<p>For our 12 AP Lit summer reading, we have to read 4 books. 2 are required, and the other 2 can be picked out of a list.</p>
<p>One from this list...
Jane Eyre - Bronte
Wuthering Heights - Bronte
As I Lay Dying - Faulkner
The Trial - Kafka
Anna Karenina - Tolstoy
Lolita - Nabokov
Heart of Darkness - Conrad</p>
<p>And one from this list:
Love in the Time of Cholera - Marquez
Native Son - Wright
Blindness - Saramago
Disgrace - Coetzee
Never Let Me Go - Ishiguro
Atonement - McEwan
Oryx and Crake - Atwood</p>
<p>Any thoughts on any of these books? What to avoid?</p>
<p>Which would be the best for me to read, as someone who doesn't greatly enjoy reading? The only books we had to read for English that I truly enjoyed was To Kill a Mockingbird, The Things They Carried, and the Great Gatsby.</p>
<p>I am a 15 year old female so if you are a guy you may not enjoy the same books. </p>
<p>I absolutely love Lolita. It is about a man who after a divorce moves to a small town in england and becomes infatuated with a 12 year old girl ned Dolores whome he nicknames Lolita. It is a little risqu</p>
<p>I really liked Lolita and Jane Eyre. But, I think I enjoyed Jane Eyre more, because of its Gothic qualities. Also Never Let Me Go is really amazing.</p>
<p>Oh, and I read Anna Karenina for school, and it seemed really boring to me. Maybe it was because I was reading 30 pages a night for hw and taking notes, but I didn’t enjoy it that much.</p>
<p>I would definitely avoid Heart of Darkness because it’s basically a story condemning imperialism in the Congo and I don’t think it would be especially interesting. I would also avoid Anna Karenina because it’s long and I don’t think its the type of book for people who don’t enjoy reading. If I were you I would read Lolita which has an interesting plot and Love in the time of Cholera. Although I have not read Love in the time of Cholera but I have read other books by Marquez and they were fascinating.</p>
<p>Never Let Me Go, Blindness, and Oryx and Crake sound really interesting to me based on summaries.</p>
<p>From the first list, Lolita seems like a popular pick so I’ll try that. Better than Heart of Darkness, I guess. My 11 AP teacher heavily criticized that book XD</p>
<p>I HATED Jane Eyre so much, I actually wanted to kill her. Unfortunately she isn’t real, and I had to keep reading as a requirement for the class. However, it seems I am in the majority about this, so maybe it’s just my personality and views on feminism. Bascically I found Jane weak, annoying and stupid, and really not good for a general view of women.
Rant over (I think) :)</p>
<p>The only fun thing that happened when our class did Heart of Darkness was the two-day debate about whether Joseph Conrad was racist or was criticizing racism.</p>
<p>@UKgirl23 Bronte wanted to show the role of women in the book during that time period. Bronte also showed how Jane was different from the other women and making her own decisions, thinking on her own, and enjoying her freedom. It’s one of my favorite books.</p>
<p>Lolita - Nabokov
or
Heart of Darkness - Conrad (though this is a kind of silly book)</p>
<p>Native Son - Wright (Though this only because the others are so meh, especially Never Let Me Go, which is only popular in literary circles because literary snobs haven’t read enough scifi to know it’s been done better. Native Son is a really dumb book but it’s the best in that list.)</p>
<p>I love To Kill A Mockingbird and The Great Gatsby as well! So, I recommend either Jane Eyre or Wuthering Heights from the first list, I love the Bronte sisters.
Definitely avoid Heart of Darkness by Conrad. It’s super short but really dry and slow paced. I read it this year for English, and it took more time for me to finish that than Jane Eyre. I’m currently halfway through Wuthering Heights, and I absolutely love it!
As for the second list, I haven’t read any of them, so I can’t help you there. :)</p>
