Top 5 Tuesday is a weekly meme created by Shanah, the Bionic Book Worm, and now hosted by Meeghan at Meeghan Reads.
This week’s topic:
Top 5 books that have been on my TBR since forever
(What other books are you hiding on your TBR? And which ones have been there the longest?)
I’m sure we all have books on our TBRs that we’ve been meaning to read for years now but have yet to get to. I recently rediscovered a few while moving. Here are some of them.
The Essential Tales of Chekhov by Anton Chekhov
I forgot where I received the writing advice that it’s essential to read Chekhov’s short stories, but that’s what led me to pick up a copy of this book years ago. But, of course, I’ve yet to read it.
The Autobiography of Henry VIII: With Notes by His Fool, Will Somers by Margaret George
I bought this years ago from Borders. I think I was still in high school at the time because that was when I was obsessed with Henry VIII and his wives… or maybe it was early college because my interest in that topic resurfaced then too because of The Other Boleyn Girl movie (based on a novel by Philippa Gregory). But, as you can see, I’ve yet to read it.
In the House Upon the Dirt Between the Lake and the Woods by Matt Bell
The synopsis of this book makes me think of Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey. But that’s not why I have a copy. Actually, I got a copy from one of my jobs years before reading Snow Child. I think I learned about it from one of Jen Campbell’s videos and have been curious about the story since then.
Every Tongue Got to Confess: Negro Folk-Tales From the Gulf States by Zora Neale Hurston
I believe these are short stories. I bought it years ago when I reread Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God, rediscovering how much I love the book. Wanting to read more of Hurston’s work, I bought Every Tongue Got to Confess from my college’s bookstore but have yet to read it.
Wizard of the Crow by Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o
I got a free copy of this years ago from one of my jobs. Over the years, I kept hearing great things about this novel and the author’s body of work, and I keep intending to read the book, but… I’ve yet to do so.
Zezee with Books 
I eventually gave away my copy of that Margaret George novel; I know it’s probably amazing, but at some point the biggest books on the shelves that i’d been overlooking for years and years AND YEARS just had to make way. I hope you have better luck!
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I get that. I was tempted to give away my copy too, but I keep holding out hope that I’ll get to it… eventually.
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I’m not familiar with these but I am very familiar with the old stressed out TBR.
Lynn 😀
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Lol. I doubt I’ll get to everything on my growing tbr, but it’s nice to think I might.
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I haven’t encountered any of these. I recently picked off a trilogy from 2016 and 2017 – usually I’m good at reading books in order of acquisition but had a pile of books where I hadn’t got all the ones in a series etc. I still have a big catalogue/book from a J.R.R. Tolkien exhibition I didn’t get to go to – I treated myself to the MASSIVE book and do need to read it!
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Good luck getting to the MASSIVE book.
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I haven’t read any of these, and I can’t even remember what is the oldest book on my TBR (I’ve probably got an old notebook lying around that precedes the digital lists I have)!
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Oh, I’m not sure if I can track down what the oldest ones are on my TBR. I just went with the ones I know have been around for a long time lol.
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These are all new to me, but I’m very familiar with having books sitting around on the TBR far too long, though I’ve no clue which have been around the longest. I have a number of Ray Bradbury I really want to read, like Something Wicked This Way Comes and Dandelion Wine. And I’ve wanted to read some Umberto Eco, like The Name of the Rose, for quite a while. So many others… 🙂
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Ditto on those two and those exact books too. I don’t own copies, but they are books I’d like to read one day, esp Name of the Rose
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Two of my books on my TBR are Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens and Anxious People by Fredrik Backman …….. I hope to read these two in the first half of 2022. Its been on my bookshelf since early 2021.
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Hope you get to them. I’d like to finally try one of Backman’s books this year too.
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Yes indeed 😊🙏
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I’ve heard of the Matt Bell book (not gonna type the title, lol) but I can’t remember where. I’ve got so many books that could be on a list like this!
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Lol well it’s a post idea for you, if you need one. 😊
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I started Wizard of the Crow about two years ago. I’m about 10% in. Every scene has power but it’s yet to get my teeth into it. Every now and again I think of it and think I should go back to it… (but not right now because I’ve got two books open already don’t judge me)
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Lol! No judging here since I haven’t started yet. I just keep rereading stuff, lol.
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You and me both
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Oh, I also went through a Henry VIII phase!! Have you seen/listened to the music from Six: The Musical? I love it so much. Hope you enjoy these when you get to them, and I hope you had fun this week!! 💕
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Thanks!
It’s the first I’m hearing of Six: The Musical. Is it based on Henry VIII?
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It’s based on his six wives!! Can highly recommend the song “Don’t Lose Ur Head”!!
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Lol I’ll look it up, thx
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I hope you like it!!
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I thought The Autobiography of Henry VIII was pretty good. You often hear from the various wives and such in fiction. It was sort of different to get it straight from the (heavily fictionalized, I’m sure) horse’s mouth!
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Oh cool. I’ve never read a book on Henry VIII that’s from his POV.
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I actually haven’t heard of any of those! I’m a bit shocked hahaha You got me curious for Wizard of the Crow though. It sounds like a powerful and wonderful read. 😮
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I’ve heard it’s a great read. Glad it interests you.
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I haven’t read any of these! Though Henry VIII sounds interesting.
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If you like historical fiction, esp that period, it might work for you.
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