Top Ten Tuesday

Ten Books That Have Been On Your Shelf (Or TBR) From Before You Started Blogging

I started this meme with the hope that this venture into my TBR pile from years gone by would inspire me to finally read some of those books that have languished at the bottom of the pile through no fault of their own, except that they were bought a long, long time ago.

Upon closer inspection, though, those books may have been languishing for other reasons.

My unread from long ago tend to be chunksters - worthy books weighed down by their heavy topics. Books that I really want to read, but also ones that I'm waiting for the right to time to tackle.

Now that I've checked them out again, I suspect that these unread books will be languishing a little while longer. Perhaps, waiting for my retirement years?

10.
Charles Darwin 
The Origin of Species

Before I bought my first home (16 yrs ago! where did those years go?) I used to subscribe to the Folio Society. Over a number of years I gradually built up a wonderful array of beautiful hardback illustrated editions of some of my favourite books as well as a few titles I felt that I should have because I wanted to read them...one day.

I read a great bio about Darwin in my twenties and had always wanted to read The Origin of Species for myself. And one day I will!

9.
Christopher Hibbert
Cities and Civilisation

Another Folio Society edition that I had forgotten about completely until Cirtnecce mentioned Hibbert and his fabulous historical non-fiction books in a recent post.

I will never forget though, the thrill of receiving my FS books.
They always arrived well packaged, wrapped and protected. The boxes were then placed in a large mail bag and security sealed. Collecting this huge mail bag from the post office was a pure delight - it felt just like a childhood Christmas day!

8.
Truman Capote
Breakfast at Tiffany's

I know!
How have I not read this iconic story?
I loved the movie of course but somewhere along the way I have heard that the book is quite different to the movie. Different good or different bad though I do not know.

7.
Lewis Carroll
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland

My mother had this book on her shelf from her childhood.
As an avid reader I went through my parent's bookshelves with a fine tooth comb at a very early age. But I could never get into Alice. 
I tried a few times, but it was simply too weird for this reality loving, historical fiction buff.
This new illustrated edition at work might inspire me to try again.

6.
Charles Dickens
Little Dorrit

I've been reading Dickens since my teen years & acquiring the ones I haven't read at odd times ever since. I have no idea how long this one has been sitting on my shelf, but its yellowing edges would suggest a while!

5.
Karen Blixen
Out of Africa

I've been through a couple of editions of this book for some strange reason (the previous edition may have been culled in the great get-rid-of-all-my-unread-movie-tie-in-cover purge when I moved to Sydney).
This lovely cover is the one currently presiding on my TBR shelf.

4.
Rohinton Mistry
A Fine Balance

A lover of Indian literature from way back, I have no idea how this modern classic has stayed unread for so long, except for maybe it's size.

3.
Edward P Jones
The Known World

I have good track record with Pulitzer Prize winning books, so again, I have no idea why this one has remained unread, except perhaps for it's weighty size and topic.

2.
Astrid Lindgren
Pippi Longstocking

Another book from my mum's childhood bookshelf that I never got around to reading. 
Maybe it was all that red hair!
I recently acquired a new edition (& a red-headed niece with it)! 
Hopefully I will now be inspired to tackle this classic that has been lurking in my background for way too long.

1.
Richard Yates
Revolutionary Road

I read a fascinating review about Yates years and years ago. I remember nothing about the review except for the desire it left me with to read some Yates.
Over the years I have been acquiring his backlist, but so far, I have only read one of them.
I'm glad I managed to acquire an edition for Revolutionary Road that wasn't the movie-tie-in one!

Have you read any of the above?
Can you give me a rave reason why I should drop everything and read one of them now?
Which book has been languishing on your shelves the longest?

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.