What Your Unread Books Say About You

Are there books you will never read? I boldly wrote a blog post about it here: Books I'll Never Read (Plus a Couple of Those I Didn't Think I'd Read, But Did, and Loved), but that was in 2018, and, since then, I've changed my mind and went ahead and read War and Peace and Moby Dick that were on my books-I'll-never-read list, and I'm glad I did.

Still, I have books I feel no desire to read. Maybe you do, too.

I was motivated to look more closely at the books I feel no desire to read when I recently read an article in the Baltimore Sun by Nara Schoenberg called "What Your 'Unread Books' List Reveals. Schoenberg notes that Paris Review editor Loren Stein feels that our literary omissions may say more about us than the books we've actually read.

So what are the books I feel I should read but don't really want to read? And what do these books say about me?

A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara

I have a paperback copy of this book. And I bought an ebook of it. And I've been told over and over that it's a fantastic story. Nevertheless, I don't want to read it. People have hinted at a deep and disturbing sadness in this book, and while I can take a deep sadness, I'm not sure I can take a disturbing sadness.

Lord Jim by Joseph Conrad

In high school, we read (and every last one of us!) hated Heart of Darkness. It became a symbol for us of a book that English teachers feel compelled to force on their students, whether students have any interest in reading it or not. I have a whole list of books including The Scarlet Letter and All Quiet on the Western Front that may have been spoiled for me simply because they were on lists approved by English teachers.

The Bourne Identity by Robert Ludlum

It's on the 1000 Books You Must Read list, but it has no appeal to me. I am afraid the emphasis is on action over character development and that's something I'm not terribly interested in.

As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner

I have never read William Faulkner and I can't seem to find any interest in reading any of his books. What does Faulkner have to say that would speak to me? 

The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler

Mysteries. I don't like mysteries and I avoid them. A mystery that reminds me of a math problem, and that's what I don't like about it. There's only one possible answer, one right ending, and that makes reading the story tedious. To me.

Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky 

There's something intimidating to me about Russian writers. 

So what do these books have to say about me as a reader? 

What do your unread books say about you?

Self-Care: Wisdom from a Humble Jellyfish

Life is rough for all of us. You'd think that once we humans managed to find ways to ensure a good supply of food and to stay warm in the icy days of winter that we'd be set. But, no, we humans are our own worst enemies. We have developed habits that destroy us from within.

Rani Shah encourages us to practice self-care. And who better to teach us self-care skills than nature?

The raven, for example. Did you know that ravens have been observed calling out to wolves when they spot an injured or weak animal and leading the wolves to it? Yes, cooperative behavior. It benefits the wolf, and it benefits the raven because the bird doesn't have the power a wolf has to break open bones and flesh. 

What can we learn about self-care from birds, then? "We must flock together in order to succeed."

The elephant is another good role model in self-care for us humans. Did you know elephant families are led by matriarchs? Elephant leaders are chosen not for their battle skills or popularity, but because they have earned the respect of the rest of the elephants in the family. 

Self-care lesson from the elephant? "True leadership is earned, not awarded."

So, a jellyfish?

Yep, a jellyfish. Did you know that the jellyfish may be three times as old as the first dinosaurs? And do you realize how jellyfish move? To swim, a jellyfish must contract its body and then relax in order to initiate a second wave of movement. Unless it relaxes in between strokes, there is no forward movement. The jellyfish is one of the most energy-efficient creatures on the planet.

Self-care lesson from the, yes, jellyfish? "There is no moving forward without a little relaxation."

Other chapters teach us how we can learn better self-care habits from the shrimp, the spider, the oyster, yes even the sunflower.

For more wordless photos, go to Wordless Wednesday.

Wondrous Words Wednesday is a weekly meme where you can share new words that you’ve encountered, or spotlight words you love.  Feel free to get creative! It was first created by Kathy over at Bermuda Onion and is now hosted at Elza Reads.

Books Too Good to Review Properly

The best books I've ever read, the classics and the future classics, are too good to review properly. 

What can I possibly say about these books that hasn't already been said by someone much wiser and much more thoughtful than I am?

My review of Anne of Green Gables, for example? "How could I have missed this as a girl?!" And that's it. Oh my.

And I haven't written a review for The Hobbit at all.

War and Peace

Anna Karenina

Moby Dick

Great Expectations

Little Women

The Great Gatsby

To Kill a Mockingbird

The Good Earth

The Hobbit

Anne of Green Gables

What books have you found too good to review properly?

Thank you, Dedra @ A Book Wanderer for this fabulous idea for a prompt.

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together. Each Tuesday That Artsy Reader Girl assigns a topic and then post her top ten list that fits that topic. You’re more than welcome to join her and create your own top ten (or 2, 5, 20, etc.) list as well. Feel free to put a unique spin on the topic to make it work for you! Please link back to That Artsy Reader Girl in your own post so that others know where to find more information.     

In Which I Share That I Will Be Visiting Paris in April...

 

I finished two very good books for Black History Month last week. Native Son tells the story of a young Black man in Chicago who accidentally kills a white girl. Parable of the Sower is the story of a post-apocalyptic California in which killing and stealing are commonplace.

I read two light nonfiction books last week. Subpar Parks is a tour of America's national parks, each led with a review by a disgruntled park visitor and followed by information about the park. Wisdom from a Humble Jellyfish shares self-care tips from nature. 

I listened to a much-abridged version of The Decameron. It's about a group of young people who go out in the countryside of Florence, Italy, to escape the plague. They tell stories to pass the time. It was first published in 1353, but I think you can see why I chose to listen to this one now.

And, finally, I wrapped up Edith Wharton's The Custom of the Country. Thank you, JoAnn of Gulfside Musing, for your review of this book that led to me reading it. There's no doubt that Undine Spragg beats Scarlet O'Hara for the Biggest Spoiled Brat Award.

What I Read:

The Custom of the Country by Edith Wharton (Classics Club) ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

The Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler (Black History Month) ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Wisdom from a Humble Jellyfish and Other Self-Care Rituals from Nature (Nonfiction) ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Subpar Parks: America's Most Extraordinary National Parks and Their Least Impressed Visitors (Nonfiction) ⭐⭐⭐⭐

The Decameron by Giovanni Boccaccio (Classics Club) ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Native Son by Richard Wright (Black History Month) ⭐⭐⭐⭐

What I'm Reading:

Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants 

by Robin Wall Kimmerer (Naturalist Book Club)

Another Year of Wonder: Classical Music for Everyday by Clemency Burton Hill (Nonfiction)

The Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C. S. Lewis (Narniathon)

The Hobbit, or There and Back Again by J.R.R. Tolkien (Book Club Read)

Yes, the big game is on, but I don't know who's playing. What to do? What to do? How about spending the time in a The Big Game's On Read-a-Thon? 

The details:

• No rules, no guidelines, just read
• No start/end times, just read at your leisure.
• Mini-challenges will be created to break up your reading time. Participating in these challenges is not mandatory, but you will be eligible for a number of great prizes!

Here's my stack of potential reads.

Join us at Jenn's Bookshelves for some excellent reading time.

We are having a fabulous discussion about Braiding Sweetgrass in our Texas Master Naturalist Book Club. We will conclude with the last third of the book for discussion next month.

The Cybils Awards winners will be announced Monday, February 14th!

Last week I posted here at Readerbuzz:

Broken-Winged, Yet Still Beautiful, Butterflies

Best Love Stories in Books You'd Never Call Romance Novels

My sister and I in Paris in February of 2020, just before the pandemic hit

I've been trying not to jinx it by talking about it, but it looks like I will be going to Paris at the end of March. My sister and I will spend two weeks in Paris and then our husbands will join us for a week in the Loire Valley. Please keep your fingers crossed for us!

Good Thing #1

Paris 

Good Thing #2

Paris 

Good Thing #3

Paris 

I'm happy you joined us here at the Sunday Salon. Sunday Salon is a place to link up and to share what we have been doing during the week. It's a great way to visit other blogs and join in the conversations going on there. 

Some of the things we often talk about at the Sunday Salon:

• What was your week like?
• Read any good books? Tell us about them.
• What other bookish things did you do? 
• What else is going on in your life?

Other places where you may like to link up over the weekend are below. Click on the picture to visit the site.

        

My linkup for Sunday Salon is below. 

Broken-Winged, Yet Still Beautiful, Butterflies

A butterfly is amazing to me. You see this little creature, usually only an inch or two (30-60 mm), weighting  only .017-.019 ounches (.5-.55 grams) and it lights and then it slowly unfolds its wings---wow. A little spot of perfection.

But sometimes the wings are unfolded and you see this butterfly has had its struggles.

Sometimes the damage is small.

But sometimes you wonder how the butterfly has managed to keep flying at all.

And, despite it all, the butterfly is still beautiful. 

For more wordless photos, go to Wordless Wednesday.

Best Love Stories in Books You'd Never Call Romance Novels

I wouldn't call any of these romance novels. Not real romance novels, anyway.

My Mistress's Sparrow is Dead: Great Love Stories from Chekhov to Munro

Chemistry by Weike Wang

Anything Jane Austen

Possession by A. S. Byatt

The Gold Bug Variations by Richard Powers

The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton

The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro

War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy

The Heart's Invisible Furies by John Boyne

Charlotte's Web by E. B. White

David Copperfield by Charles Dickens

The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami

Have you read any of these? Do you agree? Do you have others to contribute to this list?

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together. Each Tuesday That Artsy Reader Girl assigns a topic and then post her top ten list that fits that topic. You’re more than welcome to join her and create your own top ten (or 2, 5, 20, etc.) list as well. Feel free to put a unique spin on the topic to make it work for you! Please link back to That Artsy Reader Girl in your own post so that others know where to find more information.    

❄️ ❄️ ❄️ Cold! ❄️ ❄️ ❄️

 

No pretty snow here, like many of you here in the US are experiencing, but we did see temperatures drop into the 20s F, and that's cold, folks. We here don't know how to drive in weather that leaves ice on the roads, so everything---schools, work, lots of businesses---is shut down.

Plenty of time for reading...

What I Read:

Gastro Obscura: A Food Adventurer's Guide (Nonfiction) ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Bibliophile: Diverse Spines by Jamise Harper (Books-about-Books) ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Small Pleasures by Clare Chambers (Fiction) ⭐⭐⭐⭐

The Maid by Nina Prose (Fiction) ⭐⭐⭐⭐

The Last Cuentista by Donna Barba Higuera (Newbery Winner) ⭐⭐⭐⭐

What I'm Reading:

Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants 

by Robin Wall Kimmerer (Naturalist Book Club)

The Custom of the Country by Edith Wharton (Classics Club)

The Everything Guide to C. S. Lewis Narnia Book by Jon Kennedy (Narniathon)

Another Year of Wonder: Classical Music for Everyday by Clemency Burton Hill (Nonfiction)

The Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C. S. Lewis (Narniathon)

One of the things I always look forward to in January are the American Library Association's Youth Media Awards. I was delighted to see the winners of three of my favorite awards. All the winners are listed here.

2022 John Newbery Medal 

Most outstanding contribution to children’s literature. 

The Last Cuentista by Donna Barba Higuera

  

2022 Randolph Caldecott Medal

Most distinguished picture book for children. 

Watercress by Andrea Wang, illustrated by Jason Chin 

  

2022 Michael L. Printz Award

Excellence in literature written for young adults. 

Firekeeper’s Daughter by Angeline Boulley

 

Last week I posted here at Readerbuzz:

My Favorite Books with Character Names in the Titles

Wondrous Words: The Happiness Dictionary

As Action for Happiness says, "We need each other more than ever right now!" Let's focus on relationships this month during Friendly February. Visit Action for Happiness to print out your own happiness calendar.

Good Thing #1

 Bibliophile: Diverse Spines 

is a fabulous source of recommendations for reading diversely.

Good Thing #2

Another Year of Wonder: Classical Music for Everyday

is another great list of 365 pieces of classical music.

Good Thing #3

I'm reading book 3, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader,

for Narniathon.

I'm happy you joined us here at the Sunday Salon. Sunday Salon is a place to link up and to share what we have been doing during the week. It's a great way to visit other blogs and join in the conversations going on there. 

Some of the things we often talk about at the Sunday Salon:

• What was your week like?
• Read any good books? Tell us about them.
• What other bookish things did you do? 
• What else is going on in your life?

Other places where you may like to link up over the weekend are below. Click on the picture to visit the site.

        

My linkup for Sunday Salon is below.