Top 10 Oldest Books on My Physical TBR | TTT

Posted on by Lauren

Hello, everyone! I’ve been so excited about spring that of course it had to come back and jinx me — seasonal allergies have hit me like a train for the first time this year. I think one spring when I was younger, I had a tough spit with it but nothing like this past week or so. For now, I’m enjoying the pretty sight of spring through the window…

In composing this week’s Top Ten Tuesday post, I browsed my shelves and was surprised to see that much of my physical TBR are books I’ve only acquired in the last few years. I had to look a little harder to find ones from quite a few years before that. I do have a lot of nonfiction books that could’ve wound up on this list but I like talking about fiction more so it’s more tailored that way. 🙂

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.

1. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley

My dad got me a copy of Brave New World when I was a young teenager and–like every single book on this list–I did start it but never ended up finishing it. It was a little hard for my very non-sciency brain to comprehend what was going on. That being said, I do really want to read it and maybe I’d have an easier time with it now!

2. Emma by Jane Austen

As long as I’ve been reading, I’ve always accumulated thrifted beat-up paperbacks of classics with the idea of one day getting to them. I read about a third of Emma back in 2022 but ended up setting it aside in lieu of books I was more interested in at the time. Hopefully, I can return to it soon!

3. The Fellowship of the Ring (The Lord of the Rings, #1) by J.R.R. Tolkien

I have always wanted to be someone who was super into Lord of the Rings to feed my nerdy heart. Somehow, though, it’s always escaped me — the books, the movies, even people talking about them very much. However, I was around while my dad was rewatching the extended version of The Return of the King a few months back which made me really want to start reading this one. I’m tired of being left out!

4. Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

Frankenstein is yet another book I’ve had a thrifted mass market paperback of for I can’t even say how long. I’ve started it a few times but always save it for autumn for the sake of ~vibes~. However, I save so many books for autumn that I usually shirk this one. Maybe this year!

5. The Hobbit (The Lord of the Rings, #0) by J.R.R. Tolkien

Revisiting Tolkien, I’d really like to finish reading The Hobbit! I started it many, many years ago one stormy night when the power went out, and I read a fair bit aloud to my brothers by flashlight — I haven’t thought of that memory in years but it’s such a sweet one. Anyways, if you’ve read the Lord of the Rings books or even seen the movies, would you recommend starting with The Hobbit or The Fellowship of the Ring first?

6. It by Stephen King

I read almost a hundred pages of It last fall and loved every bit of it — but as much as I felt like I read, it wasn’t even a tenth of this behemoth. If I don’t get back to this one soon, I know that I’ll definitely pick it up again come October.

7. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

I think Jane Eyre is perhaps the book I’ve had the longest of any on this list, and it’s one I’ve started a couple different times. Every time I started it, it wasn’t exactly what I was looking for at the time but I do hope to get to it one day!

8. Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng

I’m honestly surprised that I have yet to read Little Fires Everywhere because I adore family drama and Ng’s other novel, Everything I Never Told You, was a five-star read for me when I first read it. Hopefully I get to this one very soon!

9. No Borrowed Glory by Judy Bloodgood Bander

Many, many years ago now, my mom went to Colonial Williamsburg and brought me back a signed copy of a local author’s book, No Borrowed Glory. As is a very apparent theme in this list, I’ve started this one and actually got a decent way into it but, once again, got distracted. I may have had this book on my shelf even longer than Jane Eyre.

10. Not the Life It Seems: The True Lives of My Chemical Romance by Tom Bryant

Finally, I might as well tack on a nonfiction book. I was hoping for at least one weird, more niche interest book on this list, and I feel like this one is about what I was hoping for in that. Since this wound up on my oft-neglected nonfiction shelf, I forget that I even have it. With this reminder, maybe I’ll feel inclined to indulge the inner teenager (and, who am I kidding, I love MCR just as much now…).

Have you read any of the books on this list? Did you like them? Why, or why not? What books did you mean to read/finish last year that you didn’t get to? I’d love to hear your thoughts below!

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Published by Lauren

Hi! I’m Lauren (she/her, 22), and I like to read and write; I’m still trying to figure out the rest.

8 thoughts on “Top 10 Oldest Books on My Physical TBR | TTT”

    1. That’s such a testament of how effective King is at what he does — even if it’s not everyone’s cup of tea. That’s good to hear about Jane Eyre! Happy reading. 🙂

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    1. I’m definitely looking forward to reading more Celeste Ng! And that’s so good to hear about the others you mentioned. I have high hopes for them all. 🙂 I’m sorry to hear Jane Eyre wasn’t for you — I’ll have to see what I think soon!

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  4. I would definitely recommend starting with The Hobbit before the Lord of the Rings. In my own head, it feels like The Hobbit is aimed at a slightly younger audience which makes it easier to follow and get into. LOTR is amazing, but there is a lot of description and juxtaposition which I had to focus on quite a bit. Having the pre-background from the Hobbit and the films is also a bonus if you’re trying it for the first time. Such a classic though!

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    1. Thank you for explaining all of that! That’s super helpful. I’ll definitely keep all of that in mind. 🙂 I was initially thinking of starting with The Hobbit, and I guess that was a good inclination!

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