Off The Shelf

After completing my last final exam on Friday, I can officially say that summer has started. Not only does the arrival of warmer days and longer hours mean it is time to re-read and re-watch Harry Potter, but to finally check out those books that I have been adding to my "To-Read" list all year long. Here is what I plan on reading over the next few months: 1. Daisy Miller , Henry James 2. Bad Feminist , Roxane Gay 3. Saint Anything , Sarah Dessen 4. Attachments , Rainbow Rowell 5. The Poisonwood Bible , Barbara Kingsolver * 6. How to Read Literature Like a Professor , Thomas C. Foster * 7. Beloved , Toni Morrison * 8. Unbearable Lightness , Portia de Rossi ** 9. The Return of Martin Guerre , Natalie Zemon Davis *** 10. Paper Towns , John Green *Required Reading for AP Literature **Required Reading for Women's Studies and Literature ***Required Reading for AP Modern European History

The Great Gatsby F. Scott Fitzgerald 180 pages I don't feel I have the credibility to really write a review of the novel, therefore I would like to use the opportunity of this 100th post to discuss what is said to be the greatest American novel of all time: The Great Gatsby . The city seen from the Queensboro Bridge is always the city seen for the first time, in its first wild promise of all the mystery and beauty in the world.   - page 68 New York, 1922. The Jazz Age is in full swing, and with World War I at a close, the American people are restless, alive with post-war excitement and opportunity. Nick Carraway has just moved to Long Island looking to get started in the "bond business", and winds up buying a home next door to the grand and mysterious Jay Gatsby. After being invited to one of his neighbor's lavish parties, Nick soon learns of Gatsby's secrets, and the love he is desperately trying to find again. The following are some of my favorite p...

Pride and Prejudice Jane Austen 368 pages When Elizabeth Bennett first meets Mr. Darcy, a noble and esteemed bachelor, she finds him conceited and ill-mannered. She dislikes him even more when she finds he has been trying to squash the relationship between her sister Jane, and his friend Mr. Bingley. To make matters even worse, they seem to be running into each other everywhere they go. In the humorous, and dramatic events that follow, readers will be transported to early 19th century England with style and grace. As Pride and Prejudice is one of the world's oldest novels, it has been read and loved by so many that I find it is not my place to criticize or review it. The author is long deceased, so no edits or changes can ever be made. However, I will just say this, everyone should read this book at least once in their lifetime. As this was my first time reading it, it took me a while to get through. I had to keep looking up words like "vexatio...