It’s the first Tuesday of the second month of the year! It’s the love month! Oh well, Tuesday also means one thing, a Top Ten Tuesday update! It has been sometime since I did one but this week’s topic piqued my interest hence this update.

toptentuesday

Top Ten Tuesday is an original blog meme created by The Broke and the Bookish and is currently being hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. This week’s given topic is Books Written Before I Was Born.

For this Top Ten Tuesday’s list, bloggers are given the liberty to choose books they want to read or books they have already read. I initially wanted to pick books published the on the same day as my birthdate; I was born on July 5. However, choosing a book published on that date is like picking needles out of haystacks. I didn’t think it would be that challenging (LOL). In the end, I picked books I want to read published before July 5, 1990. Here’s my list. I hope you enjoy it!

The Makioka Sisters by Jun’ichirō Tanizaki 

Jun’ichirō Tanizaki’s The Makioka Sisters is a book that I have been looking forward to. It was originally published as a series from 1943 to 1948 in Japanese before it was translated in English in 1957. I have included the book in my 2021 Top 21 Reading List and I can barely wait to immerse in this classic of Japanese literature.

A Dance to the Music of Time Series by Anthony Powell 

Anthony Powell’s A Dance to the Music of Time Series is comprise of 12 books published between 1951 to 1975. Just like The Makioka Sisters, it is a book, rather a series, that I have been looking forward to. However, I still haven’t been able to purchase the complete set of the series. I am hoping I get to complete all this year or, if not, at least next year for I can’t wait to read this series.

A House for Mr. Biswas by V.S. Naipaul 

It is such a shame that I have never read any of Nobel Laureate in Literature Sir V.S. .Naipaul before. However, I have been looking forward to reading his works, such as A House for Mr. Biswas. Originally published in 1961, it was one book I can’t miss after going through several must-read lists.

Go Tell It On the Mountain by James Baldwin 

James Baldwin’s semi-autobiographical novel, Go Tell It On The Mountain, was published on May 18, 1953. It is just unfortunate that I haven’t read any of his works before and I am hoping that this will be my first. I also included Go Tell It On The Mountain in my 2021 Top 21 Reading List just to make sure that I get to read it this year.

Watership Down by Richard Adams 

Despite its inclusion in several must-read lists, I have always been apprehensive about buying and reading Richard Adams’ Watership Down because I thought it was a war novel or along those lines. Imagine my surprise when I learned that it was actually different from what I thought it was! Published in November 1972, Watership Down features a group of rabbits.

Far From the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy 

Thomas Hardy’s Far From the Madding Crowd was published in 1874. It was his fourth novel and his first major literary success. It is another title I am looking forward to for I haven’t had a favorable experience with Tess of the D’Urbervilles. I am hoping that in reading Far From the Madding Crowd, I get a better grasp of his prose.

In Search of Lost Time by Marcel Proust 

Another book series. In Search of Lost Time, or alternatively, Remembrance of Things Past, is a seven-volume novel written by French novelist Marcel Proust. The seven volumes were published from 1913 to 1927. I actually bought a copy of Swann’s Way, the series’ first book, way back in 2015 but I kept on holding back because I wanted to complete all the books in the series. I am still one book short but I just might start reading the series soon.

Romance of the Three Kingdoms by Luo Guanzhong

The first time I encountered a copy of Luo Guanzhong’s Romance of the Three Kingdoms in the bookstore, I just knew I have to read it. It was like three or four years ago. Originally published in 1522, it is considered as one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese Literature. I wanted to buy the book but I am still hoping for a hardbound copy of the book. (HAHA).

Nights at the Circus by Angela Carter

Angela Carter’s Nights at the Circus is another book that made it to my reading list after I encountered it several times in must-read lists. It was originally published on May 4, 1984, it is a book I often confuse with Erin Morgenstern’s The Night Circus. I just hope it won’t disappoint me the way The Night Circus did.

I Am A Cat by Natsume Sōseki

Just like Romance of the Three Kingdoms, my first encounter with Natsume Sōseki’s I Am A Cat was through the bookstore. I just knew it was a book I have to read it even though I do find it a little eccentric. It was originally published in 1906 in Japanese before it was published in English in 1972. One curious thing I have noted about Japanese literature is their fascination for cats. This is the nth book I encountered that involved a cat. The Travelling Cat Chronicles, If Cats Disappeared from the World, and A Cat, A Man, and Two Women are just some examples. Cats are also ubiquitous in Haruki Murakami’s works.

I hope you enjoyed my list. There are actually a lot of books published before my birthday that I want to read. This is just the tip of the scale but I did enjoy this exercise. For now, I have to go back to work because, well, it is month end. Ugh. The life of an accountant. For now, happy reading!

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