really want to read Wives and Daughters, but it's become one of those books that I want to read so badly I'm putting it off. Weird, I know! Looking at your list I'm struck by the fact that the only book on it I've read is Vanity Fair: I'm feeling ill-read right now! Guess I'll just have to do some more reading. :D

    Enjoy your books!

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    1. I sometimes put off books that I really want to read too. :)

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  9. My list is almost entirely devoid of classics largely because I've read so many in the past few weeks. I really should pick up some more of Hardy's works. Tess of the d'Urbervilles is my favorite novel hands down and Under the Greenwood Tree fell so flat for me that it's hard to compel myself to pick up more of his works.

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    1. I LOVED Jude the Obscure! I would totally recommend that one!

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  10. That is a great list! I'm hoping to read Light in August in August, too. Of course, I've been planning that for the past two summers, so we'll see...

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    1. I think I planned on reading it last summer and just didn't have time to get to it.

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  11. Oh wow, this looks like an awesome summer reading list! There are so many books on your list that I have been planning to read as well, especially Hardy, Eliot, and Faulkner, so I'm looking forward to your reviews. Make sure you make some time for Beloved, it's one of my favorite books.

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    1. Will do! I'm new to Morrison, so I'm still exploring her work.

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  12. I love your list! I'm adding several of these to my own TBR list, especially the Life of Charlotte Bronte.

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    1. Thank you! I'm in for some great reading, I think!

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  13. You have three of my favorite Victorians on your list: Wives & Daughters, Barchester Towers, and Middlemarch! BT and W&D are both pretty fast reads, though they're fairly long. The fact that Wives & Daughters is unfinished didn't make it any less wonderful for me -- it's really only the last few pages, and the editor writes a note that basically explains the ending (and I'd seen the BBC adaptation so I could picture it in my head).

    I just finished Agnes Grey yesterday, better than I expected though some parts were slow. And it's short, so perfect for the Victorian Celebration.

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    1. I'm still working through Middlemarch...but I hit the halfway point, so I should be okay to finish it. :)

      I'm still so excited to get to Wives and Daughters...I might bump that one up to read sooner.

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  14. have you ever read Beloved? If not, you are in for a treat :) Take it slow and just enjoy the beautiful language, emotional setup, everything.

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