I haven't done a Top Ten Tuesday in a while, but I loved the idea of this one, so here goes.
BTW, Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl.
Bookish Brags (or Confessions!) (what are you proud of or… not-so proud of in your bookish life?)
I always say that reading is not a competitive sport, but there are a few things that are braggable...
- I have read/watched all of Shakespeare's plays at least once.
- I have read all of Dickens's novels at least once.
- I read all of Austen by age 21, the novels multiple times.
- I started my blog in 2008, and while I haven't been super consistent with my posts, I haven't gone on hiatus since then. I love the book blogging world.
And then there are those things that I must confess...
- When I was a teenager--probably 14 or 15 and reading Pride and Prejudice yet again in late June in the skating rink locker room between sessions, a fellow figure skater asked what I was reading. I showed her and she asked why, since school was out of session. I lied and said it was required reading for the Fall semester. In fact, I was reading it because I loved Jane Austen and P&P.
- I have sworn off ever trying to read Henry James and Virginia Woolf. I have tried on many occasions, and they are just so much work! And for me, the payoff just isn't there.
- I love most of Philippa Gregory's books, even though she plays fast and loose with historical fact, and I always say that historical fiction should not alter facts to suit the story line. But, she just tells such good stories!
- I don't like The Princess Bride by William Goldman--I love the movie, but the book left me cold.
So there you have it, true confessions and a couple of self-congratulations!
What are you proud of, and what do you have to confess?
Wow! You have read a lot of classics. Yet, out of all that what I got is that you are a fellow skater. Although my skates are of the roller variety. I still skate and even competed a couple years ago.
ReplyDeleteGood for you--still skating and competing! That's wonderful.
DeleteWelcome back to Top Ten Tuesday!
ReplyDeleteWow, you’ve been blogging a long time. Good for you.
Here is my Top Ten Tuesday.
I just visited your blog and loved your brags! So nice to meet you.
DeleteI'm impressed that you've read so much Dickens. The only Dickens novel I've read all the way through is A CHRISTMAS CAROL! I do read it every December, though.
ReplyDeleteHappy TTT!
Nice to meet you, Susan.
DeleteWow! Any one of those brags would be an impressive lifetime achievement; you are amazingly well read.
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by--I enjoyed reading your list as well.
DeleteGreat post and congratulations on keeping your wonderful book blog since 2008! I so enjoy reading it. And congratulation on having read all of Shakespeare and Dickens.
ReplyDeleteI am proud of reading all 3 of the Brontes' major novels. I am also proud of reading Fydor Dostoyevsky's Crime and Punishment and Middlemarch by Elliot. Both such great novels.
A confession for me has to do with Charles Dickens. He is the greatest of the Victorian writers but I didn't feel what I hoped I would when reading him. But my favorite Victorian writer is George Gissing who covers much of the same territory as Dickens. And I plan to try Our Mutual Friend. I am not giving up on Dickens!
I have had a complicated relationship with Dickens over the years. I don't love everything he wrote, and he was a very complicated person who at times is tough to admire, but he was a creative genius who left his mark on the world.
DeleteI really need to read George Gissing! Thanks for the reminder.
Love this post! My confession: I don't like Jane Eyre. And I never tell people that, because everyone loves it SO much, and I just don't. It's one of my deep, dark bookish secrets. ;D And my brag: I, too, have read all of Shakespeare's plays, and seen about 20 of them onstage.
ReplyDeleteI tend to just assume that historical fiction plays fairly loose with fine details while holding fast to major events...but I also don't really try to research most things I read about in historical fiction to see how accurate they really are.
ReplyDeleteI hope you have a great rest of your week. - Katie
Here's my TTT if you wish to visit - https://justanothergirlandherbooks.blogspot.com/2024/10/top-ten-tuesday-bookish-brags-and.html
I usually don't research while I am reading historical fiction, but I have read a lot of history and some things I just know...like Anne Boleyn was the younger sister not the older sister to Mary :)
DeleteTo have read all of Dickens, Shakespeare, and Austen is very inspiring and a great accomplishment! I have not read all of them so that is my confession but I can aspire to read more. I like your confessions ... I too do not like Henry James or have not made any progress on getting thru a book of his (seemed so dull). I'm not sure I have a brag: maybe just posting & reviewing since 2009.
ReplyDeletePosting and reviewing since 2009 is definitely braggable. Good for you!
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