Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly book meme run by That Artsy Reader Girl. It probably says a lot about me that I find topics akin to this easy to answer. It’s hard not to get excited about certain books sometimes, so much that you just have to go out and get it, but with so many books to read and only so much time, there are a number that invariably get left to sit and wait. Here are ten books that I went out of my way to pick up quite a while ago that I still haven’t read yet.

Hellboy’s World by Scott Bukatman

Back when I was especially determined to pick up new volumes of Hellboy and the one-shot novels, I came across this book and excitedly picked it up, as it is more of an examination of the series as a work of art and literature. I still want to check it out, but I bought it back in April 2018, so apparently I wasn’t that excited.

American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis

I’ve brought this book up before, as it is one that I know for certain that I’ve owned for well over a decade. My uncle, who is an English teacher and author himself, recommended it along with a number of other books when I was first getting into reading more heavily in my late teens, just before heading into university. All these years later, this is the one book from that collection of recommendations that I haven’t read yet.

The Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri

Around the time that I picked up my deluxe editions of the works of Homer, I decided I wanted this deluxe edition as well. I’m almost certain this was back in 2012/2013, maybe early 2014. I’m still very happy with my copy, but it’s such an intimidating book that I’ve not once committed to the idea of reading it yet.

Moby Dick by Herman Melville

This book has wound up an actual white whale of mine, as I’ve even tried making concrete plans to read it more recently that just didn’t pan out. I was so particular about getting a copy with a nice cover like this many years ago, though, so it’s been sitting on my shelf for a long time.

The Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy: A Trilogy in Five Parts by Douglas Adams

I can still remember staring at this book in my local Coles as a teen, back when they still existed, wanting to pick up this hardcover containing all five books of this series. When I found a like-new-looking copy at a used bookstore I frequented, I eagerly bought it. Since then, I’ve barely given it a second glance, sadly. I think I’ve had this one a decade by now too.

Art of War by Sun Tzu

In the late 2000s, I was gifted a copy of this book by my aunt while browsing a Barnes and Noble during a trip to Ohio. At the time, it seemed really important to me that I read this book to help with my story-writing aspirations, but I still haven’t given it a proper read yet.

I Am Legend by Richard Matheson

I bought this during one of my early book-buying binges as a young man, and I think I haven’t read it out of spite. What on earth was I thinking? Look at that hideous star. The rest of the cover I quite like, but I can’t believe I thought I could get over that permanent decal.

Paper Girls by Brian K. Vaughn & Cliff Chiang

Never mind the first volume pictured above, I have three volumes now, but I still haven’t tried starting this series yet. Like many others I’ve taken an interest in over the years, I sometimes just collect them and forget them. I hear good things though, so I really should give these a go.

Dark Lord of Derkholm by Diana Wynne Jones

I bought this book back in March 2018 after reading a collection of essays by the author and realizing she has a vast bibliography that I hadn’t even heard of. I picked up this book, along with its sequel a couple months later, to better acquaint myself with her fiction. Still waiting on getting better acquainted.

Draconian Measures by Don Perrin & Margaret Weis

This is the second book in the Kang’s Regiment duology of Dragonlance novels. The greater series is not one I have a particular interest in, but I bought these two books because they are told from the perspective of dragon men, which is a type of character I still want to write about in the ever-percolating novel in my head. I figured I should learn from how others approached the idea. I believe it took me a while to track this book down, and I was excited to finally get it, but I’ve honestly barely even thought about it since then. I still remember much of the plot of The Doom Brigade at least, so I won’t be completely lost when I finally do crack it open.

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Until next time, thank you for reading! Feel free to share your own list down below.