Wednesday 27 January 2016

Stories & Shout Outs #7


During my recent summer holidays I kept thinking about all those wonderful books I had read before I started blogging (in 2009).

All those glorious, wonderful reads that remain un-reviewed by moi!

I'd love to bring these gems to light but so many of them are just faint memories of a time gone by. They are little more than a warm feeling, a fond regard or a happy glow.

I hope to reread them all one day - those 5-star books that have taken up permanent residence in my heart.

The danger, of course, is that they wont remain 5-star reads. That they were books that spoke to me at a certain time in my life but are no longer significant or relevant.

A few 5-star books have already stood the test of time and several pre-blog rereads including:

Cloudstreet by Tim Winton
The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank
Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood
Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton
A Room With a View by E.M. Forster
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery
The Dark Palace by Frank Moorhouse

These 5-star pre-blog reads are on my TBRR (to be reread) wishlist:

Dr Zhivago by Boris Pasternak
Middlemarch by George Eliot
A Passage to India by E.M. Forster
The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins
Moonstone by Wilkie Collins
David Copperfield by Charles Dickens
A Suitable Boy by Vikram Seth (this book is up there as one of my all-time favourite books. I still think about the characters and wonder what they're all up to.)
Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood
Fugitive Pieces by Anne Michaels
A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
Centennial by James Michener (this one may be pure fancy. I watched the TV series as a tweenie, then decided to read the book at age 13. It was my first proper adult read. I adored it, and it will always hold a place in my heart for being the first :-)

Remember this?
Have you ruined the memory a much loved book by rereading it?

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As some of you already know, I'm eagerly awaiting February (not just because it's my birthday month!) but because of the Little Women/Good Wives readalong being hosted by Suey, Jenni and Kami.

Lisa @TBR313 has been helping me to get in the mood with this fascinating post about The Selected Letters of Louisa May Alcott.

Brian @Babbling Books also reminded me why I love A Room With A View so much.

Happy Reading!

6 comments:

  1. Thank you for including my Alcott post! I'm looking forward to the read-along too :)

    I love Centennial. I still remember the summer I spent reading it in my parents' basement, just so enthralled with the story. I had no idea I could become so invested in the story of a dinosaur! I haven't re-read it in a while, but I do think it holds up. Nancy Drew on the other hand was a complete disappointment when I tried to reread those books a couple of years ago.

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    1. I'm glad to hear that Centennial might still be a reread to look forward to *sigh of relief.

      I never got into Nancy drew when I was younger - I was a Trixie Belden fan instead - I loved the mix of crime-fighting and relationships. I've never tried a reread though.....hmmmmmm....

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  2. Thanks for the mention Brona.

    That was my first time reading A Room with a View. It really was a great book.

    Your TBR looks great. I look forward to reading your future reviews,

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  3. I remember loving Centennial and A Suitable Boy, too! So many books I'd love to reread one day...

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  4. I've always wanted to read Cloudstreet. Is it really good? Should I save it for Australian Reading Month?

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    1. I loved it both times I read it but it is very Australian in place and mannerism which can put some off. There's also an almost magic realism element that also puts off some. But I loved the relationships, the time and place which Winton evoked so beautifully and the air of mystery, wonder and searching that infuses the story.
      I'm sure I will read it again sooner rather than later (I first read it in 1995, then again in 2006, so I'm due!)

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