Which book do you think you should have read, but never have? (Do tell, and you could win a bundle of books worth £100)

[JaneMumsnet]

Hello,

In the run up to our first Bookfest event on 25 June (do take a look - we've got a fabulous line-up including Maggie O'Farrell, Meera Syal, Howard Jacobson, Andy Stanton and Liz Pichon, with a programme for all the family), we'll be running a survey on books and reading, and would love your help drawing up one or two of the questions.

1. Is there a book that you feel that you should have read but somehow missed out on? A classic that you've watched on TV but never perused in print? Which are the big tomes you are certain everyone around you has read, but you somehow missed out on or school or have never got round to tackling?

1. Is there a classic you are ashamed to admit you haven't read, to the extent that you might pretend that you have?

1. And - more broadly - is there an author whose greatest book or body of work has completely passed you by?

Do let us know - and all posters who tell us about the book or author who got away on this thread will be entered into a prize draw: one MNer will win a bundle of books worth £100.

Thanks as ever,

MNHQ

(This is a bit embarrassing, because I'm an English teacher - and I even teach A-level Lit!)

1. Like so many others, War and Peace.
2. Until recently, this was Nineteen Eighty-Four, but I read it a few weeks ago. It was OK. So now, I suppose The Tempest. I know the storyline, and I get all of the references to it in other works, but I've never read it.
3. H.G. Wells. I like the idea of his stories, but not enough to actually read them. I know that makes no sense.

The Catcher in the Rye, by JD Salinger, and
Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck.

I have no idea why I havent read them. Its not that I think I should. I'm pretty sure I'd really enjoy them.
I love To Kill a Mockingbird, Dickens, Austen et al. but I have no desire to read War and Peace, ever. Crime and Punishment was enough.
I read The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists and wished Dickens could rewrite it.

I'm an English Lit graduate/teacher and have never managed to finish anything by Dickens, even the ones I wrote essays on in my degree. I think he is a terrible writer, and therefore feel no shame at all about my inability to plod through his zillions of pages of self-indulgent twaddle.

Oh and I've never managed to get to the end of 'King Lear' either. I'm not convinced I care enough to ever bother trying to though, to be fair.

Gormenghast trilogy

I bought it and tried reading it...and tried....and tried

Just couldn't get into it, I've read the first chapter of the first book about 20 times

And they should be the perfect books for me

Same as SpongeBob and Ruthy - Ulysses I have a copy skulking on the bookshelves somewhere and even downloaded a copy on to kindle so I could read it when out and about but both copies keep avoiding me. Please don't let me win Ulysses...

I've never read any of the sci-fi classics, like 1984, War of the Worlds etc. I'd probably enjoy them, but I'm always far more tempted by books that I am sure I'll understand

I read a lot of the books on this thread, including War and Peace, during my moody pre-teen and teen phase when I refused to speak to people - I had a lot of free time!

But I have totally failed to read anything by Charles Dickens... I have tried so hard, so many times.

Agree with Ulysses and Lord of the rings - started and couldn't finish
To those who haven't read Jane Eyre, please find the time - I must have read it 10 times its my favourite.
To those who haven't read 50 shades: good for you - I have and that's 2 hours (all I could manage) of my life il never get back

I've never managed to finish 'wild swans' by Jung Chang although I've started it three times. It's been a while but I seem to remember everyone being referred to by their relationship to everyone else, rather than by name. So my mother's sister's cousin's daughter rather than just Their name and it got too confusing.

Anna Karenina
To Kill a Mockingbird
Anything by George Elliot
Ditto James Joyce

Beloved by Toni Morrison

I can't get past the first few pages. Even downloaded the audio book and still haven't got further than the first chapter

And Jane Eyre

There are lots of other books I should have read but some I am sure would be too complex for me especially ones by Russian writers but it bothers me I have not read or listened to these two

Another one here who's not read To Kill a Mockingbird. I felt like a right dunce when everyone was going nuts over the sequel coming out and I hadn't even read the first one.

Terry Pratchett too, I tried one of his books years ago and couldn't get into it. Fantasy isn't really my thing though, I've never been interested in stuff like Game of Thrones or Lord of the Rings either.

Another one for Lord of the Rings. I really enjoyed The Hobbit, but can never get past the middle of book 2 of LOTR.

I realised (sadly) today that I was probably going to die without having read 'In Search of Lost Time'. I've started it but find I get really anxious about the bit about Charles realising the woman wasn't even his type.
I know how ridiculous it is but - as I get older, the idea of irremediable mistakes, and the impossibility of time running back - especially since it's unlikely I'll re-make life in art - just seems quite overwhelming.

I still need to read War and Peace. Plus I've never read any Dickens, I find him too wordy.

I feel I should have read James Joyce's Ulysses - but not sure I ever will, it looks a bit daunting. Maybe my book group will choose it one day.......

Game of Thrones! I keep picking it up in WHS then putting it back! I might request a box set for Christmas this year! I'm pretty well read classic wise none spring to mind that I've missed except I've never read anything by Charles Dickens I don't know why I've just never fancied one!

1. Is there a book that you feel that you should have read but somehow missed out on? A classic that you've watched on TV but never perused in print? Which are the big tomes you are certain everyone around you has read, but you somehow missed out on or school or have never got round to tackling?

Terry Pratchett. I'm not really into sci-fi anyway but I had a boyfriend who insisted they d broader appeal than that. He tried to give me one of the books but we were in the middle of a massive argument - he posted it through my letterbox to make a point. I refused to read it and haven't gone back on that...
And Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy - made a judgement that I probably wouldn't like it, saw the film, thought it was brilliant but have never managed to read the book. It's on my shelf, still in its plastic wrapping...

1. Is there a classic you are ashamed to admit you haven't read, to the extent that you might pretend that you have?

Hitchhiker again. I've seen the film, I can blag it.

1. And - more broadly - is there an author whose greatest book or body of work has completely passed you by?

Hilary Mantell - everyone has raved about Wolf Hall and her others and yet I managed to miss the TV adaptation, and haven't read the book. Rudyard Kipling - seen the Disney version of The Jungle Book but it has to be worth reading and yet I've never done it. Or any of his other books. Iris Murdoch. Virginia Woolf. Really need to crack on with both those authors.

Fifty shades, I'm probably one of the rare few that hasn't read it

Fifty shades, I'm probably one of the rare few that hasn't read

I think there's a few of us refuseniks out there. Having read some extracts in (usually hilariously scathing) articles, I think I'd rather drink turps then ever sully my eyes with that tripe.

1. Pride and Prejudice. Was put off this one by the school librarian in yr 7 and have never quite got round to reading it.

2. To Kill a Mockingbird. I have a copy, I just haven't read it yet.

3. Anything by any of the Bronte sisters.

I'm quite happy never having read 50 shades.

It's a very very long way down the list of stuff I haven't read yet.

To kill a mockingbird

1. Is there a book that you feel that you should have read but somehow missed out on? A classic that you've watched on TV but never perused in print? Which are the big tomes you are certain everyone around you has read, but you somehow missed out on or school or have never got round to tackling?

War and Peace. I've started it at least twice, but got sidetracked by other books. Must add it onto my kindle again...

1. Is there a classic you are ashamed to admit you haven't read, to the extent that you might pretend that you have?

Again, War and Peace. Recently we were discussing books at work and a colleague mentioned War and Peace and started to ask me what i thought of it. I stupidly didn't admit to not having finished it, so confined my conversation to vague references to the beginning of the book, hoping desperately that he wouldn't cathc on!

1. And - more broadly - is there an author whose greatest book or body of work has completely passed you by?

Dickens. I've only read three of his books, despite having really enjoyed them. I'd love to spend the summer reading his 'greatest hits', so to speak