I wish I could say a bunch of cheesy stuff about how books are the source of all knowledge and the way they take you back in time as soon as you crack open a page, as is customary for these types of lists, but of that, I am incapable. (Books are ... long. And scary. And long.) However, that doesn't stop me from making lists, because I simply adore making lists. Therefore, here is the culmination what I wrote while I procrastinated writing this blog post, shortened and made extra concise just for my dear readers. Like a good writer, I am obligated to say that I hope this list inspires you to perhaps read one of the following books, because they are classics, and classics are classic for a reason. (The reason? I believe it is because they are good books, albeit I have absolutely no idea.)
1. The Great Gatsby
- By: F. Scott Fitzgerald
- One-Sentence Summary (bold of you to assume I can squeeze the plots of such great novels into a sentence, but I will try): Way-too-wealthy millionaire Jay Gatsby pines for his childhood crush Daisy Buchanan; narrated by the perspective of Nick Carraway, who moved from the Midwest to the East to pursue the "bond business."
- Published: 1925
- Simrah Score (my ranking of how good I expect the book to be because I am unapologetically judgmental and absolutely DO judge a book by its cover, no shame): 9/10
- Simrah's Comments: I believe this book will be absolutely wonderful, because I think reading about the lavishness of the wealthy during the Roaring '20's is an experience no one will regret. If there is one thing The Great Gatsby is known for, it's parties.
2. Wuthering Heights
- By: Emily Brönte
- One-Sentence Summary: How the love between brooding Heathcliff and prima donna Catherine Earnshaw destroys the entire Earnshaw estate.
- Published: 1847
- Simrah Score: 6/10
- Simrah's Comments: I honestly tried reading this book, and I made it some three chapters before giving up. Saying it's a tough read would be an understatement, but people RAVE, so it must be good.
3. War and Peace
- By: Leo Tolstoy
- One-Sentence Summary: Napolean's invasion of Russia in 1812 and the story of a few totally different characters who grow and deal with their identity over the course of the novel. (I wish I could be more specific, but I, myself, am not even sure what this book is about -- i.e., "Simrah's Comments.")
- Published: 1867
- Simrah Score: 10/10; if a book is this hard to read, it must offer something good to the general public
- Simrah's Comments: I found this book at the Uni library, and on a whim, I picked it up and started reading during Free Reading Day. I don't remember what was happening, exactly, but I do remember that I returned it after reading a few pages, thinking, Never again. However, it is supposed to be one of The Greatest Novels Ever, and as aforementioned, any book with this difficulty level must be good. (Take The Scarlet Letter, for instance. This list is supposed to defend the good name of the classic book, but I feel as though it's doing the opposite.)
4. Les Miserables
- By: Victor Hugo
- One-Sentence Summary: Jean Valjean's wrongful imprisonment and eventual release, and his evolution and how he is pursued by his former prison guard all around France.
- Published: 1862
- Simrah Score: 7/10
- Simrah's Comments: This has been on my reading list since fifth grade -- no lie -- so I thought I ought to put it on here too. In futility, I attempted reading this in fifth grade, and need I say it, I was barely able to finish the first few pages. (Although I was a fifth grader.)
5. Great Expectations
- By: Charles Dickens
- One-Sentence Summary: The orphan Pip, who is sent to London and becomes wealthy because of a mysterious benefactor, then ends up returning to his roots.
- Published: 1860
- Simrah Score: 8/10
- Simrah's Comments: I think this book would be amazing! I have read the abridged version, and it's a really sweet -- albeit pretty sad at times -- coming-of-age story with the oddest twists.
6. BONUS! The Catcher in the Rye
- By: J.D. Salinger
- One-Sentence Summary: Holden Caulfield gets expelled from his boarding school, and instead of going home for the holidays, he goes to New York, and cue the greatest bildungsroman of all time.
- Published: 1951
- Simrah Score: 10/10
- Simrah's Comments: I have read this book already, and I loved it too much for my own good. It is honestly such a great story of discovering who you are. Even though the book was written almost eighty years ago, it's still relevant today, and I adore the author's writing!
And so commences my five-(six?)-book bucket list, a.k.a the shortest blog post I have ever written. Trust and believe, this is the mini version of my TBR list. The actual list -- the king of all the lists, the One List to Rule Them All -- is much longer, and as with the Rory Gilmore reading list, I promise, I will finish all of them someday. (I'm already a chapter through The Great Gatsby! Dearest reader, you should be proud of me.)
- Simrah
Hi Simrah, I thought your review was very informative! I really liked how most of the books you had were the classics, and how you gave your honest opinion about these books :) and a good summary.
ReplyDeleteAmazing post Simrah! I like how you went out of your comfort zone and structured this blog in a nice and concise manner. Overall, of these six interesting classics, I would say that Great Expectations and Les Miserables catch my eye the most.
ReplyDeleteWow! Great blog! Literary classics are definitely something on everybody's to read list (except mine :)). It is nice to see that somebody is out there enjoying them. Having read none of these bucket list books, I have to say, as with the great expertise I present on these books, that I find the appearance of War and Peace to be rather intriguing. I have heard everything from "the most boring book of all time" to the "greatest of all time", and a 10/10 Simrah Score is definitely an eye catching. Future blog post maybe?
ReplyDeleteGreat blog review! I like how you listed multiple books instead of just one as I can also relate to reading the first few pages of a book and immediately hating it. The only problem was that I felt committed to reading a book that I don't like. I have heard of most of these books (especially Catcher in the Rye since I read it last year) and I always wondered how people could read those long books without getting bored easily. The one-sentence summary is definitely an aspect that I have never seen before and you did a great job on it!
ReplyDeleteI usually don't read classics, but there is usually an interesting thing about them (I've only read a few). Not going to lie, The Great Gatsby looks a bit depressing, but perhaps it is a hidden gem, like The Scarlet Letter, which I found pretty interesting.
ReplyDeleteHey Simrah, amazing blog post! I have been looking to read more classic pieces of literature and I think this list is a perfect way to start on the journey. Classics are the fundamental piece of literary culture and reading from some of the world's biggest authors is a way to insert yourself into the past world that they created so long ago. The different approach to blog posts is awesome, great job!
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