What are some good books to read before going to college?

Question

I'm a senior in high school, and lately, I've been falling in love with literary classics. Unlike most teens, I can live in a world without that hack Stephanie Meyer and her Twilight-the worst book I've ever read.

The first one (other than Shakespeare which I've been reading since 8th grade) I read was Dumas' The Three Musketeers, then I read Counte of Monte Cristo, Kindred by Octavia Butler (for school), The Scarlet Letter (which I hated), The Odessy, etc. I read The Catcher in the Rye, but I didn't like it much, I think I may re-read it to get a better feel for it.

I want to read the Invisible Man when I finish Crime and Punishment, but do you have any other suggestions?

Answer 1

I'm an English major and can tell you some stuff you'll (almost inevitably) read if you become an English major.  Reading the books now will just give you double exposure and make you that much more interesting during discussions!

Their Eyes Were Watching God -- Zora Neale Hurston

The Sun Also Rises -- Ernest Hemingway

Adventures of Huckleberry Finn -- Mark Twain

Beowulf

Short stories to read:

A Good Man is Hard to Find -- Flannery O'Connor

Sonny's Blues -- James Baldwin

Answer 2

Doesn't matter in the slightest unless you're majoring in English, in which case it depends on the class you're taking. British lit (bronte sisters, Jane austen, Dickens, etc.) is good to have under your belt. Classic American short stories are good too, as well as poetry (not just shakespeare, but more modern poets, ee cummings and Billy Conner, for example.)  

Answer 3

The Joy Luck Club, The Great Gatsby, are a couple I can name for you.

Answer 4

There are many terrific books with great lists of books to read.

Two books I found very useful were Book Lust and More Book Lust, both by Nancy Pearl, a book commentator on NPR and a professional librarian. She has great suggestions in every imaginable category. You can find these at many public libraries.

Because you are going to college soon, it may be a good idea to read books which many profs and older students have read; this will give you something to talk about and allow you to compare notes.

Some good choices:

Lord of the Flies (Golding)

Catch 22 (Heller)

1984 and Animal Farm (Orwell)

Brave New World (Huxley)

Of Mice and Men (Steinbeck)

Madame Bovary (Flaubert)

The Red and the Black (Stendhal)