Second semester has arrived, and the start of school is deceptively uneventful; the first couple of weeks are spent going over syllabi, reviewing old material and buying textbooks.
For those of you with minds still on vacation, we at HC UPenn have you covered. Use your spare time (or procrastination time) productively by embracing your inner bookworm. Below is a reading list with different novel suggestions for different moods.
If you’d like to get back in touch with your childhood roots:
1. Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery: An unwanted orphan girl is adopted by a family that initially doesn’t want her. But over time, the family falls in love with her and her whimsical imagination.
2. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith: It’s a coming of age story that takes place in early twentieth century Brooklyn. You’re sure to sympathize with the Nolan kids as they stumble through adolescence.
3. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott: The four Brooke sisters are the original SATC crew, toned down for nineteenth century sensibilities, of course. Through financial hardship, death, love, heartbreak, marriage and early feminist sentiment, the characters remain realistic and individual.
Or if you’d like some dystopian science fiction to bring out your paranoid inner child:
1. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley: It takes place in a world devoid of families and love, where children are not only born into an immobile caste system but also genetically modified to never achieve above their rank. It’s sci-fi, but relatable and predictive (artificial insemination, which occurs in the book, wasn’t exactly a thing in the 1930s when it was written).
2. 1984 by George Orwell: Big Brother is watching you. If you rebel, he’ll know without you even saying a word. It’s thought rebellion — called doublespeak in Orwell’s universe. With romance and a case of Stockholm Syndrome thrown in for good measure, this novel is sure to hold your attention.
3. Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro: In the story, every child is cloned upon birth. The clones are then raised in boarding schools, dehumanized and harvested for organs. But that doesn’t stop them from bonding and falling in love.
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If you want a bit of romance:
1. Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell: Scarlett O’Hara, a popular southern beauty, isn’t exactly a southern belle. To survive in the Civil War-torn South, she’ll backstab her sister, marry men for money, and (gasp) start a successful company. But when she finally does find true love, it’s up to her to realize what she has before she loses it. Don’t be daunted by its length; Mitchell’s novel is the ultimate page-turner.
2. Peony in Love by Lisa See: Peony, following in the footsteps of her favorite fictional heroine, starves herself to death. But as long as her love is unrequited, she will remain a hungry ghost, longing for the man she was supposed to marry. Her tale will send shivers down your spine and bring tears to your eyes as Peony’s love persists past the grave.
3. Tess of the d’Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy: Tess Durbeyfield is raped and impregnated by her cousin, Alec d’Urberville. In desperation, Tess commits a crime punishable by death. Will her lover stand by her through the ordeal? It’s a story that is harrowing and, surprisingly, still relevant.
If you want dignified brain-melt:
1. Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden: The Sakamoto parents are too sick to care for their daughters, and thus decide to sell them. One daughter, Chiyo, becomes a famous geisha and receives attention from men all over Japan. But there’s only one man she truly wants. The novel is provocative and beautiful; however, its historical inaccuracies result in its being a dignified brain-melt.
2. Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll: It’s like Doctor Seuss for adults, with an acid-trippy twist. It’s stranger than both the Disney movie and the version starring Johnny Depp would suggest. You really need to read it to believe it. And don’t try to understand everything; just enjoy the ride.
Or if you’d prefer a painless and pleasurable neuron-building read:
1. The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka: Within the first sentence, the main character, Gregor Samsa, finds that he has transformed into a monstrous insect. Kafka’s piece calls into question what makes us human and how we perceive beauty. It’s short, sweet, and extremely poignant.
2. Lolita by Vladimir Nabakov: What happens when a middle-aged man never grows up? According to Nabakov, neither will his sexual appetite, and he’ll forever prey on twelve year-old girls. If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to think like a pedophile, this is the book for you. It’s initially disturbing because the protagonist, Humbert Humbert, is a creep. However, he will become relatable, and you’ll become disgusted with yourself. But in a good way.
3. One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Marquez: History just keeps repeating. But when the characters are as colorful and strange as the Buendías, cyclical continuity isn’t monotonous—it’s entertaining! Just don’t get bogged down by the fact that characters are reborn with the same names over and over again.
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If you’re harboring some leftover teenage angst:
1. My Sister’s Keeper by Jodi Picoult: Anna Fitzgerald was born to be an organ donor to Kate, her sister who has Leukemia. But one day Anna decides to take control of her body, and sues to be legally emancipated from her family. It’s a dysfunctional family drama turned court room and medical saga. Ultimately, it’ll leave you crying and thinking.
2. The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger: Holden Caulfield is a lonely teenager who has flunked out of school and is looking for a place to belong. He tries to find love from an old English teacher, a girlfriend and even a hooker. But it isn’t until he finally returns home—literally and figuratively—that he finds himself. And in the face of all these changes and challenges, he remains lovably stubborn and deep.
And for those history buffs, we’ve got some historical fiction:
1. Uncle Tom’s Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe: This is the book that changed the country’s antebellum political climate. It traces both Eliza’s attempted escape to the north and Uncle Tom’s suffering as a slave. As of late, this novel has become controversial, and not everyone views Tom as noble the way Beecher Stowe intended. You will be greatly rewarded if you read this book, and hopefully you’ll be able to formulate your own opinion.
2. The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck: In a classic rags-to-riches story, Wang Lung turns his land into money. The story begins in pre-revolutionary China and extends through the revolution. No matter what plagues the characters—whether it’s war-torn famine or exorbitant wealth—hardships never cease. With poverty they are forced to band together, but with money they begin to fall apart. The complexities and intricacies with which Buck tells the story will have you immediately hooked.
3. Clan of the Cave Bear by Jean M. Auel: A band of Neanderthals adopt the Cro-Magnon girl Ayla. This results in a prehistoric culture clash that is absolutely spell-binding in its novelty. The story is raw and emotionally charged and as a bonus, much of the text is believed to be historically accurate.