Ten (Classic) Books to Kick Off Summer Reading

As you might have gathered, I have a thing for reading. I also love the classic books, and I want to talk classics. Now, for the purposes of this blog:

A classic book is one published before World War I. 
A modern classic is a book published during or after WWI, but not after 2000. 

Now, summer reading falls into two broad categories: books that are relaxing (and thus fit the take-a-break summer vibe) and books that are far too rich to read during the school year ("well, I have the time, I might as well tackle it"). This list will have five of each, designated as CRUISE or DENSE.

Two disclaimers:
1. I subscribe to the CS Lewis opinion on children's books - “No book is really worth reading at the age of ten which is not equally – and often far more – worth reading at the age of fifty and beyond.” Obviously, not all of these books will be for children, but some undoubtably will be sold for children now. Get over it. We could all use a little youth in our lives. 
2. This list only includes books I have actually read in real life, all the way through. As such, it is not as well-rounded as a longer list would be. This list is mainly American, British, and Canadian Literature. However, these books are still worth reading. There are amazing books from other countries I want to dig into, but I won't recommend them until I've read them myself. 
 

1. Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte
Type - Dense
"No Minister need come, nor anything be said over me. - I tell you I have nearly attained my heaven, and that of others is altogether unvalued and uncoveted by me." 

Where to begin? This book is the quintessential Gatsby-style story telling: it is full of unreliable narrators and characters that fill the reader with sympathy and horror. It takes place over a large span of time, so be prepared to keep track of several generations. Each one of them has a craziness and wickedness all its own. This is a book that I cannot forget. This tells the story of the ill-fated love of Catherine and Heathcliff, the reasons they were kept apart, and the lives they forced themselves and each other to lead. Dig in and enjoy it. 

 

Quick Stats:
DIFFICULTY - Fairly understandable language; a similar setting (and therefore dialect style) to The Secret Garden. Remember the narrators cannot always be trusted. 
GENRE - Romantic/Gothic
CANON - British
OVERALL TONE - Melancholy
MOVIE STATUS - Yes.
LENGTH - 326 pages
A SERIES? - No. 

 

2. Anne of Green Gables - LM Montgomery 
Type - Cruise 
"She looked like a woman of narrow experience and rigid conscience, which she was, but there was a saving something about her mouth which, if it had been ever so slightly developed, might have been indicative of a sense of humor." 

This is possibly one of the most relaxing books you'll ever read, without ever being boring. It tells the story of a red-headed orphan girl, Anne, who is adopted by a stoic, older pair of siblings. Her active imagination and depth of feeling will get her into plenty of "scrapes" and adventures. It's fun, delightful, and sweet without feeling fake. Trust me, if you have not read this book, it is absolutely worth the read. Also, the coming-of-age aspect to this story is on pointe. 

Quick Stats:
DIFFICULTY - Easy to moderate language; little to no poetry. Lots of references to outside sources, but no real knowledge required. 
GENRE - Romantic/Realistic 
CANON - Canadian
MOVIE STATUS - Yes, and book will not make you angry at the movie or vice versa.
LENGTH - 320 pages 
A SERIES? - Yes, but the books don't end in cliffhangers. 
OVERALL TONE - Light-hearted and Wide-eyed

 

3. Little Women - Louisa May Alcott 
Type - Cruise 
"Lovely weather so far; I don't know how long it will last, but I'm not afraid of storms, for I'm learning how to sail my ship."

This is the story of the four daughters of the March family. Each of the girls must find their own way in life. The book has strong coming-of-age tones, but the real joy of it is in the relationships between the sisters. The depth of relationships in this novel is stunning, and the love they have for each other leaps off the page. This book was originally serialized in a newspaper (it's a classics thing) so don't be intimidated by the length! Read Little Women and then we can cry together over a few of the chapters. 

Quick Stats:
DIFFICULTY - Easy. It's meant to be read and understood. The trouble can be with the length, but the chapters are episodic. There's no reason to rush through this one.
GENRE - Realistic/Coming-of-Age
CANON - American
MOVIE STATUS - Yes! The 1939 and the 1994 versions are both lovely. 
LENGTH - 669 pages 
A SERIES? - Yes, but none of the books ends in a cliffhanger.
OVERALL TONE - Familial

4. Beowulf - Anonymous
Type - Dense. 
"Then a fierce evil demon suffered a distress, 
long in torment, who dwelt in darkness." 


What can I say? This is just a really, really long poem fully of epic imagery and macho man speeches and fighting. As far as epics go, this one is fairly short. If you haven't made it through all of The Iliad or The Odyssey before, this will whet your appetite and train your brain to get into a really thick epic. Also, if you like The Lord of the Rings, Beowulf is mandatory reading. 

Quick Stats:
DIFFICULTY - Moderately difficult word choice in most translations. Poetry style is hard to catch at first. 
GENRE - Fantasy/Epic/Ancient 
CANON - British
OVERALL TONE - Adventurous and regal
MOVIE STATUS - Yes, but we pretend the movie didn't happen.
LENGTH - 320 pages 
A SERIES? - No. 

 

5. Gulliver's Travels - Johnathan Swift
Type - Dense 
"The natural love of life gave me some inward motions of joy, and I was ready to entertain a hope, that this adventure might some way or another help to deliver me from the desolate place and condition I was in.

Johnathan Swift will give you a run for your money. This book is worth wading through the particularly difficult passages; Swift pulls no punches in his accusations and analysis of modern life. A few sections are clearly about political figures of his day, but most of them are about humanity in general, which does not change. Give this book your full attention and the real story will unfold for you.

 

Quick Stats:
DIFFICULTY - Moderate to hard. It takes some real concentration to get the point of the book; but remember, it's all there. 
GENRE - Fantasy and Satire
CANON - British
OVERALL TONE - Satirical and matter-of-fact
MOVIE STATUS - Yes. I prefer certain parts of the movie to the book. 
LENGTH - 257 pages 
A SERIES? - No. 

 

6. Captains Courageous - Rudyard Kipling
Type - Dense 
"The thing that struck him was the exceedingly casual way in which some craft loafed about the broad Atlantic. Fishing boats, as Dan said, were naturally dependent on the courtesy and wisdom of their neighbors; but one expected better things of steamers." 

To be honest, this book was tough to classify. It's really not too long, and it has a fairly straightforward plot. The reason I finally settled on the "dense" qualification was the dialogue and dialects. Unlike in The Secret Garden or The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, there is a ton of fishing jargon as well as dialect. Don't be intimidated by the dialect or jargon. Once the fishing terms become familiar, the book really opens up. Also, it's about a fifth of the length of Moby Dick.

 

Quick Stats:
DIFFICULTY - Moderate. Jargon jargon jargon.
GENRE - Realistic/proto-young adult
CANON - American
OVERALL TONE - adventurous 
MOVIE STATUS - Yes. 
LENGTH - 156 pages 
A SERIES? - No. 

 

 

7. The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett
Type - Cruise 
"She moved away from the door, stepping as softly as if she was afraid of waking someone. She was glad that there was grass under her feet and that her steps made no sounds."

I'm not entirely sure if it is possible to successfully "childhood" without reading this book. It's a joy, and as an adult, it's easy to read between the lines and find deep truths within the characters. This is one of the quickest reads on this list, so it's a great one to start with. I love nature descriptions, and this one (as well as Anne) are absolutely breathtaking. 

Quick Stats:
DIFFICULTY - Easy reading; the dialects of a couple characters can take a moment to pick up.  
GENRE - Romantic/Coming-of-Age
CANON - British
OVERALL TONE - mystical

MOVIE STATUS - Yes, but I still need to watch it. 
LENGTH - 227 pages 
A SERIES? - No. 

 

 

8. Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen 
Type - Dense 
"It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife." 

Boom. Hook line. This book is another book about sisters, but focuses on their romantic fates. It plays nicely with the stereotypes of gender alive and well in Austen's day as well as our own. This book seems fairly straightforward at first, but don't worry. Pretty soon you'll be drawing webs on the floor to keep rack of the double-crossing and shifts in relationship. This one is a fun read (as in, Not Depressing) so just kick back, turn on your brain, and allow Ms. Austen to tell you a thing (several, really) about men, women, money, and matrimony. 
 

Quick Stats:
DIFFICULTY - Straightforward narration but VERY tongue-in-cheek. Understanding what has actually been said is only half of the story. Try to get into the characters' heads a little and don't just let them do all the work. 
GENRE - Romantic/Realistic 
CANON - British
OVERALL TONE - Witty, Light-hearted
MOVIE STATUS - Yes, several. All good, all have their own merits. 
LENGTH - 411 pages 
A SERIES? - No. 

9. Heidi - Johanna Spyri
Type - Cruise
"But Heidi's greatest joy came on windy days, when the soughing and sighing in the big pines behind the hut began." 

I couldn't resist including this one. It's a sweet, kindly little children's story. The characters feel real in the way a child would see them, and reading Heidi always makes me feel like a kid. In fact, it reminds me of a childhood I didn't have and of an innocence that is impossible to recapture in real life. Take a few days off and go live in the Alps with Heidi, Grandfather, and the goats. You won't regret it. 
 

Quick Stats:
DIFFICULTY - Easy. This is a children's book, written to be understood. 
GENRE - Children's/Romantic Realism
CANON - Swiss
OVERALL TONE - Mystical, nature-loving, sweet
MOVIE STATUS - Yes. The Shirley Temple version is horribly inaccurate, but at least Shirley is cute. 
LENGTH - 320 pages 
A SERIES? - No. 

 

10. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer - Mark Twain 
Type - Cruise 
"They said they would rather be outlaws a year in Sherwood Forest than President of the United States forever." 

Oh goodness, Tom Sawyer. This book is the precursor to the much more in-depth The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, and I highly recommend both. However, for the purposes of this list (since I've restricted myself to "first of the series" only) Tom Sawyer is my summer choice. Besides, it's a lighthearted, easy-going read full of childhood adventure and mayhem. It's also freaking hilarious.

Quick Stats:
DIFFICULTY - Easy. The dialogue is somewhat in dialect, but not to the extreme. Overall, it's a simple example of Americana. 
GENRE - Romantic/Regionalist
CANON - American
OVERALL TONE - Boisterous and cheeky
MOVIE STATUS - Yes. I haven't seen it. 
LENGTH - 203 pages 
A SERIES? - Yes


 

 

What should I be reading this summer? Let me know in the comments!