Early in our schooling careers is when the required reading for English class begins. It starts off fun, with trying to earn AR (Accelerated Reader) points to earn prizes, then moves to try and make us read things they think we will like, and finally, we're sitting in AP English reading something written by a Brontë sister and wondering where we went wrong. We have all read our fair share of boring novels, plays, and short stories but here is a list of things I actually liked reading in English class.
1. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling
Synopsis: When odd things begin happening at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, friends Harry, Ron, and Hermione suspect a teacher is behind them and is trying to steal something very powerful hidden in the school. The three embark on a quest to stop said teacher from taking it and resurrecting Lord Voldemort.
Why I liked it: I read this book for ninth grade advanced English class and since I had already read the entire series in middle school, it was a nice break from the other required readings for the summer. I love the books for the adventure, humor, and plot and getting to reread it for a grade was a treat I didn't know I would be receiving. J.K. Rowling was the author who made me love reading and I would recommend this book to almost anyone.
2. Macbeth by Shakespeare
Synopsis: When three witches prophesize Macbeth's rule over Scotland, his ambition (and wife) drive him to kill King Duncan, but he quickly grows more and more paranoid over his actions. Madness soon takes over and he feels the need to kill others to keep his secret but people eventually find out. In the end, just like every other Shakespeare tragedy, everyone dies and the play ends.
Why I liked it: In the play, you not only get to see how crazy Macbeth is but also his wife, Lady Macbeth. She is the one that convinced her husband to kill Duncan in the first place and as the play goes on, we get to see her guilt and paranoia grow so much that she eventually commits suicide. As a psychology major, reading about how the Macbeth's acted because of their lust for power and the consequences for it were fascinating for me. Macbeth is my all time favorite Shakespeare play.
3. The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne
Synopsis: In seventeenth-century Boston, a woman by the name of Hester Prynne is shunned by her town and made to wear a red "A" on her clothes for her sin of adultery. Her husband sends her to America before him and when he never shows up, Hester has an affair. When the town minister begins having health issues, the doctor links his problems to those of Hester Prynne and begins planning his revenge on minister Dimmesdale.
Why I liked it: If you read the Scarlet Letter in school, your teacher will almost undoubtedly have you scour the pages looking for symbols and hidden meanings in everything. Normally, that's a pain, but when I read this novel, it was actually fun. All of the themes and symbols in the story were interesting and along with the amazing plot, I loved reading the Scarlet Letter.
4. Candide by Voltaire
Synopsis: When Candide is found kissing the baron's daughter, he is kicked out of the castle and then his many great adventures begin. He travels the world and finds friends and enemies in unlikely places, stumbles across El Dorado, and even marries an old lover. After his adventures, he and his friends buy a farm and after a lot of boredom and then some guidance, they tend to their fields to be happy.
Why I liked it: I actually read this just yesterday for a class I am taking this summer. I thoroughly enjoyed this novella because there is something new happening every chapter, and there are thirty of them, so it's kind of like a mini story on each page. I also appreciated it because it is only about fifty pages in my textbook and it didn't take too long to read.
5. The Crucible by Arthur Miller
Synopsis: The Crucible is set in 1692 Salem, Massachusetts with Reverend Parris finding his daughters and other girls dancing in the forest with a slave woman named Tituba. When his daughters grow ill, witchcraft is the talk of the town and to avoid persecution, Tituba and the girls begin naming women that are witches. Many are hung and a man is even stoned to death, but in the end, though it is questioned if the girls are lying, people are still sent to the gallows.
Why I liked it: I read this play in eleventh grade AP English and absolutely loved it. With all of the lies and deceit, how could you not? Reading about the types of things witches would do was also very interesting, like how the girls claimed that someone was sending their spirit to torment them and the dancing in the woods to commune with the devil. The societal uproar is something that I think almost everyone would love.
6. "Annabel Lee" by Edgar Alan Poe
Synopsis: The narrator fell in love with Annabel Lee at an early age and when she dies, he believes that their souls are intertwined so he sleeps on her tomb every night by the ocean.
Why I liked it: While the synopsis makes the poem seem kind of creepy, it is actually extremely beautiful. The narrator loves Annabel Lee so much that it doesn't stop when she dies. He is so dedicated to her that he will sleep on her grave by the ocean because he believes they are meant to be together forever. It is a shorter poem, but definitely worth the read.
