My Bookish Bucket List

Bucket list! I remember how swiftly our lives were inundated with this catchphrase. In the earlier, more simpler times, we had a wish list and there was no pressure to check off each box on the itinerary. Now almost everyone has a ‘bucket list’. Bucket list has turned into a serious deal because kicking the bucket is like the professional commitment to achieving set targets.

On my part, I was influenced by the movie ‘Bucket List’, in which Morgan Freeman and Jack Nicholson set off on an incredible journey to do fulfill their wish list. Though the movie also left me at a tricky spot where the phrase ‘bucket list’ could only conjecture plans to visits exotic places and do adrenaline-rushing acts. But, mine couldn’t go overboard with skydiving or hot air balloon ride, mine had to be a ‘Bookish Bucket List’.

My bucket list could simply be ‘To Read a 1000 Books Before I Die’ and probably wish to reach there before my hair turns completely grey. But surely, I needed a more detailed version of the bucket list with those tiny boxes to be checked off at the end of each achievement.

So here goes ‘My Bookish Bucket List‘

1. Read a 100 Classics

I love English Classics. I have read a number of classics, something that was an integral part of growing up but I still have books on my shelf that should have been read long ago. For instance, I am yet to read ‘Crime and Punishment’ by Fyodor Dostoevsky and ‘War and Peace’ by Leo Tolstoy. That’s just to name two books from the TBR on Classics.

2. Read all 15 Charles Dickens’ Novels

The first Dickens’ book that I read was ‘The Great Expectations’ and then I read 3 more books by him. Well, I started the audiobook on ‘Bleak House’ but was lost somewhere after chapter 3 or 4 so yes, need to pick up a paperback to go back to it.

Once I read that author Donna Tartt was influenced by Dickens’ in her writing. Of course, Theo in ‘The Goldfinch’ does remind of Pip. In an interview with Chicago Tribune, she had said, “There are many reasons to love Dickens, but I particularly love him because he’s such a magnificently capacious and versatile writer — gripping storyteller, gorgeous stylist, with such a vibrant command of metaphor and character.” So, yes, I am going to read all 15 novels by Charles Dickens in this lifetime.

3. Visit 5 places from 5 of Dan Brown books

About a year back, I had written about the incredible places mentioned in Dan Brown’s book titled ‘Origin’. That post gave me an idea that probably I should have a travel plan inspired by Dan Brown’s books. There would be historical places and museums from London to Paris to Istanbul to Florence. This would make for an incredible travel plan.   

4. Re-read my favourite childhood books

I wonder how it would be to read ‘The Jungle Book’ and ‘Room on the ‘Roof’ as a grown-up. Will the book still have me in awe or will I pass it for children’s stories with a simple narrative. Some years back, I read ‘Kim’ by Rudyard Kipling and I felt there was Pandora’s box that I couldn’t have opened as a child.  

5. Read a Book in its original language and not the translated version

I would love to read ‘If On a Winter’s Night a Traveler’ by Italo Calvino in Italian or ‘The Unbearable Lightness of Being’ by Milan Kundera in Czech. Yes, that would mean to learn a foreign language first and then read the books in the way the author wrote them.

6. Visit famous Bookstores

Ever since I read about Shakespeare and Company, Paris and The Strand, New York, I have been dying to visit these two bookstores. The historical significance of a bookstore is what drives book lovers to flock these places. I have a few more on my list but for kicking the bucket, I may just keep it to these two bookstores.

pc wikipedia

7. Attend my favourite author’s book reading session

Isn’t this easy? I always thought it was easy to catch up with an author’s book reading session but No! I think I should probably change this one to meeting my favourite author and be done with it. Even then, will Julian Barnes be obliging enough to meet me?

8. Read a historical fiction in a historically famous place

Imagine if you could read ‘The Name of the Rose’ by Umberto Eco in Italy. Exactly, what an experience that would be, so this one is on my list. I could even do with re-reading of a book, say ‘The Glass Palace’ by Amitav Ghosh in Mandalay.

9. Own 50 Collectible Special Edition Books

This is a crazy little wish from my end, to own special edition books. I am always intrigued by book cover designs and special edition books have unique designs on their hardcovers. Sometimes, these editions are even signed by authors, and yayy, what more could a book lover seek.

10. Open a Bookstore

Opening a bookstore is my penultimate dream and one that had needs to feature right on top of my bucket list. I love books and I feel it would be amazing to be breathing inside a bookstore 24×7.

It was fun sharing my Bookish Bucket List with you. Do share your bucket list with me in the comments section.   

‘This post is a part of Write Over the Weekend, an initiative for Indian Bloggers by BlogAdda.’