hi guys! please bear with me as I reminisce over some of my favorite books I’ve read over the past couple of years for school (in no particular order). hopefully you’ll come out of this with a couple of books added to your TBR list if you haven’t already read these texts!
so first, a tale of two cities. I read this in ninth grade for English, and it was definitely one of the more difficult books I’d read for school up until that point. the language and imagery were so beautiful and it was the first time I remember reading a classic written so intricately. I found the story gripping and I also just really loved the historical aspect of the book, but the ending devastated me. π this book is one of my all-time favorites with so many themes to ponder and looking back at my penciled annotations, I really want to reread it.
another book I loved was to kill a mockingbird. I’m sure many, many students have heard of this book and for a good reason, too. aside from being a title so well-known in English, it’s a book that so naturally sparks endless discussions about prejudice, morality, character, naivete, et cetera. through the innocent remarks of scout, the appalling yet continual presence of injustice, and the admirable wisdom of atticus finch, this book was such a frustrating yet beautiful book.
next, the catcher in the rye. I don’t think this book was terribly popular among our grade (at first, anyway) for essentially one reason: the overwhelming angst of Holden. this was definitely a book that grew on me as I read through it, and by the end of it, I really loved this book and how it so boldly defied the stereotypes associated with the “typical” novels read for school. I found the tone of the book just so different compared to the more conventionally-written books we read in English and though the word “disillusionment” was thrown around too many times to count as we discussed the book’s themes in class, I just remember genuinely enjoying the novel.
we read a Shakespeare play every year and I was really intrigued by othello and the tempest. I love how they so dramatically dealt with themes of love, anger, jealousy, manipulation, and revenge, and also touched on themes of racial prejudice. one of my teachers said that the reason Shakespeare’s plays were so popular was that they appealed to people of all backgrounds and socioeconomic classes at his time, which I think provides a lot of interesting context and adds to the genius of his texts.
last but certainly not least, the great gatsby. I already have a review of this glorious novel (read it here), so I’ll be brief. I loved the storytelling of this book and how casually the book flowed, and I loved the characters and how you couldn’t truly hate any one character because they were all simply too human. but perhaps my most favorite aspect was its commentary on 1920s social history, lavish living and rose-colored glasses and all. I’d 100% recommend this book if you haven’t read it already.
I’m excited to see how this list will age and what other texts I’ll add to it in the years to come. thanks for reading, have a great day! π
Great post! I read/loved almost all of your picks–The Catcher in the Rye is one of my favorite books that I’ve ever read for school! (To Kill a Mockingbird also made me cry in front of my classmates on several occasions…)
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thank you so much!! and I can relate- so many of the books I read for school pushed me to the brink of tears (in the best way possible) β€
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Great post!!!! I loved The Tale of Two Cities! I didn’t read it for school, but read around the same age as you. It is till date the best classic I have read.
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Thank you so much!! I agree, it’s such a brilliant novel!
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To Kill a Mockingbird is such a great book!! Love your list!
Personally, I read Fahrenheit 451 for school and I’m still recommending it to people! It’s such a great book!
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For sure, Fahrenheit 451 was also an amazing book!!
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These are all such classics and beloved by me, still, decades after reading them. They definitely hold a special place in my heart and on my shelf… my college copies are so brittle and old but I can’t replace them. My all time faves from college are A Separate Peace and The Fountainhead. Oof.. love them so.
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I definitely agree and hope to read many more classics! And thank you for the recommendations! π
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These are all such wonderful reads! I read many of these around when I was in high school too, and have reread some of them several times since, Shakespeare’s plays in particular.
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yess Iβm so excited to reread these books in the future and see how my understanding of the books changes π
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Iβve wanted to read A Tale of Two Cities for so long, mostly so I could understand other booksβ references to it :β) So itβs nice to see someone actually enjoyed reading it!
The Great Gatsby is weirdly one of my favourite books! The flow of the story really was a highlight.
Great post!!
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Thank you!! I hope youβre able to read A Tale of Two Cities soon- it really is a must-read! And for sure, The Great Gatsby was a strange but beautifully written novel π
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This was such an interesting post! I read ‘A Tale of Two Cities’ in school, have read the other books much later…but now that I think of it, I should revisit ‘A Tale of Two Cities’.
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Thank you so much!! Rereading books from school is always fun π
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