Classic Novels That I'm Dying to Read This Autumn

Being a combination of an English literature student and a self-confessed book nerd, it's no surprise that my TBR (to-be-read) list is overflowing with titles. There are so many books that I'm eager to read but simply don't have the time to, whether that's due to being busy or prioritising my university core texts. I could honestly make a TBR list of about 100 books but that certainly wouldn't be interesting for you guys to read, so I thought I'd narrow it down to my top picks which I'll hopefully have time to sink my teeth into soon!

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
Perhaps one of the most famous novels from the 19th century yet one that I haven't read, which is surprising as I really loved Wuthering Heights and Pride and Prejudice, which are from the same period and share some of the Gothic and romantic elements respectively. I've had this sat on my shelf for quite some time now, but I've found that the elegant writing yet small-scale action of the Bronte sisters and Austen's novels make them quite slow to read, so I've still not had the chance to start this yet.

The Waves by Virginia Woolf
I fell in love with Woolf's writing style and experimental form after reading 'A Room of One's Own' and instantly knew that I wanted to read more of her work. The Waves, which is perhaps deemed as one of her more daring novels, takes the form of six soliloquies each by a different character. Although the summary of this novel instantly grabbed me and I really wanted to read it, I haven't found the time since purchasing it to do so, but hopefully I'll get to it soon.

1894 by George Orwell
I've always had a love of dystopian novels, especially in my days of obsessing over young adult literature, and although I never thought that 1984 would be up my street, I'm really eager to give it a go. This novel is definitely well renowned and it's another one that I'm ashamed to have not read, but hopefully that'll soon be corrected. It was actually Jack Edward who recommended this book, and so I trust in his opinion that I'll enjoy it.

The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood
It's probably at this point of the blog post that you've realised just how little classic literature I've read - well that's what I'm aiming to improve! This is another dystopian novel with class elements that really plays to my interests, and the recommendation actually came from one of my friends doing it for their A Level coursework about a year ago, as well as constantly being told that I'd enjoy the TV show, making it yet another one that I need to get around to reading.

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
I feel like I've read a fair bit of Gothic literature and science fiction in my time, and done a lot of research on it for coursework, but one title that is missing from the mix is Frankenstein. I was lucky enough to be gifted this by my university upon enrolling, and I can't think of a better incentive to get reading it, since I know it'll be one that I'll breeze through and genuinely enjoy.

My Cousin Rachel by Daphne du Maurier
Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier is my favourite book that I've read in quite some time, dare I even say forever, loving both the beautiful writing and the intertwined mystery and crime style with romance. I was immediately eager to read something else by Daphne du Maurier and picked up My Cousin Rachel from Waterstones in hope that it'd be just as good. Although I haven't started it yet, I know that it has a lot of similar themes and concepts as Rebecca, and it's a novel that I really can't wait to jump into.

So these are just a few of the many books on my TBR list, although it might be quite a while before I can lift any of these off my bookshelf as I've got a lot of reading for university in the meantime. However, I hope you enjoyed hearing what novels I want to read, and I'd love to know if you have any more recommendations for me down in the comments. Thanks for reading this blog post and I'll see you soon with another one!

Love from Daisy x