Matthew Kelly: 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.

Matthew Kelly

Recorded said elsewhere, not written here

Fifty per cent of the books on my shelf, so much so that I gave them away.

The Q&A, The Guardian, 14 February 2026 source ↗

Others on this question

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Marina Diamandis

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.

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

Rebecca Lucy Taylor

I never finished The Second Sex by Simone de Beauvoir.

Recorded The Q&A, The Guardian, 29 November 2025 source ↗

Munroe Bergdorf

The Great Gatsby.

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

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 ↗

More from Matthew Kelly

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Question Who deserves an apology from you, and for what? Failure & regret

My parents, because I rather slipped from their standards on more than one occasion. And when they got older, I wish I’d been kinder and more tolerant with them.

Recorded The Q&A, The Guardian, 14 February 2026 source ↗