This is surprisingly challenging.. and I feel really old. I perused my Goodreads TBR list and found these books on my to-read published before I was born (1966). It's a pretty short list! In college and graduate school, I focused mainly on 20th century lit, so I don't have much of that on my TBR list. That doesn't mean I've read everything in the 20th century, of course, but I have read a LOT! And again, as an English major, I've read a heck of a lot of classics. I could definitely add some re-reads of classics or some first-time reads, but here we go:
Shirley by Charlotte Brontë. Published in 1849. This is probably the only novel by any of the sisters that I haven't read yet. A Girl of the Limberlost by Gene Stratton-Porter. First published in 1901. This is a YA novel about a young girl growing up in the early 20th century.
North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell. Published in 1855. A young woman has to move from her comfortable, middle class home to a millworking town in the north of England.
Years of Grace by Margaret Ayers. This book won the Pulitzer in 1931. It was referenced in another novel that I can't remember now, and I immediately added it to my list.
Sons and also A House Divided by Pearl Buck. Published in 1932 and 1935, these are sequels to The Good Earth.
They Came Like Swallows by William Maxwell. Published in 1937. It tells of an American family overtaken by the epidemic of the Spanish influenza of 1918. Seems appropriate for now!
Obviously, I lean much more toward contemporary literature these days! Perhaps I had my fill of reading and teaching classics through the decades. So many books to discover!
Linked up with Top Ten Tuesday at That Artsy Reader Girl
6 comments:
I read and enjoyed Stoner ages ago. I can't remember much of the plot anymore, so maybe I should reread it. :)
My post.
I was an English major in college, too, and there are TONS of classics I haven't read. With a few exceptions, I just don't like classics all that much. Gasp! I did see NORTH AND SOUTH mentioned in a book I read recently and was thinking I should maybe pick it up. I hope we both enjoy it :)
Happy TTT!
Susan
www.blogginboutbooks.com
I need to read these. Thank you so much.
www.rsrue.blogspot.com
It sounds like a good challenge- I should read more classics and older works can be especially interesting, even if they didn't become a 'classic'. I've read Girl of the Limberlost, and would like to again (been trying to get my teenager to read it but hard to maintain interest it's not as exciting as modern YA!) I think I've heard of Stoner before and would like to try that one. I read the Good Earth just last year and while it wasn't a favorite of mine, I'd still like to read the sequels someday. They Came Like Swallows sounds like it would be very pertinent, but also one that might have to wait for another time, for me.
They Came Like Swallows sounds really interesting -- I've actually been thinking about looking for a book that features the Spanish Flu pandemic, because I haven't really read much fiction or nonfiction that focuses on that time, and does seem very pertinent at the moment.
A Girl of the Limberlost has been one of my favorite books since high school. I hope you are able to get to it soon.
Good shaare
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