This post is semi-cathartic to write, and slightly embarrassing at the same time.
Here’s the long and short of it though – I am a senior English teacher who has not really read a book for pleasure since I was at University. I read a lot of education reference books (obviously!), and texts that I set for class work, but that’s it… the imposter syndrome has kicked in as I watch my colleagues post about their long reading lists over the holidays. Don’t get me wrong, I love reading – I don’t know if it’s a lack of time, competing priorities, or simply being unable to find something I’ve really loved recently that has put a barrier up for me.
I’ve read most of the classics, and I’ve hated a lot of the classics, although Dracula, Jekyl and Hyde, 1984, Animal Farm and the like I have enjoyed. I’ve read Orwell’s Homage to Catalonia and enjoyed that, too. I’ve enjoyed some ancient philosophy writings too, namely Meditations and Letters to a Stoic, but that has been the extent of my delve into the genre.
I love fantasy, but haven’t explored written texts to a huge degree. I’ve read most of A Song of Ice and Fire (I think I stopped at book 4?), as well as A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. I loved Ranger’s Apprentice as a kid, and keep a copy of the series around for my students. Fantasy is such a deep genre that I honeslty don’t even know where to start – I suppose I am more interested in “gritty” fantasy but enjoy the “high fantasy” settings.
I am also hugely open to any generally good fiction from any genre, and don’t want to settle into just the Fantasy genre – things I could use in schools for older students would be great, too. I would love to take some suggestions from the community to help me get back on track with reading.
by azu4
6 Comments
Since you said “any genre” I’ll give you the 5 best books I’ve ever read.
– Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry
– East of Eden by John Steinbeck
– The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky
– Boy’s Life by Robert McCammon
– To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
A Wizard of Earthsea and Tombs of Atuan are great, and have good potential for the classroom if you wanted to use them.
Fantasy – Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor brought me good vibes during a period I was ill.
Other genres:
The Office of Historical Corrections by Danielle Evans
Nothing to See Here by Kevin Wilson
The Reading List by Sara Nisha Adams
I think since you’ve read so many classics and things that classify as fine literature, it’s time to find something to read purely just for fun. Forget the students for a little bit, read something that’s just for you.
I really like the Kate Daniels series, it takes place in Atlanta, decades after a magical apocalypse essentially wiped out all technological development and resurrected ancient gods and magics, along with some new magic. Magic and tech waves dictate their lives. During a magic wave, casters can use spells, wards will work, and they ride horses and mules. During a tech wave, phones, radio, AC, and cars work, but no magic, and any wards are nullified. The MC is a mercenary with a mysterious past, and as the series progresses, she gets romantically involved with the leader of the Atlanta shapeshifter pack and there are a few sex scenes in each book, starting maybe with book 3. But the romance doesn’t overtake the overall plot. There are a few spin offs.
I also really like *Pride and Prejudice and Zombies*, and its prequel *Dawn of the Dreadfuls*. It’s very silly.
Some more serious books that I thought were legit very good are *Godkiller* by Hannah Kaner, *Dark Water Daughter* by HM Long, and *Nettle and Bone* by T. Kingfisher. Definitely check out Kingfisher’s work, she has some really good fantasy and ooky spooky horror books.
*A Deadly Education* by Naomi Novik is technically YA, but it’s very good. The narrator is wonderfully snarky and has a great character arc, and the setting’s creative (magic school in a void where the only way to graduate is to A- survive the monsters infesting the school and B- graduate and fight your way through the even larger horde of monsters infesting the graduation hall).
Some grittier high fantasy you could check out are *Mistborn* by Brandon Sanderson and *The Justice of Kings* by Richard Swan. Both have female main characters who aren’t sexualized and do make smart choices.
Take my word for it, and also the reddit sub geoup dedicated to Robin Hobb. If you like.fantasy and complex characters including animal and mythical creature books that would also be good for older kids see:
https://www.reddit.com/r/robinhobb/s/zNb6qzFWsh
Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel if you like dystopia! It’s about the immediate aftermath of a world-ending virus (published in 2014, but now might seem a little soon…)
The Mere Wife by Maria Headley’s also amazing; it’s somewhat fantasy, and a retelling of Beowulf
If you like historical fiction, Maggie O’Farrell’s Hamnet is amazing; I’d also recommend any of her other books. Many of them are split between the past and present.
Zadie Smith is an amazing contemporay fiction author; White Teeth was my favorite.
I also loved the Hogarth Shakespeare series (all different authors rewriting Shakespeare for the modern day; Hag-Seed (Margaret Atwood’s version of the Tempest) and Viegar Girl (Anne Tyler’s the Taming of the Shrew), and they could be fun recs for your students too.