Miss Riemersma's
Reading List!
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey - told through the words of a seemingly mute half-Indian mental patient, Cheif Bromden, we witness Randel Patrick McMurphy's struggle with his new surroundings; a mental ward. This is a great story about good and evil and protest against the rules of society.
The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson - This is a quick read for anyone who likes suspense. Dr. Montague invites four seemingly random people to Hill House to search for actual evidence of the psychic phenomenon called haunting.
A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens - This story of revolutionary themes both for society and for self is a hefty read, but an excellent one.
The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger - This famously censored novel isn't just a coming-of-age story about Holden Caulfield, it's a bold statement about society from the eyes of an observant adolescent.
*A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle - This is a book for fantasy lovers! Meg Murry, her brother, Charles Wallace, and her friend, Calvin find themselves in a fifth dimension. Can they outwit the forces of evil and return home with Meg and Charles' long-lost father?
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee - Described by the author as a simple love story, To Kill a Mockingbird has many themes of human behavior running through it. It is considered one of the great masterpieces of American Literature.
*The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton - Ponyboy knows he can count on his friends and brothers for anything. He doesn't trust much else, especially a rival gang of rich kids. One night, things go too far and loyalties are tested.
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury - Guy Montag was a fireman. His job was to burn books and the houses they were hidden in. He liked his job. But one day he met a professor who told him about a time whenpeople were allowed to read books and his whole life changed.
1984 by George Orwell - Written in 1949, Orwell's profetic view of the future and a haunting "negative utopia" are still relevant. This book is said to be one of the most infulential books of all time.
*The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin - Mystery solving at its finest, this story is about 16 people who are gathered for the reading of Sam Westings will. Little do they know ti si a contest to find the heir and only 2 people have all the clues, the true heir and YOU!
The Hobbit and The Lord of The Rings Trilogy by J.R.R. Tolkien - This set of books is a must for anyone who has even the slightest interest in fantasy. Follow Bilbo Baggins through The Hobbit as he sets the stage for Frodo's long journey with Sam and many others in The Lord of the Rings.
She's Come Undone by Wally Lamb - Dolores Price finds herself at a staggering 257 pounds as she enters young womanhood. She struggles to keep afloat as she encounters life's punches.
The Shining by Stephen King - King is the king of horror for a reason and this novel is no exception. We have front row seats as Jack Torrence takes his family to the Overlook Hotel in the mountains of Colorado to be the caretaker through a long winter. Slowly, the Overlook takes over Jack....
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou - Angelou's outstanding autobiography portrays the obstacles a black woman must overcome in order to survive a cold, white world.
The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck - A summation of life in the 1930's Dust Bowl migration, this story follows a family as they are ripped from their failing farm and forced west to California in search of a better life.
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald - The Roaring '20's are in full swing in this novel about a lonely man and the pursuit of the American Dream. The question this novel asks is, can money really buy happiness?
At Home in Mitford by Jan Karon - The first in the Mitford Series, this is a story about a small town preacher and his flock of parishoners. This series will fill your heart with happiness.
* Young Adult Literature Selections
Did you try one of my suggestions? Email me and tell me what you thought! Or, let me know a couple of your reading suggestions!