#5OnMyTBR is a bookish meme hosted by E. @ Local Bee Hunter’s Nook where you chose five books from your to-be-read pile that fit that week’s theme. If you’d like more info, head over to the announcement post!
Hello, reader!
I have been rather quiet on the blog this past week, haven’t I? The only excuse I have is that it was my birthday last week (woo, 38!) and I was distracted! Our kids also started back to school which, in turn, caused me to me have to adjust my hours at work and go in earlier. While I like getting off work early, these 4:30 am wake ups are gonna be the death of me 😩
Annnnnyways! Enough of that jibber-jabber. All that matters is that I’m back with a new post! It’s time for another #5OnMyTBR post and this week’s theme centers around a kind of book that, I’m not gonna lie, intimidates me. They’re old, they’re dense, and, more than likely, some teacher has tried to force them upon you at one point in your education. That’s right, we’re talking about classics! Now, from my admittedly unfair description, you’ve probably guess that I’ve been burned by classics before.
Looking at you, Wuthering Heights…
But! I have read a few that I found myself loving! Going through my Goodreads TBR, I tried to pick five that I think will lean more towards the “I love it!” side as opposed to the “Kill it with fire!” one 😂
#1. Les Misérables by Victor Hugo
The number one book on my Goodreads Want To Read shelf is this chonker right here. I’ve wanted to read Les Misérables since I fell in love with the musical. I know it’s going to be different. I know it’s probably going to be even more depressing. But I still think I’m going to really love it! Now if I could just get over how much it intimidates me, maybe one day I’ll actually read it!
#2. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
I’ve always thought that this classic sounds incredibly interesting. A story where a fireman named Guy is bound by his job to burn books and any houses containing them. Does that not give you the shivers?! I honestly don’t know why I’ve never read this one. I somehow never had to read it throughout my education and, as an adult, I’ve just always passed it by. I really do think that, once I actually sit down and read it, I’ll end up enjoying it.
#3. The Neverending Story by Michael Ende
Honestly, I didn’t even know this book existed until embarrassingly recently 😬 I had no idea the movie was based on a book! Now that I do know, though, I’m eager to actually read it. I’m of the firm opinion that, more often than not, the book is better than the movie. Who knows, though… this might be one of those Princess Bride situations where I think the book and the movie are equally incredible!
#4. The Giver by Lois Lowry
This is another one of those books that I’m not sure how I missed reading in high school. It feels like everyone I know read this when they were students! We did move around a lot as my dad was in the Air Force, so perhaps this book and I were like ships passing in the night… Either way, it’s one of those classics that I feel like I should read at some point in my life. Thankfully, I also think I’ll really like it once I finally pick it up.
#5. The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank
Okay. Look. I know why I haven’t read this book yet. It’s because I know it is going to crush me.
Not in the “Oooo, it hurts so good!” kind of way.
No. This book is going to take my emotions and shred them until my heart doesn’t want to feel anymore. I really want to read it, but I need to be in the right frame of mind before I tackle this emotional juggernaut.
Alright, there you have it! The five classics on my TBR that I’m the most excited to read. Eventually… Once I stop being intimidated 😅
What classics are on your TBR? What’s your favorite classic of all time? Let me know in the comments!
And, as always, happy reading!
Kerri McBookNerd 
I love Les Mis! It made me cry at the end. I haven’t seen the musical, but did see the movie based on the musical and was really disappointed it wasn’t more loyal to the book because the book is so beautiful. I somehow missed reading The Giver, too, even though it and Anne Frank’s diary were really the only books in my local bookstore’s young adult section.
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Aww, I can imagine! I’m excited to read it, but she is thicc, lol. One day, I’ll suck it up and do it! I feel like I missed a lot of the “usual” books because we moved around so much, but there’s plenty of time to catch up 😁
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There’s always time to read! Haha, it is really big, but I like to think it’s worth it.
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The Giver was one of my required books in high school- did not like it. I was against tragedies in high school.
All of a sudden in my first year of college, Les Mis entered my life. The book never once intimidated me- due to being obsessed with the musical, I had a lot of knowledge coming in. That knowledge helped me read the book. Yes, the story is so heartbreaking, but full of spiritual elements- those are expressed in the novel as well.
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Ohh, that makes me even more intrigued to read Les Mis.
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The spiritual side of Les Mis is hard to spot, but its there- hope, love, compassion, forgiveness, sacrifice, and redemption all are expressed in there.
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The Neverending Story is my mum’s favourite movie! I wanted to buy her the book at some point but sadly I couldn’t find a Polish translation 😦 I hope you’ll enjoy it though!! As well as the rest! Classics can be really intimidating (and let’s be honest — not always that good) but they give you that certain satisfaction when you finish them!! 😀
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It’s true! I always feel a bit of triumph when I finish a classic, lol. And I loved the movie, as well! That’s part of the reason I want to read the book so much 😊
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