<p>These are a few random ones that I think most people should read by college:</p>
<p>Night
Brave New World
1984
Anthem
The Bell Jar
Fahrenheit 451
The Fountainhead</p>
<p>I recently read The Bell Jar. I liked it a whole lot (Very readable.)</p>
<p>Metamorphoses
Hamlet, Julius Caesar and basically everything else by Shakespeare</p>
<p>Night
Night
Night
Night
Night.</p>
<p>It's so incredibly moving.</p>
<p>Reading 100 Years of Solitude right now.</p>
<p>Loving it.</p>
<p>I'll second (or rather, third or fourth) The Fountainhead. I don't really agree with Ayn Rand, but still find the book fascinating. </p>
<p>Oh, and before you insult her writing style (which I find great), keep in mind that English is her second language. I'm definitely more a philosophy person than a lit person, so my view might be a tad bit skewed.</p>
<p>ive read these this year so far:</p>
<p>the scarlet letter
brave new world
the handmaid's tale
the crucible
the narrative life of frederick douglass
ethan frome
walden
the great gatsby
the prince
emerson's essays
the awakening</p>
<p>Don't forget to also reread your favorite books from when you were 8 or so. It's very comforting. (Of course this may ruin your perception of how great some of them were.)</p>
<p>I've reread my favorite series from the All American Girls Collection (Felicity, Samantha...). If I only had the time, I would reread my favorites from Judy Blume, R.L. Stine, and maybe even the Babysitter's Club. </p>
<p>Also:
Ishmael by Daniel Quinn
My Ishmael by Daniel Quinn
anything by Chuck Palahniuk
anything by Kurt Vonnegut (especially A Man Without A Country)</p>
<p>Oh grapeful how I loved the American girls!!!<br>
And ALL of the Chronicles of Narnia, not just The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe. . . C.S. Lewis's other stuff is pretty fascinating too.</p>
<p>One of my favorite books is "Sophie's World" too. A great intoduction to philosophy. In fact, amazingly great.</p>
<p>I read the American Girls SO often when I was little!
it's difficult to read them now though. I was reading one to my cousin, and it was funny how bad they were.</p>
<p>grapeful: I really liked Ishmael, but I didn't ever read My Ishmael. was the second one as good? I've heard that it isn't...</p>
<p>East of Eden
The Great Gatsby
Their Eyes Were Watching God </p>
<p>all of these are unbelievable</p>
<p>
[quote]
keep in mind that English is her second language.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>I don't really understand people's criticisms about her English. I couldn't tell English was her second language when I read it and thought it was masterfully written - much better than everything I'd read up to that point, and I've yet to find anything better.</p>
<p>To Kill a Mockingbird
The Fountainhead
1984
A Tale of Two Cities
The Great Gatsby
A Farewell to Arms
Hamlet
Lord of the Flies</p>
<p>^^^^Exactly....Rand's writing is very good. (the post before that last one)</p>
<p>Rand is not regarded as a literary writer for the simple reason that her prose sucks. Period. Nabokov wrote "Lolita" in English (his THIRD language) and it is infinitely better than anything Rand ever wrote. Her writing is stilted; her sentences are awkward; her language is obvious; her characters are flat and one-sided; her plots are convoluted and weak. There's a reason you don't read Ayn Rand in literature courses.</p>
<p>The reason her books have lasted is because of the IDEAS contained within them. She is a writer of ideas, not literature. If you are interested in objectivism and her politics, then her books are great reads. But if you are interested in literature, you should avoid Ayn Rand like the plague.</p>
<p>^And that, my friends, is an opinion.</p>
<p>I love rereading books from when I was little. A couple of months ago I refused to read anything unless it was The Baby-Sitters Club.</p>
<p>
[quote]
grapeful: I really liked Ishmael, but I didn't ever read My Ishmael. was the second one as good? I've heard that it isn't...
[/quote]
</p>
<p>It's true. It's less thought-provoking than Ishmael. But there are a few good points brought up and it ties up some loose ends with what exactly happened to Ishmael. It's worth the read if you've already read Ishmael, just don't expect too much.</p>