Lucy Lawless: Which book do you still mean to read, and why has it stayed on your list? — FLAPSS

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.

LL

Lucy Lawless

Recorded said elsewhere, not written here

Anything by Dostoevsky. I tried!

The Q&A, The Guardian, 30 August 2025 source ↗

Mentioned in this answer

Book works by Dostoevsky · Fyodor Dostoevsky
Person Fyodor Dostoevsky not yet on FLAPSS

Others on this question

View all 32 →

Corinne Bailey Rae

I’m not really ashamed, but I haven’t read Lord of the Rings.

Recorded The Q&A, The Guardian, 23 September 2023 source ↗

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 ↗

Munroe Bergdorf

The Great Gatsby.

Recorded The Q&A, The Guardian, 5 July 2025 source ↗

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 ↗

More from Lucy Lawless

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Question How would you sum yourself up in three words? Identity & self

Insular, creative and mechanically minded.

Recorded The Q&A, The Guardian, 30 August 2025 source ↗

Question What would you most want to leave your children? Death & what remains

A great education.

Recorded The Q&A, The Guardian, 30 August 2025 source ↗

Question What disappointment has stayed with you longest? Failure & regret

I suspect it hasn’t happened yet.

Recorded The Q&A, The Guardian, 30 August 2025 source ↗

Question What lesson has mattered most in your life? Time & hindsight

That there is time. I doggedly prioritise and pursue tasks, and the day seems to open out and everything does get done. Chill.

Recorded The Q&A, The Guardian, 30 August 2025 source ↗

Question As a child, what career or life did you imagine for yourself? Identity & self

A criminal pathologist. Then I saw a show called Quincy ME and realised I just wanted to play one on TV.

Recorded The Q&A, The Guardian, 30 August 2025 source ↗

Question What worries you about getting older? Time & hindsight

I don’t want to get into an early death spiral, when you’re scaling down your life unnecessarily because you’ve already been there or done that. I never want to stop adventuring.

Recorded The Q&A, The Guardian, 30 August 2025 source ↗

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Munroe Bergdorf, Toby Stephens, Zack Polanski, Stephanie Beacham, Matthew Kelly, Ally McCoist

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