The Classics on my shelf

I LOVE books! I love everything about them. The way they feel, the way they smell - its amazing. Now that e-books are becoming more popular thanks to devices like the Kobo Reader, books are becoming a thing of the past. I can't tell you how much that notion makes me sad. I hope that I never live to see the day that books are only sold digitally. I will never purchase a book digitally. I love hard copies too much. I especially love old books. You know the kinds you find in dusty old bookstores that creep you out? Yep, those kinds.

When I graduated from University I started to collect the classics. My husband bought me my first classic - A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens.  Now I have a much larger collection. Have I been able to read them all, even close? Nope...not at all. Do I hang my head in shame? Yes....yes I do. I partially blame myself - well ok fine, I am ALL to blame. The truth is, they are hard books to get into some times. You have to be in just the right environment. Preferably one with a warm fireplace, a tea and a comfy chez lounge. I've got the tea. Since I don't see a fireplace or a chez lounge in my future any time soon, I will have to make do with our couch in our little apartment. Moving on....

My job allows me to read in between calls. However with the knowledge that a customer is going to call in at any moment makes it nearly impossible for me to concentrate on what is already a tricky book to begin with. I have read lots of books over the spam of 7 months that I have worked at the company. Examples: Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen and Life of Pi by Yann Martel. Those are amazing books. However, I have tried to get into some of the classics at work and I just can't do it! Contemporary novels are easy to visualize in your head because you are familiar with the settings. However, Jane Austen describing the scene using words I have never heard before means I have to really try hard to picture what she is saying. That requires more concentration. So, I can't read them at work. I know, I know! Make the time right? I will work on that. For now, here is my list of Classics that I own that are sitting on my shelf, begging me to read them. While you read this list, I'll be over here sitting down hanging my head in shame.


A Tale of Two Cities - Charles Dickens
Emma - Jane Austen
Mansfield Park - Jane Austen
Wuthering Heights - Charlotte Bronte
Moby Dick - Herman Melville
Atlas Shrugged - Ayn Rand
Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy
Great Expectations - Charles Dickens
Little Women - Louisa May Alcott
Murder on the Orient Express - Agatha Christie 


Amazing books right? Gahhh! I must make time for them. Thank goodness I only have Netflix and not cable. Otherwise the TV would be in my way too. Any advice? Suggestions? Where and when do you read? Any favourite books?