The Best Book I’ve Never Read – Booking Through Thursday (and a poll!)
This week’s Booking Through Thursday question is:
We’ve all seen the lists, we’ve all thought, “I should really read that someday,” but for all of us, there are still books on “The List” that we haven’t actually gotten around to reading. Even though we know they’re fabulous. Even though we know that we’ll like them. Or that we’ll learn from them. Or just that they’re supposed to be worthy. We just … haven’t gotten around to them yet.
What’s the best book that YOU haven’t read yet?
Great question!
I’m hesitant to tell you because I think when I tell you the best books I haven’t read yet, y’all will be GO READ THAT BOOK NOW. But maybe that’s what I need. A swift kick in the butt. Because these books are at the very very top of my TBR pile, and yet, they’re like the red-headed step-child. They get no love from me.
- The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
- The Once and Future King by T.H. White
- Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri
- Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides
- HeartSick by Chelsea Cain
- Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norell by Susanna Clarke
- The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay by Michael Chabon
- The Eye of the World by Robert Jordan
Okay, I’m ready for it. Tell me that I must drop everything and read one of these books! Better yet, tell me in this poll.
[polldaddy poll=1426585]
What’s the best book YOU haven’t read yet? Let me know, and if I think you need it, I’ll berate you myself. 
| Tags: booking through thursday, Books, btt, Reading 68 comments »
March 4th, 2009 at 11:20 pm
I’ve read quite a few of those, but the Interpreter of Maladies is …something else. Very, very, very good
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March 4th, 2009 at 11:32 pm
I recently finished Jonathan Strange and enjoyed it very much, despite the slow start and some slow parts in the middle. It’s one of those books I’d read again.
My BTT is here: http://smariek.blogspot.com/2009/03/bottoms-up.html
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March 4th, 2009 at 11:46 pm
Of all those books, I’ve read The Once and Future King” years ago. Will be interesting to look into the other books.
My btt post is here
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March 5th, 2009 at 12:30 am
From your list, I’ve only read The Time Traveler’s Wife (good) and The Once and Future King (amazing!). I hope you get to all these titles on your list soon!
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March 5th, 2009 at 12:39 am
I have a few of those books on my TBR list. Actually most of them. I have, however, read HeartSick….and it really is great! (if you like suspense, thriller type books, that is!)
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March 5th, 2009 at 1:10 am
I’ve read The Time Traveller’s Wife – didn’t like it much and Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norell which I thought was wonderful, although very long!
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March 5th, 2009 at 2:03 am
That’s an interesting list. I think Middlesex, Kavalier and Norrell are all similar in that they are great books, but suffer from dull sections.
The Time Travellers Wife is amazing, so I voted for that, but I haven’t read Interpreter of Maladies yet, so I may be missing something there.
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March 5th, 2009 at 2:10 am
I’ve read and loved three of these – Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell, The Time Traveler’s Wife, and The Eye of the World. In my opinion, you should wait on that last one until book 12 is out so that you actually have the series to complete if you fall in love like I did, although to be honest by the time you read 11 chunksters in between all the other books I’m sure you want/have to read, it might well be complete! Anyway, I vote for Jonathan Strange because I adored it to pieces. It does get a bit slow and it’s long, but it’s fantastic and worth it. TTW is also wonderful, but not as much.
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March 5th, 2009 at 2:11 am
I haven’t read any of those so I’ll be keeping an eye on your poll results!
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March 5th, 2009 at 2:11 am
Go for Jonathon Strange! The only other one I’ve read is The Time Travellers wife and I wasn’t keen on the end. Rest of it was good though
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March 5th, 2009 at 3:46 am
I have only read the Time Traveller’s Wife – I loved it.
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March 5th, 2009 at 3:53 am
I’ve read The Time Traveler’s Wife (overrated), The Once and Future King (eh) and Interpreter of Maladies (very good!) off your TBR list. There are way too many books out there to get all of them read!
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March 5th, 2009 at 4:05 am
I read HeartSick and it was really good.
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March 5th, 2009 at 4:13 am
I’m currently struggling with Kavalier and Clay…I voted for the Time Traveler’s Wife, which I absolutely adored. Have fun!
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March 5th, 2009 at 4:31 am
I really enjoyed The Time Traveler’s Wife. Very different.
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March 5th, 2009 at 4:37 am
I voted for Interpreter of Maladies. And the books I have in house that I keep saying I should read are Pillars of the Earth, Blind Assasin, She’s Come Undone, and A Prayer for Owen Meany – see a theme? All are over 450 pages.
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March 5th, 2009 at 4:39 am
Although I loved five of the books on your list, Middlesex is my choice: It’s one of the best books I’ve read in years in terms of literary fiction. An absolute must read.
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March 5th, 2009 at 4:55 am
I didn’t take your poll, because I’ve never read any of those books either – I don’t even own any of them.
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March 5th, 2009 at 5:06 am
I was reading your post and like, “Here, here to The Time Traveler’s Wife,” until I saw Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay. You HAVE, HAVE, HAVE to read that. It’s simply fantastic. Incredible. There aren’t enough adjectives in my vocabulary to describe its awesomeness (Chabon probably could, but not me).
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March 5th, 2009 at 5:30 am
I don’t know if I’d advise you to drop everything, but The Eye of the World is pretty great!
Lezlie
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March 5th, 2009 at 5:37 am
Interpreter of Maladies, followed closely by The Time Traveler’s Wife – no question
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March 5th, 2009 at 6:11 am
Time Traveler’s Wife OR Kavalier and Clay.
I voted for Kavalier and Clay though. I have a strong personal love of Michael Chabon. My son is named Grady, after the protagonist in Chabon’s Wonder Boys. So yeah…I’m a leetle obsessed with his writing style….
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March 5th, 2009 at 6:41 am
I haven’t read any of those but they are on my shelves.
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March 5th, 2009 at 6:52 am
Great books! Read the Time Traveler’s Wife first.
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March 5th, 2009 at 6:59 am
I haven’t read any of those, lol. Not much help here!
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March 5th, 2009 at 7:02 am
It’s a tie between The Time Traveler’s Wife and Interpreter of Maladies. Hell, read ‘em both.
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March 5th, 2009 at 7:11 am
I voted for Time Traveler’s Wife, just because that’s the book I’m currently reading!
Looks like it’s going to win…
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March 5th, 2009 at 7:12 am
I’ve only read 3.. THe Time Trav. Wife, Middlesex, and Int. of Maladies. Of those 3, my personal favorite was Interpreter of Maladies- it was awesome, but I really like Lahiri. However, it’s a short story collection, and do I remember correctly that you’re not a big short story lover?? I liked The Time Traveler’s Wife but did not LOVE it, and Middlesex.. well, it was long. But good. But long. And parts of it were kinda stupid.
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March 5th, 2009 at 7:31 am
Jhumpa Lahiri is my favorite author… ever! I adore her writing and the magical, powerful stories she weaves together! Definitely read Interpreter of Maladies, and pick up The Namesake if you haven’t read that one yet. I have her latest, Unaccustomed Earth, waiting patiently for me!
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March 5th, 2009 at 7:39 am
I heard that the Time Travelers Wife was pretty good. I am thinking about reading it myself.
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March 5th, 2009 at 8:00 am
Brilliant! Love the poll. I would recommend either Eye of World (read it and loved it) or Jonathon Strange and Mr. Norell (also on my list of must reads).
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March 5th, 2009 at 8:14 am
That was hard for me to really pick but I picked The Time Traveler’s Wife in the poll HOWEVER I really like The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay and I also liked Johnathan Strange and Mr. Norrell although that one took me awhile to read. BUT I would really recommend the first two.
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March 5th, 2009 at 8:31 am
The Time Traveler’s Wife was wonderful.
Middlesex? meh. Slow, plodding, boring if you ask me. I never got what all the fuss was about.
I just finished one of my TBRs: the Patron Saint of Liars. Loved it. I can’t believe it was a first novel.
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March 5th, 2009 at 8:46 am
Totally, totally, totally read The Time Traveler’s Wife. It’s one of my absolute favorites.
Interpreter of Maladies is fantastic too, but personally I would read it bit by bit, as they are short stories so there’s no pressure to get through the book all at once.
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March 5th, 2009 at 8:59 am
I couldn’t tell you, I haven’t read any of them either!
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March 5th, 2009 at 9:04 am
I, too, have several of the same books on Mt. TBR. Time Traveller’s Wife, Interpreter of Maladies, and The Once and Future King lept right out at me. I could only vote for Middlesex, as that is the only one of the books listed I have read, but it’s well worth the read
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March 5th, 2009 at 9:10 am
Good luck with The Blind Assassin. I’ve tried to read it two or three times
and failed to get further than 50 pages. I’ll probably try again, though!
You should definitely read She’s Come Undone. Pillars of the Earth is in my
TBR pile, too.
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March 5th, 2009 at 9:12 am
Thanks, Beth! Your recommendation carries a lot of weight since you loved
five on the list but would still recommend Middlesex first. Duly noted!
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March 5th, 2009 at 9:14 am
Since I understand what it’s like when you love a book so much that you just
can’t say much more than OMG I LOVED THIS BOOK SO MUCH, I’ll make sure I
read this book soon!
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March 5th, 2009 at 9:15 am
I bought Interpreter of Maladies on your recommendation! I don’t mind short
story collections. I’m pretty sure I’ll like and probably love this one.
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March 5th, 2009 at 9:18 am
I voted for Middlesex. I have it and haven’t read it, but my mom really enjoyed it.
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March 5th, 2009 at 9:18 am
LOL! I was just looking back over your list and realized I read the first Jordan book: New Spring! Not The Eye of the World. Ooops! Anyway, I loved 4 and Middlesex is still the one I choose.
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March 5th, 2009 at 9:24 am
Oh, I loved The Patron Saint of Liars! But I seem to really like Ann
Patchett. I think she’s fabulous.
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March 5th, 2009 at 10:03 am
The Time Traveler’s Wife is boring and silly, and I can’t fathom why so many people voted for it. I guess there’s no accounting for taste ( =
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March 5th, 2009 at 11:12 am
I voted before I finished reading the whole list
, but I still wouldn’t change my answer: Middlesex. For my money, it’s one of the best books of the decade – it amazed me.
I’m not big on short stories, but Interpreter of Maladies is excellent, and as a Michael Chabon fan, I endorse …Kavalier and Clay, but I still say to read Middlesex.
I read The Once and Future King back in high school, and I prefer some of the more recent re-interpretations of the Arthurian stories, to be honest. And The Time Traveller’s Wife just doesn’t grab me, for some reason.
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March 5th, 2009 at 11:17 am
Tell us how you really feel, Char! I’m kind of more intrigued to read the
book now…see what you’ve done??!!
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March 5th, 2009 at 11:26 am
Great list of books to read… I almost put The Adventures of Kavalier and Clay in mine actually! You simply have to read The Time Travellers Wife, amazing!
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March 5th, 2009 at 12:01 pm
I’ve got so many but when I reflect upon the type of writing style that appeals me the most, I narrow it down to a short list.
I voted for Middlesex.
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March 5th, 2009 at 12:51 pm
I’ve read Time Traveller’s Wife, Interpreter of Maladies and Kavalier and Clay. You should definately pick up all three!
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March 5th, 2009 at 1:54 pm
I’ve read all the books on your list except for HeartSick, and would rate all of them as kind of middling-good books.
I’ve never read Moby-Dick. Don’t know if I’ll live long enough!
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March 5th, 2009 at 2:09 pm
I haven’t heard of the other books on your list, but The Once and Future King is terrific! There are some slow spots to be sure, but the overall work is wonderful.
The main books on my list are Ulysses (Joyce), In Search of Lost Time (Proust), and Lord of the Rings (Tolkien).
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March 5th, 2009 at 3:22 pm
From your list, I’ve only read Middlesex… but I did love it. Here’s my post: http://nanscorner.wordpress.com/2009/03/05/booking-through-thursday-march-5/
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March 5th, 2009 at 3:38 pm
I loved The Time Traveler’s Wife–I’ve read it twice and enjoyed it even more thesecond time.
I’ve also read Middlesex (heartbreaking, great writing, great story) and Interpreter of Maladies (great stories–perfect for a lucnch break! And also loved The Namesake as well).
They are all great books, but I really enjoyed the heck out of TTW–a departure from what I usually read (pretty sexy) but well done–and I love time travel books.
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March 5th, 2009 at 3:39 pm
Middlesex is pretty good. I read it years ago but it’s definitely entertaining. Stuff about intersexed/ambiguously gendered people always interests me, and this one’s also got a really good plot. Bit on the long side, but I really liked it.
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March 5th, 2009 at 3:44 pm
I’ve read Time Traveler’s Wife, Middlesex, The Once and Future King, and Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell. I voted for JS&MN because it was my favorite of these. I really must read Kavelier and Clay and Interpreter of Maladies.
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March 5th, 2009 at 4:49 pm
Sadako–you should read Jennifer FinneyBoylan’s I’m looking Through you–it is a memoir–excellent.
It didn’t really fit in with your great blog (YA/children’s lit) so I didn’t want to comment there! Kiki
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March 5th, 2009 at 5:11 pm
I feel like I have to read Anna Karenina
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March 5th, 2009 at 5:26 pm
I still haven’t read Gone With the Wind. I feel really awful about that.
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March 5th, 2009 at 7:24 pm
While I loved The Time Travelers Wife, I think you’re more a Middlesex kind of gal. So you should read them both and tell me if I’m right. But start w/ Middlesex.
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March 5th, 2009 at 7:42 pm
Even though Time Traveler’s Wife has the most votes, I’m afraid that its super hyped up for you now! I hope you don’t go into it expecting something fantastic and having the book fall short. I loved this book, but mostly because I had no idea what to expect and had heard nothing about this book before I read it.
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March 6th, 2009 at 1:11 am
Time Travellers Wife – read this one first before the movie comes out and ruins the book for everyone that hasnt read it yet! the audio book of it is really good too.
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March 6th, 2009 at 4:49 am
Seeing as I’ve only read one of the books on this list, I can’t really recommend any one way or the other. And I don’t particularly recommend that single one that I did read: “The Time Traveler’s Wife” – overrated, not that well written, not that engaging, not that good… I know it’s popular (the only reason I read it was because a friend recommended it to me, but in retrospect, a lot of the books this friend likes don’t suit my style), but it’s one of the more annoying books I’ve read in a few years. You’ll probably read it anyways, but if you don’t… you’re not actually missing much.
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March 6th, 2009 at 7:58 am
Strange and Norell…that was one of those that I bought because of all the hype about it. 150 pages in and I was bored to tears. Tears I tell you!
)
That’s why I will never buy a book based on hype alone.
(Can you tell I didn’t like this book
I would go with the Time Traveler’s Wife
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March 7th, 2009 at 8:03 pm
I’ve only read two of these and I loved them both — Middlesex and The Amazing Adventures of Cavalier and Clay. I was surprised that I enjoyed the second as much as I did. I would highly recommend them to people who enjoy reading. You’ve given me some ideas to add to my own list. Thank you!
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March 7th, 2009 at 9:37 pm
Good call. I think you’re right.
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March 9th, 2009 at 10:31 am
I voted for Time Travelers wife, as there’s a movie in the works and I always like to read the book before the movies come out. Plus, its really, really good.
I also highly recommend The Once and Future King, Interpreter of Maladies, and The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay.
I’ve never heard of HeartSick before. Must check it out.
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March 12th, 2009 at 2:46 pm
That was a tough pick! I’ve read 6/8 (everything except Middlesex and Interpreter of Maladies) and they’re pretty much all worth reading. If you read the Jordan, though, you might as well commit to reading the whole series, which is about 30 million pages long. I’m still stuck on #6.
Anyway, I voted for Time Traveler’s Wife, but you could get through HeartSick in an afternoon. It’s a potboiler. The sequel is even better.
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April 2nd, 2009 at 11:12 pm
I loved Chelsea Cains Heartsick and the sequel. They are both great and real page turners!!!!
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