The Broke and the Bookish hosts Top Ten Tuesday and this week the meme is all about popular authors we've never read.
Being a lover of classics, there are loads of currently popular authors I've never read, but there are also some classic authors who have eluded me.
Here's but a fraction of the biggies whose work I haven't read yet.
- John Grisham - I actually think I would enjoy his books, but I just haven't gotten around to them.
- Joyce Carol Oates - I'm planning to read Blonde, her book about Marilyn Monroe, but I haven't read anything by Oates to date.
- Margaret Atwood - I have several of her books but haven't read any of them yet. Maybe The Handmaid's Tale should go on next year's TBR Challenge list.
- Sir Walter Scott - I keep on trying to get to Waverly and keep on failing, but it is on this year's shelf so I'm hopeful.
- Jodi Picoult - I have friends who read everything she writes, but so far nada.
- James Patterson - I don't know much about his work other than everybody but me reads it.
- Kurt Vonnegut - despite growing up in the 1970s and reading a lot of the books my four older brothers liked, I never read any Vonnegut although I had a copy of Cat's Cradle for years.
- John Green - my kids love this author, and I have been meaning to read The Fault in Our Stars for awhile now.
- Janet Evanovich - I like mysteries but they're not all I want to read, and I've settled on a couple of other favorite mystery writers.
- J.D. Salinger - yes, I have never read Catcher in the Rye. These days, it simply doesn't appeal to me.
You're not missing out by not having read Catcher in the Rye...it's very overrated (at least in my opinion).
ReplyDeleteIf I made my list I think that I would not stop at ten but go to something like one hundred!
ReplyDeleteI highly recommend Margaret Atwood. The Handmaid's Tale was a great book. I thought that Surfacing was a little better.
I also think that a few Kurt Vonnegut books will not disappoint.
I recommend Margaret Atwood too - Alias Grace in particular. I really liked Blonde - it took me ages to read it, but I never got tired of it. You're not the only one who hasn't read any of James Patterson's books, or no.7, 8, 9 or 10. I read loads of Grisham's books years ago - they got very samey. I might have a go at this myself.
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't be in a huge hurry to read Jodi Picoult... it seems like she's become very formulaic over the years.
ReplyDeleteI want to read Atwood, Green, and Salinger, though only have Green's The Fault In Our Stars to hand at the moment. From what I've read about The Handmaid's TAle it's very much worth the read!
ReplyDeleteI definitely recommend Atwood - loved Handmaid's Tale. I actually have read several of Grisham's books - not great writing but they do keep you entertained.
ReplyDeleteJane, I enjoyed this post. It even inspired some thought.
ReplyDeleteUnless you are joining in for the bicentennial, if Waverley is causing trouble I say skip it and try The Heart of Midlothian or maybe The Bride of Lammermoor.
And for Salinger, skip the novel and try "A Perfect Day for Bananafish." That title looks absurd now that I have typed it out, but I guess it is correct.
For Oates, same advice, but the story is "How I Contemplated the World from the Detroit House of Correction."
Thanks for the recommendations, Tom. I didn't realize that 2014 is the bicentennial of the publication of Waverly--now I have to read it, along with my reread of Mansfield Park. Got to mark the big occasions :)
Delete"A Perfect Day for Bananafish" - I can't resist the title, and since I have no intention of reading Catcher in the Rye, this might be a good way to say I've read Salinger!
I didn't know it was the Waverly bicentennial--cool! As for Salinger, Catcher in the Rye is a compassionate book in the end, I believe, whose character is formed by early tragedy. I don't believe its ultimate message is destructive or immoral. I may be prejudiced in favor (Holden Caulfield is 99th on my list) but I think those who have misused the book have misunderstood it, fastening on bits of it instead of the whole picture. Like Huckleberry Finn's, his is an important first-person voice in American fiction that repays a sensitive hearing.
ReplyDeleteWhile I said that I have no desire to read Catcher in the Rye, I am interested in what sparks a following from a literary point of view, and Holden Caulfield definitely is an important character in American literature. For that alone, I probably should read the book.
DeleteInteresting list. I also have never read Catcher in the Rye....though our book club may read it next year so I will have to at least get the Cliff Notes! I used to read a lot of John Grisham, and enjoyed them for awhile, but then they stated sounding too much alike. I've read most of Jodi Picoult and found them to be either very good or run or the mill...hit and miss. I read The Fault in Our Stars for book club and was underwhelmed. Some of the others are on my list, but haven't go to them. Thanks for the thought-provoking post.
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