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Jana at That Artsy Reader Girl invited us to share “Books Written Before I Was Born (These can be books you’ve read or want to read!).” I’m going to share a list of some of my favorite classics. Links go to my review, if I’ve written one, or to the Malaprop’s bookstore website.
Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery (Published 1908)–One of my favorite books of all time. I love all of the Anne books and really almost anything Montgomery ever wrote.
Persuasion by Jane Austen (Published 1818)–You guys can have Mr. Darcy; Captain Wentworth is the Austen hero for me. “You pierce my soul. I am half agony, half hope.” *swoon*
Rebecca (Published 1938)–I’ve read this classic several times. The Gothic melodrama, sinister Mrs. Danvers, and Rebecca’s complete dominance of the book despite the fact that she died before it even begins create a masterpiece in my opinion.
The Country of the Pointed Firs by Sarah Orne Jewett (Published 1896)–I rarely liked my required reading for school but my American literature professor hit it out of the park when she assigned this one. I read it in college and then re-read it when I visited Maine on vacation. Jewett described that beautiful rocky coastline so well, it’s practically a character.
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee (Published 1960)–Fortunately, this classic was never assigned to me in any of my classes. My sister and I have very similar taste in books and she dislikes it because it was required for her. I love the whole Finch family but Scout’s innocence and Atticus’s stand for what’s right earned them both spots among my favorite characters of all time.
The Chronicles of Narnia (Published 1950 – 1956)–I believe my third grade teacher’s assistant read The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe to our class and it’s been love ever since. I don’t know how many times I’ve read the books in this series.
Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll (Published 1871)–My parents subscribed me to a book program called Weekly Reader when I was young. Among other books, they sent me a box set of four classics, all of which I liked, but this is my favorite. It’s another classic that I’ve read multiple times.
Mythology by Edith Hamilton (Published 1942)–I read my aunt’s copy of this classic while I was in middle school and decided to go ahead and re-read it when it was assigned my sophomore year of high school. I picked up the bulk of my Greek, Roman, and Norse mythological knowledge from this book.
The Poetry and Short Stories of Dorothy Parker (She lived 1893 – 1967)–I don’t even remember when Dorothy Parker hit my radar. Maybe middle school? Certainly by high school. Her razor-sharp wit has always amused me to no end. This is the collection I own.
The Gold-Bug and Other Tales by Edgar Allan Poe (He lived 1809 – 1849)–We all love Poe, right? I don’t know where I picked up this collection. Maybe in college? My favorite stories are “The Cask of Amontillado” and “The Tell-Tale Heart.”
That’s my list! Have you read any of these? Did you enjoy them? Which books did/would you choose? Link up every Tuesday at That Artsy Reader Girl!
19 Comments
(sorry if this posts twice; I can’t remember if I hit “post comment” or closed the tab before)
My mom has the same copy of Dorothy Parker’s writings — I haven’t read it, but she adores it. It’s a beautiful book, too.
I’ve been meaning to try Sarah Orne Jewett for a while now — The Country of the Pointed Firs sounds like a great book to start with.
I was assigned Mythology for summer reading in an AP Lit class — I had never been assigned summer reading before and resented it on principle, but in retrospect, darned if that isn’t the most entertaining way to absorb the type of knowledge you mentioned. Great choice.
–RS
My mom has the same copy of Dorothy Parker’s writings — I haven’t read it, but she adores it. It’s a beautiful book, too; I was very happy to see it on this list.
I’ve been meaning to try Sarah Orne Jewett for a while now — The Country of the Pointed Firs sounds like a great book to start with. That sort of writing really appeals to me.
I was assigned Mythology for summer reading prior to an AP Lit class — I had never been assigned summer reading before and resented it on principle, but in retrospect, darned if that isn’t probably the most entertaining way to absorb the type of knowledge you mentioned. Great choice.
–RS
Oh, I’ve loved all of these books too! Especially Poe. I once read The Tell-Tale Heart at an elocution back in school and enjoyed dramatizing it to pieces. The landlord with the vulture eye is the best, haha. I also liked his Fall of the House of Usher. Great to remember these again for TTT
I’m not really a classics reader, but you have some really good ones on your list. I loved the Narnia books when I read them.
I didn’t care much for To Kill a Mockingbird when I read it. To be fair, it was also assigned reading for me, but I think I might have liked it better if I had of been a little older. Edith Hamilton’s Mythology was a summer school assignment, and I adored it. Alice is an all-time favorite of mine, and “The Tell-Tale Heart”” is also one of my favorites from Poe.
Poe is awesome! The Cask of Amontillado is one of my favorites, too.
I love Alice in Wonderland, it is such a brilliant book!
I loved Mythology by Edith Hamilton. I still have my copy from high school too! Loved seeing all these classics. Great list!
To Kill a Mockingbird and Narnia is a big YES.
I still haven’t actually read Alice in Wonderland, though.
I see Narnia and Rebecca on many lists, no wonder, they are so good. Here is my post, I choose only from those I read last year: https://wordsandpeace.com/2021/02/02/top-ten-books-written-before-i-was-born/
I agree, Persuasion is my favorite Austen!
Great list! I loved Anne of Green Gables and To Kill a Mockingbird as well.
I really enjoyed The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe but could never get into the rest of the Narnia books. I also read To Kill A Mockingbird for school, but wasn’t a massive fan of it either.
My TTT: https://jjbookblog.wordpress.com/2021/02/02/top-ten-tuesday-301/
I’ve written down Country of the Pointed Firs. I’ll look for it.
Oh, yes, so good!
Great list! Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland is probably my favourite classic, and I love Rebecca, To Kill a Mockingbird and Persuasion, too. Persuasion is Austen’s best novel and it’s been overshadowed by P&P for too long. I really want to give Anne of Green Gables a try!
Narnia! I loved those as a kid but haven’t re- read them as an adult. I should do that. 🙂
I loved reading mythology as well! I think our school had Bulfinch’s Mythology if I remember and that got me started!
I love all these books too especially Narnia, Anne of Green Gables, Rebecca, and To Kill a Mockingbird. I want to read Dorothy Parker poetry. My TTT list
I loved Anne of Green Gables! I Hope you can stop by:
https://collettaskitchensink.blogspot.com/2021/02/top-ten-books-written-before-1978-222021.html
Colletta