Books I’m Embarrassed I Haven’t Read Yet
I’ve decided that 2021 is the year I read the books I should have already read. Here’s the embarrassing list. No judging please.
Little Women
Louisa May Alcott
Kicking off with a classic that I tried to read too young. My mum told me I’d love this and so I wanted to read it. I was too young, and it put me off. The language was too old-fashioned, not enough action, everything sounded boring. But having now watched the Greta Gerwig film adaptation and become obsessed, I now really need to try again. I’ve already started, and I can tell that, this time, I’m ready to fully understand the obsession.
Lorna Doone
R.D. Blackmore
Okay, perhaps not an embarrassing one for most people but a little bit for me. I grew up fully OBSESSED with the BBC adaptation of this book. I was terrified of Carver Doone, wanted to be Lorna Doone and was in love with John Ridd. As my feelings were so passionate and I adore reading, I can’t believe I’ve never even thought about reading the book. Well, it’s now firmly installed on my bookshelf and ready to be tackled. I’ll be honest; it does look a bit long, though.
Circe
Madeline Miller
This slipped under my radar for about a year. People kept mentioning it, but it didn’t really hit the big time in my circle of friends. Then, during the pandemic, it did. Everyone I know seemed to be reading this and praising its new modern slant on the old Greek tales. I love the Greek myths, and I love a new interpretation (especially if it features a badass woman), so there is no reason why I haven’t read this. However, I now have the audiobook, and I’m ready to love it.
The Beekeeper of Aleppo
Christy Lefteri
I missed the hype when this book first came out. I heard so many people raving about it and kept telling myself I’d read it. Bit it came out just as my career in publishing was coming to an end, and I was preparing to move abroad and start my own business. Any free time I had went on trying to prepare for the move, so I feel like I missed all the books published at this time. However, a few years later, I’m ready to tackle this book, and I’ve tissues at the ready. My mum says I’ll need them and she’s usually right.
The Secret History
Donna Tart
Apparently, this is a modern classic if you like murder and the dark academia aesthetic. While I can’t honestly call myself a fan of either of these things, this book has been recommended to me more times than I can count. So many people have mentioned this to me over the years; I feel like I really have to read it, even if it’s just to tell people to stop talking about it.
The Handmaid’s Tales
Margaret Atwood
I’m ashamed to admit I’ve never read this book. I went all the way through GCSEs. A-Levels and University, and it never crossed my path. I heard so much about it, I already know what happens, and I’ve heard snippets, but because I know the ending, I never bother to pick it up and actually read it cover to cover. This year is the year. And I’m excited.
The City of Tears
Kate Mosse
I’ve adored Kate Mosse’s work for a decade. Truly. Her books are some of the first books I read that I considered “adult” books. This is the second in her latest trilogy. As with all her books, I loved the first and eagerly counted the days until this second novel. I went out and bought myself a copy of the hardback and bought a second for my mum. Then I put it down and haven’t picked it up since. Every time I see it, I get excited to read it. But I don’t actually read it. This year I will.
Maybe.