I am married to a very well-read person. As an English major, Matt read all sorts of books that I really wish were also on my "I have read that" list. As a busy little teacher all I have time to read during the school year are text books and historical primary sources. Though interesting, they aren't what I would call "a good read." Thus, I need to make my summer book list. Please let me know if you have any suggestions for me.
1. To Kill a Mockingbird: Harper Lee (am reading it right now, but haven't read it since 7th grade)
2. Slaughterhouse Five: Kurt Vonnegut
3. Farenheit 451: Ray Bradbury (thanks, Am, for the inspiration)
4. East of Eden: John Steinbeck
5. The Hiding Place: Corrie ten Boom (I read this every year -- I think it makes me a better person for the 4 days it takes me to read it. It's an incredible story; I cry every time and resolve to thank God for fleas.)
6. A Thousand Splendid Suns: Khaled Hosseini
Leave me more suggestions!!
7 comments:
All great books. I love East of Eden. I have a new favorite that I think you would love. It's not a great American classic in the sense that all the others you listed are, but it's still a great book and think your little historical mind would love it. It's called These is My Words- the Diary of Sarah Agnes Prine (can't remember the author at the momment).
The bookmark in my current read (Godel, Escher, Bach--which I would not recommend unless you're looking for truly dense summer reading) has a list of 100 recommended "classics". My goal is to read most of them eventually, but my top 5 on the list (at least currently) are The Brothers Karamozov, The Handmaid's Tale, Little Women (love the movie, but have never read the book), A Room of One's Own, and Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. If none of those peak your interest, send me an email and I'll give you some other suggestions. Enjoy!
here's my list, i don't know which ones you have read already, so i'll just put 'em all:
the good earth
uncle tom's cabin (one of the most important books in american history and so many people have never read it!)
anna karenina (long, but really really great!)
les mis (another long really great book)
animal farm
pretty much anything steinbeck
to destroy you is no loss (an incredibly eye-opening book about cambodia)
pride and prejudice (for the romantic in you)
children of the alley by naguib mahfouz (beautifully written arab novel that is also very interesting from a religious standpoint)
john adams by david mccullough
will the boat sink the water (another eye-opening book, this time about chinese peasants)
the joy luck club
that's probably enough from me! i like the list you and others have started...it's given me a summer reading list of my own. happy reading!
I just read The Road, by Cormac Mcarthy - good read, about the aftermath of the apocalypse, sad but in a good way.
Also, I love Steinbeck! I'd recommend The Sound and The Fury by Faulkner, as well as Crime and Punishment by Dostoyevsky - my faves from high school reading classes. Enjoy your time off this summer!
Alissa--You have a great list here. I'm in the middle of Anna Karenina and loving it, yet I'm excited to read some of your faves when it's done. Happy summer reading!
I thought of another one, one I plan on reading again this summer because it's one of my all-time favorites. "No Contest: The Case Against Competition" by Alfie Kohn. A must-read eye-opener. A book that, if anything, gets one thinking. Enjoy!
Alissa, a book I read a few months back that was so different from any other WWII era book was The Book Thief, I can't remember the author, but I promise you it will be like something you have never read. It was EXCELLENT!
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