Remember When I Thought I’d Read a Few Books About War?
by Charlotte Reads Classics
Canadian Stretcher-Bearers, Flanders Fields, 1915
Back in May, I came up with an idea to read more books about War. I had several unread books about WWI and WWII on my bookshelves and on my Classics Club list and thought I would make a bit of a themed reading event (albeit just for myself) where really the main outcome was to get the books crossed off. Here is my very naive original post.
What I hadn’t anticipated when I collected these books and stacked them oppressively next to my bed was that the project would turn into the biggest interest of my reading life. Seriously. It is about five months since I started, and I haven’t even made it to WWII yet. And the list has grown and grown. I am really surprised at how much this has inspired my reading – a few years ago I couldn’t have imagined anything worse than being forced to read about horrible historical events over and over again. Ah, the misguided opinions of youth.
In the interest of collating scraps of lists that are all over the blog (and my house) in very odd places here are the links to what I have read so far:
First World War
- Barker, Pat – Regeneration
- Faulks, Sebastian – Birdsong
- Ford, Ford Madox – Parade’s End
- Graves, Robert – Goodbye To All That
- Hemingway, Ernest – A Farewell To Arms
- Hollinghurst, Alan – The Stranger’s Child
- Remarque, Erich Maria – All Quiet on the Western Front
- Young, Louisa – My Dear I Wanted to Tell You
Second World War
- Chabon, Michael – The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay
- Harris, Robert – Fatherland
- Isherwood, Christopher – Goodbye to Berlin
- Isherwood, Christopher – Mr Norris Changes Trains
- Kane, Jessica Francis – The Report
- Mawer, Simon – The Glass Room
- McEwan, Ian – Atonement
- Shute, Nevil – Requiem For A Wren
- Vonnegut, Kurt – Slaughterhouse 5
- Waters, Sarah – The Night Watch
- Zusak, Markus – The Book Thief
A slightly smaller list of books I still own but have yet to read:
First World War
- Barker, Pat – Life Class
- Barker, Pat – Toby’s Room
- Boyne, John – The Absolutist
- Ishiguro, Kazuo – The Remains of the Day (Not strictly a WWI book, but not a WWII either – I’ve read this at school and hated it but I think I’d appreciate it more now)
- Sassoon, Siegfried – The Complete Memoirs of George Sherston
- Wells, H. G. – Mr Britling Sees It Through
Second World War
- Beauman, Ned – Boxer Beetle
- Gibbons, Stella – Westwood
- Grossman, Vasily – Life and Fate
- Kerr, Philip – Berlin Noir
- Littell, Jonathan – The Kindly Ones
- Nemirovsky, Irene – Suite Française
Science Fiction
- Vonnegut, Kurt – Cat’s Cradle
- Wells, H. G. – The War of the Worlds
And lastly, books that I’d like to read in the future:
First World War
- Aldington, Richard – Death of a Hero
- Barker, Pat – The Eye in the Door
- Barker, Pat – The Ghost Road
- Brittain, Vera – Testament of Youth (Non fiction)
- Englund, Peter – The Beauty and the Sorrow (Non fiction)
- Manning, Frederic – The Middle Parts of Fortune
- Steinbeck, John – Once There Was A War (thanks, Laura)
- West, Rebecca – The Return of the Soldier
- Woolf, Virginia – Jacob’s Room
- The Penguin Book of First World War Stories
Second World War
- Nicholson, Virginia – Millions Like Us (Non fiction)
- Sheers, Owen – Resistance
The list seems unlikely to stop there so I’ve made a page to keep track of these books at the top of the blog – or click here.
If there is anything on the list you fancy reading then let me know, I also welcome new suggestions for the list too!
Charlotte Reads Classics 
Hi Charlotte,
I’ve read The Return of the Soldier and loved it. Ditto for Slaughterhouse 5.
I recommend that you pay a visit to Caroline’s blog, Beauty Is A Sleeping Cat (www.beautyisasleepingcat.wordpress.com). She has a Literature & War Readalong. One book per month, the list and info must be on her blog. She selects good books.
I thought Slaughterhouse 5 was excellent. thanks for the blog recommendation, I will check it out.
Hi, I’m new to the site, but I would like to suggest From Here to Eternity by James Jones. It gives a detailed look at Pearl Harbor before and after the attack. It is really good and has a fantastic love story.
Thanks, Lori – I’d heard of the film (but not seen it) and I didn’t know it was a book as well, I’ll check it out!
That’s a great effort and with the centenary of WWI coming up entirely appropriate!
Thanks! And – Yes it seemed like the right time to summarise!
What a wonderful list of books! I want to read so many of these! I just bought a copy of Parade’s End based on your post about it – I hope the structure doesn’t frustrate me.
Cool, I’d like to hear more opinions about it!
Sebastian Barry’s A Long Long Way is an absolute must-read in regards to WWI, in my opinion. Beautifully done. (I’m writing down your other WWI suggestions.) You’ve done so well on this project and the Classics Club!
Thanks, it has been an unexpected labour of love! I’ll check out A Long Long Way, I’ve never looked at the blurb of that one before so didn’t even know it was a WWI novel. 🙂
Here is one suggestion for you. The absolute classic on WW1 is All Quiet on the Western Front – not an easy read but very powerful.
Good luck with the reading.
Yes, I think that is my all time favourite war novel, very moving.