Ian Daniel Stewart

I Wish I Read These As a Kid

I’m living the bachelor life for the next three days. My wife and son will be relaxing at the cabin while I stay in the city and go to work. Being thrust back into the bachelor life, its got me thinking about being a grown-up. For instance, being a grown-up means one shouldn’t eat a whole box of President’s Choice Louisiana-style Hot-wings dipped in blue cheese dressing all by one’s self. That’s just not right. A grown-up should not be doing that.

Anyway, these thoughts of grown-up-ness (or lack thereof — maybe it’s just maleness) reminded me of a list I wanted to generate, Books I Never Read When I Was a Kid and Wish I Had. “Kid” being defined for this list’s purposes as below the age of eighteen. “Grown-Up”, well, let’s decide that some other time, I don’t have the stomach for it.

Books I Never Read When I Was a Kid and Wish I Had

  • A Wrinkle In Time
  • Lloyd Alexander’s The Chronicles of Prydain
  • Peter Pan
  • Don Quixote
  • The Lord of The Rings (shocking, I know, I only liked The Hobbit)
  • Robinson Crusoe
  • The Jungle Book
  • Watership Down
  • Pretty much everything by G.K. Chesterton
  • Ditto for Dostoevsky (I was boycotting pre-twentieth century fiction)
  • More Ray Bradbury (that’s a good reading list item for any age)

And some of your suggestions

  • Pride and Prejudice
  • Great Expectations
  • Anna Karenina
  • The Wind in the Willows
  • Something by Eleanor Farjeon
  • The Princess Bride

Feel free to jog my memory with your own “wished I coulda read it” items in the comments section. If any of our missed ’ems match up I’ll add them to the list.

I hope my wife left me Tums in the house.

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Comments (

12

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  1. Annie

    I wish I’d had the patience to stick with Pride and Prejudice, Great Expectations, and Anna Karenina when I was in high school, instead of skimming them or not finishing them. I only just truly read them in the last few years, and I really missed out.

    Reply
  2. Will

    Hello Ian. I really enjoyed A Wrinkle In Time as a kid.

    I also enjoyed this article and the box of wings!

    Reply
  3. ndpthepoetress

    Oh, oh, oh!!!! May I kindly add and introduce Eleanor Farjeon http://bindingink.blogspot.com/2006/09/come-read-with-me.html !!!

    Reply
  4. Elliot

    Yeah, I’m reading Watership now and really wishing I’d read it as a kid.

    Reply
  5. Elliot

    But then again I would’ve missed some of the nuance.

    Reply
  6. Heather

    I’m working on The Wind in The Willows right now. Can’t believe I didn’t read it as a kid – excellent story.

    Reply
  7. Ian

    Thanks for your suggestions (and comments), everyone. I’ve added them to the list.

    Reply
  8. Anactoria

    Wow, is Don Quixote really a kids book? I tried picking it up recently and still couldn’t get into it! 😛

    Reply
  9. Ian

    I was a weird kid.

    Reply
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    Reply
  11. Kristal Heppner

    Books I wish I had read as a child–The Princess Bride (far better than the movie). More Madeleine L’Engle.

    Byron can’t add anything- he read everything ever published as a kid Ask him- he remembers them all. Word for word. With his exact thoughts upon reading them. As well as the foreward and dedication. Ask him. It is not weird now, but I praise God that I met him when he was older and got a bit of a tan from venturing outside.

    Congrats on your $50 and free book. I think the bragging rights must be priceless.

    Love to the munchkin and your gorgeous bride.

    Kristal

    Reply
  12. Ian Stewart

    I am so going to give him a monster literary quiz now, Kristal. And I’m adding The Princess Bride to my list. Thanks for stopping by!

    Reply
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