hi! I'm a high school senior on track for a decently pretentious college. i used to read books by the dozen throughout middle school but I honestly haven't sat down and read anything in years, beyond the one or two books required for school.
im looking to seriously catch up in my reading: I need a good list of important, culturally significant books that will get me up to speed with my peers wherever i head in the fall. I'm thinking literally along the lines of 1984, Lord of the Flies, etc.
im not worried about anything being too difficult or sluggish.
thanks 🙂
by JTmaxlol
4 Comments
Animal farm
Jane eyre
Pride & prejudice
Les miserables
Oliver Twist
Tess of the d’urbervilles
Grapes of Wrath or East of Eden or Of Mice and Men – Steinbeck
Frankenstein – Mary Shelley
Brave New World – Aldous Huxley
I’d start by covering all the typical “high school” books (Of Mice and Men, To Kill a Mocking, Great Gatsby, 1984/Animal Farm) and playwrights (don’t underestimate how culturally relevant Shakespeare still is!).
You could dip your feet into other more modern playwrights too, like Anton Chekov, Arthur Miller and Tennessee Williams – the added bonus here is that you can watch adaptations of their plays pretty easily too.
Other books you could look into: Frankenstein, Dracula, Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, Moby Dick
See my
* [Books to Read in Your 20s](https://new.reddit.com/r/Recommend_A_Book/comments/1cn08o4/books_to_read_in_your_20s/) list of Reddit recommendation threads (one post).
* [Classics (Literature)](https://www.reddit.com/r/Recommend_A_Book/comments/18bszl9/classics_literature/) list of Reddit recommendation threads (one post).
* [Readers 2: Here are the the resources and threads I have about books for adolescents/adults who want to start reading (“Get me reading again/I’ve never read”)](https://www.reddit.com/r/Recommend_A_Book/comments/19f48jl/readers_2_here_are_the_the_resources_and_threads/) list (thirteen posts).
And possibly:
* [General Nonfiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/Recommend_A_Book/comments/18rv2pk/general_nonfiction/) list of resources, Reddit recommendation threads, and books (six posts).
* [(Auto)biographies](https://www.reddit.com/r/Recommend_A_Book/comments/19cooyz/autobiographies/) list of resources, Reddit recommendation threads, and books (one post).
* [Diversity Nonfiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/Recommend_A_Book/comments/1apxr7e/diversity_nonfiction/) list of resources, Reddit recommendation threads, and books (one post).
* [History (General)](https://www.reddit.com/r/Recommend_A_Book/comments/18hastn/history_general/) list of resources, Reddit recommendation threads, and books (one post).
* [Science (General)](https://www.reddit.com/r/Recommend_A_Book/comments/18e9obz/science_general/) list of Reddit recommendation threads (one post).