<p>Hey, guys! So I'm a senior in AP English Lit, and I have a free-read assignment coming up. So, for a change, I get to pick what I will read. But the decision is actually a little overwhelming!</p>
<p>If you don't mind, peruse the list, and post your comments on which books were your favorite/least favorite, and why. Of course, many of these I've already read, so I can't pick them, but feel free to discuss whatever books you enjoyed.
Also, for my purposes, I need a book that won't be toooo terribly time-consuming to read and annotate.
:)</p>
<p>I LOVED the Divine Comedy and the Aeneid by Dante and Virgil respectively. I like the classics and the vast mythology and background behind the stories.</p>
<p>Catch-22 is also great; humorous, thought-provoking, and enlightening. You’ll learn to hate and love Yossarian :)</p>
<p>Crime and Punishment: I’m in the middle of Part II right now. So far it is really good- exciting, clear, and definitely a useful book for the mind. Although it is 19th century, the language really isn’t too difficult and not hard to follow although it is a considerably long novel.</p>
<p>King Lear: Not a big fan, but it’s short and I would say it can be used for the majority of AP Prompts for the third question.</p>
<p>You absolutely must read One Hundred Years of Solitude by Marquez. It’s my all time favorite book. I wrote about it in my college supplement lol. Great read, really interesting!</p>
<p>Great suggestions, y’all!
Looks like Catch-22 is winning, because I’ve already read most of the others mentioned. It does sound pretty good!
And 55five55, gosh, I absolutely hated Ethan Frome.</p>
<p>If you never have one assigned, I’d recommend one by a Russian great. Since you’re looking for a shorter one, I’d recommend One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich, especially if you’re into political commentary. It’s very compelling, unique in its one day narrative, and clocks in at fewer than 150 pages, though it can be a little dry at moments. The novella is rife with symbolism, and I found it very easy to write six or seven meaningful pages about the book. The book was written toward the end of the first half of the Cold War, so it’s very contemporary and forthright thematically and in its language.</p>
<p>I made it halfway through Catch-22 before I quit (partly because I didn’t like it, and partly because school started), and I struggled to really enjoy it, though there were parts that were quite funny. </p>
<p>A few stray ideas: Hemingway, though generally longer than Ivan Denisovich, is not dense whatsoever and is very compelling. I haven’t read Kite Runner, but A Thousand Splendid Suns (same author, similar setting, from my understanding) was excellent and very easy to read. Orwell’s 1984 is excellent in my opinion. I was surprised to see Ragtime on that list; great story, but I’m not sure I’d want to use it for AP English. Oh, and I’ve almost left off my favorite book, Heart of Darkness. The language, for some, is dense, but it is excellent. I recommend it to anybody and everybody.</p>
<p>I just read Crime and Punishment, so would you still recommend One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich, as a Russian novel? (it sounds pretty good the way you describe it)
I’ve also read A Thousand Splendid Suns, loved it, and I’m considering The Kite Runner for that reason, but I’m sort of wanting to read something more classic.
If I’m being honest, I had a pretty darn hard time getting through Heart of Darkness…</p>
<p>I actually enjoyed Things Fall Apart. I just finished reading it and I think it was an interesting book that, unlike some other books chock full of symbolism, is actually easier to read and understand the plot.</p>
<p>I really liked Heart of Darkness because a) I love Africa, b) I love heavy diction, and c) I thought the story itself was compelling. It’s definitely not for everybody though. </p>
<p>I’ve always heard it’s good to at least have read a Russian book before the test. You’ve read one, so One Day is hardly a requirement or anything, and your choice should be based on interest alone. As Russian literature goes, One Day is kind of cheating, as it’s more modern than most of the rest and is something of an outlier, but read a summary of the premise of the book, and see what you think. The first five or ten pages are a little difficult to get used to, but once you’ve jumped in, the water’s fine. </p>
<p>If you’re looking for a classic, the list at the very bottom, books by number of times used on the exam, is really useful. Of those in the double digits, I’ve read (and these are pitifully few) Heart of Darkness, Great Gatsby, Scarlet Letter, and Their Eyes Were Watching God. Of these, I enjoyed Gatsby (maybe too modern for your preferences? A wonderful book, nonetheless) and Scarlet Letter (surprisingly interesting; I thought I would hate it going in!). Oh, and I’ve heard Great Expectations is good. It’s high on my list of ideas for our next free-read project. Anyway, best of luck to you!</p>
<p>DR ZHIVAGO (although maybe a little lengthy)
1984, the Odyssey and Antigone are also worth a read.
But I strongly suggest you don’t waste your time on Jane Eyre, by the end of that book I was actually ready to kill some of the characters they annoyed me so much.</p>
<p>If you’re up for a dystopian novel, 1984 is a very good book.
The Kite Runner is also great, but a little bit sad.
I’m currently reading Waiting for Godot and it’s extremely funny… on the back cover, it says that some Irish critic wrote that it’s a play in which “nothing happens, twice.” I really like it so far, although it only barely makes sense.</p>
I did find it very scary though, but that’s sort of the point</p>