Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Books I Think Everyone Should Read at Some Point In Their Life

I was thinking today about books and about all the books I want to read and about the books I have read. In high school I read a ton of books and they were pretty much all of those dumb teen romances. Remember "Sweet Valley High" and all of that garbage? I also read every Danielle Steel book ever written while babysitting for a lady who had them all. I didn't read much my first two years of college but rediscovered my love for reading by my third year. I then decided that I needed to read deep, classic literature and less of the fluff/trash I had read for most of my life. It was during those few years that I read some of the best books I have ever read. There is a reason that the classics are the classics. At this point in my life I read a huge variety of books--no trash but lots of fluff and mindless reading. In the same way that many people watch tv to escape and relax, I read. So, I don't challenge myself much these days. But--back to those college days--here are some of the books I read and highly recommend. They aren't mindless, easy reads but well worth your time...
  • The Thornbirds by Colleen McCollough (I actually read this twice--I remember that it was a great story and I remember the gist of it but have forgotten the details, maybe I should read it again...)
  • Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
  • Great Expectations by Charles Dickens
  • Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
  • Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
  • Anything and everything by Pat Conroy--Prince of Tides being the highlight (not really a classic but a good book nonetheless)
  • The Chosen and My Name is Asher Lev, both by Chaim Potok
That's all I can think of right now. Do you have any you'd like to add to the list?

4 comments:

Kris said...

The Scarlett Letter by Nathanial Hawthorne.
Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton.
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee.
Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell.

Tiffany said...

How could I forget Gone With the Wind??
The others are great as well, but I haven't read Ethan Frome. I'll have to add that to my list.
I should re-read The Scarlet Letter too, I had to read it in high school and I remember enjoying it but I would probably appreciate it more now.

Julie said...

Good timing. I just downloaded the audiobook of Pride and Prejudice onto my ipod last night. (I've never read it)

Cristy said...

To Kill a Mockingbird and Anna Karenina were fantastic. The first is always my go to book when I need something to read. I read all of John Steinbeck's when I was in high school. Of Mice and Men was a really great book. I love his writing style.