Recycled- because I stand by it

7 Read it before you die- book recommendations!

With National Book Lovers Day steadily approaching on August 9th, it’s time to revisit the classics that have always captured the living moments of the readers. Here are some book recommendations that are hard to put down and even harder to shrug away!

1. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

To Kill a Mockingbird sheds light on the assortment of human behavior, it takes one from soulful innocence to depths of hatred. First published in 1960, it went on to become a success and also won a Pulitzer Prize. Lee narrates the story through the eyes of 8-year-old Scout Finch. Lee wistfully shows how innocence is tarnished by the dirt of society. To A Kill A Mockingbird is slow slowly progressing but packs a thriller climax. 

2. 1984 by George Orwell

1984, the novel, depicts the harshness of a totalitarian regime where individuality and freedom are a mirage. The protagonist Winston, hates the party where he works and yet he is efficient in his work of forging the past to suit the narrative of the present. He falls in love with another party member Julia, but such behavior isn’t allowed for everything is controlled. You are being watched!

3. The Great Gatsby by F.Scott Fitzgerald

Often upheld as a masterpiece, The Great Gatsby has its fair share of admirers and critics. Through his heavy layering, Scott Fitzgerald presents a sharp critic of the American Dream. Nick’s narration takes the readers through the enviable world of money and power that many strive for although it is equally disdainful due to its emptiness. The story is about Nick’s best friend, Gatsby, who is in love with a married woman, and his hopeful tryst for her, and her frivolous life.   

4. Animal Farm by George Orwell

Animal Farm is an allegorical novel by George Orwell where farm animals revolt against their human farmer. It is a dystopian novel of revolution. The animals have a leader who inspires them and leads the revolt. After the farmer’s throw the animals are organized in hierarchies and they run the farm. Often included as reading material in colleges, Animal Farm is much acclaimed for both the subtle critique and the rampant symbolism.

5. The Catcher in the Rye by J.D.Salinger

J.D. Salinger’s Catcher in the Rye was originally meant for adults but it is often read by adolescents for its extreme relatability quotient. The novel’s protagonist, Holden Caulfield is distressed, about nothing in particular and yet everything. After a series of bad events, Holden leaves his educational establishment and heads for the city. The Catcher in His, Rye is Holden’s journey of angry rebuttal, rebellion, isolation and longing. 

6. The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings by J.R.R.Tolkien

Bilbo Baggins is that person who loves being in his space with nowhere to go and no desire to. In J.R.R. Tolkien’s Hobbit, Bilbo’s solitude is disturbed and is taken away on an adventure by the Wizard and the dwarves, where they search for a treasure and a magic ring and encounter dangerous dragons and the frightening creature Gollum. The Lord of the Rings is the sequel to The Hobbit, Bilbo has bequeathed the magical ring to his cousin Frodo and has asked him to take an arduous journey for the sake of destroying the ring.

The Lord of the Rings is a tale of magic and dark depths.

When one looks for it, literature provides adventures of all kinds, and it can all be felt in the comforts of our homes. Classics are pieces of literature that are still living and will continue to live on. It offers an insight into unchartered thoughts, territories, and time.

Reading gives the mind rejuvenation and offers thoughts to ponder upon.