A few weeks ago I started this 10 part blog series where I go through one of those predictable “top 100 books to read in your lifetime” and give my two-cents about the books on the list. I found this top 100 list on AbeBooks, and I chose it because I thought it was that little bit less predictable in comparison to the BBC or Amazon one.
So, I’m here today to bring you the next 10 books on the list, bringing the count up to 30.
You can catch up on the previous posts in this series here! Part 1, Part 2
Animal Farm by George Orwell
I’ve never read an Orwell book, and even though people talk about this book all the time, including round the dinner table at home, I still haven’t had any spoilers for it! I definitely want to read this one, I just want to find myself a nice cover of it first.
Atonement by Ian McEwan
I don’t really know an awful lot about this novel, but I am interested in it. I think my step-sister said she’d read this one and liked it, so that always makes me want to read a book!
Barney’s Version by Mordecai Richler
This kind of seems like a book where not a lot happens. I hadn’t actually heard of it before now, but reading the synopsis, I’m not very interested in it.
The Beetle by Richard Marsh
Another novel I hadn’t heard of until now! The fact that this one is a horror / crime definitely makes me want to put it on my TBR! And with this one, I won’t make the mistake like I did with Susan Hill’s work, and imagine this Victorian horror is going to be super spooky!
The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath
I understand this book is a ‘classic’, but I don’t think I’d enjoy it personally. My thoughts on this is that it’s going to be bleak? I don’t know! Maybe I’ll change my mind on this at some point…
The Book of Negroes by Lawrence Hill
God this sounds so harrowing but I would still like to read it. It’s quite a bulky book, near 500 pages so it could very well take me a year and half to read it because of its subject, but that’s beside the point!
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
I feel like I should read this one because of how iconic it is, but then my mum said not to bother because she didn’t like it, and it worries me that I wouldn’t enjoy it because it’s YA.
The Giver by Lois Lowry
OK, so kind of going against what I said just a second ago, but I would be quite interested in reading this even though it is YA. I’ve seen sooo many fantastic reviews for this from fellow bloggers! But if I pick it up, I’ll have to prepare myself for maybe not liking it.
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
I really want to read this book! I have a copy of it at home, it’s such a beautiful looking book! This is such a ridiculously iconic novel, but it’s one of those ones that I fear will go over my head when I read it.
Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
I’ve never been interested in reading a Tolstoy book. They just don’t seem like the kind of fiction that I’d enjoy, so this is something I’ll never add to my TBR!
So there we have it for part three! A number of the books this week were ones I hadn’t heard of already, so it’s been nice to discover some new stuff!
I’d love to know if you’ve read any of these books, and if you have, what you thought of them!
I was speaking to my brother a few weeks ago and was surprised when he said the only book he ever read was Animal Farm, turns out it was for school! lol
I really want to read Animal farm and Brave New World.
Maybe try the book thief movie if its something you fancy trying but don’t think you will like the book. x
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The boys at my school read Animal Farm, while I was forced into reading Pride & Prejudice, eugh! I would have prefered the boys reading syllabus!
Good shout, maybe I’ll watch the movie instead 🙂 x
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I think I might prefer Animal Farm too! I have both on my TBR and just cant bring myself to read Pride & Prejudice. I was lucky enough to have to read “To Kill A Mockingbird” in school! Loved it!! x
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I read To Kill a Mockingbird in school too, loved it as well! 🙂
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Animal Farm is brilliant but I DNF’d the Book Thief and agree with your Mum!
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I really do want to read Animal Farm, I’ve heard such great things! 😀
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It’s quite short as well 🙂
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I have Brave New World on my shelves. It’s my husband’s. I feel like I should read it some point! Haven’t read any of the others. I read Orwell’s 1984, which I liked, and I feel like I should read Animal Farm, but something about it puts me off. Not sure what.
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It took me a long time to read Animal Farm because I disliked the covers so much. I finally read it, but I wish they had covers I liked better. I don’t want the covers I’ve seen for sale on my bookshelf. 😛
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Yeah, I hate a bad cover!
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I quite like this cover for it! 🙂 https://wordery.com/animal-farm-george-orwell-9781846553547
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I need to catch up on my Orewell reading, I feel like the last person on Earth to read any of his stuff! 🙂
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Brave New World and Animal Farm are great. I haven’t read BNW in a few years, though I think there are different levels for reading it — so some of it may go over your head (and may have gone over my head when I read it) but you will certainly get at least some of it.
I can’t recall ever hearing of Barney’s Vision either, and I know I’ve gone over the AbeBooks 100 books to read list when I compiled my personal Book Bucket List. Huh. I guess it wasn’t that memorable. 😉
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I am really looking forward to reading BNW! I’m sure some of it will be lost on me 😛
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I think BNW ss one of those books that requires multiple readings to get everything. I’m due for a re-read of it, too.
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Agh, that’s not good news for me! I never re-read books
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LOL, your experience might be different than mine. I tend to re-read books a lot, so I also view books in the sense of “how much would I get out of a re-read”.
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Ah, no, I never do that!
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I’m surprised I have actually read a few of these!! Haha. Brave New World is really good and Animal Farm is ok enough, as well as Atonement. I personally didn’t really care for The Book Thief either… But I do know a lot of people did love it. I really want to read The Giver this year, and I have the same doubts about The Bell Jar.
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You’re doing better than me! I really need to brush up on my classics and modern classics! 😛
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I’m not sure up to what point haha, because I have a huge pile of (modern) classics I still should read at some point! 😉
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I’ve actually read quite a few of these whatttt.
I definitely recommend Animal Farm (it would be good on a rainy day) and The Giver. The Giver is one of my favourite books so I hope you love it!
I doubt Brave New World will go over your head, it is a good book and if there’s ever anything you don’t get about the book, there’s so much content online because it is on so many high School Curriculums.
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I should try to get Animal Farm read soon, everyone on here is saying how good it is! That’s true, if I don’t get a book I never think to then Google it!!
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I read Animal Farm and thought it was just okay. I also read the Book Thief and the Giver. I loved the Giver back when I was little. The Book Thief was good but I wouldn’t re-read it. I saw the Atonement movie and hated it. I am not really likely to read any others on this list. Onto the next!
x The Captain
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Wow you’ve done a great job at reading most of these books so far!!
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