Essentials Pt. 2

Books. I'm going to be an English teacher in 2 years now, maybe 2 1/2, we'll see. Either way my ADD makes reading difficult but I get so much satisfaction every time i finish a novel. Eventually I want to be a college professor and teach a class in Literary Analysis or any other type of Literature class. Here's my essential list of books to read.

"Breakfast of Champions"
"Cat's Cradle"
"Slaughterhouse Five"

All by Kurt Vonnegut. My favorite author and in a way, my hero. It wasn't until I finished BoC that I came to this conclusion. I had read SHV and loved it, but that didn't hit me until much later after I finished reading it. His style is genius and so complex, yet simplistic. He blends together everything I love in a book and I can do nothing but read the works of his. Every book has multiple quotes which pertain to him personally that I relate to so well. If you haven't read anything of his, you are truly missing out. Start with Slaughterhouse Five because it's the classic, but don't make your final opinion until you finish Breakfast of Champions.

"Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close" by Jonathan Safran Foer

I was recommended this book but when I read the description wasn't interested. I finally decided to pick it up anyways and it had me hooked. I have recommended this to so many people, including my mother, and all of which share the same admiration. It will make you laugh and cry. There's so much more to the book than what the story entails, and it's so well put together that, based on my preference for reading, it makes perfect sense why I love it so much. It's story includes themes of childhood innocence, loss, family issues, love, fear, and more. The book is a roller coaster of emotions and will make you feel the same way.

"The Great Gatsby" by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Chances are you read this in school, we all did. Most of us hated it. Behind the overly-detailed descriptions and stories of spoiled rich people is a story more beautiful than anything. In my opinion, it is the best book of the Modernism literary period. It also has a complete disdain for the American Dream, which everyone chased at the time. When it came out, most people hated it, but then, just like me, it hit me.

"Perks of Being a Wallflower" by Steven Chbosky

It's cliche, but one of my biggest regrets is not reading this earlier on in life. It probably would've helped me out a lot. It'll take you a day, and entirely worth it. Also, it has one of the best mixtapes ever made.

"Night of the Iguana" by Tennessee Williams

Playwrights are odd and sometimes difficult to read. But anything by Williams is brilliant if you pay enough attention.

"Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance" by Robert Pirsig

I'm still working through this, and taking my time just like Pirsig says. What I've gotten out of it so far is multiple life lessons that I think anybody can utilize in some respect.

"Ishmael" by Daniel Quinn

Just a mind-bending book, which is more of an informal guide to human culture disguised as a novel. It takes some work but in the end is entirely worth your time.

"Night" by Elie Wiesel

You probably read this in high school too. There's a reason. One of the most powerful books ever written, but also it instills a sense of hope unlike many other books.

"Survivor" by Chuck Palahniuk

Holy. Fuck. also read "Rant" if you can make it through.