Recommended Reads
I have read a fair amount of literature in my day, so if you’re looking for something to read, hopefully some of my suggestions will tickle your fancy. The majority of the list consists of novels, but there a few dramas/plays thrown into the mix, too. Latest reads will be at the top.
Title: Cat’s Cradle
Author: Kurt Vonnegut
When I Read It: 2007-2009, age 17-19
Summary: The narrator is doing research for a novel he wants to write about the dropping of the atomic bomb, so he contacts the children of Felix Hoenikker, the “father of the atomic bomb.” He is then hired to do an interview with Julian Castle, a philanthropist working in San Lorenzo, a remote country where everyone secretly practices the illegal religion called Bokononism. On his journey, his life becomes intricately tangled with everyone he meets.
Title: Timequake
Author: Kurt Vonnegut
When I Read It: 2009, age 19
Summary: The universe is uncertain of whether to keep expanding or not, so suddenly it decides to contract back 10 years earlier to 1991, and everyone has to redo the decade. The novel is a reveals much about Vonnegut himself, as well as his character, Kilgore Trout, as he describes their experience during the timequake.
Title: Breakfast of Champions
Author: Kurt Vonnegut
When I Read It: 2009, age 19
Summary: The novel follows Kilgore Trout, the obscure science fiction author, and Dwayne Hoover, one of the richest men in Midland City. Their paths cross when Trout comes to town for an arts festival, and Dwayne Hoover, slowly spiraling into madness, reads some of Trout’s work and believes the work of fiction.
Title: Harry Potter series
Author: J.K. Rowling
When I Read It: 2000-2008, age 10-18
Summary: The popular book series about the adventures of wizard Harry Potter and his magical friends. The dark wizard Voldemort is making a comeback, and it’s up to Harry and his friends to defeat him.
Title: San Manuel Bueno, mártir
Author: Miguel de Unamuno
When I Read It: 2007-2008, age 17
Summary: A Spanish novel about a small village’s beloved Don Manuel, their priest, who secretly doesn’t believe in anything he preaches. The story chronicles Don Manuel and the only people who know he has lost his faith.
Title: The Bell Jar
Author: Sylvia Plath
When I Read It: 2007, age 17
Summary: The tale of Esther Greenwood, a twenty-something with lots of potential to succeed. However, something is wrong, and Plath takes us by the hand and beautifully describes Esther’s plunge into madness.
Title: Long Day’s Journey into Night
Author: Eugene O’Neill
When I Read It: 2007, age 17
Summary: The play follows the problem-ridden Tyrone family. The men are alcoholics, the mother is going crazy, and they constantly blame each other for their problems.
Title: The Great Gatsby
Author: F. Scott Fitzgerald
When I Read It: 2007, age 16
Summary: Jay Gatsby has been pining for the now married Daisy Buchanan for years. He has moved nearby, close enough so that Daisy can see the elaborate parties that he always throws. A great American classic that is more than just a little love story.
Title: The Sound and the Fury
Author: William Faulkner
When I Read It: 2007, age 16
Summary: A novel broken up into four parts, each told from a different point of view. A challenging read at times, the novel is about the struggles and downfalls of the formerly well-to-do Compson family.