Marina Diamandis: Which book do you still mean to read, and why has it stayed on your list?

The question

Which book do you still mean to read, and why has it stayed on your list?

Originally asked

The Guardian, to a different person each week, The Q&A

A fixed Guardian Q&A prompt asked directly across respondents and years.

You answer as yourself. Nobody on FLAPSS answers as anybody else.

Recorded said elsewhere, not written here

None! We shouldn’t shame people for not having read “the greats”. There are always new greats emerging that may feel more relevant to our life experience, particularly female writers.

The Q&A, The Guardian, 14 June 2025 source ↗

Mentioned in this answer

Book The Greats
Person female writers not yet on FLAPSS

Others on this question

View all 32 →

Marcus Brigstocke

Absolutely none. I’ve had three run-ups at Captain Corelli’s Mandolin and I conclude it must be boring because I’ve never finished it.

Recorded The Q&A, The Guardian, 4 January 2025 source ↗

Jason Donovan

My own biography! Being serious, there’s an Australian novel by Gregory Roberts called Shantaram that I didn’t read through.

Recorded The Q&A, The Guardian, 13 January 2024 source ↗

Indira Varma

This year, I was asked to be a judge for the Women’s prize for fiction and I’ve read 75 books in six months, so I’m parking shame for the time being.

Recorded The Q&A, The Guardian, 13 April 2024 source ↗

Charlie Higson

I used to give a fantastic talk about Frankenstein and Dracula, but I’ve never been able to finish either book.

Recorded The Q&A, The Guardian, 11 October 2025 source ↗