I want to read all of these books, I really do. For some reason, I've never gotten around to it. Hosted by
The Broke and The Bookish, here are the top ten books that have been sitting on my shelf a very long time and have never been read.
1.
The Sweet Hereafter, by Russell Banks - Purchased for a class in first year university and I never got around to reading it for the class. Because of the class I know what it's about and I can't bring myself to start it.
2.
Cyrano de Bergerac, by Edmond Rostand - Purchased for a class in second year university, then I changed my mind and read something else.
3.
Death of a Salesman, by Arthur Miller - I saw it and thought it was a good purchase, while in University, after reading
The Crucible.
4.
The Green Mile Part 5 and 6, by Stephen King -
The Green Mile was originally published as a six part serial. I got these for my birthday in high school. The girls who gave them to me knew I read Stephen King, but who gives you the fifth and sixth book in a series?
5.
Possession, by A.S. Byatt - Purchased in high school on a recommendation. I remember not being able to get into it. I've heard good things since and should try it again.
6.
Treasure Island, by Robert Louis Stevenson - Bought I think around the 8th grade. I had been reading books like
Tom Sawyer and
Anne of Green Gables. I don't know why I never got around to this one.
7.
The Brothers Karamazov, by Fyodor Dostoyevsky - I saw it around the end of university and thought it would be a good idea to read it.
8.
Fury, by Salman Rushdie - I saw this on sale while in university and had learned about who Salman Rushdie was, so I picked it up.
9.
True at First Light, by Ernest Hemingway - I had recently read
Men Without Women, saw this on sale and wanted to read more Hemingway. I still want to read more Hemingway.
10.
The Orange Girl, by Jostein Gaarder - I loved
Sophie's World and started buying more books by Gaarder as I came across them. I've read two other of his novels since, but this one keeps getting put off.
What books do you have gathering dust?
I want to see this play! The story is brilliant, tragic, and full of emotion. If you don't know Edmond Rostand's most famous work, Cyrano de Bergerac is about love and appearances. Cyrano has a rather large nose and is considered by himself and others as ugly. He is in love with a beautiful woman, Roxane. Roxane is in lust with Christian, though for the time, they call it love. Christian is also in love with Roxane, but must work to woo her. He has no words. Cyrano is an expert at words, he is a poet and perhaps could have been a playwrite. Cyrano believes that Roxane could never love him, so gives his words to Christian. First in a letter, then in the famous balcony scene where Cyrano whispers from the bushes, a scene that has become a part of pop culture and parodied in so many different forms.
The end is just so sad. Though familiar with the balcony scene and the play, I didn't know how it began or ended or the other man vying for Roxane's affections. I hoped for truth, for love to conquer all. I wanted for Cyrano and Roxane to find happiness. You'll have to read it to find out what happens. It's one of those works that is so frequently referenced, that you think you know what happens, but you actually don't. As when I finished Death of a Salesman, I want to see Cyrano de Bergerac now. I'm going to be keeping my eye out to see if the play will be preformed in Toronto or Stratford. I should check a couple of the local theatres too. I have to find a good movie adaptation. Suggestions? Cyrano de Bergerac was a fantastic play and I'm eager to see it performed.
