I was over on Goodreads the other day, looking at lists of books, when I can across one purporting to list the best books of the 20th century. Now, of course, I took that with more than a grain of salt, but that’s besides the point. I’d read 50 of the top 100 books, and an additional 6 are on my to-be-read list.
As I scrolled down, the first book I came to that I hadn’t read or added to my list to read was…
Anne Frank’s Diary of a Young Girl.
Okay, I admit I was a bit embarrassed. How have I never read this book? It’s not the first time I’ve wondered this. I’ve thought about it before, and it’s always been one of those books I “know” I “should” read, but honestly, I’ve never been all that drawn to it. Perhaps it’s my somewhat obstinate personality, the same trait that keeps me from reading The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo because I have since like a million people reading it on the subway (and elsewhere). But, this is a classic, right? And it’s important, and it’s all about humanizing a horrible period in history. And still, I just can’t muster up enough interest to spend a couple hours reading it.
So, it’s going to continue to be my guilty, but no longer secret, non-read book confession.
Although this post over at So Many Books is making me feel less guilty. “If there is a book you really want to read then you’ll read it.”
Good advice.
Wandering in the Stacks 