50 Books to Read Before You Die

words to inspire before you expire

Author: wordsmith2294 (Page 33 of 33)

The Harry Potter Series

September 7, 2016 /

Good morning, class.

I’m still powering through The Lord of the Rings.  I’m about halfway finished, and I am hoping I’ll be done before our next class.  Await my forthcoming epic lecture.

Instead, I’m dedicating class today to the Harry Potter series. Why, the bolder of you may ask?  There are a handful of reasons.  Firstly, I’m not rereading Harry Potter–I’m only writing about it here.  I’ve read each book at least three times, so I feel I’ve earned the right to call myself an expert on the series (and no, you can’t call yourself an expert if you’ve ONLY seen the movies…there’s no call for that kind of nonsense in my classroom).

Secondly, I was inspired once I realized that Harry Potter and The Lord of the Rings are basically the same story: an unlikely protagonist becomes a key fighter in a vast magical war, accompanied by close friends who, together, face death, betrayal, and dark magic in a fantastically epic world (created by the genius mind of a British author known by strikingly vague initials rather than a first name).

And thirdly, I’m interested in harkening back to a time before Harry Potter was LITERALLY THE COOLEST THING EVER.  This series may have one of the strongest fandoms in the world, but like any fandom, it earned its popularity.  Did you know that there are people who are not a part of the Harry Potter fan community?  I assume they are simply overwhelmed by the ridiculous in-your-face-ness of said fan community’s enthusiasm.  Let’s face it–we’re a crazy group.

But someone needs to save the pour souls that seem to avoid this fantastic Wizarding World like the plague.  Someone needs to let them know that in the beginning, Harry Potter was simply about an orphan trapped under the stairs.

Enter Professor Jeffrey (cue John Williams music).

When readers meet Harry, he is a child bullied by his aunt, uncle, and obnoxiously spoiled cousin.  I imagine J.K. Rowling writing to a very specific reader–a child in a scary, uninviting world.  Then arrives his letter of acceptance to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and an adventure begins.

I, personally, have waited for my Hogwarts acceptance letter for about 15 years.  But it’s okay, because my dreams of going to Hogwarts came alive through seven novels and eight movie adaptations following Harry on his journey.  The Harry Potter books are one of the defining moments in my childhood, and this is the case for many other readers as well.  This series was our hope of escaping a world we were afraid of.

Once the series springs from this foundation, it soars into one of the most innovative fantasy worlds ever created.  Magical spells next to beautifully written characters; wizarding politics and wizarding sports; a boarding-school castle with more secrets than a child could dream of; a brooding and dynamic villain in a complex wizarding war; and through it all, a mostly unbiased boy-wizard hero with a courageous heart and a sometimes-simple head.  It’s the adventure of a lifetime.

Don’t get me wrong–if Harry Potter isn’t your taste, don’t waste your time.  There are tons of books to read.  Don’t limit yourself to what’s most popular.  But I would be letting you down as my students if I didn’t educate you on why it is so important.  Besides everything listed above, here is the gist: it’s important because it meaningfully discusses and challenges topics like ethics, death, friendship, education, love, coming-of-age, hope, and magic, all in a kid-friendly, not-condescending way.  Not a lot of authors can do that with as much gusto as Rowling put forth.

I’ll definitely be including quotes from the novels in the coming week.  Some of you may have noticed that I’ve included a few quotes on my blog–extra credit is reserved for those who come in on Mondays and Fridays, not just Wednesdays.  You’re not required to come to class on those days, but if you do, you’ll be letting me know how much fun my class is.  And I know some of you are having fun!

As an added assignment (NOT extra credit…this is the regular credit), I’d like to hear from you.  Harry Potter means a lot to me, and I’m sure it means a lot to you and your classmates.  Leave a comment about what Harry Potter means to you, or has meant to you in the past.  If the importance of the Harry Potter series is partly found in the meaningfulness it has in the lives of its fans, then it would be a disservice to leave out your own story.

Enjoy your week, and I look forward to hearing from you.

Prof. Jeffrey

September 5, 2016 /

“They looked back.  Dark yawned the archway of the Gates under the mountain-shadow.  Faint and far beneath the earth rolled the slow drum-beats: doom.  A thin black smoke trailed out.  Nothing else was to be seen; the dale all around was empty.  Doom.  Grief at last wholly overcame them, and they wept long: some standing and silent, some cast upon the ground.  Doom, doom.  The drum-beats faded.”

–from The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring by J. R. R. Tolkein

September 2, 2016 /

“‘I wish it need not have happened in my time,’ said Frodo.

‘So do I,’ said Gandalf, ‘and so do all who live to see such times, but that is not for them to decide.  All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.'”

–from The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring by J. R. R. Tolkein

Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland

August 31, 2016 /

Hello, class, and welcome back.  I hope you’ve had a good week.

I’ve spent the last week reading Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.  I’ll bet you know the story.  You’ve probably seen the Tim Burton movie, or the old Disney movie.  Some of you may have seen the short-lived TV show Once Upon a Time in Wonderland.  The curiouser of you may have noticed the subtle Alice references in movies like The Matrix or Still Alice.  Then there are the fans of T-Swift’s “Wonderland” from her 1989 album.

This story has saturated our culture.  We are still swimming in Alice’s pool of tears (thank you, for those of you clapping in the back; yes, it was a good joke).  That should be enough of a reason to read it—if you’re going to at least try to understand all of those down-the-rabbit-hole-, mad-hatter-, caterpillar-hookah-jokes, you might as well read the book to see what the fuss is about.

But my opinion, for the two cents that its worth, is that Alice has saturated our culture because of something more important.  It has some inner beauty, some strange quality…something that makes it stand the test of time and spawn hundreds of adaptations and pop-culture references.  I don’t think it’s Wonderland that makes it so special (but that place is a TRIP, to say the least).  I don’t think it’s the adventures Alice has there, either.  I think it’s Alice.

She’s some kind of “every-child.”  She’s far from normal and that’s what makes her matter—no child on the planet actually fits the definition of “normal.”  The weirdness of Alice makes her relatable.  She talks to herself as if she’s two people (who hasn’t done that).  Her adventures make her question if she’s still Alice at all, and at one point she decides that she must be some girl named Mabel, since she’s changed so much.  Even the poetry she’s been trained to recite (let me go ahead and disagree with that “educational” practice right there…alright, moving on) comes out wrong.  Not bad, just wrong—different than she learned it.  She clashes with the Victorian England she’s been raised in.

Without even trying, she subverts the rules, etiquette, politics, and education of her society.  It sets her apart, forcing her to be lost in this strange Wonderland.  And if that’s the case, wouldn’t all children, as represented by Alice, be lost in their own Wonderland?  Wouldn’t all children, by being themselves, conflict with what society needs them to be?

YES.

Wonderland isn’t some strange fantasy world.  It’s the way children see reality.  Rules that don’t make sense, random body changes, identity confusion, and a string of useless lessons…Wonderland is around us here and now.  And that’s not necessarily a good thing.

Now, confession time: I am actually rereading Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.  The first time I read it was in a college class, so I get to pretend like I know what I’m talking about.  But I do believe it—that Alice was Carroll’s way of subverting Victorian rules by showing their consequences.  Wonderland is an amazing place from the outside, students, but Alice’s adventures weren’t as happy-go-lucky for her.  I believe Carroll was trying to show us that if we stick to rules, regulations, and the evils of “etiquette,” our children will suffer for it.

Alice didn’t take too long for me to finish (another reason to read it—because it’s quick), so finishing this post wasn’t a strain on my personal life.  But my #2 book also happens to be my unofficial #3 and #4 book: the Lord of the Rings Trilogy.  It is much longer.  Don’t worry, we’ll still have class next week (wipe those frowns off your faces, my class is fun!!).  I’ll just be improvising my lecture a tad.

Until next time,

Prof. Jeffrey

August 29, 2016 /

“‘But I don’t want to go among mad people,’ Alice remarked.

‘Oh, you ca’n’t help that,’ said the Cat: ‘we’re all mad here.  I’m mad.  You’re mad.’

‘How do you know I’m mad?’ said Alice.

‘You must be,’ said the Cat, ‘or you wouldn’t have come here.'”

–from Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll

Introduction

August 24, 2016 /

Welcome, class.

How many of you have seen this bookmark?  Raise your hands.

The Bookmark of a Lifetime

It features a list of 50 books everyone should read before they die.  To see the list a little more clearly, you can go here, or click on the link at the top of the page labeled The List.

I don’t know about you guys, but when I look at this list, I feel challenged.  So consider this the official declaration of my commitment—I’m going to read all 50 books!

I know I’m not the first to commit to this, nor the first to actually do it.  But after several Internet searches, I’ve realized that there is little online proof that anyone has done it.  Do some searches yourself…you’ll find only brief comments, questionably complete checklists, and vague evidence of people having read all 50.  Where’s the article reminiscing on the experience?  Where’s the blog maintaining updates after each book has been read?  Where’s the hard evidence?

If you’re a perceptive student, you can probably tell where this is going.  I’m not only going to read all 50 books—I’ll be submitting weekly updates on the experience as well.  I want to detail the experience for the world.

Now, I can already hear you class clowns groaning in the back.  Let me be perfectly honest with you—if literature is something you couldn’t be mildly interested in, this probably isn’t the blog for you.  No worries.  This isn’t high school.  You can stand up and walk right out of this classroom, if you feel so inclined.  But you’ll be missing out on something very important.

There’s a reason this list isn’t called “50 Books That You Should Maybe Read, But It’s Alright If You Don’t, Because They Aren’t Really All That Important, So Don’t Even Worry About It.”

These are 50 books to read BEFORE YOU DIE.

Imagine reaching the end of your life without reading these!  Shouldn’t you at least find out why each one is so important?  Shouldn’t you find out why each book is so admired, to have been chosen for such an esteemed list of literary masterpieces?

That’s what I’m offering you.  Through my witty remarks, literary enthusiasm, and warm class-blog environment, I’m sharing with you the chance to skip a few steps—the chance to understand why you should read each book before you die, without actually needing to read all of them.  And while I absolutely encourage you to read these books yourself, I’d prefer you do it once I’m finished writing about each one on this blog.  I’m sure you can restrain yourself.

Also, to be clear, I’m not going to summarize these books for you.  If you need a shabby summary, visit the EncyclopeWiki page or check out RecapNotes, or whatever it’s called.  Those sites may be able prepare you for the test, but I’m here to prepare you for LIFE.  Instead of a book summary, I’m writing about the reason these books should be read at all, which I think is far more important.

And your homework?  Yes, of course you have homework.  Your job is to come to class every Wednesday and read the update.  Comment if you like.  Make suggestions.  Glean the inspiration you need to read all 50 yourself, or at least the few that interest you.  Find out why you should finish each one before your untimely fate.

Last, but undeniably not least, I’ll be starting with Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll.  I haven’t chosen a particular reading order, but this timeless classic seems like a good place to start.

See you next week!

Prof. Jeffrey

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