Though I love modern ya novels, it's also interesting and fun to dive into some old classics and here are five on my TBR right now.
(P.S these are in no particular order)
1. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte(1847)
Summary: Orphaned as a child, Jane has felt an outcast her whole young life. Her courage is tested once again when she arrives at Thornfield Hall, where she has been hired by the brooding, proud Edward Rochester to care for his ward Adèle. Jane finds herself drawn to his troubled yet kind spirit. She falls in love. Hard.
But there is a terrifying secret inside the gloomy, forbidding Thornfield Hall. Is Rochester hiding from Jane? Will Jane be left heartbroken and exiled once again?
My Thoughts: This sounds like a mix between a love story and a mystery and I'm all for it.
2. Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte(1847)
Summary: Set on the stormy moors of northern England, this classic novel is filled with the cruel and ecstatic love between the characters Heathcliff and Catherine. As they grow together as children and later as lovers, the conflicts of class and an all-consuming passion overwhelm the inhabitants of Wuthering Heights. The all-star cast of performers includes Claire Bloom and James Mason as the doomed lovers.
My Thoughts: ooohhhh this sounds sooo atmospheric and gothic and I totally need it.
3. And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie(1939)
Summary: First, there were ten—a curious assortment of strangers summoned as weekend guests to a little private island off the coast of Devon. Their host, an eccentric millionaire unknown to all of them, is nowhere to be found. All that the guests have in common is a wicked past they're unwilling to reveal—and a secret that will seal their fate. For each has been marked for murder. A famous nursery rhyme is framed and hung in every room of the mansion:
"Ten little boys went out to dine; One choked his little self and then there were nine. Nine little boys sat up very late; One overslept himself and then there were eight. Eight little boys traveling in Devon; One said he'd stay there then there were seven. Seven little boys chopping up sticks; One chopped himself in half and then there were six. Six little boys playing with a hive; A bumblebee stung one and then there were five. Five little boys going in for law; One got in Chancery and then there were four. Four little boys going out to sea; A red herring swallowed one and then there were three. Three little boys walking in the zoo; A big bear hugged one and then there were two. Two little boys sitting in the sun; One got frizzled up and then there was one. One little boy left all alone; He went out and hanged himself and then there were none."
When they realize that murders are occurring as described in the rhyme, terror mounts. One by one they fall prey. Before the weekend is out, there will be none. Who has choreographed this dastardly scheme? And who will be left to tell the tale? Only the dead are above suspicion.
My thoughts: Everyone keeps telling me how Agatha Christie is totally a queen and this book is amazing plus this summary has totally hooked me so this is definitely on my priority TBR right now.
4. Emma by Jane Austen(1815)
Summary: Emma Woodhouse is one of Austen's most captivating and vivid characters. Beautiful, spoilt, vain and irrepressibly witty, Emma organizes the lives of the inhabitants of her sleepy little village and plays matchmaker with devastating effect.
My Thoughts: Ok, technically this doesn't count since I'm currently reading it, but if I haven't finished I guess it still counts as "to be read".
Well anyways, I've been wanting to read this ever since I read Pride and Prejudice since I heard this one is just as good. Also because the whole idea and the main character sound really interesting!!
5. Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy (1878)
Summary: Acclaimed by many as the world's greatest novel, Anna Karenina provides a vast panorama of contemporary life in Russia and of humanity in general. In it Tolstoy uses his intense imaginative insight to create some of the most memorable characters in all of literature. Anna is a sophisticated woman who abandons her empty existence as the wife of Karenin and turns to Count Vronsky to fulfil her passionate nature - with tragic consequences. Levin is a reflection of Tolstoy himself, often expressing the author's own views and convictions.
Throughout, Tolstoy points no moral, merely inviting us not to judge but to watch. As Rosemary Edmonds comments, 'He leaves the shifting patterns of the kaleidoscope to bring home the meaning of the brooding words following the title, 'Vengeance is mine, and I will repay.
My Thoughts: This is different than the others since it's Russian Literature but I've heard a lot of good things about this and it's apparently super dramatic so I'm hoping to get to it soon!!
Comments