Oh my gosh, I love to read. Who knew?
Well, what can I say, I was a typical kid and used good ol' handy dandy 'Cliff Notes' growing up for all occasions. My teachers, did of course, frown upon this but what's a girls to do- I needed time to talk on the phone, play sports, and write an endless amount of notes to my friends-of which contained nothing because you're always afraid a note will be stolen-
My life was busy, so like many of ya'll did, I spent the $5.95 on Cliff Notes from Books-A-Million, for someone else to tell me what the heck Shakespeare was talking about.
What freakin' lame-o I was! Yes, I managed to get good grades (somehow)- but here I am, approaching my 26 b-day and I haven't read even ONE of the many classic novels!... -I'm sure my best friend Lindsay (a.k.a. A 7th grade english teachers) is saying 'oh my gosh, missy...,that's terrible' , and I deserve it ;)
So here's my new gig. I'm going to press the rewind button and allow myself a second chance to catch up to all those smarty pants out there who actually took the time to read the books we were assigned in school...except this time, I get to pick the book list.
1. Angela's Ashes, by Frank McCourt, 1996
2. 'Tis, by Frank McCourt, 1999
3. The Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger, 1951
4. The Grapes of Wrath, by John Steinbeck, 1939
5. To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, 1960
6. 1984, by George Orwell, 1949
7. Animal Farm, by George Orwell, 1945
8. Catch 22, by Joseph Heller, 1961
9. Lord of the Flies, by William Golding, 1954
10. Slaughter House Five, by Kurt Vonnegut,1969
11. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, by Ken Kesey, 1962
12. Gulliver's Travels, by Johnathan Smith, 1726
13. The Color Purple, Alice Walker, 1982
So I started Angela's Ashes yesterday, and it's zooming by. Such a great story. I find myself feeling as if I'm there in Ireland watching this family go through so much in the 1930's. I found it hard to tear myself away from the pages...but after neglecting to spend anytime with Jeff & Max yesterday I put the book down and watched some tube (tv) with Jeff. But let me tell you- within 5 minutes I was out, cold, snoozing.
I'd love to hear any advice on good classics to add to my book list, that anyone may have. I do have a long winter coming up, so I need to get my library stocked asap!
Book list topic to be continued...we'll see how long this lasts ;)
He Bid Us Come and Die
10 years ago
i love this post, and i love that you're taking up reading! it's never too late. my suggestion is "great gatsby" by f. scott fitzgerald. probably my favorite classic that i read in school. it is amazing! i'll keep thinking, and if i come up with any more, i'll let you know! :) love ya miss!
ReplyDeletefrank mccourt ... ahhh. rip frank :(
ReplyDeletei'd recommend a tree grows in brooklyn (betty smith) and erica jong's fear of flying. every woman in the entire WORLD should read fear of flying at least twice.
I just read Pride & Prejudice & Zombies. It's the regualr ol' Pride & Prejudice text with some Zombies thrown in there. It's not very believable but it's a fun way to re-visit (or read for the first time) a classic. And I'm with ya on the non-reading in school. Must have been a SHS thing. Spark notes all the way ;P
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