what are good classic books to read?

Question

Stuff like Dr Jekkyl and Mr Hyde and To kill a mockingbird and stuff like that things like david copperfeild are good too i want to read the books that eberybody has heard the names of the classics like the Hound of the Baskervilles and other good reads(doesnt matter) Im 13 but i read alot and fast ( not being a braggart) I have already read the Da Vinci Code so dont suggest that, but im goign to get the prequel and the Opus dei code

All these answers are really helping me out I have like 25 books on hold @ the library- I can't buy books or I'd be in debt before I'm even legal!

Answer 1

It warms my heart to see a 13 year old say "braggart". I've always liked that word and have too long worried that it's lost favour with a younger generation.

David Copperfield is one hell of a good book, and if you ain't all Dickensed out by now, Oliver Twist is not far inferior.

Mark Twain can really make you smile when he puts his mind to it. Don't limit yourself to ol' Huckleberry; dive into the short stories, as well. There are some real truths in them. I particularly recommend "the War Prayer". Not funny by a long shot, but it will punch a hole in your heart.

"Moby Dick" is an amazing book. Don't think I'm being condescending when I say you may enjoy it more if you wait a few years, but if you've got the pluck, wade in. You can read a paragraph a day and savor it over the next five years of your life.

Not quite a classic, as traditionally defined, but I am confident you will grow to love the complete works of one Mr. P.G. Wodehouse. I damn sure do.

Jack London books are very entertaining, and quick reads, in case you ever get your back up against a wall on a book report assignment.

Never underestimate William Shakespeare. I'd go with a heavily footnoted volume, as there are a good many details we all miss the first time through. You may want to wait a year or two here, as well, but don't think it's coincidence that so many people go on about him like they do.

If you'd like something with particular relevance to these times we live in, consider George Orwell. "Animal Farm" is the very most profound easy book you will ever read in your life, and I personally believe there should be a constitutional amendment requiring folks to read "1984".

I suppose I could go on and on, but there's one thing, it seems, that we both already know: just because some poor volume has been labled with the perjorative "classic", does not necessarily mean that it sucks. There are some dreadful bores on the list, don't get me wrong, but I won't name names (I see one or two of them posted above) for fear of offending anyone. Those literary types can be terribly sensitive.


Happy reading!

Answer 2

Of Mice & Men, Flowers for Algernon, Jane Eyre, The Good Earth, Catch 22, In Cold Blood, Slaughterhouse 5, The Iliad, The Odyssey, The Lord of the Rings trilogy, A Tale of Two Cities, The Great Gatsby, The Scarlet Letter, Beowulf, The Inferno, Robinson Crusoe, The Lord of the Flies, Watership Down, The Picture of Dorian Gray, Heart of Darkness, All Quiet on the Western Front, Death be Not Proud... those can get you started.

Answer 3

These are some great YA novel as well as popular novels.

Life of Pi/Yann Martel
The Devil Wears Prada/Weisberger
Speak/ Laurie Halse Anderson
Prom/ Laurie Halse Anderson
Monster/Walter Dean Myers
Catcher in the Rye/Salinger
The Lovely Bones/Sebold
The Bean Trees/Kingsolver
Buried Onions/Soto

Anything by Gary Paulson or Paul Zindel will work too

Answer 4

Here is another thought - why not try reading some of the great classical 'self-help' books? These have changed and enriched hundreds of thousands of lives over the years. These are fascinating books, and are written so well, they are certainly not above your reading level.

How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie

The Success System that Never Fails by W. Clement Stone

Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill

The Magic Power of Your Mind by Walter M. Germain

The Magic of Believing by Claude Bristol

The Magic of Thinking Big by Dr David Schwartz

Psycho-Cybernetics by Maxwell Maltz

How to Reach Your Life Goals by Peter J. Daniels

SUCCESS!

Answer 5

Great Classics to read:

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain

The Call Of The Wild & White Fang by Jack London

Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck

A Death In The Family by James Agee

Gullivers Travels by Jonathan Swift

Answer 6

Count of Montecristo by Alexander Dumas.The hero is Edmond Dantés, a young French sailor who, falsely accused of treason, is arrested on his wedding day and imprisoned in the island fortress of Château d'If. After staging a dramatic escape he sets out to discover the fabulous treasure of Monte Cristo and catch up with his enemies. A novel of enormous tension and excitement, Monte Cristo is also a tale of obsession and revenge, with Dantés, believing himself to be an `Angel of Providence', pursuing his vengeance to the bitter end before realizing that he himself is a victim of fate.The author did a great job describing the emotions of the prisoner.Disbelief,denial,self pity,madness,apathy and finally hope.For God's sake don't see any of the movies based on the book.They don't do justice to the book.

The three musketeers by Alexander Dumas.The three musketeers have become symbols for the spirit of youth, daring, and comradeship. The action takes place in the 1620s at the court of Louis XIII, where the musketeers, Athos, Porthos, and Aramis, with their companion, the headstrong d'Artagnan, are engaged in a battle against Richelieu, the King's minister, and the beautiful, unscrupulous spy, Milady. Behind the flashing blades and bravura, in this first adventure of the Musketeers, Dumas explores the eternal conflict between good and evil.Be warned.This book does not have a happy ending.The heroine dies at the end.

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens.In Dickens' tale of Ebenezer Scrooge, an old miser is shown his past, his present, and if he does not change, his future.The first ghost reminds him how he once enjoyed life's pleasures. The second ghost shows Scrooge his current deplorable state. The final ghost foretells the likely outcome of his skinflint ways.

This one is not a classic,but you may like it all the same.Scaramouche by Rafael Sabatini.When his best friend, a young clergyman, is killed in a mockery of a duel by an arrogant noble, just to quiet his eloquent expressions of democratic ideals, Andre-Louis Moreau vows revenge. From that point, through meteoric careers as a consummate actor and scenario writer, then as a fencing master, and finally a politician, the brilliant Moreau keeps thwarting the aims of the aristocratic Marquis de la Tour d'Azyr. However, the nobleman causes pain to Moreau as well, and the time must come when the two will meet to settle their enmity once and for all. You are not likely to guess how their confrontation finally turns out. Set against the backdrop of the French Revolution, this swashbuckling novel is exciting throughout, and it presents one of the most dashing heroes in fiction, a man who can fight equally well with his mind, his mouth, his pen, and his sword, a man who stirs up events wherever he goes.

(Short stories)The Cop and the Anthem by O.henry.Its about a young tramp Soapy who tries desperately to get arrested so that he can spend the winter in jail.He eats in expensive restaurents,steals,insults women,cause general mayham.But to no avail.He just doesn't get arrested until...

The Gift of the Magi,From the cabby's seat,Last leaf all by the same author are terrific stories.Another great writer is Anton Chekov.

You can get these e-books free from Project Gutenberg.

Answer 7

Dostoevsky and Tolstoy. Crime and Punishment. The Brothers Karamazov. Anna Karenina.

But if you really want a talking point author, someone that elicits the response, "Oh, you're reading so and so!" while also entertaining you and building your intellect go with Shakespeare and read his tragedies. Macbeth, Hamlet, King Lear, etc.

13 is the perfect time to start reading this stuff. Whatever you read of the classics I'm sure you'll be pleased. You'll find out why we still read these old books. And they'll help you find out who you really are.

Answer 8

It's good you read a lot. You will be able to talk to anyone about anything! I walk around with a book all the time myself. You may want to try Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte. It is wordy, but I enjoyed it very much. I am currently working on The Grapes of Wrath. Now THAT is a huge book!

Answer 9

Books by Mark Twain (Tom Sawyer, Huckleberry Finn) would be enjoyable for you to read. There's also "Treasure Island". Shakespeare is good.... and of course there are books by Edgar Allan Poe, Jules Verne, Jack London (The Call of the Wild), Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein", Stephen Crane's "Red Badge of Courage" are alll great!!!

Answer 10

To Kill A Mockingbird, Black Beauty, The Bean Trees, and Of Mice and Men all of these are great books and definitely worth the read!