Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish, a state that you don't have to worry about being deprived of more books as long as you're near a library. ;) This week's Top Ten is:
*cue dramatic music*
Top Ten Books You Lied About
1. Ivanhoe by Walter Scott - I wanted to impress one of my English teachers in high school, so when we had the intro assignment, I wrote Ivanhoe under "Books Read." Ironically, I now own an edition from 1901 (That's 110 years old!) thanks to a nice family friend. I don't think I'll be reading that delicate copy, but I might try to read one from the library.
2. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley - Even though it was on the reading assignments for both a high school class AND a college class, I got away with just skimming this book. Honestly, that kind of dystopia was such a trip to yawnsville for me, no offense to anyone who enjoyed BNW. It just wasn't my cup of tea.
3. Different Seasons by Stephen King - To be honest, I only read one of the novellas in this collection of 4 stories, namely "Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption." Great story, but I didn't really feel the other novellas in this collection.
4. Jaws by Peter Benchley - I'm an amateur shark conservationist, and for many of us this novel is the publicity that sharks don't really need. But I was still curious about the book and even more surprised to see just how small the novel is. It's amazing how a 300 page book can create such a lengthy movie. Then again, look at The Old Man and the Sea.
5. Creature/White Shark by Peter Benchley - I fibbed about not reading this because so many of my friends thought it looked like a corny book. Actually, I enjoyed it and appreciated Benchley for trying to undo some damage that Jaws did. However, the film with Craig T. Nelson and Kim Cattrall left something to be desired.
6. Moby Dick by Herman Melville - It's not that I didn't read the novel...I just didn't read the unabridged version. Have you ever tried to get through the actual novel? I had trouble just staying awake through the first 25 pages, and I normally try to give a book 50 pages before deciding whether to give up.
As it turns out, I didn't lie about that many books! 6 is a good number, right? And I look forward to seeing everyone's Top Ten Tuesday! ^_^ Enjoy BEA, my fellow bloggers, for those of you who are attending!
I actually liked Brave New World, I guess I was into dystopia even way back then! There are a few books I was required to read in high school that were so deadly boring that I just bought the Cliffs Notes instead, but for the life of me, I can't remember what they were. I will be racking my brain for the rest of the day over this....
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Truly Bookish
I know what you mean about Moby Dick. I skipped too many pages from the book, the unabridged version. I wish I hadn't tried to read that book!!
ReplyDeleteFun list ;)
Here's mine: http://peskypiksipesternomi.blogspot.com/2011/05/top-ten-tuesday-4.html
Interesting list. There are some books we can never get into...
ReplyDeleteHere is my Top Ten post!
I can't remember if I've ever read Moby Dick "for real" or not!
ReplyDeleteI was an English major and am an English teacher and I had no idea that Jaws was a book... I will admit that I have only read Brave New World on this list... I tell my students just because it is old, doesn't make it interesting.
ReplyDeleteI read the abridged copy of Les Miserables and loved it. It was still over 600 pages long and I don't feel like a missed a thing. Good enough. I consider it read!
ReplyDelete+JMJ+
ReplyDeleteLike Anne, I read the abridged version of Les Miserables and don't think I missed anything of the plot . . . but I'd still like to read the unabridged version someday so that I can stop telling people, "Yes, I read it--but only the abridged version." =P
And since you asked, DJL, I've seen Moby Dick on a lot of lists. You're not alone in your frustration with the unabridged text! =)
What an interesting question... I can't think of any books I've lied about. I'm a pretty voracious reader, and I'm usually very upfront about what I've read and what I haven't.
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