Above are most of the physical books I own that are unread, which likely will make up a big chunk of my summer TBR because I would like to knock them out before I go to college. This doesn’t include some large anthologies I have (Complete Fiction of Lovecraft, all of Poe, all of Sherlock Holmes) as well as some classics, literary journals, and nonfiction anthologies.
Without further ado, here is what I definitely want to read this summer (combined with some library and other books, of course) and why they’re still on this pile:
“Lyra’s Oxford” by Phillip Pullman: This short story sequel to His Dark Materials I’ve had for a long time–like 7 years–but I’m not sure if I’ve ever read it. Since I reread the trilogy at the end of last year, I figured it would be a good time to pick it up (though I didn’t mean to wait until the summer!)
The Celebrated Jumping Frog and Other Stories by Mark Twain: I’ve had this cheap little book for a very long time and never got around to it…and since I’ve been reading short stories more recently, it seems like a right time. Otherwise, I’m sure it will sit on my
The Importance of Being Earnest and Four Other Plays by Oscar Wilde: I read Earnest this year for school and loved it, and I picked up this collection specifically so that I could read the others, as I decided last year I was going to read as much Oscar Wilde as possible because I love his comedic style.
The View from Saturday by E.L. Koninsburg: I bought this recently because I had a coupon from Simon & Schuster. It’s a classic middle grade novel, so it contributes toward my exploration of new and classic middle grade, and it involves an Academic Bowl team, which I was also on in middle school!
The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch: I just recieved this as a gift, and while I don’t know much about it (yet), I do trust the recommender. And since it was a graduation gift, it’s probably best to read it soon to capture the mood!
Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman: I’ve been slowly working my way through Gaiman, and this is certainly one of his major works I’ve been meaning to read for a while and finally bought.
Why Is This Night Different From All Other Nights? by Lemony Snicket: I’ve been reading this series–the companion/prequel to A Series of Unfortunate Events–as they’ve come out, more or less, and this is the final one. Whether because of the books themselves or my own maturity, I do admit the first two charmed me more than the last, which is part of why I haven’t picked it up yet.
A Collection of Essays by George Orwell: I received this for Christmas of 2014 and despite being really interested in it, I still haven’t picked it up. It was definitely something I didn’t want to rush through during school, and I’m thinking I might approach this by reading an essay at a time.
Homage to Catalonia by George Orwell: Another gift from that Christmas, this is admittedly one I still might not get to this summer. I admit I tend to avoid nonfiction, and while I’ve studied history including the Spanish Civil War and think I would like reading this, I might avoid it a little while longer for personal reasons.
A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess: I bought this with a coupon last fall because it was a classic I was quite curious about. I think I’ll read it soon, as I just finished The Handmaid’s Tale and I’m in the literary dystopia mood.
Have you read or are you interested in any of these? What do you think?
Olivia Anne Gennaro 