We’re back with another Top Ten Tuesday, a weekly meme hosted by Jana @ That Artsy Reader Girl.
This week’s topic is Oldest (aka Earliest Published) Books On My TBR (submitted by Nicole @ BookWyrm Knits)
Ooh, finally! An easy TTT topic that doesn’t require me to frantically scour my shelves for titles to fit the prompt. 🤣 Unsurprisingly, all of these are going to be classics and I decided to feature the ones that I have definite plans to read at one point (because yes, there are classics on my TBR that I’m no longer sure I want to read or not)! On that note, let’s get to these titles (in order of original publication date—oldest first).
The Divine Comedy (1320)
Frankenstein (1818)
The Count of Monte Cristo (1844)
Anna Karenina (1878)
Dracula (1897)
Rebecca (1938)
The Grapes of Wrath (1939)
The Fellowship of the Ring (1954)
Giovanni’s Room (1956)
Doctor Zhivago (1957)
Have you read any of these classics or are they also on your TBR?
dinipandareads 
I’ve been meaning to read Dracula through that ‘real time’ Dracula Daily thing for a couple of years now, but just never got to it.
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I’m planning to do this next May!
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I’ve read all of these. My favorites are Frankenstein and Monte Cristo. I didn’t care for Dracula, I don’t know why.
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Wait, what’s this? Dracula Daily? That sounds like a whole lotta fun (maybe)? 👀
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Basically, since Dracula is diary entries and letters, they email you the relevant ones on the right days over the length of the novel (like May to November, I think?) So you get a sense of the real time passing.
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I just realized I didn’t read this prompt correctly. LOL! You have a lot of classics, too. I have none.
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Haha, that’s OK. It’s one way of twisting the prompt and you’re not the only one to have said the same thing about this week’s TTT, lol! 😉
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Dracula was a good read!
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I’m keen to check it out 🙂
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Given how well I like the story of The Count of Monte Cristo I should try to read that one, but I’m not sure it’d be one I’d make it through. I did start to read Rebecca several years ago and didn’t finish it. So maybe someday I will. 🙂
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I read a manga adaptation of the novel and I loved it so much it convinced me I need to try the novel! 🤭 I can’t wait to give it a go one day. Was there a particular reason you stopped with Rebecca or was it just *life*?
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Great list! I have a lot of classics on my list, too, though I’m not sure I’ll actually get around to them, either. 😉 I forgot about The Divine Comedy! I read bits and pieces of it for school, but want to go back and read the whole thing.
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I don’t clear out my TBR often enough to have fewer classics for the oldest pubbed books! 🤣 There’s an artist who created an album around the Divine Comedy and it’s such an amazing concept album that it rekindled my desire to read the book (although it would probs take me ages lol)
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🤣 Yeah, the Divine Comedy and the Canterbury Tales are both classics that I just expect will take me a long time to finish. But I would like to read them both in full! (I read bits and pieces for school.)
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I read Frankenstein, The Count of Monte Cristo and Dracula while in school. I do hope to read Rebecca someday. I haven’t posted mine yet, but I think they will probably all be classics as well. Nice list, Dini.
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I kind of wish that we read Monte Cristo in school because I think I would’ve enjoyed it even then but it’s so chonky it probably would’ve taken the whole school year with all the coursework and discussions! 🤣 I hope we both enjoy Rebecca whenever we get to it, Carla!
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I know lots of kids in my class either watched the movie or used the cliff’s notes as it was so long.
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I did read (and enjoy) The Fellowship of the Ring. Other than that, I’ve honestly kind of given up on reading classics for now, but who knows, I might still get to them some day 🙂
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Ooh, I’m so glad to hear you enjoyed Fellowship! I’d read The Hobbit and was so disappointed by it that I got put off the fellowship BUT I’ve matured in fantasy reading since then so perhaps I’ll enjoy it!
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So, I was sleep deprived when I did this. I totally did the oldest books on my TBR that I’ve had on there the longest… not publication! hahaha. I do want to read Frankenstein and Dracula though!
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Haha, that’s totally OK because that’s definitely one way of interpreting the prompt by giving it your own twist! 😉 Maybe we should do a buddy read for one if not both of those! I know it’d give me motivation (like an October/Spooky Season BR lol)!
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The Count of Monte Cristo is a fantastic read. Don’t let the size bother you. I found it hard to put it down.
Pam @ Read! Bake! Create!
https://readbakecreate.com/oldest-books-on-my-tbr-ten-oldest-books-i-own/
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I heard a lot of people say that about Monte Cristo. I feel like I might end up being the same way once I get started. I just need to get started! 🤣
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Haven’t particularly read any of them but if it’s the book, I saw the musical for Rebecca once and kinda loved it!
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Oh! I had no idea Rebecca was a musical! That sounds interesting 🤔
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It was so cool! No idea if that’s the book, tho!
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Great list! So many of these I recognize, but I haven’t read any of them either. I have Dracula on my bookshelf but I don’t read horror so I don’t know if I’ll ever get to it. I’ve also wanted to read The Count of Monte Cristo but It’ll have to wait a while longer 🙂
If you’d like to visit, here’s my TTT: https://thebooklorefairy.blogspot.com/2024/11/top-ten-tuesday-oldest-books-on-my-tbr.html
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I don’t do horror either but I don’t know why Dracula doesn’t count as horror in my head 🫣 I’d still like to give it a try one day despite that! Monte Cristo is one that intimidates me so much and that’s why I keep putting it off. Maybe I’ll find the nerve to read it one day, lol.
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I enjoyed DRACULA when I read it a million years ago. Now that I’ve visited Whitby, England, where the book is set, I want to do a reread. REBECCA, on the other hand, bored me to tears. I don’t get why so many people love it so much! I hope you enjoy all these when you get to them.
Happy TTT (on a Wednesday)!
Susan
http://www.blogginboutbooks.com
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Ooh, I love visiting historical places from book settings! That would (and has previously) made me feel even more in love with a book 😍 I think you’re the first person I’ve heard say that about Rebecca and the opposite about Dracula! Very interesting 🤭 It’s always nice to see such different opinions and I can’t wait to see which side of it I fall with these two books!
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Great list, Dini! I keep meaning to try The Lord of the Rings again, but it just seems like such a big time investment lol. I do love the movies and the series though, so hopefully will get to it sometime. Hope you enjoy any of these you pick up 🙂
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I love the movies too and I have to be honest… I ended up reading The Hobbit back in 2012 and I was … Sorely disappointed. I know it’s a very unpopular opinion but it was not the book I thought it’d be after watching the adaptation and I was like HOW CAN THIS BE!? So it’s made me a bit wary of the trilogy but… I’ve evolved in my fantasy reading compared to back then so maybe I’ll enjoy it? I hope you do whenever you pick it up! 😃
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Hahaha I read the Hobbit a while back and really loved it, but then didn’t love The Hobbit films that much… were clearly polar opposites on this one lol. I do feel it’s going to be vastly different from the films, but I’m willing to give it a go.
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The Count of Monte Cristo is one I’ve been wanting to get to for a long time now.
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Ooh, do you think it’d be a fun read to do a longer buddy read for that? Lol 🤭
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Wow, I’ve read eight of your books (except for Giovanni’s Room and Lord of the Rings). But that’s not a big surprise as I love classics. From your list, Doctor Zhivago and Anna Karenina are probably my favourites, closely followed by Rebecca and Grapes of Wrath.
Enjoy reading them all.
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Thanks Marianne! I’v heard a lot of great things about all the titles you’ve read and I can’t wait to get to them. I’ve had all of these on my TBR for so many years I need to start working on whittling the list down soon 🤭
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I’ve been trying this for ages, probably a long time before you were born. And I can tell you a secret, your TBR pile will never get smaller, it will just grow and grow. But we are here to enjoy those books we manage to read. So, enjoy!
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I’ve read Dracula and Rebecca. I loved Rebecca but not so much Dracula.
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I’ve heard all great things about Rebecca but mixed things about Dracula. After seeing lots of reviews for it, I think it’ll help knowing the writing style and type of story going into it cos otherwise, I think it would’ve ended up in the DNF pile. Although, who knows, maybe it’ll still end up there if I don’t enjoy it 🤭
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I went into Rebecca expecting a horror and that’s not really what we got but luckily I still ended up loving it. I hope you like both of them!!
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