As 2014 comes to a close and this year's Goodreads challenge also comes to an end, I've been left to ponder the books I'm most excited to read in 2015. Some of these I've started already and hope to finish in the new year and others are books I've been wanting to read for absolutely ages. Either way, I think having them down on (virtual) paper will act as an incentive for me to really try and get through them all! So, without further ado, here's my bookish bucket list for 2015:
1. 'Wuthering Heights' by Emily Brontë
2. 'Dracula' by Bram Stoker
3. 'Frankenstein' by Mary Shelley
Gothic fiction is one of my favourite classic genres so I thought it was high time I got my teeth stuck into these three.
4. 'The Luminaries' by Eleanor Catton
5. 'Emma' by Jane Austen
Two books I started and never finished in 2014 but I'm still very keen to add them to my 'read' list!
6. 'Dubliners' by James Joyce
I recently read one of the stories contained in this collection - 'The Dead'- and absolutely loved it (you can read more about what I thought here!) so I'm really excited to read the rest.
7. 'The Screwtape Letters' by C.S. Lewis
8. 'A Grief Observed' by C.S. Lewis
It's no secret that C.S. Lewis is one of my all time favourite writers and thinkers. I started 'The Screwtape Letters' several years ago and never finished it- I think I was a bit too young at the time and it just went straight over my head- but I'd really like to give it another go. I've also been wanting to read 'A Grief Observed' for a while now. It was written following the death of Lewis's wife, Joy during a time when he really wrestled with the fundamentals of his Christian faith. Apparently it makes as a really interesting comparison to 'The Problem of Pain' as well.
9. 'This Side of Paradise' by F. Scott Fitzgerald
10. 'The Beautiful and the Damned' by F. Scott Fitzgerald
After having loved 'Tender is the Night' so much this year, and of course being such a big fan of Gatsby I've decided that 2015 will be a year of Fitzgerald for me.
What's on the top of your reading list for 2015?
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My reading list has grown tremndously over the last week or so and with my birthday in just a few weeks, it's going to be very long. I plan on reading a lot of books that I've bought and jut not read. I really want to read Breakfast at Tiffany's along with a re read of The Catcher in the Rye among a random of selection of other books :-)!
ReplyDeleteSarah x
http://www.saraheliza.co.uk
Aw yeah, I've heard 'Breakfast at Tiffany's' is actually a lot darker than the film version, would definitely make for an interesting read! xx
DeleteOh gosh, I started the Luminaries and according to the Kindle (I refused to carry the book around even though I love books, it was just too massive) I got about 16% of the way through and still felt like I was plodding through treacle with it. I have shelved it at the moment as I needed something I was really enjoying. Not to put you off or anything, I just thought I'd share my view, clearly other people loved it though.
ReplyDeleteI know exactly what you mean! I've been reading it since around September time and I've only very recently reached the 50% mark. Honestly, it seems to me like there's no reason for this book to be the length as it is. Most of what I've read of it recently has just consisted of numerous, dull conversations with the same details being repeated over and over again, so I can never keep reading for more than about a chapter at a time (the chapters aren't short either!) I guess at this stage I've invested enough into it now that I want to keep going but I completely agree, it's definitely not a page-turner... xx
DeleteI love book posts! I adore Wuthering Heights, it's such a hauntingly beautiful novel, you'll love it! I'm going to fall short of my Goodreads challenge this year due to exams etc but dedicated to make 2015 a better year for reading! Loved this post xx
ReplyDeletewww.diaryofadeera.co.uk
Aw I know the feeling. I actually had to cut my challenge down a bit because I just don't have a lot of time for reading at the minute! Hope uni is going well for you :) xx
DeleteHi darling!!! I've just done the same post and we have " The Luminaries" in common!!! :)
ReplyDeleteMerry Christmas!!!
Martina
sweetietulip88.blogspot.it
Aw no way! I'd better check it out :) Merry Christmas to you too!! xx
DeleteExcellent picks! Wuthering Heights, Frankenstein and Emma are all amazing. I really want to read the Luminaries too, and more of Fitzgerald's works.
ReplyDeletexx Mimmi, Muted Mornings
Can't believe I've still yet to read them!! Definitely, Fitzgerald is great! I've found the Luminaries to be rather hard slog tho xx
DeleteI quite liked the luminaries, but it is a big underaking! I definitely want to read some more of the classics next year :) x
ReplyDeleteJasmin Charlotte | UK Lifestyle Blog
Oh definitely, I've been reading it for 3 months now and I'm only halfway through :/ have you finished it?! I'm so impressed!! xx
DeleteI want to read Frankenstein after seeing the play. I did not stick to my list last year, I'm wondering if I should bother making one this year :S x
ReplyDeleteThat's kinda how I felt too... I'm not really expecting to have these all read by next year if I'm completely honest. It takes flipping ages for me to get thru classics especially normally! But I just thought I might as well set myself a couple of goals and if I didn't meet them I'd just try again next year! haha xx
DeleteWuthering Heights is definitely up there in my top 5 books of all time! The names get very confusing though! Also, don't look at the family tree on the first page until you get to the end of the book - it spoils the plot a bit!
ReplyDeleteI want to read 'Tender is the Night' - I loved Gatsby so am thinking that's a good choice!
I've also just started a book called 'The Dud Avocado' about a young woman who moves to Paris in the 1950's - so far it's good!
www.thesnugblog.com
x
Thanks for the heads up, I won't look! Yeah, it's very different to Gatsby, it's a little darker and more serious, I'd say, but I loved it all the same. Thanks for the recommendation, I'm gonna go check that out on Goodreads right now! :) xx
DeleteWe have some similar books on our 2015 lists. I really want to read some more of Fitgerald's books as I loved Gatsby.
ReplyDeleteFrankenstein is a great story, hope you enjoy reading it!
Bethan Likes
Wow, just had a look and they are really similar! I saw 'The Curious Case of Benjamin Button' in Waterstones the other day and was so tempted to buy it but I'm properly skint at the minute so it'll have to wait. I really hope you enjoy it though! xx
DeleteDubliners is fabulous, it's on my 'I need to reread this' list for sure. Also have a lot of love for The Luminaries <3 xo
ReplyDeleteI really really loved 'The Dead' when I read it, it was so beautiful! So I have very high expectations of the rest :) I think The Book Journal was the first place I heard about the Luminaries come to think of it, Jennie!! Would love to hear your thoughts on it! xx
DeleteI've just bought 'This Side of Paradise' as extra research for studying Gatsby this year. I"m only a few pages in but already I can see how it links to Fitzgerald's life! It'll be interesting to see what you think of it.
ReplyDeleteAwesome! Yeah definitely, it's a great insight into Fitzgerald's psyche! I wrote a lil summary of my thoughts here: http://www.alphabeth.co.uk/2014/10/read-in-september.html if you'd like to have a read! Gatsby is a great book to study, are you doing AS English lit? :) xx
DeleteI'm a big fan of F. Scott Fitzgerald! I think you'll like both of the ones on your list a lot.
ReplyDeleteI keep seeing these New Years reading challenges floating around and I'm afraid to commit and then have it fall through halfway through the year. I like this idea of making a personal book bucket list a lot more!
xx Kathryn
http://www.throughthethicket.ca
Yeah, there was a while there when I didn't think I was going to complete my reading challenge and it was a bit disheartening when it's something you've been working towards all year!! Would love to hear more about what you're looking forward to reading in 2015 :) xx
DeleteGatsby is on my reading list for 2015, Im just dipping my toes into some of the older more 'classic' books. I also want to read Emma and Pride & Prejudice.
ReplyDeleteEmma x
Writing Essays With Wine
I've yet to write my round-up of 2014 in books so should really get to that! I read 'Emma' last year and really loved it so would especially recommend reading that but all the books on your list look like great ones - I'm particularly hoping to read some more C. S. Lewis books this year as well so look forward to seeing what you think of them!
ReplyDeleteAnna xx | The Girl In The Moon
I want to read more this year too, although wthering heights I found so boring!
ReplyDeleteI read Frankenstein earlier this year and I really enjoyed it! I tried reading Wuthering Heights once and I just couldn't get into it. I really like C.S. Lewis, too! :)
ReplyDeletex Heidi
http://heidis1haven.blogspot.com/
Lovely idea! I want to get back into the habit of reading once the new year hits, and this really inspired me to do so. Great book choices, by the way. I'm currently in the process of reading Wild by Cheryl Strayed. :)
ReplyDeleteEena
www.eensybits.com
Having just watched the new Hobbit movie, I'm having a real craving to relive adventures in Middle Earth! Ordered The Hobbit by JRR Tolkien a few days ago and am planning to hunt down the LOTR trilogy soon. Those would be at the top of my 2015 reading / to-get list :)
ReplyDeleteCheryl x
http://mytalesandthoughts.blogspot.co.uk/
Wow we have quite a few books in common on our 'to read' lists this year! I loved Dracula so am keen to read Frankenstein too. Will you be reviewing these or commenting on them?
ReplyDeleteThis also gave me a couple of ideas to add to mine :)
Good luck with it!
Beth x
themiscmusings.blogspot.com