The Guilty Reader

By Michelle S. RSS Mon, February 28, 2011

I've been an avid reader since I was young. I was an English major in college. I'm one of those people that always has to be reading something, even if it's the back of the cereal box at breakfast... which is why I feel especially guilty about the fact that there are some--too many--classic books that I just haven't read.

Ulysses? Nope. Anna Karenina? Sorry, Tolstoy. Middlemarch? Ooh, look! Over there! (as I slink away...)

I'm making it a goal to read at least one classic novel a month, starting now. What classics are must-reads? Which should never have survived the test of time? Are there any "great books" that you feel a little bad not having read?

I have not read this.
I have not read this.
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After seeing the movie trailer for the upcoming remake of Jane Eyre, I knew I had to read it. And I loved it! Can't wait to see the movie now!
Lindsay - Northeast Philly
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Out of curiosity, what determines a "classic" read? My first thought to suggest to you would be "Little Women," but does that count as a classic? I do feel guilty about never having read A Tale of Two Cities. I must get on that...
Alyson -
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
I think you could spend your life reading books that are deemed "classics" and never make it through them all. Don't sweat your reading list, just read what you enjoy! I'm happy knowing I will never read Jane Eyre. I tried once but couldn't make it past 50 pages. But I've read Ulysses a handful of times and love it! To each his (or her) own.
Steven - South Philly
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Lindsay: Jane Eyre is such a good book. Can't wait for the film! Alyson: I think the question of what deems a book to be a "classic" is a very interesting one that deserves a whole other blog post."Stands the test of time" is an explanation I've often heard, but I think it's more complicated than that. For what it's worth, I really enjoyed A Tale of Two Cities! Steven: I completely agree with you that life is too short to not read what you like!
Michelle - Free Library of Philadelphia
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
I just don't like Dickens. There, I've said it.
Robin - Williamsport
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
I was an English major too. My list of great books that I have not read (and mean to sooner or later) includes: Frankenstein, Moby Dick, and The Turn of the Screw. We started a Winter Reading Club at work, where we read classics and eat heavy foods like pot roast and stew.
Andrea - Columbia, MD
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
I've never read any Tolstoy. Or Proust. They're just . . . so . . . long . . .
Adrienne - Philadelphia
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
I've started Les Miserables multiple times. And since I refuse to skip past the hundred-page digressions, I've never gotten past the battle of Waterloo. I'm planning on picking up a recommended translation and trying again after I'm out of grad school...
Jackie - West Philly
Thursday, March 3, 2011

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