As an English major at Walla Walla University, the most embarrassing moments oft take place when a friend or professor asks me if I have read a well-known piece of literature, and I must admit that I have not.
Don't get me wrong - I love literature and I love to read, but I have not been encouraged to "read for fun" since I was home-schooled (til 8th grade). That is a topic for a different article, but the point is that reading should be fun, and it should be a part of everyday life.
My excuse during high school and the first two quarters of college was the lack of time to simply sit and read. Therefore, I have "breathed toward heaven a [not-so] secret vow ... [of reading] and contemplation" for the summer.
I have taken the liberty of creating a summer reading list of one piece of literature per week - either ones I have not read or plan to reread.
Feel free to join me in this endeavour, and use this list to increase your literary knowledge and add some goals to your summer!
June 12 - Far from the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy
I watched the movie for the first time last week, and fell in love with this Thomas Hardy classic. It is #1 on my "to-read" list for the summer. Bathsheba Everdene might just be my new favorite literary heroine. For years it's been Elizabeth Bennet, but I might say that Ms. Everdene trumps her in this instance.
June 19 - Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
In light of talking about Lizzy, I must admit that I've read this book at least a dozen times - it wouldn't be a summer if I didn't read Pride and Prejudice again.
June 26 - Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
I've read bits and pieces of this famous Bronte work and have watched the movie numerous times, but I want to read it fully this summer.
July 3 - The Canterbury Tales by Chaucer
I've read specific parts of this - one of Chaucer's most important works, but have never read it fully. An important one to have read!
July 10 - Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand
This is one my mom read and absolutely loved. I have been meaning to read this one ever since. It's a relatively newer book as opposed to this list of mostly older literature, but still one I believe is worth reading!
July 17 - The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery
This is one of my high school best friend's favorite books, and her obsession with it has made me want to read it for the past few years. The deepness and the simplicity of the book is what draws me in.
July 24 - The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson
I haven't read a lot of crime related novels, I have been more focused on the romantic. In order to get a well-rounded reading experience, I want to divulge in literature that is different for me! I hope to find that in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo!
July 31 - The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger
In high school, one of my friends was obsessed with this book, and from the excerpts and the quotes (such as this one) that I have read have been phenomenal. This is possibly one of the works I'm most looking forward to this summer.
August 7 - Inferno by Dante Alighieri
Dante is absolutely brilliant -- yet I have only ever heard allusions to him in other texts, or the usage of some passages from some of his works in other poems, novels etc. I've really enjoyed some of those allusions, and hope to read more of Dante's work not only this summer but in the future.
August 14 - The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
This book has intrigued me since high school, and the exploration of humanity ...also anything by Oscar Wilde is worth reading.
August 21 - The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams
How can one resist a work with so captivating a title? Though I am an English major, I am also pursuing a minor in Theatre, and nothing is more captivating than a good play.
August 28 - As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner
Reading everything by Faulkner is a MUST. Reading one of his most famous works is even more necessary. "Faulkner? I love Faulkner."
September 4 - Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman
I have read specific pieces of Leaves of Grass, but the beautiful and provocative nature of this poem simply begs that I read its entirety.
I mean, JUST READ THIS PREFACE. It's the freaking preface.
Walt Whitman is one of my favorite authors.
September 11 - The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton
I always love a good social satire! I don't actually know much about this story, or the author - but I look forward to reading this piece!
September 18 - Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller
Somehow I got through high school without being required to read this famous Arthur Miller work -- therefore I feel like it is necessary to read this one for the summer.
So that's it! There's my summer list! With each novel/play/poem etc., I am hoping to read a short excerpt of the author biography as well, because I've found its that much more difficult to understand a work if you don't understand where the author is coming from.
Because it's like Atticus Finch says, "You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view ... Until you climb into his skin and walk around in it."
