Yes, I'm aware that it's not Tuesday. But since I've been sooo lacking in reading time lately AND so busy with working and such, I thought when I had a moment I'd participate in the last Top Ten Tuesday and that moment came TODAY! This theme is so interesting and I'm excited to pick my top ten ...
What would happen if I was being sent to a deserted tropical island by myself and I could only chose ten books to take with me? Which ones would I choose? Right now, I'm not entirely certain, so let's find out!
1. The Bible
2. The Iliad
3. The Divine Comedy
4. Jane Eyre
5. The Brothers Karamazov
6. Paradise Lost
7. Hamlet
8. War and Peace
9. Metamorphoses
10. Montaigne's Essays
The last choice I'm not entirely sure about. While I love reading Montaigne and his thought process, I don't always necessarily appreciate his viewpoints. And C.S. Lewis would have to be in there somewhere too. Sigh! So hard to choose just ten!
Upon review, most of my choices seem rather angsty, with death and war and heavy philosophy (don't we love Dostoyevsky?). I think I need to do another list with lighter reads to take to my tropical island. So this post will be continued .......
interesting list... and it does seem a bit heavy; but anything lighter one would weary of fairly quickly, i should imagine... something to sink the mental teeth into, as it were, is probably the best... my preferences change a lot from day to day, depending upon what i'm reading; but a one volume edition of Shakspeare's works would head the list, definitely. Then a lot of poetry because it doesn't get stale with rereading, at least the good stuff doesn't... after that, probably some math and physics tomes: more hard to digest but satisfying fodder... anyway, intriguing post; makes one ponder, yesss....
ReplyDeleteYes, and one wonders, would one want insightful and thought-provoking heavy reads alone on an island, or lighter reads? I'm not sure if you could be certain unless you experienced it.
DeleteAh yes, I forgot poetry! How could I? Something else to add. Sigh! How could one stop at ten?!
I don't think I could ever decide which books I could leave out, but I noticed that you are quite the classicist. No Chick Lit or Christian or Amish Romance. Sorry I'm being facetious. :) It's a good list and I never read the latter stuff myself.
ReplyDeleteLol! I can't seem to deviate from classics, can I? They are so timeless ......
DeleteThis is a great list. Except I couldn't do Montaigne -- you know me.
ReplyDeleteBK, Jane Eyre, W&P are an excellent choices. Of course, the Bible, too. : )
I wish I could have put more than ten on my list.
It would be fun to have a lighter list of ten rereads, too.
I do struggle with Montaigne. I think I enjoy disagreeing with him. At least I didn't include Nietzsche .... you'd be sending the ambulance for me! ;-)
DeleteNice picks! I'm having such trouble getting into The Divine Comedy...I'd need your list on a desert island to make myself concentrate and read the whole thing. :)
ReplyDeleteOh, I loved the Inferno at least. I was actually thinking of starting The Divine Comedy again. Do you know what it is about it that's not capturing your interest? Paradiso was the hardest for me. It's interesting how we tend to relate more to Hell than Heaven, isn't it .... yikes!
DeleteOk, so, what about omnibus editions? If the Bible counts as one, can I bring along some huge omnibus editions? Cause that would make a big difference in what I chose...
ReplyDeleteI say YES to omnibus! That way I could pack the whole Jeeves and Wooster and all the Father Brown mysteries. Sounds good to me!
DeleteOooh! Finally a bookish post! I love the list and I am with you on War and Peace and Brother Karamazov and Jane Eyre. I must one day get to Divine Comedy to decide and I have not read any Montagine and to be honest not particularly motivated either! But who knows, I may get to it sooner than I think!!
ReplyDeleteMontaigne is good in small doses. As I said above, I enjoy arguing with him. Perhaps we'll be able to read The Divine Comedy together. That would be fun! And yes, a bookish post ...... now to combine some bookish reading!
DeleteI've been thinking about your list for a few days.
ReplyDeleteThe Bible: we've all heard parts of it in school, church services. But now while reading The Divine Comedy I realize more and more The Bible is a source of images/references that are used in many books of literature! I should dust off my copy of The Bible!
Yikes! For some reason I couldn't get into my blog to answer ..... it kept redirecting. In any case, I think the Bible is necessary for good understanding a great deal of classic literature, if not most of it. I remember being frustrated with my first reading of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight because at the time I knew so little about Catholicism and without an understanding, the book just wasn't as rich. If only there was infinity time in the day to learn EVERYTHING! What a dream! :-)
DeleteNice List. Maybe the other list could be the Top 10 Books I can Read Forever that aren't traditionally Considered Classics.
ReplyDeleteThat's a great idea too! I do like these types of lists. Great to see that you're still around, BTW! :-)
DeleteMy addition would be Crime and Punishment. A classic by the most thorough definition. I don't know if I'd cycle through it every 10 books, but it is, nonetheless, a favorite.
ReplyDeleteYou must be a mind-reader because I'm reading Crime and Punishment right now! It's certainly interesting, however, I must say that so far I like The Brothers Karamazov better. But any novel by Dostoyevsky is certainly excellent. Thanks for stopping by!
DeleteI'm not sure what my top 10 would be, but I'd probably want The Iliad *and* The Odyssey. I think I'd have a hard time choosing between them. And I think I would have different 19th c novels -- maybe The Tenant of Wildfell Hall + Bleak House. (But then again, I haven't actually read W & P...) Haven't read Ovid, apart from some excerpts, because I want to wait until I've read The Aeneid (which I have planned for next month).
ReplyDeleteI would applaud all your choices but The Tenant of Wildfell Hall made me pause and wonder why that one? It's a curious choice. I liked it but it wasn't one I'd even think of. Oooo, I think you'll have a great time with Ovid .... just make sure you choose an engaging translation! Good to hear from you, Beth!
DeleteYou can't beat the classics, especially if you were limited to only 10 books. I'd probably want something like Robinson Crusoe or a survival book of some sort to help me stay alive.
ReplyDeleteRobinson Crusoe is a great choice! Perhaps I should change out Ovid for it.
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