Book Recommendations for You!

I hate how I read thirteen books this summer. I mean--I loved reading them, but I wish I read just two more so I could say I read fifteen books instead--that sounds much more impressive. Oh well, what do ya do?

I have ranked my summer books from the ones I would recommend the least to the ones I would recommend the most. The rankings are based mostly on how much I enjoyed reading the book, but also on how the book made me feel and on the themes I drew from it. If I say something offensive about your favorite book, please don't hate me. If you loved a book I didn't (or vice versa), good for you! You're opinion's not wrong.

I will write short/sweet/superficially shallow explanations of my rankings, so don't expect any insightful reasoning here. I'm also tossing in some quotes from the books.

13. The Prince and the Pauper by Mark Twain 

Okay. Mark Twain. He's, like, one of my favorite authors ever. Tom Sawyer? Huck Finn? Pudd'nhead Wilson? Delightful, clever, and mind-opening. So I am as shocked as you that my least favorite book of the summer came from Twain himself. Dull and very plot-driven--felt like an extended fable.

12. Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte 

Whatever souls are made of, his and mine are the same. 

I was expecting more of Heathcliff since he's notorious for his brooding bad-boy charm. But no. No, no, no. I hated every character. Harsh? Yes, but they were all awful. Barely redeemable. Note: Never, EVER, under any condition watch this (extremely boring) movie! (Okay, maybe under the condition that someone pays you fifty bucks. But that's it. Heathcliff isn't that good-looking in it anyway.)

11. Temple and Cosmos by Hugh Nibley

Truth did not come into the world naked, but she came clothed in types and images. (Gospel of Philip)

I took a class from Nibley's daughter and got interested in his works. Much of this book went over my head. I mean, the guy's a genius, but I felt like he failed to simplify, summarize, and explain the significance of many of his points. He's a rambler for sure. Likeable, though.

10. Dracula by Bram Stoker 

How sweet it was to see the clouds race by, and the passing gleams of moonlight between the scudding clouds crossing and passing--like the gladness and sorrow of a man's life. 

It was cool to familiarize myself with this classic. It has that great Victorian-esque feel. However, it's very long and not too much action happens. A lot of repetitive events. This is definitely not the same type of horror authors write today.

9. Les Miserables by Victor Hugo

The future belongs still more to the heart than to the mind. To love is the only thing which can occupy and fill up eternity. The infinite requires the inexhaustible. 

I know this is like THE book everyone says you have to read, but alas, it only made number nine on my list. I read the abridged version--850 pages instead of 1600ish--because numerous people told me this was the only way to read it and not go crazy, as the long version has tons of superfluous passages. The way Hugo words things is interesting, as he originally wrote the text in French. I loved the whole justice vs. mercy thing going on. There were lot of insightful, albeit didactic, pithy statements. But in the end, I wasn't jumping up and down to turn the page. I was relieved when it ended. Still stoked for the movie!

8. 1984 by George Orwell 

In the face of pain there are no heroes. 

What knowledge have we of anything, save through our own minds? All happenings are in the mind. 

This book exceeded my expectations! Contrary to popular belief, I found it to be less about government or dictatorship and more about society in general and its reaction to its own mortality. It got me thinking, "How do we as humans employ doublethink (which is basically convincing oneself of falsehoods to stay put in a comfort zone)?" Read the book--it has tons of interesting philosophical musings that'll get you thinking!


7. Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut. 

This book is a failure, and had to be since it was written by a pillar of salt. It begins like this: Listen: Billy pilgrim has come unstuck in time. It ends like this: Poo-tee-tweet? 

Billy Pilgrim says that the Universe does not look like a lot of bright litle dots to the creatures of Tralfamadore. The creatures can see where each star has been and where it is going, so that the heavens are filled with rarefied, luminous spaghetti. And Tralfamadorians don't see human beings as two-legged creatures, either. They see them as great millepeds--with babies' legs at on end and old people's legs at the other," says Billy Pilgrim. 

Have I mentioned I love Postmodernism? No? I do. Why? See above quotes. Non-linear, non-conventional, and delightful. Get prepared for a ride if you start this book, because it takes you to other worlds (like, literally. The guy gets abducted by aliens...unless he's crazy, you never really know.)

4. Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger

You hate to tell new stuff to somebody around a hundred years old. They don't like to hear it. 

This book really gets to the center of the rebellious teenage mind. It has a simple, beautiful, and unstated moral. It's not didactic; it simply portrays life and allows you to draw your own meaning. Quirky with a witty voice--first person narrative rocks.

5. Go Tell It on the Mountain by James Baldwin. 

Baldwin is a renowned contemporary author who writes gorgeously. The book starts out with an on-the-surface view of several characters and then delves into their past.  It makes you laugh, it makes you cry, it makes you marvel at his poetic language. Lovely. Reminds me what it is to be human.

4. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

I think there's just one kind of folks. Folks.

How did I get through high school without reading this classic? All about compassion and understanding. A real heart-warmer. Read it if you haven't. Five stars.

3., 2., and 1. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets,
and Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling

Do I lose all credibility by placing these children/young adult novels above classics like Les Mis and Dracula?  I am SO impressed with J.K. Rowling. She created an imaginary world that rocked the real one. I was excited to turn each page. It inspired me, touched me, entertained me. I saw themes of bravery, loyalty, understanding, friendship, and love. I saw that people can turn out to be better than they seem (hello, Snape?), that power corrupts when valued above people. My favorite sections of the books, though, are the ones in which Dumbledore gives his two cents. These truths are simple enough to be in a children's novel, yet profound enough to keep us all all thinking. Here's some Dumbledor-isms to end this post:

To the well-organized mind, death is but the next great adventure.

It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.

Fear of a name increases fear of a thing itself.

Ah, Harry, how often this happens, even between the best of friends! Each of us believes that what he has to say is much more important than anything the other might have to contribute!

Do not pity the dead, Harry. Pity the living, and, above all, those who live without love.