Wednesday, October 26, 2011

5 books I think you should read

It's certainly not my position to tell you what you should and shouldn't read, but there are some books I think plenty of people will enjoy. Old or new, they're all written extremely well, and I think you'd all find something enjoyable about them.

1.) 1984-George Orwell
This book will change your perspective on the world. It's an amazingly horrible story of a man named Winston who lives in a dystopian society. It teaches you not to trust the government, and how things like language and memory can easily be modified or even destroyed.

2.) Atonement-Ian McEwan
In my opinion, this is the most beautifully written book of modern time. This is one of those books where even if there was no plot, you would read just because of the way it's written. It's so eloquent and Ian McEwan's writing style is unbelievable. It's a tragic love story of a young couple torn apart in WWII because the guy was unjustifiably accused of rape.

3.) The Great Gatsby-F. Scott Fitzgerald
This is my favorite book of all the ones we have read in English class. It's set in the Roaring Twenties, which is one of my favorite periods to learn about because of the rich culture. It's (of course) a bit of a romance, but it also has a lot to say about friendship, status, and how stupid it is to cheat on your lover.

4.) The Help-Kathryn Stockett
Most of you have probably heard about the story because of the film adaptation, so I'm not going to summarize too much. It's basically a story about a white woman who writes a controversial story with the help of a couple black women. It's a funny and inspiring read, and helps expose some not-so-long ago civil rights issues.

5.) The Zookeeper's Wife-Diane Ackerman
This story is an inspiring tear-jerker. It's a story of a woman who helps save 300 Polish Jews by hiding them in her zoo during the WWII Holocaust era. I love Holocaust stories because they're so real, so naturally this one is a great read, and it's written wonderfully too. It's both heartbreaking and breathtaking, and shows that one person who believes strongly enough in something can make a difference.

I tried to keep the genres and time periods a bit different, so hopefully you all will find at least one that you like. I'm also thinking about starting a new series (my first!) on this blog, where each week I'll talk about one historical period I would love to visit, from the Roman Empire to the Renaissance to WWII! What do you guys think? I'm afraid it's a little nerdy, because I'm a huge history geek. I'll think about it, and you guys let me know what you think!

9 comments:

  1. If only I was interested in Books :O. But hey it' be awesome if you do a "5 Movies I think you should watch" :D - I will love it ;).

    Still great article for people who read books. :)

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  2. I think that's a great idea for a series! I love history too so go for it! :)

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  3. i absolutely love the great gatsby! i actually just had to read that last week in one of my college classes, i hadn't read it since high school and forgot how much i liked it. that's the only one from this list i've read though. but yeah, cheating = bad. and tom = bad. and kinda daisy too. ahh. mini rant over.

    and that's a cool idea for a blog series, i agree, history is one of my favorite subjects.

    because my stupid thing usually only lets me comment in pop out comment things, the name's all weird. it's that20somethingvirgin.blogspot.com

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  4. I love history too so I think that would be a great series!

    I'm actually reading The Great Gatsby in English Lit at the moment along with Othello. But it's not exactly my fave book as I'm not really loving the subject at the mo haha

    I would love to read The Zookeeper's Wife. I think I'll keep that one in mind when I next want a book because I'm like you when it comes to the Holocaust :'( So thanks!

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  5. I have actually read the Great Gatsby. I think you really have to go through it slowly to appreciate its stylistic brilliance. But it's a bit too descriptive in quarters.

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  6. I've been going slightly crazy lately because I've been needing something new to read, so I can't thank you enough for posting this list! I'm not the biggest George Orwell fan (gaah, we studied Animal Farm earlier this year) BUT 1984 sounds cool! Aaaah! I've always wanted to read The Great Gatsby. Anyway I'm going to try and find these books at the library! Hope you're well and thanks for posting! Yay! xxx

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  7. Haha, Meleonie you're comment on my other post about needing books to read is what inspired me to write this post! So you're welcome :D

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  8. I've read 1, 3, and 4. All great books. I'll look into the other two.

    OR WILL I.

    Mua ha ha.

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  9. 1984...indeed...it's amazing! :)

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